Fall to Rise

One

One.

Strolling deep into the woods away from my miserable haunting society of Akwolle District across the Meadows, swamp, further to the wilderness of Bay Forest to another district, in the wee hours of the night.

All I had in my possession was half a loaf of bread of the remains of yesterday's meal back home, an old blanket of my brother's and a few coins, he'd collected up for me during the day in order to sustain my journey to safety.

And all this was his idea from the very start.

So to begin with, never in a million years had I ever dreamt of myself finally reaching Eighteen where I was to be married off, and worse to the most wealthy and cruel man of Akwolle District, Kaffo Reinard, because all along I'd taken myself to be likeable to mother and I knew when the time comes, she'd talk for me and my marriage proposal would be declined. But this was all a dream.

She was just like him.

Almost everyone in my village awed Kaffo lots money so this gave him room to negotiate his compasation for the loan fee, whether your animals, children, wife. Anything just anything.

There was a point in time when he took his brothers wife after he'd failed to pay his money back, the miserable crippled man died of starvation since he couldn't sustain his life anymore without the help of his wife.

It was indeed sad.

All in all, men of Akwolle didn't find fault in Kaffo's actions and continued entrusting him with lots of their property in return until the could pay his money back.

In this submissive community, we women had no say in this. We we're made for the 'yes factor', agreeing to every demand of the men. And as if mother didn't see fault in this, she always agreed with father in all the terms he made.

But at the age of sixteen, my eyes started to open up and I became the rebellious child. Father couldn't wait to get rid of me.

It was his daily lamentation, " how I wish Kaffo could discipline you better when you get married off."

And I dreaded this day.

This day would never come to pass.

I consoled my dear self every time.