"Do you believe that we will one day buy our own stables papa?" Asks Elsa, biting a piece of her cake.
"Maybe, when the good fortune of the stars smile upon us my dear." Answers her father. "Now eat up. We don't know when we will get another like this." He adds.
He couldn't help but giggle at her pretty face covered in cream. She looked so adorable, so vulnerable yet, she always acted bold and smart. It both warmed and saddened his heart.
Then, they hear footsteps. Elsa instinctively gets behind her father.
"What I tell yah about wastin' me lights?" Says the master, a short stout man with a potbelly and a club in his hand.
"We are truly sorry master. It won't happen again." He says.
"Well, you better not be thinkin' about boycottin' me yah hear? Now, close your eyes and quit yappin'." Says the master.
After he leaves, Elsa peeps from under her father's arm to confirm that he is gone. "You can come out now. He's gone." He assures her.
Finishing the last of her cake, she climbs on his lap and holds on to his coat.
He pulls a lock of hair from her face and rubs her back gently while humming softly, until she falls asleep. He always did this to sooth her of her fear of the master.
He might have been the most cruel in all the village, but the ranch was the only home they knew and he would do anything to ensure his daughter had a roof over her head.
***
Both Elsa and Gordon wake to splashes of water on their mats.
"Rise and shine sleepy heads. The master has some work for us." Says one of their fellow workers.
Wiping his face with his hand, he wipes Elsa's face with the bottom of his shirt and helps her up.
They walk out to hear what the master had to say. Like all other days, someone was getting a bonus for work they did not do. But being a worker, nobody dared grumble or curse because of fear.
"Why are they always so mean papa?" Asks Elsa.
He squeezes her hand gently and looks at her with a smile, "Remember what I told you yesterday?" He asks and she nods. "Good." He adds.
Then, there is a loud thud coming from the stables followed by sounds of hooves. It's not long before all the horses run out of the stables and over the ranch fences.
For a minute, everyone stands still, shocked then the master yells,"Well?! Go get them yah lazy lot of bums!"
Quickly, everyone scrambles to go after the horses. Gordon lets Elsa climb on his back as they walk off to search for the horses.
"Who are we searching for papa? I hope it is montague. She is my favourite." She says.
She had managed to name them all during these short years of her life. It made every worker puzzled and amazed at her ability.
"We might as well look for Diablo my teddy bear. You didn't sell him remember?" He answers her.
She chuckles then holds on tight as they descend a small hill and into the woods. They had not walked long but it had started getting dark and cold.
He could now feel her weight on him because, as he realised, she had drifted off to sleep. Just as he is about to set her down, he hears the neigh of one particular horse, montague.
With a smile on her face, he walks a bit faster to reach her then sets Elsa on her back and pulls on the reigns, directing her back the way they came.
As they near the ranch, Gordon shakes Elsa awake and gets her off the horse. Master wouldn't want to think that anyone was lazying about. That person would get fifty lashes on the back for sure.
They walk montague back to her stable and go back to their little hut as exhausted as ever for the whole day, and night.
YOU ARE READING
Destined Hope
Historical Fiction"Go! They will surely have our heads if they know of this!" She says handing the baby to him. The guards are catching on and there is no time left. With one last look, she says, "Promise me you will never let her out of your sight." "But..." he sta...
