In the far away Empire of Momua, a legend has always been told about the Queens of Yesterday- the three unassuming sisters who ran away and formed their own safe haven for girls and women at a time when the whole world was against them, and training...
When my brother came to my door and stared at me with that look, I knew it was bad news.
It was my day to do the laundry.
With a groan, I threw myself back on the bed and ignored my brother, who was probably rolling his eyes at the moment. Every week, we took turns and each did a chore once a week. Laundry, market, cooking, cleaning- it all needed to be done, and since we were lucky enough to have three children and an able-bodied mother, we were able to get it all done.
"Mama told me that you need to get out of bed now and do the laundry." Knowing Niko, he would go and complain to Mama if I didn't- he would do anything to get out of his chores for today.
I shot him an evil eye but complied, dragging myself off of the bed but allowing myself the satisfaction of slamming the door in Niko's face.
Before I begrudgingly left the comfort of my room, I absentmindedly wiped down my framed sketches. By now, it was a habit and an excuse for me to stop and remember the people I hadn't seen in so long. Especially Papa.
Leaving the room before Niko could come and bother me again, I hurried through the dusty room with open windows (it thankfully never rained here in the Southern most tip of Momua) and to the back of our house, where a small field shared by almost a dozen other families was peppered with laundry hangers just like ours.
Sometimes I hated having no privacy, living with two boys and surrounding by dozens of other homes within our neighborhood. Sometimes I was just glad for the distraction. Left to my own devices, I would end up sketching the whole day, probably falling into silence and thinking about Papa for weeks on end.
As I finished up the laundry and stood on my toes to hang up the last of Kian and Niko's shirts, I nearly toppled over when someone tapped my shoulder.
"Mama- gods, Mama, you scared me," I muttered, turning around and coming face to face with my mother. It was almost like seeing a mirror image: we had the same toasted brown skin (Papa used to say that our whole family looked like cooked almonds), long sheet of black hair, and eyes that crinkled up at the corners. The only differences were the streaks of gray in Mama's hair and the slight wrinkles that came with age.
I could only hope that I would look as beautiful as her when I was older.
Mama smiled at me slightly before gesturing to our small house behind us with her hand that held a small envelope. "May, would you please take this note to the landlord? Tell him that we apologize for not being able to meet the rent once again." She ran her fingers through her hair, avoiding my gaze. "We'll do our best to have it next week."
"Mama, why won't you take it yourself? I don't know how much the landlord would appreciate it if I went."
"Baby, I don't think he'll react well if I go. It's probably best that I don't. He might get quite furious; we haven't payed the rent in a few months, May. But he won't yell at a little girl." Mama said apologetically, feeling evidently guiltily for using me as a buffer.
With a sigh, I plucked the envelope from her hand, unsure of how I felt at being called a 'little girl', but still inclined to help my mother. "I'll be back in an hour. Can I have a few coins for the ride?"
Mama looked at me, and I could almost see the tears shining in her eyes. "Baby, I-"
My heart lurched. We didn't even have enough for a mule ride? Gods.
"Mama, it's fine. I know. I'll walk, but don't expect me back until mid afternoon. It'll take time." I didn't wait to see Mama's mournful gaze before I started my brisk walk to the landlord's house- half an hour to get there, half an hour to get home.
But as I crossed our side of the neighborhood into the more wealthy, established areas and crossed my arms, feeling inadequate in front of the well-dressed and confident residents here, I couldn't help but realize that if we weren't able to pay the rent- or even a mule ride- how were we supposed to get by?
We only had a limited amount of money from the government of Momua because of Papa's services, but Mama and I weren't allowed to work and it would be years before anyone would dream of hiring Kian or Niko. They were still boys, after all.
My heart clenched. Our neighbors a few years ago had the same issue- they were evacuated, thrown out unceremoniously, and humiliated in front of all of us. We had all praised the gods for not choosing us and hoped that they would somehow survive- but it was unlikely. The streets of Besanfort were cruel and unfair. Only the most ruthless of all could survive.
If it could happen to our neighbors, it could definitely happen to us.
It was just a matter of time.
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Hey guys! <3
I hope you enjoyed this, because I'm excited! It's going to get dark, and pretty quickly!
