Light shot out in front of me as I scrambled out of the itchy hay that had irritated my skin all night. I was late again. Anne had probably already been working for the past three or so hours. I was in charge of farming in the vegetable garden and helping the stable-boys. It awed me at how the masters were so quick give everyone subordinate to them such labels. Servant-girl, stable-boy, maid—that was all my existence. If it wasn’t for interactions with other indentured workers I think I would have probably forgotten my own name.

I rushed outside of the barn that I slept into the brilliant after dawn sunshine. I remember thinking that Anne, plain, beautiful Anne, would scold me and beat me again for being so idle. I tried to make up for it by going straight to work.

Opekhwa was a stable-boy that I had befriended shortly after arriving at Lord Huntingdon’s “household”. His skin was a deep ebony color and he spoke with an accent. Sometimes, when he lost himself, he started rambling on strange sounds. I usually visited him first thing in the morning.

“Opekhwa! Good Morning!” I greeted him as I bounded down the hill. Opekhwa turned his head towards my direction and smiled with his missing and ruined teeth.

“Ja-neih, you are late again,” he stated in his unplacable accent. Opekhwa used to tell me about the place he came from, a beautiful place filled with various plants, flowers, and fruit, but I’ve never been to that place myself. I’ve been to many places around the world, but never place.

“Sorry, I overslept,” I answered sheepishly and felt a smile creep up on my face. “What are you doing? Can I help?”

“You do this always,” Opekhwa sighed, “You groom horse. I deposit manure.”

I nodded, took the comb and began to brush it over the horse while Opekhwa left the barn with an iron shovel. I continued doing this for the next couple hours moving onto other grooming and hygienic methods.

Opekhwa came in again and told me that Anne was demanding my presence in the garden. I hugged Opekhwa goodbye while he looked at me sternly and rushed out knowing that Anne knowing that she was going to ask the overseers to do the job for her since her hand was weaker. My theory was proved when I saw Anne in the field with her hands in her hops glaring at my standing next to a blonde overseer, Eliot who had his rifle in his hands.

“You idiotic girl! You were due here four hours ago!” she screamed and slapped me with a crack on my cheek. Eliot held her back by the arm.”

“Ms. It’s my job to handle the disobedient ones. A lady as nice as yourself need not worry. I’ll take care of this’un”

Anne huffed and said, “She needs to do her job as soon as possible.”

“Understood Ma’am”

Anne left to work back in the kitchens (An honor I was not permitted to) and as soon as she was out of earshot out of nowhere Eliot’s masculine hand came crashing on my body exploding in pain wherever his hand, or the butt of his rifle, hit.

When the beating was over, Eliot flicked his pope in my direction; the ashes narrowly missed my face.

“Get up,” He ordered.

I got up.

“Start at this row and keep working until your mistress”—that was Anne—“comes and tells you to stop.”

I ran off on my beaten legs to the spot that Eliot pointed. I did the best that I could do to not pay attention to the shadows on the ground or the sun setting over the thick forest miles away.

The sun was long set by the time I was allowed to stop working and Opekhwa’s family had already been allowed to go home. They stared at me with pity before the women, tired of holding their babies on their backs, gave them to the men who were just as tired as they were, and went back to the cabin.

“I hope this will be a lesson to you, girl,” he muttered to my ear when I collapsed on the ground from the exhaustion. “Just do what you are told. It makes life so much easier. I wouldn’t like to see a pretty little girl like you get hurt.”

I loathed that man. But now, I feel a strange sort of pity for him. Those were the last words that were spoken to me by his voice. The time I really started to grow up was when the bells sounded.

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I know this is really really, short, but I'll try to make up for it next time. If you find any mistakes please tell me! I always look forward to feedback.