Queen of Darkness

Chapter 3 - A new nightmare

I woke up early on my sixteenth birthday. As a slave you didn’t get gifts or special treatment on your birthday but it was still a special day and no one could take that away from you.

My parents were proud as most girls were sold off by the age of thirteen or fourteen but Master Michael decided to keep me. Other slave girls my age were already mothers or married. I sometimes cought father looking at me with a concerned look but he never spoke about what worried him so. It was a great accomplishment for me to reach the age of sixteen without being sold off or having been soiled by a man.

My mother was allowed to take an old dress that Lady Eleanor ruined and threw out. My mother spent hours trying to repair the tears by hand and making it smaller to fit me. Today I got to wear the dress mother made me for my birthday. I was so excited as this would be my very first dress not made from old sacks or dad’s ruined shirts.

My first dress with actual frills, lace and ribbons. The sun was not even up yet, when I pulled the dress over my head. It was perfect and fitted me like a glove. I thanked mother and father with hugs and kisses and told them that I was going down to the river to fetch water. Another one of my tasks... I fetched water every morning before the sun rose, for mother and father to wash up with before starting their day.

I took the wooden pale and made my way towards the river. On average it took me about 20 minutes down to the river but today I ran as fast as I could to the river because I wanted to take a quick dip before I returned. I pulled my new dress over my head, tossing it on the bank and jumped in the water. Quickly washing my hair and myself, I wanted to look clean wearing my beautiful dress. Once finished, I got dressed again and plaited my hair. With the pale of water I made my way back home, the sun’s light was just starting to light the sky. I was already late but couldn’t help myself from picking a few wild flower blossoms growing in the grass field and pressing them into my plaited hair.

Suddenly I was made aware of a presence behind me, startled I spun around but it was too late. A hard knock to the head blinded me and all I remember was the blinding pain and the warm sticky wetness of my blood running down the side of my face before everything went dark and I lost consciousness.

Turned out the day I thought would be the best day of my life was the worst day and the start of a new nightmare for me.

The sun was already setting when I finally came too; I was out cold the entire day. The pain was excruciating and it took me a few times before my eyes could open without my vision blurring and I was finally able to focus on my surroundings.

I was alone in an unfamiliar wooden hut. I was lying on a pile of hay and there was an old dirty and torn blanket in a heap on the ground next to me. Only when I reached to touch the bruise to my head did I become aware of the slave chains used to restrain me. I’ve never worn the chains before personally, but they were a very familiar sight.

The cuffs around my wrists were connected with a chain to the neck cuff. What was different about my restraints however was that it had another chain connected at the back of my neck cuff, the other end was connected to an iron ring fixed to the floor. I’ve never seen a slave chain like that before but what was evident was that I could move around within the wooden hut but the length of the chain only allowed me to stand on my knees, I could not stand upright. I was unable to reach the door or window.

In the middle of the floor stood a pale of water with a cup and an apple next to it. This was for eating and drinking. In the opposite furthest corner two more buckets, one empty and some old rags next to it the other bucket filled with more water. This was equivalent of a 1700′s slave bathroom, the water used for cleaning and washing and when in need of a toilet, well that’s what the empty bucket was for.

My dress was ruined from my blood and it was dirty and torn. The only view I had from the angle I was bound in, out the window was of tall trees. I screamed for help for what seemed to be hours until my throat was raw and my voice was hoarse, but to no avail.

As the darkness came all I could do is fall asleep hoping that I would wake up and all of it would have just been an awful nightmare.

The next morning I was startled awake by the sudden noise of the door flinging open hitting the back of the wall.

I sat up frightened and finally understood the extreme danger I was in when I recognized the figure standing in the doorway.

Master Nolan had an evil looking smirk on his face. Fiery red curly hair and beady green eyes that send a shiver down my spine.

This was the beginning of hell.

No matter how much I screamed or begged or pleaded, nothing saved me from Master Nolan’s wrath. He tore my dress off my body, gave me a backhand each time I screamed, punched me in the ribs when I tried to fight him off he even bit me on the cheek when he tried to force a kiss and I turned my head away. He inflicted constant pain and he was enjoying every second of it.

Somewhere deep in my thoughts I always hoped that my first sexual encounter would be with someone I loved maybe even a husband of my own. I belonged to Master Michael and I knew he would never force me to please him in such a way and with the idea that he didn’t sell me I was naive enough to think I was save from the perversity of some white masters.

Master Nolan raped be repeatedly that day. He used me in positions and did things to me that I didn’t even know about and I hated all of it, I hated him. I don't think I fathomed real hatred until that day.

Master Nolan particularly enjoyed divulging to me the fact that he had purchased more properties, and one of those properties was where I now found myself, with no one around for miles and miles so there was no use in me screaming or expecting someone to come to my aid.

I hoped it was a once off occurrence and he would tire of me and kill me, I actually wished for death, but it wasn’t and days turned into weeks, weeks turned to months and somewhere along the line I lost track of time.

Every morning I would get clean buckets and clean water, a piece of bread and apples or carrots to eat. Just enough food to keep me from starving.

I stopped screaming after about a month and once he told me that he informed Master Michael and the slaves, including my parents, that I ran away, and was subsequently caught and hung, I knew my parents would have been heartbroken, but no one was searching for me, it was then when I stopped fighting alltogether.... I gave up. I just waited and prayed for death to come.

Just as I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I got smacked hard back down to earth. Master Nolan got a great idea to make some extra money on the side to help with his gambling and drinking addiction and make a name for himself among his sleazy friends. After a night’s gambling and drinking he would bring some of his drunken friends along. They could watch and cheer him on as he raped and beat me, and for enough money they could also participate.

I was broken beyond words.