Of Salvation and Perdition
This was written for the Ink Smudge Forum - The 100 Words Challenge.
This story and characters belong to me.
Please, do not use.
Hard-worker Vinia unknowingly accepts a no-man to her bed out of loneliness, and despair, but before she could even phantom what all this entailed she ends up with his child.
Of Salvation and Perdition
Chapter 1
Vinia was such a selfless being.
Stupid.
Vinia always helped those in need.
Avaricious.
Vinia supported those who were sad.
Useless.
With a flourish of words, more than enough rum and a taut body belauded by the female population for centuries helped him secure a place at her side; a bowl at her table… a side on her bed. She was such an interesting human, that Vinia. She was an angel and a demon all inside. She tried to make the best she could to others, as per taught by her parents, but there was a darkness always lurking around her thoughts…measuring the worth of everything around her. As per taught by her only daughter’s father.
The lowly man who abandoned her, with a round belly, for another…with a flat one.
Vinia’s smile never faltered, though. She had a strong backbone and a stubborn will. Her father was a farmer and he had too many rough winters but always managed to save the crops with his optimism and hard work. Vinia was the same, or at least tried to. There was nothing more to do and no turning back now. This was her life now.
Vinia’s kindness bore fruit and she spent the last month of her gestation with her neighbor. The old widow was alone but she was strong and her soup was very good. The day her first daughter was born...Vinia… well she cried, yelled, cursed and tried to break her neighbor’s hand… but she finally did it.
Vinia’s daughter had hair as black as the night sky and eyes like the desert’s dried sand. She named the girl Ahrida.
Vinia soon recovered and her need to grow the lands her father had left her became strong. Vinia was always in the field, if not in the forest hunting for seeds and always with baby Ahrida hanging from her back, safely tucked by a cotton cloth.
The years passed quickly and Ahrida grew up beautifully. It came as a blessing for Vinia who was always busy with work. The maidens offered to take care of the child daily and spoiled her rotten with fancy hairstyles and candy.
Ahrida was happy.
Vinia was secretly concerned.
Yes, she had enough to survive with what she grew in her farm but alone…she could never make enough to spoil her only child. Luxury was something she couldn’t afford…and it became apparent at a young age that little Ahrida couldn’t understand why not.
Slowly a barrier began to form between the pair. Vinia frowned confusedly but tried not to over worry. This was the first time she was a mother and most of the time she felt unsure of what to do. The ladies in the village used to tell her not to worry about Ahrida’s petulance. They assured her it was but a child’s stage, something that would come to pass with the passing of the seasons.
Vinia could do little else but believe and hope they spoke the truth. Limits were something her child needed to learn… and if she did not learn it the easy way life would teach her anyways.
The first time the barrier became real was when Ahrida was six years old. That day was too important to forget.
It was the first time Ahrida stole something.
Vinia’s eyes flashed with tears, of anger and sorrow and shame. Shaking hands meant to grab the silver pin in her daughter’s hand but Ahrida smacked her mother’s hand away.
Vinia froze.
Ahrida glared defiantly.
The next second, unknowingly, Vinia slapped her daughter…for the first time.
The silver pin flew across the humble room and Ahrida held her offended cheek with a broken look. Her breathing became erratic and sobs racked her small frame, “What did you just do?” the girl cried, tears pouring like waterfalls, “You ruined my perfect face!”
Vinia frowned, anger swarm. “You are but a naïve child,” she chided her baby girl with a serious expression, “Theft is punishable by death. I hope we are forgiven…since you are so young.”
Ahrida’s snarl startled Vinia, “Nobody saw me,” the girl growled, fisting her hands to stop them from shaking, “You will not return it.”
Vinia raised a hairy eyebrow, “I will,” she said coldly, “And you will not be allowed into the village anymore.” Vinia didn’t wait for her daughter’s reaction and merely turned to walk out to return what was stolen… and beg for the affronted person forgiveness. May the Gods be with her this night!
Ahrida’s eyes widened with fear for a mere second before her face turned rabid, “You…you…whore!”
Vinia froze before the wooden door, stunned. A painful scar formed deep inside her chest at her daughter’s thoughtless words. The same insecurity which haunted her daily at night seemed to open its giant jaws and sharp fangs tugged at her heart mercilessly. Devouring it away…
She knew the village folk called her a whore. If you judged it as plain as day, it was what she was. However, it was a wound she had tamed and controlled with the passing of the years. She did not regret baring her daughter… it hurt to think her daughter regretting coming from her stomach.
She forced a sigh out of her, forced the anger out of her and pushed the door open, leaving her daughter to debate about her words. If she was even aware of what she had done.
Another day she would have fretted over leaving her six-years old alone in the house, but not tonight. Her daughter was old enough to insult her, to steal… she was old enough to survive a night alone.
That night Vinia returned the pin…and drank herself to oblivion.
That night, a foreign man brought her home. A man…who was not a man.
The no-man whistled when he arrived at her house, “This shall be a nice home for the time being,” he muttered to himself, “A warm soup, a warm bed…and a hot female. Couldn’t ask for more.”
Yes… that night was impossible to forget. Not even Ahrida could forget it.
It was the first time Ahrida had failed to hide a stolen item from her mother; the first time she was slapped; the first time she saw her mother completely drunk…and the first night that no-man came into her house.
That… hateful no man.