Winter
When I wake up I find myself in front of my house, well more of a tent then
a house. It's hot and my feet burn in the sand (This for sure is not
Domino) because my sandals are too small for me so my feet hang over and
touch the sand.
"Hey kiddo" my older sister Isis calls to me. "Got anything yet?" I look back down to the small patch of crops, shriveled on the vine.
"I know this drought is hard kiddo but well make it somehow. Mama wants me to get more water for use tonight. Papa will be home soon." Isis runs off to fetch us some water.
I take my time finding some of the crops that have not died yet. There's not much.
I bring what I found and bring it in to Mama. She's sitting on the ground with 6- year old Jakub. "Mama I found us some food. Isis went to get water."
Mama takes the burlap sack out of my hands and puts our food back in the bowl.
"Why isn't Jakub working? He's seven isn't he? Me and Isis have been doing work since we could walk, Mama, It's not fair." I pout.
"He is a boy Winter, he doesn't work like girls do. Papa will teach him to hunt and he will take care of use from then on. Girls on the other hand will cook and clean and a good girl like you will take care of her little brother while Mama makes dinner." She tells me.
It makes me sick and I want to turn around and run and run until I cannot run anymore.
But I am a good girl and play with my brother until Mama calls me to help her prepare some supper. There not much. By the time Isis gets home it is dark and supper is almost done. Papa is home and did not kill anything for supper today. Me, Mama and Isis have to wait until Papa and Jakub are done eating. There is not much left and after a bit of left over bread I'm still hungry.
"Don't Complain Winter" Mama tells me as I get Jakub ready for bed and Papa leaves to visit Spannuel his friend to see if the Pharaoh Jakarta is planning an attack, or if he is collecting more children to do his work for him.
"The drought will end then there will be more food" she tells me. "But why do Papa and Jakub get to eat first? They leave us nothing. I mean, we do cook the food don't we?" "Boys are more important then girls Winter." Mama says.
I turn on my heels and run as fast as I can out the door and down the street. I hide by the well. It makes me sick that boys are more important than girls. It makes me sick the way Mama Babies Jakub; she loves him-not us. If she did would she force us to work all day? Would she sing us to sleep or give us special treats? Would she tell her friends about how great we are? No. she does that to Jakub though. I hate Jakub.
I let the tears spill down my face until I feel someone behind me. It's Isis.
"You ok Winter?" she asks. "I know that you probably think you hate Jakub. But I'm sure you don't. You're jealous. So am I. Mama just thinks boys are more important to us. And we will have on day to start families of our own. It's wrong, I know.
I open my mouth to say something, when all of a sudden I can hear horse and whips. The Pharaoh has come!!!
Both me and Isis Jump up. We start running toward the village. When we reach our house the Pharaoh's men are grabbing Mama and trying to get Jakub.
"My baby!" she cries. They hang Jakub in a tree. The say no one over 10 should be working for the pharaoh. The rest should be dead. A man whips Mama. She falls down to the floor screaming. Isis pulls me behind a rock. We peek out the side to watch. They whip Jakub in a tree. Mama is not moving on the ground. Without thing I jump up and run toward them. Isis runs after me. I fall down next to my dying Mama. I begin to cry.
"w-wintter" she stutters "hon-n-ney....take my millennium mirror. Please do not feel bad for me. Isis will take care of you." Mama closes her eyes and then my Mama is so cold. She is dead.
Isis pulls me off the ground. I grab Mama millennium mirror. Without looking back to see a dead Mama and Jakub, we run. We run into the next town, over the sand dooms and onto the roads. By the time it is morning. We are in the human village where Half blood demons like us are not aloud to go.
"Children!!" a man calls. He runs over to us. He looks like a grave robber. "come with me. You are demons no? I can help you. You will be alright with me."
He leads me and Isis down into the sewers, threw pipes and then into a clean underground annex with thousands of half and full demon refuges.
"We will be safe here."
"Hey kiddo" my older sister Isis calls to me. "Got anything yet?" I look back down to the small patch of crops, shriveled on the vine.
"I know this drought is hard kiddo but well make it somehow. Mama wants me to get more water for use tonight. Papa will be home soon." Isis runs off to fetch us some water.
I take my time finding some of the crops that have not died yet. There's not much.
I bring what I found and bring it in to Mama. She's sitting on the ground with 6- year old Jakub. "Mama I found us some food. Isis went to get water."
Mama takes the burlap sack out of my hands and puts our food back in the bowl.
"Why isn't Jakub working? He's seven isn't he? Me and Isis have been doing work since we could walk, Mama, It's not fair." I pout.
"He is a boy Winter, he doesn't work like girls do. Papa will teach him to hunt and he will take care of use from then on. Girls on the other hand will cook and clean and a good girl like you will take care of her little brother while Mama makes dinner." She tells me.
It makes me sick and I want to turn around and run and run until I cannot run anymore.
But I am a good girl and play with my brother until Mama calls me to help her prepare some supper. There not much. By the time Isis gets home it is dark and supper is almost done. Papa is home and did not kill anything for supper today. Me, Mama and Isis have to wait until Papa and Jakub are done eating. There is not much left and after a bit of left over bread I'm still hungry.
"Don't Complain Winter" Mama tells me as I get Jakub ready for bed and Papa leaves to visit Spannuel his friend to see if the Pharaoh Jakarta is planning an attack, or if he is collecting more children to do his work for him.
"The drought will end then there will be more food" she tells me. "But why do Papa and Jakub get to eat first? They leave us nothing. I mean, we do cook the food don't we?" "Boys are more important then girls Winter." Mama says.
I turn on my heels and run as fast as I can out the door and down the street. I hide by the well. It makes me sick that boys are more important than girls. It makes me sick the way Mama Babies Jakub; she loves him-not us. If she did would she force us to work all day? Would she sing us to sleep or give us special treats? Would she tell her friends about how great we are? No. she does that to Jakub though. I hate Jakub.
I let the tears spill down my face until I feel someone behind me. It's Isis.
"You ok Winter?" she asks. "I know that you probably think you hate Jakub. But I'm sure you don't. You're jealous. So am I. Mama just thinks boys are more important to us. And we will have on day to start families of our own. It's wrong, I know.
I open my mouth to say something, when all of a sudden I can hear horse and whips. The Pharaoh has come!!!
Both me and Isis Jump up. We start running toward the village. When we reach our house the Pharaoh's men are grabbing Mama and trying to get Jakub.
"My baby!" she cries. They hang Jakub in a tree. The say no one over 10 should be working for the pharaoh. The rest should be dead. A man whips Mama. She falls down to the floor screaming. Isis pulls me behind a rock. We peek out the side to watch. They whip Jakub in a tree. Mama is not moving on the ground. Without thing I jump up and run toward them. Isis runs after me. I fall down next to my dying Mama. I begin to cry.
"w-wintter" she stutters "hon-n-ney....take my millennium mirror. Please do not feel bad for me. Isis will take care of you." Mama closes her eyes and then my Mama is so cold. She is dead.
Isis pulls me off the ground. I grab Mama millennium mirror. Without looking back to see a dead Mama and Jakub, we run. We run into the next town, over the sand dooms and onto the roads. By the time it is morning. We are in the human village where Half blood demons like us are not aloud to go.
"Children!!" a man calls. He runs over to us. He looks like a grave robber. "come with me. You are demons no? I can help you. You will be alright with me."
He leads me and Isis down into the sewers, threw pipes and then into a clean underground annex with thousands of half and full demon refuges.
"We will be safe here."