My Way to Freedom

Chapter 4: The Switch

“Γαμώτο!”   I said with anger and frustration. “Πώς υποτίθεται ότι πρέπει να το κάνετε αυτό?"I screamed at the top of my lungs in a harsh tone but, then I saw Ashley look at me with confusion and fear in her eyes as she always did when I got angry and spoke Greek aloud so I translate my words back to English “How am I supposed to do this Ashley?” I said in a softer tone while looking at her with my pure emotional rawness.

“Well,” she said dragging the word out, “I'll have to teach you but, I can only teach you if you let me.”

“Fine, what is it that I have to do for the next eight tormenting weeks?” I said while my jaw hardens and any emotion drains away.

“First of all you'll need a new change of clothing. You'll have to wear a shift, stockings, stays, multiple petticoats, and a gown just like I do. Hopefully Onica will provide but for the time being you'll just have to make do with a long shift and some short petticoats with a small gown. Second you have to learn some new manors. You must be silent at all times accept for when she asks an opinion from you. You also must keep your head down and never look into anybody's eyes as you already know. Everything she says for you to do you do it without question. In other words she tells you to jump off a bridge you better do it unless you want your back torn to shreds again” she said, looking a bit flustered afterwards, for she had rarely said that many words at a time.

Great that was all I needed, the choices of dying of being drowned (metaphorically) or dying of bleeding to death on a whipping post. “Κατάρες για τον εαυτό μου.”Curses on myself I mumbled under my breath. “Well if that's it,” I said loudly enough so she could hear me “You have some things to learn as well.”

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“Um, can I take a break please?” Ashley said looking at me painfully as she sat astride the muscular horse.

“No, we have so much to do a so little time to do it in. Now if you sit a little taller with your heels down I think you'll find in much more comfortable.” She looked at me with a pained expression and then tried to do what I asked her to in the awkward, long jodhpurs I'd given her. 

She was trying really hard but since she had almost never rode a horse before (excluding times when she rode side saddle because that doesn't really count) it was hard and awkward for her and she was feeling the pain that came with riding for the first time.

 After seeing her trot around the ring five more times I say “Ok you can get down now we'll move on to your second job” and she gratefully gets down  but as soon as her legs hit the ground they turn to jelly and she collapses under the weak muscles of her legs. I quickly walk over and smile at her lying down on the ground. “Your legs hurt yet?”

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That night I as I slept I thrashed around violently as I dreamed of running away again and getting caught but instead of being sentenced to eight weeks of being a housemaid I am sentenced to be whipped to death. 

As they drag me away in my dream to be whipped I screamed and woke up in a hysterical frenzy. I was covered in sweat and on the floor. Luckily Ashley was a heavy sleeper and just rolls over instead of waking up and asking me what was wrong because I would have just torn everything apart if I heard those words.

 I never ever wanted to go through that painful dream again.

After I calmed down from my hysteria I walked outside and vomit everything that was in my stomach and then some. I felt just absolutely awful and was in such pain that I had to crawl to the well to drag up some freezing water to flush my mouth out with and wash up in.