A deep ache within her abdomen greeted her as consciousness slowly overcame her. Her eyes opened weakly, and the shadows of sleep receded to the edges of her vision. Her dry tongue darted out to lick chapped lips, wanting for moisture. Cold settled across her skin where the warmth of another body should have resided. She raised her head from the rotted wood floorboards and paused to listen. Shuffling steps reached her ears from the darkness. She pushed herself up on thin arms and yawned. The shuffling stopped.
She turned her head and blinked heavily, unseeing. She scrunched her nose and squinted, hoping to make her eyes adjust. “Mama?”
A weary sigh sounded and she felt gaunt fingers grab her chin lightly. Her head was tilted up until she could meet tired eyes, reflecting what little light was available. “Girl, it’s about time you got up.” The fingers slipped away and the woman’s head turned, the eyes disappearing into the dim.
She stood with a stumble and padded forward, her bare feet stained from dirt and dust. Her hands stretched down and found the edge of the mat they slept on, its tattered edge tickling her palms. She brought the edge up over her head and pushed it forward, folding the mat. Her ears perked up as her mama’s voice resounded through the single room again. “We’re going out today.”
She gasped and shot up, suddenly wide awake. “Yay!” She practically vibrated in place, before quickly reaching down again to finish her task. As soon as the mat was folded she took a memorized route through the dark to the single door of their home and stepped out into the moonlight. Already the slums were rife with activity, but instead of waking up with the dawn, it seemed the area was retreating into rest. The night-goers returned to the stretching shadows.
She hummed merrily and bounced in place for a moment, eyes darting from place to place. Her eyes drank in the familiar sight of the drab browns of rotted wood and mud. A tall woman emerged from the shack behind her just as the sun’s rays hit the top of their neighbor’s shacks. She stared for a moment at the glowing edge while the woman behind her scoffed. “Come, girl.” The woman took a step forward and grabbed her wrist.
The woman half-dragged her to keep up with her long strides. She couldn’t help but stare up at her back, craning her neck to a slightly painful degree. “Where going, mama?” Her mama turned her head slightly but didn’t slow down. “The church will open their doors soon.” She scrunched her face in confusion and tilted her head. “What a church, mama?” Her mama worried her lower lip and didn’t reply for a moment. “...A place with a lot of food.”
She gasped and sped up until she was keeping up. “Woah! Enough for us, too?” Her mama nodded with a wane smile, “yes.”
They wound through the mud paths, passing by many people, who she made sure to wave to with her brightest smile. Each stared with vacant eyes and hollow cheeks. Some walked at a slower pace and her mama shoved them aside, leaving them sprawled in the mud as they passed.
Her feet sunk into the mud and she had to rip them out with each step, her calves soon burning with exertion. She struggled and tried to step in large strides. Her mama yanked a little harder if she slowed. She scrunched her face in discomfort.
The shacks stood crowded along the muddy path, barely standing, made from desperate hands without knowledge of structure. The dawning rays shone through holes in the walls and roofs, illuminating the people within. Some reached out to them, but they didn’t stop, her mama pulled her along without rest, without a glance in their direction. Her eyes stayed forward, on a distant goal. Their hoarse cries for food and shelter made her frown, but they were drowned out as her gasps for breath became louder.
The sun’s rays illuminated the buildings around them and she curiously looked around. The only other time she’d been this far from home was when they went to the well to bathe.
As they walked the houses started to get more sturdy, no longer pressing wall to wall without space in between. The structures became more solid, and the wood held firm without holes. The ground firmed underneath their feet, and she was able to keep up a little better. The mud dried and fell out from between her toes. The burn in her calves lessened a little as she gained some reprieve.
Soon spaces for weeds showed through and green dotted the path. Stones began to appear underfoot and at the foundation of the homes. Cultivated greenery painted the area with color, beautiful flowers dotting window sills. She ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ with each new sight and wished her mama wasn’t holding her so tight so she could slip away to observe them.
Poles spilled yellow light onto the walkway and she stared in awe at the glowing shapes adorning the otherwise smooth gray stone. They flickered and dimmed as the sun replaced their light.
They wound through the colorful streets, taking enough turns that she lost count. How could her mama keep track? She grew skeptical that her mama knew where she was going but didn’t voice a complaint. Instead she tried to find something that would hold her attention. She looked at the people, who seemed to slow when their eyes met.
They were getting stares now, she noticed, but she didn’t wave anymore. The pressure of their stares weighed against her shoulders and she hunched forward, making herself smaller.
“Oi! Slumrats! Go back to your shacks!” A man jeered, and she shrank back into her mama. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and her eyes grew wide. “...Mama?”
Were they like the guards? Did they have to stay away from them, too?
Her mama grunted. “Ignore them. We’re almost there.” But her mama pulled at her dirty clothes self-consciously and as she caught the action she couldn’t help but look down at her own worn threads. The dress she’d worn her whole life. Any vibrance had long faded and long worn thin from use. She looked up and observed the clothes of the surrounding people. They scowled when she met their eyes.
They wore thick clothing with more than one layer, some with elaborate stitching in the same patterns as the lamp posts. The colors and shape varied widely, but she could tell they were… better than hers.
She looked down at her feet and let her mama guide her so she didn’t have to look at them.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
A knot grew in her stomach as they walked and it tried to claw up her throat. The people talked in loud whispers as they passed. She breathed heavily in both exertion and fear, but she kept her head down, just like mama taught her. She began to get dizzy and stumbled, only half-aware of their direction, most of her focus directed to placing one foot in front of the other.
They rounded a corner and her mama stopped, prompting her to look up. In front of them was a wide open space. It was loud. A plaza with colorful brickwork and tiles, Market stalls with colorful overhangs dominated the outer edges, and greenery dominated every roof and wall. But nothing could compare to the splendor of the building opposite to them.
It stood with spires reaching higher than she’d ever seen. “Wow…” The white walls reflected the light into her eyes almost painfully and she had to squint. Huge stained glass windows depicted a woman with tanned skin and gold hair. Flowers wound around the spires and reached toward the rising sun, their faces followed its rise.
She looked up at her mama, who had paused and tightened her grip painfully. Her mama hesitated then stepped forward, her knuckles white against her skin. She didn’t complain. Why was her mama sad?
They walked straight toward the big white building. “Is that the Church, mama?” Her mama flinched and nodded. “Wow! It’s so pretty mama!” Her mama’s lips thinned into a white line and a single tear traced down her cheek. “Yes, it is, girl.”
They walked forward, her mama keeping a steady pace. The throng of people separated around them and people looked on in disgust, stepping away when they got too close. She didn’t notice.
They reached the bottom steps to the church, a staircase of marble leading to a large door. Her mama stopped. She pulled on her mama’s grip to pull her ahead, but she didn’t budge. She looked up at her mama to see large dark eyes staring down into hers. “Stay here, girl. I will be back in a moment.” Her mama then released her vice grip and practically ran back, quickly disappearing into the dense crowd. She groaned in disappointment. “But church right there!” She huffed and pursed her lips, waiting.
She shifted and sat on the bottom step, resting her burning legs, but didn’t dare to move any farther. She rubbed at her wrist, trying to soothe the ache of new bruises forming under her skin.
The burning in her legs faded to a dull ache, and the sun rose over the tops of the houses.
The ache faded to normalcy and the sun rose to its apex in the sky.
She waited.
She stared into the plaza, a little nauseated at the sight of so many people moving around, and the colorful canopies started to burn her eyes with their vibrancy. She squinted against the sun, everything in front of her washed out as it had risen directly in front of where she sat on the steps.
Her skin itched and she gave into the sensation to scratch it, wincing as she did so. She looked down to notice it had reddened and began to peel off in white flakes. She shifted for the first time since she sat and took in a sharp breath.
The cloth against her skin stung when she moved.
She sat for hours. The sun moved behind her but she refused to look away from the crowd for even a moment. The sun beat down with unforgiving rays and her skin became an angry red. Even the whisper of cloth against her skin made her grit her teeth against the pain. Tears gathered in her eyes but none fell. Her mouth had long dried and her lips became cracked and peeled. She couldn’t leave her spot, though. Her mama told her to stay. She wouldn’t be able to find her if she moved.
She hummed under her breath to distract herself, trying to keep completely still. She resisted the urge to fidget and look behind her at the doors people streamed in and out of throughout the day. Her mama had been gone for so long, maybe she should just go in first? Her mama had been able to find her way here, so she could find her in there! She sighed, but then mama would be angry, so she should wait.
She watched the crowd like a hawk, looking for her mama’s blonde hair. A lot of people looked back at her, but none approached so she ignored them. Then she noticed a woman staring at her a little farther from the steps, dressed in long white and green flowing clothes, the hems adorned with fresh green flowers. Her eyes traced the gold lines dragging down her cheeks, they glinted in the sun like golden tears. Their eyes met. She stared for a moment and simply observed their color, similar to her pinkened skin, distracted. She glided towards her with a worried look. “Excuse me, child, are you alone?” She pursed her lips in annoyance. “No! Mama with me! She said, ‘Be right back.’” The woman closed her eyes for a moment with a sigh. “...I see.”
The woman continued to pester her but she huffed and turned away, refusing to talk to her. Eventually the woman walked away, but not before leaving a piece of fruit behind. She ate it. The fruit melted on her tongue. It was the most delicious thing she’d ever eaten.
The sun sank behind the spires, and the shadows lengthened. It would be dangerous to be outside soon. She wrung her dress through her hands in a whiteknuckled grip.
The woman came back when the lamp posts flickered back on, and the crowd had dwindled to a few stragglers heading to the side streets. There she could hear laughter and see light spilling out from a few building windows.
The woman looked down at her with sad eyes and indignation welled up in her chest. “What?” She growled, huddling into herself. Her shoulders trembled.
The woman crouched down to her level and pursed her lips. “How about we go wait for your mama inside? You must be hungry and tired from waiting.”
She gnawed on her lip, tearing into the ragged skin. The taste of blood hit her tongue. Suddenly all of her aches and pains hit her and her eyes drooped in exhaustion. Her vigilance faded and she no longer stared toward the plaza in search of her mama. Instead she met the woman’s eyes again.
The woman held out her hand. She studied it warily, but only found it to be markedly pretty. She took it, finding herself feeling too empty to be cautious. Was her mama really coming back? She wondered for the first time since she sat.
She stood, her body protesting after sitting still for so long. Her joints creaked and her skin stung as it pulled.
Hand in hand they walked up the marble steps to reach the opened doors made of a dark wood with golden inlays. The surroundings had darkened as the sun set and her tummy growled angrily.
She looked up at their hands, clasped together, and she couldn’t help but notice how dirty hers was in comparison. Her nails were encrusted with dirt and muck, and the dirt from her hand transferred to the woman’s pristine skin.
She pulled it away and wrapped her arms around herself, her ribs digging into them. Her hands stuffed up into her armpits, hidden from sight.
As they reached the threshold into the church she slowed to a stop and looked back. The plaza showed gold in the setting sun and the lack of people allowed her to observe the tiles in their full glory. The light, both artificial and natural, mingled to create an ethereal glow. A menagerie of colors combined to create the image of the sun, its golden rays seeming to reach out to the church, to reach out to her.
The image snapped her out of her fugue. Tears fell from her eyes in fat droplets and she hiccupped and sniffed quietly. The woman pretended not to hear, but stepped closer, the heat from her body calmed her slightly.
She turned to see the woman waiting for her in silent contemplation, the priestess smiled gently when their eyes met.
She stepped into the church and the doors closed behind her with a thud. She could feel the finality in her chest. She felt heavy.