Retribution

My hand went to side of my cheek where the slap had landed.

I could feel my face burning.

I looked up at mother. This was not the first time she hit me.

I couldn't remember when she had first hit me. I just remembered that she frequently did.

But mother had never hit Elvira.

Elvira was her special pet.

I had no idea why, whether it was because of my sickness that she preferred Elvira over me.

I didn't need to be told once, Elvira was mother's favorite.

While for the longest time I had done everything I could to appease her.

Gathered flowers from the garden, written love poems, done everything a child would do to make her mother happy.

But mother's face remained grim. Passive. And uninterested.

But as for Elvira, Elvira was completely naughty. When she wrecked chaos or was mischievous, mother would still beam with love.

"Don't you ever." Mother pointed her sharp fingers at me. "Don't you ever speak back at me."

I put my small hand on my cheek and couldn't help with how much her hands burned.

I said nothing.

She rose to her full length. "Magdou."

The head house keeper came running in.

"Angel has been disobedient." Mother said. "You will get some workers to put wood against the windows..." She instructed.

I gasped.

Magdou started. "My Lady I think this is a bit…

"And make sure that not even a streak of light can flow inside her room." She continued ignoring my gasp of protest and cutting Magdou short.

"Do you understand?!" She demanded.

"Yes my lady." Magdou replied.

I felt the tears gather up in my eyes.

"Mother please." I begged reaching out for her hand.

She recoiled so sharply as if I had burned her.

I could feel the hurt burning in my chest.

"You will know to never disobey me!" She snapped at me.

From the corner of my eyes I could see Magdou look at me sympathetically.

I couldn't stop it.

I let the tears flow down my cheek.

I turned from the room and ran up the stairs into my room before flinging myself on my bed and weeping.

Then my door was opened and workers came into the room with planks of wood and began securing the light from outside.

I gathered my fluffy toys in my arms as I watched them hammer the nails into the wall.

Soon there was no natural light in my room.

I bit my lip and once I was alone, I curled myself in a ball and lay on my bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I heard the door open and I slowly got up.

The figure approached my bed and from the beautiful scent of cedar wood and olives I knew it was Papa.

"My angel." He said sitting on my bed.

I flung my arms around his neck as I wept.

"It's alright my angel." He hushed stroking my back as I wept. "It's alright."

After a short while I stopped crying and gently let go of him.

He used his hankie to wipe my tears.

"Magdou said you didn't come down for dinner and you were distressed. Why is that angel?" He asked me.

I shook my head, not willing to speak.

"Talk to me my child. Did someone hurt you? Did someone make you upset?" He asked as he gently soothed my hair.

I looked up at him.

"Papa I didn't mean to." I said. "I wasn't peaking at them. I simply was watching out of my window and happened to come across them. Mama got so upset. I didn't mean to papa."

I saw Papa's eyes go to my window and then his eyes became dark.

"What happened to your windows?" He asked.

I couldn't speak.

I knew what happened when papa was mad.

I turned my face away and then he said. "Who hit you?"

I gasped.

I had no idea that there was red imprint of mothers hand on my face.

The room began to shake. Papa was furious.

He rose up to his feet.

I held his hand.

"Papa please don't." I begged.

He very gently let go of my hand, kissed my forehead and then took me out of the room.

I was led down the stairs to where the dinning room was.

"Helen."

Mother and Elvira were on the table eating their meals.

She turned and looked at us and turned back to her food.

"How dare you?!" Papa demanded. "What gave you the right to lock her windows with wooden planks and hit her?! What gave you the audacity to hit her?!"

She turned around, the fork in her fingers dropping on the plate.

"How dare I?" She said. "Just look at her! Look at her! She is nothing like us! She is different! You were the one who told me that she should be kept in at all times because she was born abnormal."

I tensed, my hand still in my papa's.

"Helen do not test me!" He snapped.

"Or what?"

And it happened so fast.

Papa had his hands around Mother's neck and had her up against the wall, choking her.

"Papa." I begged.

Elvira scrambled away hiding behind one of the servants in fear.

I rushed up to him.

"Father please." I begged kneeling down on the floor.

The blood was draining out of her face.

After a while, he let go of her and she fell down to the floor.

"This would be my first and last warning to you Helen. If you ever touch her again, I will end you." He promised.

My body shuddered.

Then he picked me up and took me out of the living room.

Mother was on the floor, furious and Elvira who had been hiding was now appeasing and consoling her.