Journal 1
I remember when I was first taken from my home. It was the beginning of the fall season, and I was being awoken by my mother who had just finished preparing the table as my father finished breakfast. I stretched as a yawn escaped my lips and I stood off from my bed groggily. My feet walked out of the little covered room into the main one with the bowls of fresh soup lined up on the table. My grandmother was already seated, her frail hands holding her spoon, and she gave me a withered smile. Grandpa had past last year, and she knew she wasn't far behind but the family kept their spirits up, hoping it wouldn't be any time soon. I sat across from Nann and took a spoon for myself, just as there was a knock on the door.
My father disappeared for a moment but returned with a grim expression on his face. "They took another child, just down the road." My mother whispered a good luck chant before she placed a hand on my father's shoulder. "May the gods watch over them. There's nothing we can do." She said as they both walked back to the table. Before my father could sit down, there was a jolting knock at the door and Oban men came swarming in. Their dialect was slightly different than ours but even know I could not understand most of what hey were saying, my father did. He held my mother close, knowing if they fought, it would be death to the family. Nann was crying in her seat, whispering prayers as the men grabbed my wrist and placed chain like cuffs around my wrists. I looked to my father with pleading eyes, but knew I had to go with the Obans. I trudged unwillingly into the wooden cage-like carriage and was pulled away from my home.
It felt like an eternity from the time I was taken from my home, my soup untouched, to the moment they stopped and moved me to a larger confinement, this one with more Matori children like myself. They all sat together, knowing they were the only family they had left now, but I sat opposite to them, clutching my legs and bringing them close to me. Again we were on a journey, and I knew it was longer for the fact that the scenery around me was changing. My parents didn't teach me much but I knew we were heading West and from the land around me and my fellow Matori people, I knew we were heading straight to Oba territory.
I never realized I fell asleep until I was shaken awake by the Oban men who took me earlier, and the sun was now gone. They didn't say a word as they led me into a house with many Matori folk like myself. I was led past them and into a very fine looking room, filled with lavish goods. There was a woman standing in the middle of the room who gave a giggle as I stood before her, self-conscious of my attire compared to hers. She gave a nod and then spoke for the first time. "Take her to the kitchen. A big girl like that must know how to eat, and therefore, know how to cook." She wasn't wrong, I thought to myself, though I thought better than to speak aloud. Again I was moved, though this time was back to where most of the Matori were, and I realized, because it was the servant quarters. I was pushed in, landing on my hands and feet, and then the door was shut.
An elderly woman helped me to my feet and asked my name, but I was so shy and afraid, my mouth wouldn't move. She ushered me to the back where there was a small cot. "This is yours while you're here. I'm Pairia, feel free to ask me for anything." My mouth opened and I whispered to her. "I'm Onora. Pairia? When will I be able to go home?" I asked but I could tell from her face, she did not have an answer.
As the time went on, I began forgetting the days that past, and the shyness and fear slowly began to disappear, with the help of Pairia. I was set on gardening duties first, plucking the weeds, and harvesting the good food for the cooks inside, and I have to say, I was very good at it. All the extra meat on my bones made it a bit tougher, but I was bringing in more than the others, which is always a good thing to do for dinner will be a spoonful more that evening. As I made my way inside, I noticed one of the cooks were on the floor, coughing. I ran up and noticed it was Pairia. I called for help a couple of times, but none of the servants could help. It wasn't until one of the Oban guards told me to hush up, that they realized someone was on the ground. With little care, they quickly took my elder friend away, and people were whispering around me that she wouldn't come back. I looked at the pots that were starting to burn, and quickly took the spoon and began stirring and blowing on it, hoping it would save the dish. Last time I remembered there was a burned dish, none of the servants, including myself, ate that evening.
I added a couple of the vegetables that I just collected and quickly cut them up, adding it to the stew. Running over to the water, I poured almost a cup full to cool it down enough to still be able to work on it. As I began slicing and skinning the meats around me, more of the Matori servants stopped and watched. I never realized it until an Oban guard came up and snatched my spoon out of my hands. "You! What are you doing to the ma'am's food?" I looked down at my feet as he began yelling at me. I heard a slurping sound and the yelling stopped. My eyes traveled upwards and I saw that he was enjoying my food. He called over another guards, who also sipped some of the broth, and they both whispered to each other. They handed me the spoon and in a sentence, made my day but also crushed my friendship. "You're a better cook than the old hag, so you'll cook from now on." I knew what that meant, Pairia wouldn't come back to the kitchen.
Word Count :: 1111
