Athenia's Choice (ON HOLD)

Athenia's Choice: Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

I was gasping for air as the hunchback’s unwashed fingers throttled my neck. Sweat pumped around my body, as I was tortured, screeching for help and sobbing. He scavenged in my pockets, stripping me of my priceless possessions. I felt him pulling at something at my neck- Mariettia’s necklace. No! No! He couldn’t take it.

I felt so weak as he pressed down onto my body, harder. Harder. I summoned some strength into my slim but sturdy legs and kicked out desperately, coughing and choking. The hunchback’s grasp around my throat was released, and his hands went up to his nose, which was spurting out blood. I did not hesitate.

I ran like a brewing hurricane, my heart pounding, and head in a tangle over what had just happened. It frightened me. I ignored any pains or stitches, for I needed to get away as far as I could. What if he came after me?

*****

I had recovered from those events soon enough, blocking them fiercely to the corner of my mind. I fastened Mariettia’s necklace tighter around me with my fingers, which were admittedly still trembling. I vowed that wherever I went, whatever I did, I would always keep that necklace with me. I decided I would call myself Mariettia now, if anyone asked, because it was engraved on the outside of the locket.

I was thinking all this when I saw a small cottage in the distance. A sigh of relief escaped from my mouth. I immediately ran all the way to it, my body full of bubbles at the thought of some sanctuary. I tore through the reeds, and swatted away insects in my excitement to reach the building.

When I knocked on the oak door there was no answer. I peered in the grimy windows but the place was empty. Disappointment lodged itself inside me that there was no help to be found, but on the other hand, I could live in the cottage- who cared about London now? I sighed, leaning against the wall, closing my eyes as the wind blew my bloodstained skirts around me.

I found a piece of old wood, in an old little hut near the cess pit, to smash one of the back windows with. There was nothing at all inside except a black with filth blanket, a straw mattress, a chipped bowl, and a rickety, unstable rocking chair. It was better than being on the streets, I thought somewhat sulkily.

I now counted these as my possessions. I wished I could set my dress to dry, but since I had been robbed of my other garments, I couldn’t change into anything else.  To my dismay, the sooty blanket was too small to wrap around me when the cold wind blew in through the dilapidated window and straw roof.

Deciding to fill the bowl with fresh water, I went out to the river. Then I picked some daisies by the banks and made endless and pointless daisy chains whilst I was curled up in the rocking chair. This was impossibly boring.

After a squat in the cess pit, I had a further rummage in the hut. I really wondered why there was so much wood stacked inside. Then I noticed scorch marks on the floor back in the two-roomed cottage. Perhaps someone used the wood to make fires. Perhaps someone who lived here. A sinking feeling fell inside me; I knew who it was before the door burst open, a couple of minutes later.

“You, again!” the hunchback snarled, pointing a finger at me. I jumped up from the chair, daisy chains scattering forlornly across the floor.

“I’m very sorry, I didn’t know this was your house,” I apologized, stricken with fear that he was going to hurt me again.

“Didn’t sell much, your gee-gaws- only a farthing it got me. I could only get a loaf of bread,” he moaned, glaring at me. It wasn’t my fault my possessions had no value, or that he was poor! His gaze made me quiver.

"I'm sorry, I'll go out tomorrow... and buy us something?" That's if he was going to let me stay, or wasn't going to try and choke me to death again.

"You do that girl, or else I go hungry,” he snarled vehemently. I nodded, and he ordered me to fetch some wood from the hut, which I did so obediently. The hunchback created a fire, which he heated the bread above. When he seemed satisfied, he put it down on the cold stone floor and began tearing chunks out of it to stuff in his greedy mouth.

He gave me a measly portion, and I so desired some preserve to spread on it. I scolded myself: I had to get used to living life like a pauper. I huddled nearer the fire. The bread was gone within a matter of minutes, downed by the rest of the water. We hardly spoke to each other until he made an unmistakably rude remark:

“Shall we get into bed girl? You’re a whore, judging by your dress.” He then smirked.

"Well, I am not one!” I snapped, tight-lipped, drawing the blanket closer around me like a protective boundary. He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, eyeing me up and down. I felt so disgusted. He dominated the straw mattress, so I rocked myself in the chair, scared that he would throttle me in my sleep.

*****

I was the first one awake in the morning, with the heavy rain drumming against the windows. I was used to the idea of breakfast, but only a few bread crumbs from last night were left on the floor. I woke up the hunchback, who was very grouchy.

“What?” he yelled.

"I’m going out to find some food,” I told him tiredly. I was so desperately cold I took the blanket and wrapped around it me like a shawl. I was bogged down with rain the minute I set foot outside the door. It lashed against my weary back maliciously, the mud bubbling up and spilling over my tattered boots. I tried not to let that put me off, as I tramped through the knee-length grass, with a determined look on my face.

I walked for ages, losing sight of the lonely cottage with the honeysuckle creeping around it. I could see no market from where the hunchback could’ve brought the bread. It suddenly came to my mind that he had just dumped my possessions and stolen the bread from a farm. There surely couldn’t be a village for miles.

I stood there, a lonely, sad figure in the foggy rain. There had never been so many choices, north, east, south, west... But I had not a clue where I was, or which direction to go, or where I had come from. The writhing pit of desperation and stress inside me was let free and I let out a scream. A scream at the world and a scream at the mess I was in. I was completely lost.