The Sky Never Ends

Changes

October 7, 1864

     The first few days in her new residence were spent in a stupor. Selah was still reeling from her travels. The sudden change was harder for her than some of the other girls. She was sedated often in the wagon, so it took a few days for her mind and body to adjust. When she somewhat came to her senses she couldn't recognize her surroundings. Which caused her to go into a panic and try to escape on her third night. That was also the first night she received a punishment from the Madam. Her punishment was exceptionally bad because the Madam wanted to use her as an example for the new women.

     She was left outside for two frigid nights in a pillory. Bent over with her head and wrist locked in a wooden post and forbidden food. Typically, a first infraction would only require her to do all the outside chores for a week and restrict her meals to once a day. Selah's punishment included all of those things, plus the humiliation of being forced in the pillory. She was promised that the next time she misbehaved her punishment would be a beating. That was all it took to cause Selah to withdraw into herself. By the end of the first week she barely said a word, she would only respond to the Madam by saying yes ma'am and no ma'am.

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October 20, 1864

      Selah had been at the New Frontiers Brothel for two weeks. In those weeks she was allotted four hours a night for sleep and three small meals a day. The rest of her time was spent being trained to be the ideal indentured servant. Her early mornings consisted of learning how to care for farm animals and collecting eggs and milk. She was already very experienced in the kitchen, so the Madam didn't find it necessary to teach her a skill she was competent in. The afternoon was spent out in the garden gathering fruits and vegetables or cleaning the house and doing laundry. The nights usually consisted of learning to spin wool and sew clothes. Other tasks she learned were how to preserve produce in jars for longer shelf life and how to tend to the larger animals.

    The Madam was sure to explain to them that submissiveness was the best tool they would use when we were relocated. That beyond any of the tasks and chores they learned, their submissiveness would be the only thing keeping them alive. She told us that our survival depended on our master's satisfaction with our work. The women were told that when spring arrived they would all be put up for sale at their annual contract exchange. Where the Madam would put her best girls up for sale. When a girl was purchased she would be required to work 3 years for her new owner. If the owner is unsatisfied with the work of their servant they were allowed punish them however they saw fit.

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December 13, 1865

      Being at he brothel for a few months Selah finally began to fall into a routine. The Madam eased up on the girls as time passed. The women were finally allowed to interact with each other for a few hours a day. Previously, there was a punishment every time a girl was caught talking to another about something other than their work. They worked in shifts, and whoever was in your shift was who you ate with. For about 20 minutes every night they could talk about things that we're on their mind. As long as those conversations didn't lead to trouble. Though they had more freedom to talk, they were constantly monitored by either the Madam or one of her permanent workers.

    After two months she learned three of the girls names. One girl who stayed in the same room as Selah was named Catherine. She had dark skin like Selah but a few shades deeper. Catherine had short tightly coiled hair and almond shaped eyes. She and Selah became close over time and bonded when they had a chance to talk about their families and favorite foods. Whenever she had the opportunity to speak it would usually be with Catherine or Wen. Wen was an immigrant from Korea who spoke very little english. She had long raven hair and full lips that framed her beautiful crooked smile. Towards the beginning of their stay Wen would often get punished because of her language barrier. Selah would try to teach her a new word every night before bed to help her. It was often difficult to do with out being caught. Selah only knew the last girl Margot's name, because she they shared the same room. Margot was constantly threatening to tell the Madam what the girls we're doing late into the night, and would successfully bribe the other girls to do chores for her. Selah didn't know anything else about Margot, but she was always on the lookout for her.

    Talking to Wen and Catherine was the only thing Selah looked forward to. Each day seemed to blur into the next, the only difference was in the drop in temperature. The women would switch positions every night tending to the fire to keep the house warm. On the nights when it was Selah's responsibility, she would allow herself to think about her family and the turn of events that brought her to the brothel. Those moments late at night Selah would let her self reminisce. She wondered how her family was feeling, and how they were getting on without her. She hoped her sister could forgive her for not keeping her promise, and that her family could forgive her for being so reckless. She used her waking moments to pray for forgiveness. She prayed that the Lord would keep her protected and get her home. Her faith was all she had left.