BirdCage - The Journey Begins

Venn Van Houvehn

It was a chilly Christmas night; the wolves began howling at the sparkling blue moon. Like every night, I would lay beside my window sill and stare quietly at the beautiful town and its people. I would enjoy watching the townspeople as they sang songs of merry, and dance beside the hot and burning fire. But I could only ever watch them, hear them and wish to be with them.

As fragile but eye-catching snowflakes fell gently from the sky, the night slowly grew livelier. The sky is then filled with falling balls of snow that painted the streets of Hephamish with a soft and white colour. From small bonfires, the town suddenly became vibrant as midnight approaches.

With every second or minute that passed by, mothers, fathers, children and elderly came out with smiling faces and presents on their hands. Food and decorations have been hung for hours outside every house while the interiors were filled with only the prettiest of items. The smell of cookies, cakes, roasted meat, duck, pies and other Christmas foods livened the people with excitement. It smelt amazingly enticing to the nose, giving anyone who passed by, a watery mouth and a growling tummy.

The once dark and pitch-black coloured night soon became a colourful light that shined brightly, filled with happiness, hope, togetherness and laughter. Fireworks were lit and wishes were made as lanterns flew high in the sky. The empty streets of the small town were now full of people awaiting midnight. People gathered to share and give to those who needed it and to those who have nothing.

I thought to myself, "How extremely odd people can be. To give what is rightfully theirs to someone whom they know nothing off. Simply odd."

Hours quickly passed by and Christmas had ended. The town now quiet and still, appeared gloomy and abandoned. Nothing but the trees moved as the cool breeze of winter came in. Even the animals slept quietly despite the freezing temperatures.

"Another year has passed, and a new beginning shall commence", I sighed while walking towards my bed, "Oh well, let there be more years to come, I say."

As I drifted into a deep sleep, I had a painful dream. I dreamt of my childhood days. I dreamt of the thoughts I had when I was but a young girl who knew nothing of the world.

I thought of how the world beyond the mansion felt like. The bright yellow sun felt warm, while the emerald grass felt smooth yet prickly. I remembered a time where I would just lie beneath the shady trees, as the hot seasons came in. It felt cool and refreshing whenever the wind blew from the south. I was only 10 years old. I smiled a lot during those days, but sadly, those moments are gone. When my mum died, I was forbidden from ever going beyond the walls of the mansion.

Since then, I was always been inside cleaning, cooking, sewing, baking and doing other chores with the fellow maids.

My name is Venn Van Houvehn, and I am a maid at the Dohn residence. I have worked and lived at this residence all my life, never once leaving. My mom was the head maid of the mansion and was known for being extremely meticulous and hardworking. I have never met my dad though, and I'm sure I never will. He left for a journey somewhere far from home and never came back home to my mom and me. As a child, I did not understand what it felt like, as a wife, to lose her husband and to be left alone to fend for her only child. My relatives assumed he died from bandits or on natural causes. No one except my mom and I attended my dad's 'funeral'. I thought it was meaningless to do so, it was nothing but an empty grave. I believe that he is still somewhere out there, lost, and probably missing us as much as we miss him. If I ever leave the mansion, I would want to find him.

I work as the new head maid now and have taken over the responsibilities that my mom had when she was the head maid. It was achingly tough at first, and every day seemed like a battle to complete every bloody task. To complete it all, I must wake up at 3:00 am every morning and be done by 8:00 in the evening. I could barely rest and sometimes, I don't even have the time to catch my breath. Although it was tough, I did not waver even if my body would cry from the pain. As a poor Syvenian citizen, I could not quit my job. If I did, I would be homeless and sleep in the streets with nothing but rotten bread and unclean water as my only source of survival.