One day I will see the Emerald City, this thought keeps me going. I don't talk to the goats anymore. Father says I'm insane because they're just stupid animals, and if I don't stop talking to them, he'll slaughter them to sell their coats. So I milk the goats just silently and send my fantasies away. The jug is filled with fresh milk, I have fed the chickens and collected their eggs when I hear Father calling for me. He's up late, because he's spending our little amount of money at the tavern all the evening.
"Hurry up with the food, nasty brat", he commands. "I'm hungry!"
After getting breakfast ready and taking care of the laundry, I go to the village to ask for work. There is always something to do, even if it's just sweeping out the bakery or carrying the goods for the old seamstress. My body is changing; I am bigger and stronger now, so I can work harder. I have to, because I'm threatened with beatings if I don't bring enough money home. This time, however, I am lucky. With a few coins hidden in the pocket of my skirt, I finally walk home. On the meadow before the village I meet a few boys and girls in my age, who have only disparaging stares for me. I try to avoid them, but they notice me.
"It's the monster from the cabin in the forest", sneers the draper's son, a tall wiry guy with straw-blond hair.
When the first stone hits me in the temple, I raise my arms and feel the magic tingle in my fingers. The projectiles from their slingshots fall to the ground at my feet, whereupon I whirl around and run as fast as I can. More work awaits me at home. I have to take care of our animals, clean their stalls, and prepare a warm meal.
"You missed a spot", Father remarks as I wipe down the table. He deliberately knocks over his cup so that its remaining contents spill over the wooden surface.
"Why are you doing that?" I ask him angrily.
He laughs out loud. I can't understand why he treats me like this. A housemaid, that's all he sees in me, even though I'm his daughter. Since Mom died, each other is all we have. I miss her. Can this really be it? I want to believe that there is more waiting for me than this life. I am thirteen.