Nakusa, hima [debian ebook reader .TXT] 📗

I shoved a plate into her hand. She seemed uncertain for a few seconds and then ate with me reluctantly. I smiled at her; she remained me so much of Julia.

“What’s your name?” I asked her. “Anna…” she said trying hard to keep her food down. I chuckled. “You know I have a sister who looks so much like you…” I said. She smiled.“I have to leave now…” she said tentatively setting the plates. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this and in return you should eat with me every day, is that agreed?” I asked.

“I miss my family.” I thought as I rested back on to the comfortable plush bed. Jenny would be retelling one of her fairy tales now…Julia would be all ears listening to her resting her chin on the pillow and staring wide eyed at Jenny, Emma trying to talk some sense into her while Jane restraining her from saying something that would hurt the girls…Mom would be sitting in the rock chair knitting and a faint smile on her lips looking proudly at her girls…

I woke up early in the morning when there was a gentle knock on the door. Mrs. Wilson was standing out the door a group of people tailing on her back. “Sorry, madam. I overslept…” I said quickly. “Its okay, my girl. I understand you must be very tired.” She said sweetly, pecking my cheek with her hands.

“You must be well groomed before you wedding…”she said clicking her hands. The women rushed to me and sat me on the chair, after that it was a blur but when everything was done and they felt that everything is attended to. They set some dresses before me; all designed in pure silk, the feel of the fabric in my hands made me feel excited. Back home my father couldn’t afford to buy us a single pair for a year but our brother got each week a new pair. I pushed my horrible past aside and concentrated on now.

They helped me get into the dress and walked me to a mirror. A young, beautiful woman smiled at me. I raised my hands to touch the face of the transformed me and sure it was me. Mrs. Wilson chuckled. I dropped my hands embarrassed.

“You do look good, now it’s time for you to learn things…” she said. What did she mean by things? Would they ask me to work now? I hope they wouldn’t, it’s not because I didn’t want to work but because my dress would spoil.

She walked me into a big room where an elderly woman sat with a book in her hand. “She’ll teach you everything you need to know.” She said gesturing me to go in. “But…madam I know how to cook, how to plough and every house chore…” I said confused of what more I should learn.

She chuckled. “You don’t have to do those again, she will educate you…” she said smiling.

It’s been weeks and everyday that’s what I did; I dress up and go to the classes, listen to the classes and come back and have dinner and lunch with Anna. Mrs. Jennings taught me how to read, and etiquette. She made me read different books explaining me the ways of the world…I was really fascinated to know that there is whole new world out there unlike the one I knew for years… Women were treated equally in the books… Jenny would be happy if she gets a chance to read these books. My life sorted out from a complicated mess to a perfect future but deep down my heart I know this wasn’t true.

I was walking back to my room from my classes, when I heard someone crying. I rushed towards the voice; Anna was being beaten by someone. “Stop…What do you think you are doing?” I shouted at the man who was beating Anna. He continued to lash her out. I caught his hands in the mid air and took away the whip from his hands. “What gives you the right to beat her like that?” I called.

“This little twit has been eating with you when she shouldn’t…”he said. “I asked her to do so…If you have a problem than it should be with me. If you strike her once again you will have to face me…” I said fixing him with murderous glare.

“I’m sorry…madam.”He said tentatively. “I’m sorry that you were hurt because of me…” I said rubbing ointment over the wounds.

“There, it will be better by tomorrow.” I said. She cried hugging me. “None has ever taken care of me like that…”she said. I soothed her and after a while she left to continue with her duties. “If that man lays a finger on you again, you come and tell me.” I called after her.

I was in deep sleep when I heard a gentle knock on the door. I rubbed my eyes and opened the door; Anna hurried into my room and shut the door behind her. “I was worried when you didn’t turn up for the dinner…” I said concerned. “Linda… you have to leave.”She said in a whisper. “Why?” I frowned.

“They want you to be bride because you’ll be dead and then…” She blabbered in between sobs. “Calm down…”I said sitting her on the bed and handing her a glass of water. She drank it all.

“There is a curse on the Wilson family. The first bride to the Wilson’s will be dead in over a month after their marriage. Mrs. Wilson wanted to marry her son to her niece but knowing about the curse…”She trailed off. I put the pieces together so if I were to be the first bride than I would die than she could marry her niece conveniently to him.

Involuntary tears began to fall from my eyes, why was it we were unwanted always? What wrong did we do? Me and my sisters, we did nothing but do whatever asked of us but still we were never seen or liked. My father he never liked to see us, when I saw him with my brother he was a different person loving and caring but when he was with us he was grim and ugly. I had always asked this question over and over, was it wrong to be a girl? Why couldn't anyone change this? That's when mom's words echoed in my mind. You shouldn't expect someone to come and change things for you... It's you who need to change. I wiped away my tears. I had taken enough of this hatred and being unwanted. I'll prove myself and make myself wanted.


Anna studied the face of Linda for any signs of shock since she seemed so still. “I’ll help you to run, come on…” Anna gently tugged my hands. “I can’t go back to my house, my dad… he will kill me for coming back…”I mumbled. “Then you have to go somewhere else but not here…”Anna pleaded.

“We need to think it clearly, we can’t take decisions in haste…”I said. “If I go away like that, you know people will defame me and it will have worse effect on my sisters and family. I have four sisters to think about before I do something…” “But surely it won’t be more than losing your life…”she said anxiously keeping her voice low and checking for any sounds.

“I have to figure out another way to get out from here…”I said. “What would that be? I suggest you come to my house, I’ll keep you away safe.” “How long can you keep me hidden? Running away is not a solution. True, it seems to be easy but it wouldn’t do us any good.” I said determined to sort out the problem in another way.

Anna sighed, “I wish that you are taking the right decision…”she said. I squeezed her hands and nodded showing my confidence about the decision.

“I better get going before anyone else caught me…”she said. I checked the corridors and when I saw it was absolutely empty, I gestured her to go. She ran without even turning back, to the kitchen.

Anna was still worried about Linda and her decision.

“Anna…”the head maid shrieked as soon as she saw wounds on her hands, she hurried to her and examined her wounds. She was a woman in mid 40’s, she is a pleasant woman, she treated all her helpers as her own children, and she cared like a mother. Anna told her the story of how she was eating everyday with Miss. Linda and how the chief lashed her for it and then how she was rescued by Miss. Linda.

“She seems to be a good soul…” The head cook Margaret said examining the wounds and seeing if they needed to be treated. “She is very good and kind…”Anna smiled. Margaret sighed. “I guess than Wilson’s family is going to pay for hurting an innocent girl…”

“What do you mean?” Anna asked confused by Margaret’s words. “It’s nothing for you to hear…”Margaret said and began to walk away from the unwanted questions that might pop.

“Aunt Margaret…please do tell me. What you mean by that?”Anna pleaded. Margaret thought for a while and then thought maybe it would help the poor little girl to know the truth. She told Anna about the curse and the Mrs. Wilson’s plan to counteract it which she overheard when she went to serve her breakfast. Anna was dumbfounded by it; she has only one thing in her mind at that time to save Linda. She waited until everyone slept and then went to Linda’s room to tell her all about the curse.

Now thinking back about it, Anna thought maybe she should have pleaded her more into running away from here. She sighed and thought that she couldn’t help her anymore even if she wanted to. She sneaked into the kitchen where the maids were sleeping. She tiptoed to her spot and went to sleep.

“Did you try to escape her from this place?” Margaret’s voice was barely a whisper but she could hear her, she rolled sideways and faced her. “No…She thought it wasn’t a good thing to run away from problems…” Anna said meekly. Margaret smiled as if she knew this would happen.

“I wish nothing happens to her…”Anna said. “God takes care of good girls…now, sleep. You have a long day ahead…” Margaret said. Anna nodded and drifted to sleep thinking about Linda. “Why is it always us; girls?” She whispered before letting the sleep consume her.

I studied Mrs. Wilson as she paced through the room frantically, she was graceful and vigilant. She looked so frail and vulnerable but after last night I know exactly that this is a façade to cover the beast behind a beauty mask. Mr. Wilson was almost poker faced reading the newspaper and occasionally glancing at his wife. How could I have been so naïve? I knew that this is too good to be true, may be small part of me believed like Jenny that there would be an ever after and now… so much for my optimism.

“I have something to do; I’ll be back in a few seconds…” I said. “Yes, dear…but be fast. “She said dazzling me with a smile. Oh! No, I was not going to be deceived by that smile again.

I relaxed on to the couch in my room, what should I do? I obviously cannot go back…Father would take it a chance to kill us…What would I say to mother she would be totally