"It's going to rain today." Ella looked up at the dark angry clouds that began to form in the sky. "I think you should take a day off, Aurora."
Aurora wrapped the cloak over her mother's shoulder and shrugged knowing her mother's suggestion was not effective. Her employer was stingy and selfish and he would happily deduct a huge sum of money from her small wage and as a punishment the man would force her to work overtime.
Ella pinched the bridge of her nose and said. "You work too hard darling. I'm sure your employer won't mind if you do take the day off."
"It's clear you don't know what my employer is like, mother." Aurora clenched her fist as images of what her boss tried to do the previous day flashed in front of her vision.
"He's an old friend of mine, Aurora. I'm sure he wouldn't mind you skipping a day." She crossed her arms and peered at her daughter intensely. "Is something the matter with you?"
She swallowed a lump that formed at the back of her throat before planting a genuine smile across her lips. Even though it didn't quite reach her eyes, it was quite enough to have her mother convinced. "No of course not."
"I'm still against you leaving this house in this bad weather condition." She pulled the cloak further up her shoulders. "Why can't you just settle down with that lad that sent those flowers. He seems prestigious and wealthy. He could take care of you as well as this family."
Aurora covered her ears as a way of protecting them from her mother's words that were like venom. She wondered if the woman was hearing herself. She was tired of trying to explain her reason for not wanting to be with a man. She was still young and tender and she wasn't ready to take on responsibilities as a housewife. She wanted to be a free woman, who could make her own decisions. Not a woman who was bound by rules.
It seemed Ella was even more gullible for money than her daughter's wellbeing. The entire village had the same problem, parents wanted to marry off their daughters to the most eligible bachelor. Women were not allowed to choose the person they spent the rest of their lives with. Most of the village men were considered abusive but the females were not in any position to speak out against their spouses. The women who got divorced were considered rejected. No man would be willing to marry these females since they are considered useless.
Parents never cared about their children's feelings or interests. The parents only focused on things that could build their status and wealth.Apart from Aurora wished her mother was made from a completely different material from the rest of the native villagers. Arranged marriage was embedded as a part of the tradition of the village for decades as a way for parents to control who their child will marry in the mere future. Aurora saw the traditions as irrelevant and stupid but no one else agreed to this.
She held onto her mother's frail hand lightly and led her back inside the house when the clouds burst and conceived a baby.
"I will take my chances." She said knowing her mother wasn't worried about the weather condition but instead the full moon."Oh, Aurora!" A weak smile formed on her dry lips and her eyes welled with tears. "What will I do if anything happens to you?"
Aurora's heart swelled as she embraced Ella in a warm hug. She loved her mother dearly despite her desires towards her. Aurora knew Ella was only doing what was best for their survival.Ella wouldn't be around for the rest of their lives and it was up to the girls to care for themselves. The thought of losing Ella gave her heartache but she knew the illness would take her home. She shrugged away the thought and decided to get ready for work.
She clutched her stomach that growled like an angry lion. Pain exploded throughout her stomach. She went an entire day without a meal and she knew if she went another minute her mother would find her corpse slumped on the wooded floor.
"How much more will you endure?" Violets concerned voice asked.
Aurora looked up at her sister with furrowed eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"
Violet searched Aurora's once vibrant eyes that were distant and stretched her arms out. "You are my sister so I have to be honest with you, Aurora. You are so absorbed in doing what you think is best for our mother that you hardly have time for yourself."
"I have time for myself, Violet. Our tax is due in a week and we don't have half of the money to pay. If we can't pay you to know what will happen to mother." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"You poor thing." She laughed bitterly. "Mother is the real reason we are in this mess, to begin with. I don't know what she got involved with but I know it's not good?"
"What are you saying?" Aurora didn't understand what her sister was trying to tell her but she had a feeling it wasn't anything good. Their mother was a loving woman who pushed her children to do things that were necessary for their survival. She
couldn't think of her getting involved in anything that would put her family at risk."She is the real reason no man will ever glance in my direction."
Aurora shook her head. "That's not true Violet." Their neighbor's grandson took a liking to Violet. She was so preoccupied with looking pretty that she failed to notice the signs.
"I know you are just trying to make me feel better but it's all in vain."
"I'm not trying to make you feel better. I'm just telling you that there are many young men out there that are interested in you." Violet was a delicate soul in the eyes of men who never truly knew her. She was loved by anyone who sets eyes upon her beauty.
"No one ever took interest in me, Aurora." Her voice became weary as she spoke. "No one has ever bought me flowers and sent me love notes."
Aurora sat on her bed and soothed her grieving sister. "Maybe you never took notice. Any man would die to ask for your hand in marriage. Just be patient sister it's just not your time as yet."
Violet sprang from the bed as if it burned her skin a scowl embedded on her face. Her cold gaze landed on Aurora."What do you mean by it's not my time?""I mean your significant other will find you when the time is right." Aurora shrugged trying to find the right words. She did not want to upset her older sibling any further, knowing she could easily turn into something vicious in a matter of seconds.Violet frowned deeply. "I'm almost twenty-one years old and no man has ever glanced in my direction twice." Her voice was weary as she spoke. she slumped onto the edge of her squeaky bed and released a breath."That's not true, Violet," Aurora said as memories of how Felix placed his undivided attention on Violet. The boy would trail behind her like a lost puppy hoping she would notice him. But Violet was too preoccupied with her beauty to take notice of the boy."Tell me the name of one man that ever noticed me." She folded her arms and puckered
Aurora thought hard about what she was told by her sister that morning, all the way to work. She felt as if her head was about to explode any minute. Still, she was unable to make sense of anything.Maybe she was overreacting. The situation couldn't be that bad. But by just thinking about the disappointed look that masked Violet's face, she knew her sister didn't take the situation lightly.She felt horrible because men never ran from her after she introduced herself. On the other hand, she envied her sister for even having the ability to let men run from her naturally without her having to find alternatives to scare them off. Thus, she wished she were in Violet's position since she didn't want to be in a relationship.She was still left in the dark about Violet's situation. She could tell her sister was hiding something from her. But she couldn't stick around any longer to find out what it was. She had to ensure she arrived at work early to get her creepy
He pulled away from her and straightened his posture when the bell dangled above the wooden door. Aurora used the distraction as an opportunity to scurry as far away from her perverted employer. She rounded the counter and plastered a fake smile on her lips as she greeted the customer.A woman who seemed to be in her late fifties strolled into the tiny shop. A broad smile plastered over her lips. She was oblivious to what was taking place. She even failed to take notice of Aurora's discomfort. Her gaze landed on her employer."Mr. Rogan." She said smiling over at the man."Mrs. V." He smiled over at her. "Looking as young as ever."She giggled like a schoolgirl and her cheeks turned a shade of pink. "It's all good food and great exercise, my dear. You should try it out yourself." She eyed him up and down but her smile never faltered but his smile did. He excused himself afterward when an awkward silence fell between the two.Aurora wanted to
°Flashback°"Grandma!" Aurora had a huge smile spread across her lips as she ran to greet her grandmother.She picked up the little girl in her arms and kissed her forehead. "Grandma bought you a gift.""Really!" Her face lit up and she smiled showing her missing tooth. "What is it, grandma?" She asked."Not so fast Aurora." She chuckled. "You will have to guess this one"Her grandmother always brought her gifts from her adventures. They were often of no use to the girl because she didn't know what they were used for. But she was always ecstatic to receive her grandmother's gifts."Is it a dog?" She asked her grandma since she always wanted an animal to play with. She was often lonely and had no one to play with most of the time. Her only friend was their neighbor's son Felix. But Felix gathered her sister's company than hers."No, try again.""Oh." It was as clear as day that Aurora was disappointed. But wh
Aurora is that you?"She promptly closed the cellar door and scurried around to the veranda where her mother stood anxiously with a cloak covering her shoulders."Yes, mother I'm home." She said rubbing her arm up and down to put some warmth into her body."Where the bloody hell were you?" Ella placed her hand over her chest with a frightened look on her face. " I was so worried about you."Aurora thought of a lie to feed Ella but she couldn't think of one that made much sense. Telling Ella about the incident with Mr.Roger would cause a huge problem. So she decided to be honest but not completely." I arrived at work super late this morning and I decided I wanted to work overtime." She said leaving out the part in which she was forced to work overtime. Ella engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug."I'm just glad you are alright. Don't scare me like that ever again." Her voice wobbled as she spoke. "You are soaking wet. Let's get you
The huge animal growled at Ella. Aurora could feel the growl of the large animal vibrating in her chest. She was both scared for Ella and herself. She brought the huge animal into their home and not only that, but she also placed her family in great danger.She stared at the drooling animal that was pinning her mother to the floor. Adrenaline coursed through her stomach, speeding up her heart rate. At that moment she didn't know what to do. Should she try to kill the animal? Or should she stand and watch as it made a meal out of her mother? And then make a meal out of her and use her bones for a toothpick.'oh dear lord' she gulped.She swallowed the lump that formed at the back of her throat. She couldn't just sit and watch the animal bring forth any harm to her family."Mom dont move." She tried to remain as calm as possible.The animal that was once friendly looked evil and its warm eyes were frosty. Huge drops of saliva fell from
She laid beside the injured animal and caressed its fluffy fur. The animal snuggled up closer to her inhaling her scent. Her eyes were raw and puffy as she cried. How could her mother keep the truth from both her and Violet for all those years?All the time she blamed him for walking out on both her and Violet. All the hatred that brewed into a seed of bitterness for the man. It was all in vain, how could she be angry at a man that was already dead.All her hopes of looking for him just vanished. All the things she planned to say when he returned. Her heart began to ache. She couldn't believe her father was gone. What puzzled Aurora was the fact that her mother hid the truth from her? Why did she not tell them about his death? Was she scared that the girls wouldn't be able to handle her father's death? Or was there a more logical reason why she kept the truth hidden in darkness for all those years?Aurora remembered herself as a child waiting for her fathe
Before her eyes could open she searched the spot where the wolf laid but it was empty. She fluttered her sluggish eyes open but her vision was blurry and burnt from the excess light that peeked through the open cellar door. She blinked a couple of times before she sat up and searched for her cloak but it was also gone with the wolf.She closed the cellar door before she fell asleep so why was it open? There was no way the animal could have pried it open despite its intelligence. The only person that came to mind was her mother. But why would she open the cellar door? Aurora knew her mother despised the animal so nothing was adding up. After the animal attacked her, why would she let it out of the cellar?How did the animal manage to climb the ladder out of the cellar on all fours? Even Aurora found climbing difficult the majority of the time. There was no way the animal was able to leave on its own unless with the aid of someone.Aurora climbed out o