Chapter 30 Violence and Rape.
"Yeah" another said. "We aint got no shilllin' but be a be a mate n share."
Sidi jumped down, Jack quickly replaced himself and turned reaching for his sword.
The three men looked him over with disgust. Gravelly voice spat at him. " Don't you be gittin uppity wit me slave!" he growled and before he could swing the weapon Jack heard the shot and felt it rip into his stomach.. Sidi screamed as blood came from his mouth and he fell to the ground. She threw herself on top of her bleeding husband crying. They kicked and beat the wounded man and pulled her off of him.
"Well, what'd we got 'ere!" The men dragged the terrified girl deep into the alley. They threw her to the ground behind a crowded tavern. She screamed and cried and tried to escape as they tore her clothing and each had a go at her laughing and mocking her as they raped and sodomized her. The more she fought the more brutally they beat her. Finally the tiny woman could fight no more and gave in to unconsciousness. She woke in a dark dirty cell. Sobbing she tried to cover herself with what was left of her blouse.
"Jonathan" she sobbed not knowing if he were dead or alive.
Her jailer unlocked the cell and more men entered. Sidi cried and backed into the corner shaking her skirt petrified. Again she screamed and cried and tried to fight them off. Again they beat her and kicked her laughing at her attempt to protect herself.. They were too strong for her. The jailer grabbed her hair. "One more time witch and I'll kill ya. " the man pressed a dagger to her throat. Sidi whimpered and begged them to stop and pleaded for the life of her unborn child. They had no interest in hearing her. They didn't care about the child she claimed to be carrying. She sobbed and cried as the men kissed her, handled her and made her to things that caused her to wish she were dead. She sobbed quietly wretching in her cell after they left, afraid of the return of the jailer with the dagger.
Colette wondered when the little gypsy woman would realize it would better suit her to make friends with the attackers and then just lay back and enjoy it. She hated it when Gypsy slave women were brought in. They didn't get it. They didn't have to get beaten. The parade of men was endless when a gypsy was in the cell. White men seemed obsessed with them. Magic was such an aphrodisiac. She strained to see the girl but her cell was across from hers and too dark. Anytime she had jail time Colette found playing the game with the guards and their friends made her stay quite enjoyable. She was treated well, given the jailers food and wine some men even brought her gifts. Many times she found their company quite entertaining. Now that this Gypsy girl was here this stay was not going to be a good one. They would sell her body until she was sold as a slave or hanged. She wondered when Anna Maria would get here with the money to free her. She didn't want to listen to this girl crying day and night. She sat back against the bars of the cell and pouted.
As Colette said Sidi's body was sold over and over. As Colette also said it seemed groups of men waited in line to see what it was like to have a gypsy girl. On the fourth day again a group of men entered her cell one carried a bucket of hot coals and a branding iron. Sidi screamed and cried and tried to get away. "Good news girlie yer new master be commin ta fetch ye in a few days. 'ope ya treat 'im bettern ye treat us!" They laughed. "No" she howled clawing at the men. They struck her face and she fell at their feet. One grabbed her hair. "'slong as yer down there." They all laughed and joined in forcing themselves on her. When they'd finished their fun two of the men held her arms and legs down the other ripped off the remains of her blouse.
The man with the bucket smiled and caressed her breasts. "Ahhh such a waste" he said as he pushed the hot branding iron on to her right breast. As Sidi screamed in pain the jailer stuffed the remains of her blouse into her mouth. "'ave fun boys" branding iron said as he passed two more men who had just paid Peter the jailer. Peter locked them in. The men abused her more savagely than any before and bragged to each other as they left.. Colette huddled in her cell far from the light not wanting the animals' attention to turn to her. The gypsy was silent for hours.
Colette could see the moon through the window down the hall. The Gypsy woman had awoken and was crying softly in her cell. When was the last time they gave that girl food? she wondered. "Girl!" she called. "Girl here. Here! You eat!." She threw an apple over to the cell. No answer. Colette sat back wondering where her sister was.
What was that? The girl was quietly talking to herself. Her voice was weak and quivering.
"Laki, thou destroyest and dost make everything on earth; thou canst see nothing old for death lives in thee, " She started panting. "Thou givest birth to all upon the earth for thou thyself art life. By thy might cause me to bear good fruit, I who am" -She stopped and cried out in pain then started to cry. "deprived of the joy of motherhood and ." Suddenly she shrieked in pain. Through the sobbing her voice cracked. "Thou art the mother of every living creature and the distributor of good thou doest according to thy wisdom in destroying what is useless- she screamed in pain again. "or what has lived its destined time; by thy wisdom thou makest the earth to regenerate all that is new- .. she started to sob in pain. "Thou dost not seek the death of anyone, for thou art the benefactress She started to scream again. Her breath was labored. "of mankind" she continued sobbing. She started the incantation again but couldn't finish through the pain. "No! she screamed Please! please!"
Suddenly the screaming and crying stopped. "What the hell?" Colette took her fingers from her ears. Nothing. She waited. Still nothing. She swore she had heard a baby cry.
"Girl?" she called. "Please girl answer me." But there was no response.
"Yeah" another said. "We aint got no shilllin' but be a be a mate n share."
Sidi jumped down, Jack quickly replaced himself and turned reaching for his sword.
The three men looked him over with disgust. Gravelly voice spat at him. " Don't you be gittin uppity wit me slave!" he growled and before he could swing the weapon Jack heard the shot and felt it rip into his stomach.. Sidi screamed as blood came from his mouth and he fell to the ground. She threw herself on top of her bleeding husband crying. They kicked and beat the wounded man and pulled her off of him.
"Well, what'd we got 'ere!" The men dragged the terrified girl deep into the alley. They threw her to the ground behind a crowded tavern. She screamed and cried and tried to escape as they tore her clothing and each had a go at her laughing and mocking her as they raped and sodomized her. The more she fought the more brutally they beat her. Finally the tiny woman could fight no more and gave in to unconsciousness. She woke in a dark dirty cell. Sobbing she tried to cover herself with what was left of her blouse.
"Jonathan" she sobbed not knowing if he were dead or alive.
Her jailer unlocked the cell and more men entered. Sidi cried and backed into the corner shaking her skirt petrified. Again she screamed and cried and tried to fight them off. Again they beat her and kicked her laughing at her attempt to protect herself.. They were too strong for her. The jailer grabbed her hair. "One more time witch and I'll kill ya. " the man pressed a dagger to her throat. Sidi whimpered and begged them to stop and pleaded for the life of her unborn child. They had no interest in hearing her. They didn't care about the child she claimed to be carrying. She sobbed and cried as the men kissed her, handled her and made her to things that caused her to wish she were dead. She sobbed quietly wretching in her cell after they left, afraid of the return of the jailer with the dagger.
Colette wondered when the little gypsy woman would realize it would better suit her to make friends with the attackers and then just lay back and enjoy it. She hated it when Gypsy slave women were brought in. They didn't get it. They didn't have to get beaten. The parade of men was endless when a gypsy was in the cell. White men seemed obsessed with them. Magic was such an aphrodisiac. She strained to see the girl but her cell was across from hers and too dark. Anytime she had jail time Colette found playing the game with the guards and their friends made her stay quite enjoyable. She was treated well, given the jailers food and wine some men even brought her gifts. Many times she found their company quite entertaining. Now that this Gypsy girl was here this stay was not going to be a good one. They would sell her body until she was sold as a slave or hanged. She wondered when Anna Maria would get here with the money to free her. She didn't want to listen to this girl crying day and night. She sat back against the bars of the cell and pouted.
As Colette said Sidi's body was sold over and over. As Colette also said it seemed groups of men waited in line to see what it was like to have a gypsy girl. On the fourth day again a group of men entered her cell one carried a bucket of hot coals and a branding iron. Sidi screamed and cried and tried to get away. "Good news girlie yer new master be commin ta fetch ye in a few days. 'ope ya treat 'im bettern ye treat us!" They laughed. "No" she howled clawing at the men. They struck her face and she fell at their feet. One grabbed her hair. "'slong as yer down there." They all laughed and joined in forcing themselves on her. When they'd finished their fun two of the men held her arms and legs down the other ripped off the remains of her blouse.
The man with the bucket smiled and caressed her breasts. "Ahhh such a waste" he said as he pushed the hot branding iron on to her right breast. As Sidi screamed in pain the jailer stuffed the remains of her blouse into her mouth. "'ave fun boys" branding iron said as he passed two more men who had just paid Peter the jailer. Peter locked them in. The men abused her more savagely than any before and bragged to each other as they left.. Colette huddled in her cell far from the light not wanting the animals' attention to turn to her. The gypsy was silent for hours.
Colette could see the moon through the window down the hall. The Gypsy woman had awoken and was crying softly in her cell. When was the last time they gave that girl food? she wondered. "Girl!" she called. "Girl here. Here! You eat!." She threw an apple over to the cell. No answer. Colette sat back wondering where her sister was.
What was that? The girl was quietly talking to herself. Her voice was weak and quivering.
"Laki, thou destroyest and dost make everything on earth; thou canst see nothing old for death lives in thee, " She started panting. "Thou givest birth to all upon the earth for thou thyself art life. By thy might cause me to bear good fruit, I who am" -She stopped and cried out in pain then started to cry. "deprived of the joy of motherhood and ." Suddenly she shrieked in pain. Through the sobbing her voice cracked. "Thou art the mother of every living creature and the distributor of good thou doest according to thy wisdom in destroying what is useless- she screamed in pain again. "or what has lived its destined time; by thy wisdom thou makest the earth to regenerate all that is new- .. she started to sob in pain. "Thou dost not seek the death of anyone, for thou art the benefactress She started to scream again. Her breath was labored. "of mankind" she continued sobbing. She started the incantation again but couldn't finish through the pain. "No! she screamed Please! please!"
Suddenly the screaming and crying stopped. "What the hell?" Colette took her fingers from her ears. Nothing. She waited. Still nothing. She swore she had heard a baby cry.
"Girl?" she called. "Please girl answer me." But there was no response.