Cottage House II

The woman who owned the house was watching me with pursed lips. The skinny boy next to her was laughing at my situation. Deep down, I regretted feeling sorry for this little monster, and at the same time, I was angry. I was completely stuck in the mud. Arwa came to me as quickly as she could.

"Oh, my child, are you alright? Didn't I tell you to be careful when climbing the stairs? Anyway, child, put your hand on my shoulder, I'll try to lift you up." said the woman anxiously. She placed my hand on Arwa's shoulder and helped me out of the mud. Arwa, embarrassed, spoke to the woman who owned the house.

"Ruseppa, my apprentice got stuck in the mud, it's cold outside, so he can clean himself by the water. Can he clean himself in your house?" The old woman did not like the woman in front of her at all, but she had to ask for help. After hearing what she said, Ruseppa, the woman, did not appreciate the offer, and her face grew even more stern. As Arwa was about to say something to the woman, she spoke before Arwa could.

"Mother Arwa, you should teach your apprentice how to walk. I have so much to do. Thanks to your apprentice, you've added a new task to my list. Anyway, you've come a long way in trying to heal my daughter. Mother Arwa, let's take care of my sick daughter. My daughter can help him clean himself," said the know-it-all woman. She hit the small child next to her on the head to stop the child from laughing. The woman started shouting from inside.

"Walma, you little lazy rat, get out here right now. Come to me at once." It was clear that the woman did not feel much love for her daughter and was taking out all her anger on her.

A girl with a thin nose, prominent cheekbones, black wavy hair, and blue eyes, about 21-22 years old, came out of the door. Her clothes were worn, but they were clean and looked good on her. She was dazzling in her brown pleated skirt, white shirt, and apron with red flowers embroidered on it. In my old world, I was sure she would have been a famous actress.

"My daughter, I've been shouting at you for hours. Why didn't you come when I called?" said the woman, half-angry.

"I had dishes to wash, and I was washing them. Should I have come with my hands full of foam?" said the young girl rudely.

"When I call you, no matter what you're doing, you will stop and come to me. Do you understand, young lady? You are 21 years old and still single. If you keep acting thoughtlessly like this, you will be beaten by your husband in the future. Of course, if anyone takes you," said the woman, sneering.

"You, who cling to my father like a leech, have no right to speak to me like that," said the young girl. When the woman heard Walma's words, she tried to clench her fist in anger, but her sick daughter needed to get better soon. She would make Walma pay for her rudeness later.

"Welcome, Mother Arwa, I suppose you've come to look after my sister, haven't you?" said the young girl.

"Yes, my child, we've come to look after your sister," said Arwa gently. After listening to Arwa's words, the young girl turned to her mother.

"Why did you call me? I have housework to do. If you had helped, my workload would have been lighter. How much more work are you going to pile on me? Knowing you, you'll just order me to do something, won't you?" said the young girl.

"Oh, lazy girl, when I was your age, I would have already finished the work and helped my mother. Anyway, Arwa, do you see the child covered in mud behind you? Help him clean himself with the hot water you took from the fire. Give him some of your father's old clothes to wear. I'm going to go take care of my daughter with Arwa." said the middle-aged woman. After hearing this, the young girl grumbled and told me to follow her.

"Alek, my child, this girl I told you about earlier will help you clean up, go with her. I will take care of the sick one," said the old woman. I was a bit surprised when I heard the old woman's words. Was this the girl she had wanted me to marry? I was starting to think Arwa was slowly losing her mind. The person who had proposed marriage to me was nearly 7 years older than me. Physically, I might be 14 years old, but mentally, I was older. I began following Walma, the thoughtful and mud-covered young girl. I started to feel cold from being covered in mud, but fortunately, the inside of the house was warmer than I expected.

"Follow me, child, you're a pain. I have so much work to do tonight," said the young girl, grumbling.

"I didn't know I would get stuck in the mud like this. Believe me, I didn't want to be in this situation. Also, we didn't even get a chance to properly introduce ourselves. My name is Alek, what's your name?" I asked as we entered a small storage room.

"My name is none of your concern. I'm going to get hot water and a basin. When I return, take off your clothes. Put your dirty clothes in that corner. Don't bother," said the young girl. I had no choice but to do what Walma said. As she left the room, she looked at me.

"They call me Walma," she said mischievously and left the room.

I was waiting for her, and I had taken off all my clothes except for my underwear. At the same time, I was cursing the unpleasant situation I was in. After a while, Walma came back into the room. She brought clean, patched clothes, a basin, a bag, and a jug filled with hot water. She placed the basin on the floor and implied that I should get in.

"Do you see the stool behind you? Put it in the sink and sit on it," said the young girl. I did exactly what she said.

"Also, you wouldn't want your underwear to get wet, would you? Take off your underwear and sit on the stool," she said. I felt embarrassed when I heard what she said. I could feel my cheeks burning.

"Thank you for your help, you can go now. I can take care of the rest myself," I said. She found what I said ridiculous. She didn't even move from her place.

"There's no need for you to be embarrassed, and to me, you're no different from a child. I don't want to waste my time with you. Take off your clothes now," said Walma, slightly irritated.