I stared at the ceiling of my little shed as I had been for the past four days. I had simply been in and out of sleep, since my last beating. After the swelling went down I could open my eyes again, but that was the height of my joy in bed. The only breaks of the monotony were when Penny or Hilda fed me, or I had to do the miserable task of getting up to relieve myself. I couldn't move, my body it was bruised and broken, but still my biggest complaint was...that I was bored out of my everloving mind. There was no phone, book, or TV to keep me occupied. The distant sound of cows in the field was the closest thing I had to music to soothe myself with. Since I had woken up in this strange new place, I had never truly had time to miss the little things. I was too exhausted in the evenings to notice how hard my bed was. Now covered in bruises I noticed with every breath just how hard it truly was. I had never had the time to miss the things that would keep any bedridden person sane. Right now though, I really missed my phone. I doubt this world has anything even close to a phone, not just a smart phone, I have yet to even see any electricity being used. I began to lift my arm trying to mime me picking up a phone, but even moving my arms seemed to hurt my chest. I winced as I put my arm back down.
Damn I wish I had some pain killers. Then a thought occured. If I could make water, hay, and a variety of other things with my little symbols, could I make some just for me? The symbols were strange, and not really any kind of language, but still for whatever reason I could read them. Perhaps I could make my own, after all the symbols in the barn had to have been made by someone, and I am the only one who could make any sense of them, maybe Elodie had made them to begin with. Maybe I could make my own pain medication. I looked to the bowl that the others had been using to feed me. Normally dishes weren't something that I would have, but I couldn't properly chew yet. Hilda proposed feeding me by soaking my bread in water, and making a porridge of sorts with it. She told Penny it was so she didnt have to wait around forever for me to eat, but I knew better now. She just didn't want me to hurt from chewing. Soaking up the bread also helped me stay hydrated, since my only other option for water was a rain barrel behind the barn. We were granted a bowl, there is no way we would get a cup too.
I wimpered as I reached from my bed to where the bowl was on the ground and picked it up. With my fingernail I scratched a familiar symbol in the bottom of the bowl WATER. I had to scratch the wooden bowl over and over, for it to wear down enough for the symbol to become etched in. Once it was done I traced it, this time without my fingernail. Just like I hoped the bowl filled with water, the water stopping just below the brim. It worked, I could make my own symbols. Immediatly I began scratching at my bed, using new symbols I hoped would work. The first thing I scratched was OXY... nothing. I tried again IBUPROFEN, nothing. ACETAMINOPHEN, once again a failure. Lastly I tried simply PAIN RELIEF, in that moment a two greenish tablets popped up on my bed right above the new symbol. They looked almost identical to Queenie's alfalfa cubes, though smaller. I didn't know how many I should take, but I figured I would just try one. I was in no state to question what they looked like, but the very least I could do was try not to overdose on these mystery magic pills. I picked up the bowl of water to swallow them as I had done with any other pill in my previous life; just then however Penny walked in the hut holding bread and a ladle of water.
"They gave you pain medicine?" Penny asked astounded. I wasn't sure if this was something I wasn't supposed to have or not so I played dumb.
"These things showed up here," Not a lie, "but I am not sure what to do with them." That wasn't entirely a lie either, I knew how to swallow pills, but I couldn't be positive that that is what they were. Penny rushed over to me and took them.
"This is medicine that helps ease pain. What you do is chew them up then swallow, just like food, though I warn you it tastes terrible." Penny explained.
"Can I just swallow it with water? Then I won't be able to taste it." I suggested, just hoping that the concept of swallowing medications this way was unheard of. Maybe it was an unused concept that I had seemingly invented.
"Ha, wouldnt that be nice. No you have to chew it, that is what activates its properties. Actually you should chew both of them at once. That way you wont have to endure the awful taste twice." She explained, unknowingly telling me the dosage.
I complied and chewed up the green pills, they didn't just look like Queenie's alfalfa cubes, they tasted like them too (or at least how I imagined them to taste), though it also had that bitter chemical taste that all medicines have. As I chewed the nasty pills Penny tried to pour her ladle of water into my bowl. Only now realizing the bowl was full.
"Did you scratch a symbol in this bowl?" she asked me.
I stopped grinding the disgusting pills for a moment to answer her. "Yes, I thought it would be easier than you guys having to bring a ladle to and from the barn everytime you come to see me." I explained.
"Don't tell anyone that you can do this. Not even Hilda." Penny warned. " All of the symbols you used were in the barn when their family moved here, apparently the child of the last owner could use the same skill you have. She had to have been trained though, how did you do it? There is no way a slave like us got a tutor." She explained and asked.
"Well I already knew what the water one was, and I tried a bunch of things to get the medicine." I slipped.
"YOU MADE THE MEDICINE!?!" Penny yelled before covering her mouth, she continued in a whisper. "Where is the symbol for medicine and where did you learn to use it?"
I winced as I pushed myself over a bit to show her the multitude of engravings I had made on the bed.
"I took me a bunch of tries, but I figured it out. It wasn't too hard, because I can already read the symbols, I just tried writing words that might help." I explained. I decided to leave out how many of the failed attempts were medications that this world might not have. She looked to me shocked, then looked at my hands noticing that a few of my fingernails were ground down to nearly nothing.
"Listen to me, and listen well. If anybody learns about this; your sole purpose in life will be making these constantly for the rest of your life. These are really really hard to come by because they are so expensive. No one should know that they can be made for free. If anyone else sees any carving, except the one for water, just say you tried and failed to make a pillow got that? The one for water can be easily explained with familiarity, but not the medicine. Don't mention you can actually read them, just say you thought it would be easy because they all look similar." Penny was doing her best to warn me, and instruct me with the best lies, but I was falling asleep. Obviously the medicine was taking effect.
"Where did you learn to read anyways, you said you were a slave since you were little. There is no..." Penny was still talking, but I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I drifted to sleep without answering any of her questions, thanking her and properly explaining myself. That could all be done later.
When I woke up again my hut was pitch black, I must have slept for at least six hours for it to be this dark already. I was still in horrible pain, but it was better than it had been before the medicine. Penny hadn't told me how often I could take the pain medicine (or at least not when I was awake), so I would have to wait until she would stop by again. I blindly reached for my water bowl.
"So you are finally awake?"
I screamed and jolted back at the voice in the darkness. The sudden movement brought tears to my eyes. Not quickly enough did I realize it was Hilda's voice.
"Don't scream you are just going to wake everyone up or hurt yourself." Hilda spoke in a whisper.
I didn't tell her that the latter had already happened, since she couldn't see me.
"What are you doing here so late?" I asked.
"Well initially I came to give you mushy bread, but then I saw you unconscious, you wouldn't wake up even when I poked your bruises. You were still breathing steady, so I decided to wait. Penny told me you would be out for awhile, even before I came here, but this seemed extreme. Then I noticed you had some of your squiggles in your bowl. You used up too much mana didn't you? You know you aren't supposed to use your skills when you are weakened." Hilda explained
No I didn't know that thanks for the heads up. I thought to myself.
"I know, but I felt bad about how you guys had to keep bringing that ladle too and from the barn every time you came here, so I thought I would make the water myself." I decided to listen to Penny and keep most of what I did a secret.
"And how may I ask did you do that?" Hilda asked, not sounding like she believed me.
"Well I have to trace the symbol for water everyday for the animals, so I thought I would try it for myself." I explained to her this time, sounding more sure of myself than when I had told Penny.
"I suppose that makes sense, just don't go telling any of the masters that you can make symbols too. They would have you draw them baths every day, and by the looks of you now, you know that filling a bath for the young master wouldn't end well for you." Hilda told me. It warmed my heart knowing both of these women cared enough to warn me about this, and looked out for me.
"Thank you Hilda." I said genuinely. I heard her scoff after hearing me, as though she either didn't believe me or shethought she didn't do anything that warented a thank you. "I really mean it Hilda. You look after me, you give me warnings so I can stay safe, you do everything you can to keep Penny sane, you are the best, even if you dont realize it." I couldn't see her, but I could feel her rolling her eyes.
"Uhh whatever. I am sleeping on the floor here tonight, too dark to go back outside." She grumbled. I could hear some shuffling as she tried to get comfortable on the ground. I would have offered her my bed, but I couldn't move, and I doubt my bed was any more comfortable than the ground.
I laid down and stared at the nothingness. Even with my eyes open I couldn't see anything, all I could hear was the steady rythm of Hilda's sleeping breaths. She must have been exhausted from work; afterall she was milking every cow now, opposed to only doing half typically. Despite my hours of sleeping, abd waking up only minutes ago, I drifted back to sleep.
I woke up again, even before Penny could stop by. Making sure the cost was clear I quickly traced the symbol on my bed PAIN RELIEF, and once again two pills appeared. Penny walked in shortly with a loaf of bread. She didn't greet me gently as she had done every morning since I had been stuck in this bed, today she seemed to have things to say other than 'How are you feeling today?'.
"Hilda didn't come back to the hut last night; what happened? Did she find out? Is she going to tell the masters?" She seemed worried, but there was a hint of a scolding in her tone.
"Yeah she stayed here last night. She was just going to sit here until I woke up to feed me, but by the time I did wake up it was too dark for her to walk back to your hut." I said. Penny sighed a bit.
"What about the other stuff?" She asked once again.
"She thinks I was basically knocked unconscious because I used up too much mana." I told her.
"Ohh that is a great excuse. Just keep filling your bowl everyday and saying that is what kept you asleep." Penny said with a bit of a smile on her face.
I lifted up my new pain medicine, to show her I made more, but just then I heard footsteps walking towards my shed.
I hid them in my shirt quickly and whispered,
"Just one today and one at night."
"One what?" Madam came into my shed.
I looked up and without batting an eye said, "One half of bread. I want to split my meal in two." I explained, lying through my teeth.
"I didn't need an explanation, I just needed to know the object. I swear you give these slaves an inch and they take a mile. You have five more days of this vacation before you have to work again." She spoke harshly then left. We could hear her muttering about the smell of my shack as she walked away.
"Five days isn't nearly enough. I can't believe.." Penny started, but I cut her off.
"She is the madam, can you really not believe that she would have me work again, even as a cripple?" I said half joking. Penny just gave a frustrated huff before leaving.
"Don't do anything strenuous at all, you need to recover quickly." Penny said as she peeked back into the shed, once more before actually leaving.
If I was going to have to work again in five days I would need more than just pain medicine to treat myself. I needed to heal, not just numb myself until my body healed on its own. I began tracing new symbols. I knew better now, than to trace medicine that I knew worked from my previous life. Instead I carved descriptions of what I wanted, BONE MENDER, a small puddle of a clear salve appeared on the carving I had just made. I suppose, like water, that is something that should be carved into a bowl or cup. I needed it though if the bones in my left hand, and the few broken ribs I had would be functional in five days. I dabbed my fingers into the salve and rubbed them on the areas I believed to have broken bones. Next I needed something for my open cuts. If I worked in the barn with these wounds they would probably become infected. As I scratched in and traced WOUND CLENSER another salve showed up on my bed. This one was thick and goupy, like petroleum jelly. I rubbed it into all of the wounds on my face, neck, shoulders, and the new self made ones on my nail beds. I made sure to use every bit of both salves, so there was no evidence left on my bed. After that I decided to scratch in some doodles, as a safety measure, in the case anybody else saw the the symbols on the bed. My hope being: they would think they were just part my crappy bored doodles. So a flower, a bird, and some smiley faces. I looked back at my scarred bed thinking to myself there we go, all done, my bed now looks like the inside of a public bathroom stall. I then took a single pain chewable, and quickly fell asleep, though this time after three hours opposed to the suspicious six. I didn't need anybody else knowing I could make anything besides water, and I couldn't keep being unconscious for half the day, all because I took two pain pills (that I shouldn'thave been able to procure). Hilda would surely scold me if she thought I was using any kind of mana other than the water bowl. Even Penny didn't get to know about the salves, if I screwed up, they didn't need to get in trouble for keeping secrets.
For the next five days this was all I did. Woke up, talked to Penny or Hilda, medicated myself, slept, talked to Hilda (whom would check to make sure I wasn't using too much mana), medicated myself again, fell asleep again, ate talked to Penny or Hilda, then slept again.
Day six came eventually, though sooner than I would have liked. I had healed up an incredible amount in the five days of healing I was given. Though if I was in my past life, I would probably still be in a hospital. I was a bit wobbly on my feet for a bit from being beaten and bedbound for so long, but that didn't last long. Even once the wobblyness faded though it still hurt to move, so I was a lot slower than I usually was. I woke up even earlier than I normally would, and instead of going first to wake up Penny, I went straight to the barn. I was healing and that made me slow, I had no time to waste.
By the time I had gotten to the barn Penny and Hilda had already caught up to me, so we ended working together anyways. I hobbled to where the chickens were. I started working as I had been doing since coming here, but I was much slower than usual. I looked to Penny who seemed to be trying to match my pace.
"Penny I know you love me, but you can't match my pace like that. Being extra slow will only get all of us punished. I appreciate the attempt though." I said to Penny, genuinely grateful.
She looked down at her feet and sighed. She knew I was right, so she stuck to her normal pace and kept silent. I was glad for the silence, because even if my broken ribs were likely mended, the bruises still hurt, and talking while moving made it hard to breathe. Before I even finished my tasks with the chickens, Penny had already moved on to her next job. I made my way to the pasture to start milking, but Hilda had already milked about half of my cows. Penny looked shocked.
"Don't look so surprised. I don't get to leave until all of the cows are done. Working with that cripple makes things slower. Can't believe she was dumb enough to try and seduce Young Master." She said the last part under her breath.
Penny looked utterly furious, her face was turning bright red, I knew she was ready to burst. I placed my hand on her shoulder.
"Don't bother with her Penny, her bitterness makes my job easier." I made my voice to sound condescending and rude, but I was secretly very thankful to Hilda.
We finished our work much later than normal, but there was no way I wasn't going to the pond tonight. I hadn't had a bath since before I ended up stuck in bed. I didn't care that I could see the stars starting to appear in the evening sky. I was going to rince off all of the: sweat, blood, and dried salves from my body. Sitting in that freezing nightime pond water felt like the most relaxing and wonderful thing that had ever happened to me. Even if Penny had to help me in and out. If I could have I would have stayed in that pond all night. I rinced off my dirty clothes I didn't have time to let them dry, but it needed to happen. I could let them dry in my room as I slept. The walk back to my shack seemed way longer than it normally was, but I knew as the days went on and I continued to heal, the walk would seem short again once again.
....ONE WEEK LATER....
I was up before sunrise and went to wake Penny. I was healed for the most part. The worst of my bruises were yellowing now, and my hand was just about back to normal. So I looked like an old banana, but I was able to work again. I noticed something scurrying in the corner of my eye, a rustle in a nearby bush gave away its location. I stopped to focus in on the bush. Had one of the chickens gotten out... and all the way over here? Maybe it was a fox that smelt the chickens, I knew that the Master's family didn't have a dog. Was it a large bird? I inched closer to the bush, and out jumped the most adorable cat I had ever seen. Long white fur all over its body, the only exception being the rich brown color on its face. A pink boobaple nose, big blue eyes, and ears that curled ever so slightly. I bent down to pet the kitty. It pushed its head against my palm, and jumped onto my shoulders. I stood up slowly, and it kept its balance on my shoulders. I smiled at the cat that was purring against my neck. Then suddenly I heard.
"Elle why are you so...!" I heard Penny start to yell as she approached.
I turned to face Penny.
"Penny look at this cute kitty, it was just in the bushes it must..." I began to say but I quickly noticed that Penny had stopped and gone pale.
"How...? Why..? Are you...?" Penny started trying to talk, but nothing really seemed to make sense.
"Why are you yelling so early in the morning! You woke up the whole family. Just know you will be..." Madam came yelling and trudging towards me. She: stopped, went pale, and froze; just as Penny had done. "Demon! Demon! Help! The girl is possessed. I told you she was bad! Help!" Madam screamed in pure terror.
"What's all this yelling about?!" Master hollered as he came from around the house, still in his nightware. He like the others paused and stared at me.
"Be gone! Stay away from here you aren't welcome here you filth!" Master screamed spitting as he did, his trembling body betrayed his brave facade.
I pointed at myself in pure disbelief; there was no way they were talking about me right. I looked like a bruised banana, but hardly a demon. I tried to ask, when I felt the first stone hit my face. It came from Penny. I turned my head to look at her, she had tears streaming down her face and was trembling.
"Be gone, whatever you are. You took my friend!" Penny yelled at me and threw another rock.
Soon rocks of all sizes were being hurled at me from all three of the people. The cat jumped off of my shoulders and ran. I was completely and utterly confused, but I needed to run too. I ran away from the farm, the exact oposite way I had ever gone before. The cat seemed to be heading in the same direction, so I followed. I ran and ran, my lungs were burning, I had to slow down a bit. The cat slowed to match my pace, though it showed absolutely no sign of exhaustion. I looked back and saw Hilda staring at me from a distance. With her mouth wide open she just stood there looking at me. Even her gaze hurt. What happened why do they all suddenly think I am a demon. I began to run again, I knew that Master owned a gun, and that I surely wouldn't handle bullets as well as I had managed with rocks. I didn't stop until I reached a forest. I could only barely see the farm on the horizon. I sat panting in the shade. I could safely say that this was the farthest and fastest I had ever run in my life. Had all of them suddenly figured out I wasn't the real Elodie? That was hardly my fault, I tried to be a good Elle, I did my job, and got along with Hilda and Penny. Penny's face and last words echoed in my head You took my friend. I laid down and cried, the cat curled up against me.
"Where will I go? What will I do? What can I do? I don't know of anything in this world outside of the farm. I laid still in that spot, not moving, in pure shock, for hours. I didn't blink, I didn't think, I just laid there. Nightfall came and I heard footsteps. I jumped and hid behind a tree.
"Please, I'm not a monster; don't hurt me. I will leave...please." I pleaded to whoever it was that was walking towards me. I didn't know who it was, but I was certain after this morning that anyone who saw me would want me gone or dead. A familiar voice responded though, one that wasn't full of hostility.
"I won't hurt you don't worry." I heard Hilda's voice say.
"Everyone else hates me now. Even Penny does. Why did you come?" I said, only slightly peaking from behind the tree.
"Look at that your forehead is all busted up again. Just when we had finally gotten it healed too." Hilda said softly.
I came out from behind the tree completely this time. For the first time I noticed the streak of blood that had dried down my face. My vision was suddenly blurred behind tears.
"Wh..wh.. what happened? Did I do something bad?" I said sobbing. Hilda began to step towards me as to hug me, but saw the cat and stopped.
"I know you aren't a monster, if you were then you would have bolted at the sound of my screams every day. The problem is that." She said and pointed towards the cat that seemed to have become oddly attached to me. "Those things only stick to those who aren't right, usually that means a demon has entered the body. Once a demon appears, it doesn't or more accurately, can't abandon it's new body. You have been off since you got kicked by that cow, your energy might be so off, that that beast simply attached itself to you in confusion." She explained.
"But... it's just a cat." I said, still very confused.
"Is that how you see it?" Hilda asked.
"Well yeah, that's what it is... right?" I asked meekly.
"Well it made itself look appealing to you, but I assure you that that is no cat. That thing, to the rest of us, is a: black, slimy, almost formless entity that has chosen you as its anchor. Once they find their anchor they won't leave either. Those things don't stick to normal folks." Hilda explained. "This is my fault I forgot to scream last night, it must have come in between screams."
"What do I do now?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.
"No human will allow you near them as long as that thing is around, and it isn't going anywhere. You just have to wander until you find where you can be. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't. I was actually sent out here to scream until you were too far away to come anywhere near the property. I need to scream and go back, I wish you all the best though." Hilda spoke to me softly, then let out her scream. With the scream the cat went crazy and bolted underneath my shirt.
"Hilda before you leave... can you be somebody Penny can lean on now, someone she can love?" I asked sadly. "If she has so much hate, let her hate me okay. What she needs now is someone to help her cope with the loss of her friend. I don't want her to feel all alone. She likes to complain about Queenie, behind Queenie's back. She sometimes enjoys how the chickens gossip about eachother, not always though, some days they are annoying. She thinks the cows are boring because they are dumb and don't have opinions of their own. I think she secretly likes them all though. She likes pranks, so maybe you pull a small one to break the ice and..." I looked up to see Hilda looking at me with a warm smile.
"There is no way you could be a demon." She spoke softly.
"Let her think that though, she needs someone to hate remember. Even if I'm not around, she will see my symbols everyday, that can be a reminder... right? Just bond over being tricked by a demon." I asked.
"Okay, I will try my best." She said, then finally turned and walked away. I did the same.
I walked deeper and deeper into the woods, with my cat monster still walking beside me. It would occasionally rub it's head against my legs as we walked through the forest. We went through thick grass and brush, and I imagined we would for days, but it was too dark to keep going. I leaned against a tree. I could finally feel the pain from my split forehead. I grabbed a nearby rock and carved, CHILL, on it with a smaller rock. Instantly the stone became and isepack that I held against my throbbing head. My body was sore, it was tender with my normal daily activities, but toughing it in the wilderness would certainly make things harder. Before long I was asleep leaning against the tree where I sat down.
I woke up as the sunlight flickered through leaves in the canopy. My cat had already begun breakfast without me it would seem. I looked down to see it eating a fish.
"Show me where you got that." I told it, in hopes that it could actually understand me."
The cat stood up and led me further into the forest. I followed it quite a ways. Climbing over boulders and fallen trees, through thick folliage, and finally into a clearing with a wide stream running through it. I stood and just looked for awhile. The cat jumped into the water and almost instantly caught a fish, and began a second breakfast.
"How about we make this home for now? With my symbols staying here should be easy enough." I spoke as though I had had any experience even remotely "roughing it", but I didn't have a choice now. I began by making myself a hut. I decided to go Lincoln-logs style, and cut trees into those shapes. This was much easier said than done. After many many failed attempts at trying to make symbols that could shape all of the logs I had gathered, it had gotten dark.
"Cat, bring me some fish please, I am hungry and have no idea what I'm doing." The cat looked back at me seemingly displeased, but listened. I scratched HEAT onto a large flat stone with another smaller rock, and cooked my fish. I ate the fish happily, even though I knew how horrible my situation was, the one benefit was that grilled fish tasted better than stale bread. Tomorrow I would figure out how to make a shelter, I would get it for sure tomorrow, for now though, I would sleep on the ground. I had a mutant monster cat and a full stomach, that was more than I should have expected. Tomorrow, that is when things will start going my way.