Papillon

  I could no longer hear the sorrowful crying coming from my mother or my brother. As the carriage continued to move, I realized that with each step the horses took, the harder it would be for me to return. Never in my life did I think I would ever be sold. But I suppose if your family owes a considerable amount of debt then anything is possible. As I sat still in the moving carriage, I realized it was dark in here. Perhaps too dark. I wanted to move the drapes from the window but hesitated. After all, I wasn't alone in the carriage. Across from me sat him. 

     He was dressed in all black. He wore black leather gloves, a black hat and a cape. His legs were crossed and seemed to have a mysterious aura about him. I suppose it's because of the mask. What was he hiding? Why wear a mask? Could it be something is wrong with his face or something else? Well, that's not what really bothers me anyway...it's the fact that he has such a powerful scent coming from him- the fragrance of flowers. In fact it was making me feel nauseous and before I realized it, my vision had become fuzzy and the next thing I recalled was darkness.

     "Wake up miss," said an unfamiliar voice. "You've arrived."

     When I awoke, a bright ray of light hit my face. I raised my hand to cover the harsh light and realized it came from the sun. The carriage was not moving anymore and when I sat up, outside of the carriage door stood an old man who, judging by his clothing, was a servant. I gasped after recalling myself fainting in the carriage. How terribly embarrassing of me. I glanced over to see if the masked man was still sitting there. He was not.

     "The Master has already gone inside," said the servant. "Come now." His hand reached out for mine to help me get off the carriage.

     As I took hold of his hand and finally set foot on ground, I looked up at the incredible scenery in front of me. I could not help but stand there in shock at the size of this place. It was the biggest mansion I had ever seen in my life. All of the walking paths were surrounded by hundreds of flowers and I could hear the sound of flowing water nearby. The birds were chirping and I could hear the sound of bees collecting honey. 

     "This place is incredible," I mumbled to myself. 

     "This way, please." Said the servant.

     I nodded as I followed him towards the mansion still in a complete daze from the beautiful scenery. I could not believe that such a man who seemed so scary and dark could reside in such a place. It was like I had stumbled into Paradise. 

     As we were getting closer to the mansion gate, the servant turned a sharp right and headed towards the back gates of the mansion. Confused, I quickly followed. Where was he taking me? How come we didn't go inside? And where was the Master? Finally, after what seemed like a long walk, we stopped. 

     "Here we are," he said. "This is where you will be residing from now on. I believe you'll find it to your liking."

     Find it to my liking? He must have been joking. We were standing in front of a tiny house. It was the size of my bathroom back home! It looked poorly made and the walls seemed unstable and falling apart. Not to mention there were chickens, pigs and other farm animals running around. I guess that must have been the foul stench I smelled just now. Well, what did I expect? I was sold by my own family. I didn't expect to live a life of luxury and comfort here.

     "Do you have any questions miss?" The servant continued.

     "Ah, yes. What am I supposed to do here? I'm not sure exactly." I asked.

     "Did the Master not explain to you on your way here?"

     I shook my head. The entire ride was nothing but silence between us. Perhaps he had intended to tell me but as idiotic as I was, I lost consciousness in the carriage. It's not exactly my fault. It was because his fragrance was so powerful. Who walks about with such a strong scent? He could knock a whole town unconscious! Now imagine yourself being confined in a small carriage with that. 

     "Now that you live here at Papillon, your responsibilities include taking care of the farm and the flowers. You shall be up before sunrise every day and cannot rest until the Master has rested."

     "I see. Are there any other people here to help me? After all, there's no way one person can manage this entire place."

     "We use to have someone else but they are not here anymore." Exclaimed the servant.

     "I see...and how long will I stay here? Will I be able to go home?" 

     The servant scoffed. "Once you're here, you can never leave. No one has ever been able to leave here." 

     "Then what about the other person you just mentioned? Did they not leave?"

     As the servant turned around to leave, he stopped and said, "That person died." 

     I stood in silence as he walked away disappearing into the mansion. Was he serious when he said no one has ever been able to leave here? But what about my family? Am I so unlucky that I have to be trapped here? My chest hurts all of a sudden. I felt like the life I once knew had shattered into little pieces as if it was just a dream and that I finally woke up to reality. I didn't like this one bit.

     As I picked up my small luggage, I faced the chipped wooden door to my new residence. I took a deep breath and walked up the wooden steps. With each step I took I could hear the floor creak. The door had no handle and so I slowly pushed it open. The sound of the creaking door swung open as I stepped inside. The old and raggedy drapes covered the windows causing the complete darkness in the room. I could feel the dust in the air and when I felt the walls with my hand, it was also covered in dust. It was as if this room hadn't seen the light of day or fresh air in decades. There was an old lamp sitting on the floor next to a mattress and a small coffee table flipped upside down in the middle of the room. I looked around for a bed frame but there was none. As I stood in the center of the room still holding my luggage, I glanced over at the mattress and saw a single bed sheet and a very thin sheet, which I assumed was the blanket. I felt like crying but I knew I had to be strong for my family. If I were to run away now, they would go after my family and I knew I could not let that happen. What kind of person would I be if I did that? 

     "Just suck it up Eden. You'll be fine. After all, it's not so bad. I just have to tidy it up a bit that's all." I set my luggage down and took a deep breath. Of course I forgot about the horrible amount of dust and started coughing uncontrollably. 

     After spending most of the day cleaning the room, I sat on the steps outside and breathed a sigh of relief. The two old sheets I found were washed and hung to dry. The room was almost dust free and the drapes tied so the room could be filled with sunlight. I had no mirror to see what I looked like but I knew I looked horrible after doing so much cleaning. My hands were black as charcoal and my back felt sore. As I tried to relax in silence, I could hear the sound of the chickens and pigs frantically roaming about. My stomach growled and I sighed. 

     When I stood up to go back inside, I suddenly heard the sound of music coming from a piano in the distance. I listened to see where it was coming from and noticed it wasn't coming from the mansion. I slowly walked down the steps and outside of the farm area. I couldn't help but follow the sound of the music along the paths of the backyard. With each step, the music became louder and clearer when finally, I reached a garden. The garden was covered in thousands of flowers of all different kinds. There was a tall fountain of water in the center where the birds were drinking from and the butterflies glistened in the sunlight. I walked into the garden and stood in front of the majestic water fountain and when I heard the music again, I looked over to the other side of the fountain and saw a grand piano. Sitting in front of the piano was a man dressed in black. When I snuck a closer look, I could see the man wearing a mask. I gasped in shock. It was him. 

     I dropped down and hid myself behind the fountain and secretly continued to listen to him play. It was such a beautiful melody that I couldn't help but listen. I closed my eyes and let myself become enveloped in the beautiful sound. The music was so captivating. I felt weak and vulnerable to its melody. A soft breeze surrounded the garden and I could smell the fragrance of the flowers passing through my nose. Is it the fragrance of the flowers that is pulling me in? Or is it the beautiful music that has trapped my heart? I feel weak and everything seems to be slowly fading.

I'm trapped.