Progeny

Prophecy

I woke up to mother shaking my limp body. It was still dark outside. I had to do work around the house before I could head out into the town. As I stretched, I winced in pain. Bruises decorated my skin and reminded me of the incident from the night before. I slowly crawled out of bed and willed the excruciating aches to subside. How grateful I was to have lived another day.

———

Sweeping the old wooden floors is one of the rare moments I experience true tranquility. No one is awake, apart from mother, who left to clean the homes of the wealthy. All is still and calm and undisturbed. The only sound to be heard is the scraping of stiff fibers against wood. After sweeping, I scrub the floors and dust the filth coated furniture. Once my early morning tasks are completed, I bathe myself and get ready to go into town.

As I trekked down the lengthy cobblestone road, I pondered over all that came to be. Life for my family is not what it once was. I remember a time when mother could never stop smiling. Laughter incessantly bounced off of the stone cottage walls. When mother and father looked at one another, love and admiration could be seen in their eyes. There wasn't any doubt that they would spend an eternity of happiness together. What changed?

I distinctly recalled that first night when I saw father in that pub. Along with betrayal, a feeling of great uncertainty overcame me. I simply did not understand why father did what he did. I would never ask him. Mother strictly forbade me from ever speaking of that night, the night of change. When I venture out to town at night, I almost always peer into that pub window, hoping that there will be a clue as to why he stopped loving mother.

Sounds of people, music, and wheels on cobblestone made me aware that I had arrived. The same scenery, minus the illuminating lanterns, was shown before me. Instead of my nightly routine, I directed myself towards the opposite side of the town's square. Carts and wagons were aligned amongst the curbside. Finally, I came upon Old Lady's. She was hollering at a boy around my age and was pointing a baguette at him. The expression on his face would have made me laugh if not for the names she was calling him. Sighing heavily, I made my way to her.

"There you are child! Hurry up, and get to work! The food can't sell itself otherwise I wouldn't have to pay you."

Suppressing an eye roll, I gracelessly pulled the massive cart into the center of the square. One of the wobbling wheels was caught in a large cavity in the ground. A thunderous sound of wood cracking spread throughout the area. Shortly after, Old Lady's cart crashed to the floor. Crap! I quickly grabbed the food and shoved them back into the cart. Ignoring the stares and giggles around me, I contemplated how I was going to fix this. I was interrupted by the boy that Old Lady was yelling at earlier.

"The cart needs something to keep it level. A small brick of some sort should do."

I was at a lost for words, so I anxiously looked around for a brick. He tapped my shoulder and cleared his throat. I turned and saw that his hand was extended out towards me. I hesitantly took it, and he lifted me off the ground.

"Thank you", I said hoarsely. I was beyond humiliated. He nodded, and I continued to search for a brick. The boy went off, and I was beginning to think he went back to what he was doing before. A few moments later, he returned with a cinderblock. He placed it down and lifted the corner of the cart. After a few seconds went by, he looked at me expectantly. His face was strained. Oh! He wanted me to push the block under the cart! Embarrassed, I quickly pushed the block under. He gently placed the cart on top of it and let out a sigh. I didn't need a mirror to know that I was flushed. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. I quickly turned away from him, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"What is your name?" He must have been talking to me because when I didn't answer, he stepped in front of me.

"Do you have one?" Psh, this is just great.