The cold air brushed against my back like sand paper. The mumbles of others blows away with the wind.
“Mary Stone! Pick up the pace. Pick all the weed you can pick.” Sir.Lifefield yelled staring at me. The moist dirt and mud was plated against my skirt making me feel very unpleasant. My pale skin was darkened by the dead dirt. My syrup hair was drenched with weed. The sun has set and the moon was alive. I threw the heavy bag full of weed over my shoulder leaning against my back. I stared far into the sky. I image what type of place is waiting for me. Where’s my sanctuary? I can’t live in hell much longer.
I curled up on my lumpy mattress. I can hear the moaning of sick and tired servants next to me. I can sleep easy tonight for I know that weed picking is going to be postponed until the months of snow stops.
Sir.Lifefield ordered me and all the servants to clean, set the table, and prepare dinner very well today. He would pace around his house watching carefully at all of the servants making sure all of them were in their demanded place, either cleaning, cooking or setting the great dinning table at the great dinning room. As he would go through the long-never ending hallways, he would stop to look at a hanging mirror, glancing through it, staring at himself and fixing his golden brown hair that flowed down passing behind is ear rubbing against his neck. He would also practice smiling and posing while staring at himself through the mirror. Even sometimes I could hear him talking to himself as if he was talking to someone. Sir.Lifefield only acted like this once a year when Julia Runfree comes to visit.
I’ve known Sir.Lifefield for a long time now. When I reached the age of 10, the orphanage sold me to the Lifefield family. He was 15 years old when I came to the Lifefield house. He was living with his step mother, his father, and his half brother. They didn’t treat me well or have any sympathy for me or my age. It wasn’t still he was 19 years old when he brutally threw his family out of the house. He is now 25 years old and I’ve been working at this household for 10 years so far. It wasn’t till his family left when Julia Runfree came for her long visits.
When Julia arrived at the house in her huge carriage, Sir.Lifefield ran outside dragging me with him. He politely asked me to help her out the carriage. She was wearing a pink colored silk dress which somewhat was see through. “What a tranmp!” I thought to myself. Her sunflower hair was tied in a big bun at the back of her head. She had a pearl necklace tied around her neck and had golden high heeled shoes. I held my hand out as if to help her down her high carriage, but she came down by herself avoiding my held out hand. Sir.Lifefield kissed and hugged the rude young women, and then they walked in the house. Her carriage had a tiny trailer, which had barn animals, attached to it. “That’s my way to freedom,” I thought.
I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom since Julia arrived. I want to be free. I want to do whatever whenever I want. I don’t want help. I may give out a helping hand, but I don’t want a helping hand. I want to be independent. I want to be a baker someday and be very successful in my job and in my life.
It was midnight and a cry awoke me from my light sleep. I peeked out into the hallway to find Julia Runfree shouting about and tearing the house apart as if she was a lion killing a zebra. Sir.Lifefield ran towards the crazy woman and dropped to his knees while grabbing her legs pleading for forgiveness. My nosy ears and eyes wanted to know what is happening. Emily Mansteeler, another servant of Sir.Lifefield was standing in the hallway with her clothes ripped not to far away from Sir.Lifefield and Julia. Julia then walked over to Emily and slapped her so hard that her face turned to the color of a tomato. Sir.Lifefield ran towards Julia and held her back to prevent further damage to his servant.
“I saw you and that woman in your room kissing. I thought I was special to you but I now know that I was next on your list. You scumbag! I thought you loved me,” said Julia.
“But I do love you honey. I don’t love her, I was just messing around. I was bored. Come on darling you know you want me and you love. So let’s not fight for we can be spending some heartfelt quality time together. You’re my everything sugar. I love you with all heart, baby. Don’t you know that? When I see you, I fell like the world goes upside down and everything is destroyed and ugly except for you. You stay beautiful and even become more beautiful everyday when others age and become ugly. You’re like the sunset over of the majestic blue sea. Its beauty is seen by all. So baby, lets not fight.” Sir.Lifefield said. Julia couldn’t resist feeling loved. She sprang in his arms as they kissed repeatedly while they slowly disappeared from the hallway. He may be a smooth talker but she is way too forgiven.
Ever since Sir.Lifefield, Julia always kept a close eye on the servants. She would give dirty looks to us and especially to Emily Mansteeler. Julia would always be reluctant to leave the house just for a second if Sir.Lifefield was going to stay home, but she would still go out by herself once a week. She would usually go out on a Wednesday or a Saturday. She would come back with baskets a fruits and vegetables or have some new jewelry in her jewelry box. I knew she must be traveling to far places because this house is in the middle of nowhere and plus if she left in the morning, she would come back at night. On the days she wasn’t there, Sir.Lifefield would bring Emily Mansteeler to his room and would lock his door. I’ve always wonder why Sir.Lifefield chose to have all his servants female. I kind of assumed that he was a pervert but I think the word would be an under statement. As soon as he owned the house he fired all the male servants in the house. His reason was that he didn’t the males to make all of the female servants pregnant. He said it would be wise to fire the men rather then to fire the woman because women could do a man’s work and cook and clean better then men could. I honestly believed that he cared for the female servants not in a pervert-like way until he made Amy Deadgone, a servant, pregnant about 3 years ago.
Three years ago Amy Deadgone was in the position were Emily Mansteeler is now except that Amy and Sir.Lifefield’s romance was during the mouths of the sun so there was no interference with Julia Runfree. As soon as Amy and all the servants found out she was pregnant, we tried to hide the fact that she was pregnant. But as soon as he found out that she was pregnant, he fired her and we never saw her again.


It was the time of the snow days where Sir.Lifefield treated the servants very well. We eat a great feast in our own separate room to separate from Sir.Lifefield’s party. We would also get the whole week off as a present. Sadly Emily Mansteeler had the worst present of all. She found out that she was pregnant. All of the servants tried to hide Emily’s big belly, but Julia wasn’t dumb and could tell when a woman is pregnant. Emily is fired that every moment.
Now that Emily is out of the house, I was the main target for Sir.Lifefield. He would stare at me and inappropriately touch me making me feel very unpleasant. Julia kind of established that I’m the next target. Julia gave me dirty looks and pushed me every time she passed by me. I didn’t want to have a relationship with Sir.Lifefield although many women would like to.
It was Sunday afternoon and Julia should reach home soon and Sir.Lifefield told me to follow him to his room. I clearly knew want he wanted but I had no choice but to follow. He flirted with me and then tried to touch me. Tears rowed down my eyes for I knew what was coming up next was not in my control.
The months of snow are almost over and Julia Runfree was leaving. It was time for me to runaway for the demon’s clutches. He will never touch me again. I’m going to find my sanctuary somewhere somehow. I hid in the big smelly trailer that was connected to Julia’s carriage. The animals inside stared at me as I curled against a sack of hay and closed my eyes.

As I wake up, I realize that my bag full of bread I’ve brought was eaten all up. “Stupid animals,” I thought to myself. My stomach growled and I had no food to settle it. I am going to starve.
A few days later, I was very weak for I had not eaten in a while. The carriage stopped. The driver got off his horse and was going to go to the trailer to get is horse some horse food. This time I was too weak to move. As he opened the doors, his eyes widen with shock.
“Madame, come quick!”He yelled. She came down to see me lying in the trailer, on the floor, hungry and tired.
“Throw her out of this trailer now. Let her stay out in the cold woods with no food and no help.” she demanded.
“But Madame she would –“the driver said hesitating. She continued to stare at him with her evil eyes until he did what she asked him to do.
They took off leaving me in the middle of the woods with no help. I smiled and thought to myself that is what I’ve always wanted, no help. I have to rely on my own. I forced myself to get up. Getting myself up, felt like I was getting pushed down instead of me going up. I flung myself forward where most likely was the direction where a village is located.
It has been about 400 seconds and my body can’t stand the cold air brushing against my back like sand paper. My weak body tried to move but it couldn’t. I looked up into the sky, out at the far. I imaged a place where it was very peacefully and a place where I could be alone. But as my body collapsed, I saw a bright white light which swept me off my feet. And for the first time, I finally found my sanctuary.