As the night grew old a young servant girl stared out at the dusty window that had one pane missing. She heard the sound of clumping feet in the stillness of this long ghostly night from behind her. She hastily bounded across the sleeping figures. Oh no! She thought as the huge door swung open into the dank and musty crowded room with the normal voisterous clang of the lock. The locks always made her shudder since the first time she heard it all those months ago. ”You most despicable piece of dirt to walk down these corridors, what are you doing up if not cleaning or cooking with the other girls that actually have to get up at this hour? Come with me now!!!! The old tyrant screamed, this women also made the young girl squirm. As the other servants woke up to the commotion the girl whose name was Terra (not that anyone knew that here) was quietly being led away and taken far away to a land where know one would want her or so she thought, for those where the overseers plans. And the plans of the overseer were never wrong.
Later terra woke in the middle of the day with a roaring headache in an old cart that was on a rambling road. “Oh darn!!! The only people who take this road are thieves and scoundrels and they don’t take it except at night. Terra thought, “I will never be rescued and taken back to my father. If only I could make the driver take a different road.” Terra pondered this all day long and still couldn’t come up with a solution so as the night again changed and she and her captors began to feel the stress of the day take its hold they wanted to stop but they weren’t aloud to in case she tried to get away again as she had those months ago when she was taken away from her father to repay his dept. she had run away into the woods when the captors had fallen asleep and it had taken days to find her. The overseer was very angry when they got there eight days late. Terra remembered those days fondly. Well at least the six days before being caught. She was glad her deceased mother had taught her so well about the forest. They used to spend days in the forest playing and healing animals. In addition to the forest her mother had taught her how to fight and take a strong stand for what she believed in and to never take anything from a man who thinks he is superior. (At least from her mother’s point of view the world was like that) So as the day came to high night Terra fell asleep dreaming happy things about her mother before she had died and her father before the debts had been made.
When Terra woke up she was confused but then the last few days of memories came flooding back to her. As she looked around she noticed that the cart was on a different road. But again she woke with a headache and wished she were in the forest so she could get a few roots and mix them to cure her headache. But of course she never asked if she could even get out to walk around for a bit because the men who transported her now were ugly brutes who looked like they would snap your arms off without even hardly lifting a finger. No she wouldn’t be able to get away from them by shear force but maybe she could outsmart them for they didn’t look very smart to begin with. As she was thinking this she heard the squeal of donkeys and the sounds of a market. Terra sighed “at least I can get away from these captors and maybe I will end up in a good house with nice people or I can run away and hide in the woods I saw about a mile back.” As Terra sighed the captors grinned with glee. For these men were horrible people who liked others pain. And this girl was full of anguish, it was almost as if they could sense fear and pain like a wolf or cougar would just before deciding what their next prey would be or when to pounce.
So when the cart rambled into the newest town Terra was relieved at first. Right up until she saw how some were treated and was suddenly horrified. The slaves were being murdered for just speaking out of turn. As the girl (as she was known here for a while) was lead up to the auction block she turned around and saw the prettiest lady in the whole crowd she had auburn hair but the thing she liked most about her was that she was simple and had a bright cheery face for living in a town so dreary. As the girl looked out into the crowd the women who was later known as Sarah took pity on the girl but wouldn’t meet her gaze, as she looked down and remembered when she was atop that same block and how the duchess had taken pity on her and bought her she had a wild thought the duchess was a fair women and wouldn’t mind if she brought her home, well she hoped she wouldn’t mind so as soon as she was being bid apon the girls fear increased and she again looked out upon the crowd the women held her gaze and the girl filled with hope and this hope increased when the women bid for her. “Sold to the duchess’s servant, Lady Sarah,” the auctioneer yelled. The girl almost grinned but then thought what if they saw she was happy if they would take her away to another town. When the lady Sarah came to collect the girl she took her quietly out of the town to a large estate and wouldn’t let her talk until they were far into the country. “What is your name?” Sarah asked “ My name is Sarah ” Terra noticed that Sarah was probably nervous since she wouldn’t slow down to allow Terra speak. “Thanks for saving me and my name is Terra ” She said as she skipped down the country lane. She rushed to put in a word since Sarah was rambling on and on again.
When the pair got to the house Sarah who had become increasingly nervous nearly passed out. But Terra was in awe as she gazed at the elaborate carved stonewalls and the beautiful spring flowers that glinted in the sun. As Sarah led Terra inside she exclaimed that the Duchess would see her later and that Terra should go and wait in the kitchen and wash up for on the girls passage and her work that she had done very dutifully in the overseers house terra had become increasingly dirty. When Sarah climbed the stairs and went to see the Duchess had she suddenly regained full control of herself and walked rather confidently to the Duchess’s room. The Duchess had saved countless girls lady Sarah included from the horrors of the towns men. Terra who was enjoying a hot cake that the cook had just made was chattering madly with the fat cook that smiled with dimples. The cook wore a traditional hat and apron and had sandy yellow hair. She was fat and old but always thought of herself as young, cook was one who would always forgive you no matter what you did. And she always had a terrific story to tell either fiction or true. The cook became Terra’s new best friend besides Sarah of course. So when Sarah came down the oak stairs dressed in a beautiful satin blue dress with purple flowers on top. Terra was again for the second time in this house in awe. It had been late afternoon when Terra was first on the auction block and now it was very late at night so terra was led up to her room and she fell fast asleep.
Sarah was very happy about the deal she had made with the Duchess buying Terra today had caused her to think some more wild things that she had come up with when they were first leaving town. What if she could set up a system to save other girls just like herself and Terra? What if she could go to the market every other day and buy girls and boys to bring them back here and either find them a nice home or they could live here. It would be like running a orphanage. So when Terra was still asleep she left figuring Terra would go and see cook. As Sarah set off she was bursting with excitement. When she got to the market she bought three girls and two boys and with them in tow she led them back to the Duchess’s house and to the cook who had them wash up and eat hot cakes.
The youngest of the boys wouldn’t talk to anyone because the boy wouldn’t talk the cook led him up to Terra who was playing with toys that Sarah had bought for the children. The boy sat down next to Terra and played with a yellow-feathered toy bird. ”Do you like birds?” Terra asked after she introduced herself. At first the boy wouldn’t answer but then he uttered “ yes!” . Terra continued to ask him more questions and finally got that his name was Toby. Toby was four years old and started to bond with terra. They did many things together like: fished in the clear blue lake, read in the grassy meadows and fly kites out in the windy skies that blew the clouds around like dust floating in a house. So when the other children left Toby stayed and when other children came he would always stay with Terra instead. About a year had past and something that everyone had been avoiding had come at last it was the time came for Terra to leave and live with a nice family in another town Toby wanted to go with her. As Terra was packing her belongings they made a plan and terra brought along the books that Toby held so dear and a few other things that the children had become emotionally attached to. Nothing in his live had been fair or in his deciding the only thing that made Toby happy was Terra and she was about to be taken away so after an emotional departure with Terra Toby ran into the woods to wait for Terra to live with him in the forest for Terra had taught Toby what her mother had taught her. So when Terra sought Toby at their secret reading tree they, together made a live together and worked together like a brother and sister. Like before, they read books about the yellow birds and talking fish that Toby just adored, and fished for food and for fun in the clear blue yet sparkling mountain streams and lakes helping each other and the animals especially birds (yellow ones of course) of the forest. From that day on Terra never saw her father again or the beautiful Sarah, the fat old cook, and never saw the mysterious Duchess even in the house. Toby never saw his real sister or mother or any of the family he did have left, but Terra and Toby were content with what they had and the company that they had. So as they fell asleep they dreamed about Sarah and everyone that had ever made them happy. They dreamed about the green forest with ivy, flowers, and tons of yellow birds, and everything else that they could possibly imagine in it and how much they cared about each other. The true bond of friendship or of a sibling and relative is a real and beautiful connection that never ever evaporates over test of time no matter what happens the memories are fresh in your mind forever.