The Ripple Effect - A Journey of Sin, Part Eight

Greetings! For those who have diligently kept up with the story, please skip these formalities. ~
If you haven't had the time to keep up, you can check out Parts One, Three, Five and Seven (wow, quite a bit!) at The Devil's Advocate. ~
Enjoy! ~

Part Eight

After that incident, Lucifer changed. The morning star shone as brightly as ever, yet I now knew the darkness that it concealed inside.
Time passed, and he never tried to hurt or pursue me again. However, I did notice an ever-increasing number of unfamiliar ladies visiting the manor. Ladies who seemed to change almost daily and who never stayed the same for longer than a week. I also noticed that they only visited without the knowledge of the masters of the manor, and from this I understood that these women were not ladies Mrs. Rothschild would particularly approve of. My suspicions were further confirmed when I realized that they never entered the cottage itself; instead, Lucifer would take them into the garden behind the kitchen and lead them past the bushes, beyond my line of sight. The girls were always willing to do whatever he asked them to.
One night, about two years into my service at the Rothschild manor, I was awoken by Lucifer bringing yet another girl home without the knowledge of Lady Rothschild.
Today, however, was different. It was past midnight. Lucifer had never brought a girl to the cottage so late before. Worried and rather scared, I decided that I would find out what Lucifer was doing to these women behind the large mulberry bushes that covered the estate.
I made my way into the cellar below the Main Hall and looked out through the small window high up on the cellar wall. It was barred, and I adjusted my position so that I could peek through two of the cold, iron bars. Outside, I could make out the shape of Lucifer and his female companion.
Although it was a crisp clear night, the darkness enveloped them like a shroud, making it difficult to see exactly what was going on in the shadow of the mulberry bush. The little I could see by the light of the stars, however, led me to realize immediately that something was amiss. I could see Lucifer's pale body rebelling against the darkness, casting its own glow, as if reflecting the light of the stars.
This glow both fascinated and terrified me, until I saw the beautiful shawl the lady had been wearing carelessly thrown aside, along with Lucifer's own coat, shirt and trousers. I gasped. I was aware of the amorous activities in which the town boys engaged in, yet I had never quite imagined that Lucifer, son of a noble family, would do the same, and behind his parents’ back, no less.
Through the window, I could hear moans coming from the girl, which were repressed as Lucifer put his hand over her mouth to silence her. As the sounds escaping from her mouth quieted, Lucifer pulled her to the grass, directly below his body.
I turned away in disgust and crept back to my quarters, trying to purge my mind of the horrifying acts I had witnessed.

Never again did I spy on Lucifer, his actions had invigorated in me, instilling in me a strong repulsion for the boy who took advantage of what appeared to be every single lady in the town. This repulsion led to my isolation, as I began speaking less and less, choosing instead to devote my time to my duties – that is, until I met the new stable boy.
More than a year had passed since the night I witnessed Lucifer’s horrifying acts in the garden. Lady Rothschild seemed to have noticed my moping, because she introduced me to the stable boy, thinking to give me some company, a companion closer to my own age. As I looked into his kind brown eyes for the first time, I immediately felt at ease. The weeks passed, and our shared commonalities brought us ever closer as I learned that he too had been sold to a slave trader, whereupon he had also been “rescued” by Lady Rothschild. As he told his story, I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes as memories of my own family flashed through my mind, still as fresh as they had been the day I left.
As we talked I learned about his dreams of one day acquiring enough money to escape the chains of slavery and finding his family once again, his optimism planting in me a seed of hope for my own future.
One night, as we lay by the fence bordering the acres of meadow lands that belonged to the Rothschilds and watching the fiery streaks of the setting sun as it slowly dipped down below the horizon, I noticed Lucifer lurking by a mulberry bush, his sparkling green eyes trained on my prone figure lying in the grass.
As I conversed with my friend, I stole occasional glances to where Lucifer lay hidden. My heart throbbed with fear whenever I caught a glimpse of those eyes, burning like green fire and staring at me from beyond the leaves of the mulberry bush. Finally, as the sun's light sank below the horizon, leaving the sky tinged with a deep purple hue, I glanced over yet again, my heart lightening with relief as I realized that he had disappeared. The sentiment did not last, however, as I realized, deep in my heart, that I could never escape from Lucifer's grasp.

For Part Nine, please visit The Devil's Advocate tomorrow, Sunday, May 29! ~

The Ripple Effect - A Journey of Sin, Part Six

Parts One, Three and Five can be read at The Devil's Advocate.
Voilà! Part Six for your reading pleasure. ~

Part Six

After he left, I quickly forced down what was left of my soup as the cook handed me an apron and began to show me my duties in the kitchen. I was to serve food to the family every meal time, as well as supply them with light snacks and beverages as needed in between. I was also required to clean up the kitchen at the end of every meal and ensure that the cooking fires had been dampened every night before going to sleep.
Slowly, I adjusted to my new life. Physically, it was much easier than my previous one – I had fewer duties and I was always well fed – yet I was always emotionally exhausted at the end of every day. I couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that seemed to engulf my soul, despite my material comforts. My nightmares haunted me incessantly, as night after night, I saw my hands covered again in the blood from my mother's head. Yet although I so longed to see my family again, I never tried to escape, for I knew that outside the walls of this luxurious abode, I was just another poor girl, replaceable with just one trip to the slave market.
One night, about six weeks into my stay at the Rothschild household, my nightmare returned. It was so vivid that I could almost feel my mother's warm blood seeping through my fingertips, and just as I saw the monster turn towards me with his fat lips curled in a smug grin, I awoke in a cold sweat. As I lay back down in the sheets that were now soaked, I looked out the small porthole in the room which had been assigned to me and saw the moon, gleaming in all its pockmarked glory. The white glow of its fullness set to a starry night called to me, and before I was fully awake, my legs had carried me off the bed and towards the small side door beside the kitchen that led out into the garden. This was where I always came on nights I couldn’t sleep or had been awoken by nightmares, which was almost every night. I walked out into the cool night, savouring the taste of the chilly night air. Sitting down on the cold stone bench, I lifted my face up to the equally cold moonlight and let my thoughts drift.
Suddenly, I heard voices behind me. Turning around, I spotted four figures several yards away from me. They hadn’t noticed my presence, and I crept up closer to them under the dense foliage to hear what they were saying.
“… filthy rich... Oughta try livin’ without yer father’s money for a change…”
I lifted the top of my head out of the underbrush and saw the speaker. He was a large, imposing boy of about sixteen who was glaring down menacingly at a younger boy. I peered at the latter’s cowering form and gasped when I realized only one boy had skin that could glow like that. Indeed, the moonlight had made Lucifer's pale skin shine with a glow that was even more unnatural than usual. Suddenly the clouds shifted, and the full force of the moon’s light shone down on his figure. At that moment, he looked nothing more than his namesake, the morning star. The glow intensified to an almost painful brightness, yet he appeared more vulnerable than ever, lonely as that first star which shines so brightly every morning.
I couldn't understand why Lucifer would cower from anybody. After all, he always seemed so confident, so proud whenever he was inside the house. Then I noticed the gleaming red on his shoulders and back – the same deep, rich red that had covered my hands as I held my mother, the very red that had plagued my dreams ever since that horrifying night. The boys advanced on Lucifer, holding their sticks, and called out to him: "Not so tough without yer rich daddy around, are ye, ye little pale freak?" And as Lucifer lay whimpering on the cold, hard street, they beat him, beat him mercilessly, continuing to draw blood until his gleaming white skin ran red with the dark liquid, the moon shining off of his still figure and casting a red shadow on the ground. I ran inside, terrified of what I had seen. My night time escapade, transformed into a scene of horror and brutality, forever seared the cruel reality of the world into my innocent mind.

Part Seven will be up tomorrow, Friday (thank goodness!) May 27, at The Devil's Advocate. ~

By the way, for a hint at the reason for each of our picture choices, see the labels for each post.

The Ripple Effect - A Journey of Sin, Part Four

Parts One and Three can be read at The Devil's Advocate.
As promised, here is Part Four! ~

Part Four

I stood in front of her beautiful carriage, refusing to enter. She turned to me, waiting, but there was no way I was stepping into her gilded prison.
She frowned. "Well, come along now," she said, gesturing impatiently to the carriage. I didn't move.
Her face softened. "I understand this must be hard for you. But please, I'm here to help."
I couldn’t believe her. Her kind eyes and honeyed words could be laced with poison, just waiting for me to fall into her trap. But then again, I was hungry, so very hungry… I couldn’t recall the last time I had eaten; my stomach was completely empty. She heard the grumbling and turned to her coachman, who held out an entire loaf of the nicest-looking bread I had ever seen.
I lunged forward and ripped the bread from her hands, stuffing it into my ravenous mouth. The moment I swallowed that delicious, soft, and wonderfully sugary bread, I knew that I had just sold my soul for a mere loaf of bread.
When the food was gone, I hung my head shamefully, unable to meet her eye. She ushered me into the carriage, and I knew that if I had any hope of surviving in this cruel world, I would have to submit to the whims of this hypocrite, if only to obtain some more of that delicious, life-giving bread to fill my empty stomach.
Once inside the carriage, she began chattering away, asking me dozens upon dozens of questions. “Well now, poppet, what would your name be? And what misfortune has brought such a shy little girl to this place of horrors? Oh, and isn’t that Mr. Williams just horrid?" I remained silent throughout, eyes downcast. Eventually, I felt myself sink into a deep sleep.

I awoke just as dusk was falling. The carriage had stopped, and for a minute, I wondered where I was. Peeking out the window into the night sky, I gasped at the sight of a huge country cottage before me. I had never seen such extensive gardens anywhere before.
At my awe-struck face, the woman just laughed. “Welcome to our humble abode,” she said ironically.
My eyes widened. How could anyone own so much land while there were families like my own struggling to pay the taxes that were collected each year?
I stepped slowly out of the carriage. The woman followed, aided down by the coachman. She bustled forward, and I followed meekly. My stomach was still somewhat empty, and as we approached the cottage, the delicious smells of mushroom soup wafted to my nose.
Once we entered into the cottage, she called forth a footman and told him, "Take the poor girl to the kitchen and give her some food. Still in shock, I believe, the dear soul. Hasn't said a word to me yet."
As I followed the footman towards the source of that sensational aroma, I scarcely noticed the paintings on the walls or the intricate designs on the marble floors. However, as we passed through the great room on our way to the kitchen, some exquisite portraits of the entire family, surrounded by the leafy patterns on their gilded frames, caught my eye. I paused for a moment to take in the features of my new masters.
The first was a man with a perfectly trimmed moustache, looking sternly down at me. He had a large brow and bushy eyebrows, and beneath those, piercing blue eyes. Underneath the portrait, inscribed in flowery, golden ink, was his name: Count Richard Emilio Peter Rothschild.
Beside him, I saw the lady who had brought me here, with the familiar garland of gleaming pearls around her neck. The deceptively-kind brown eyes gazed down warmly at all who passed through this giant room. Her name, written in that same flowery script, was Countess Maria Helena Rothschild.
Next to her portrait, there was a picture of a young boy not much older than myself. His green eyes and high cheekbones were quite different than the characteristics of what I presumed were his parents. But most shocking of all was the contrast between his pale skin and his jet black hair. It seemed almost unnatural, the likes of which I had never seen. I glanced down at his name. Lucifer Emilio Phillip Rothschild. I cocked my head to one side. What a peculiar name, Lucifer.
As I hurried after the footman, who had stopped to wait for me and was growing impatient, I glanced one last time at the portraits. What would my new life be like?

Hope you enjoyed that. Part Five will be up tomorrow, Wednesday, May 25, at The Devil's Advocate. ~

The Ripple Effect - A Journey of Sin, Part Two

It's finally here! The long-awaited co-post! But wait - it's even better! It's not one, not two, but a whole compilation of co-posts! (In case you can't tell, I'm quite excited by all this.) ~
My talented and sarcastic friend Ankur and I have put together a story relating to the nefarious effects of sin. Inspired by Dante's Inferno, this story will be broken up into parts and scattered amongst our respective blogs. Though this prevents us from keeping the story in a tidy, neat package on one blog, we decided it was the best way to not only keep you anticipating more, but to also present to you both of our blogs. Ankur is an incredible writer, so be sure to check out some of his other posts as well! ~
Part One can be read at The Devil's Advocate, Ankur's blog. ~

Part Two

The blood froze in my veins and my heart sank. I crawled back into the corner of the dark space, hugged my ragged teddy bear close to my heart and felt the hot, wet tears stream down my face. I sniffed loudly, then immediately covered my mouth and held my breath, but it was enough. He knew where I was. Thundering footfalls came ever closer to my secret hiding place. The small door crashed open, and in came that awful man. I saw him in all his despicable glory for the very first time, illuminated by the faint light behind him. He wore that exact suit which my brothers had always gawked at in the window of the local tailor shop, and his large pipe blew a noxious cloud of foul smoke around his fat lips. A felt hat covered his thick brow.
As he dragged me out by my hair my mother fell at his feet, clutching his pant leg and sobbing for my life. The monster kicked her away, and I heard a dull thud when she hit a wall. I broke free of his grasp and ran towards the crumpled form of my mother lying on the ground. I lifted her bloody head onto my lap as the blood covered my hands and she lay silent, unmoving on the cold hard floor. I stared hard into the coal black eyes of Mr. Williams, stared down the monster that had hurt the light of my life, when suddenly a dark cloth covered my mouth. I tried to scream as I felt my consciousness slipping away, but my eyelids closed into darkness.

I awoke to the soft clip-clopping of horses on the road and the sound of wheels rattling over stone. The seat of the carriage I was in felt soft, its velvety smoothness deceptively shrouding me in pleasure. As my mind cleared from the heavy fog of sleep, my eyes snapped open, and I saw that despicable face sitting across from me, twirling one of the golden rings on his fat fingers, wearing a smug grin as he stared into my eyes. As I looked away in distaste, I had to hold back the urge to cry, fighting hard so that I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
“You know he sold you to pay off his debt,” he said, his grating voice violating my ears as his bitter words stung my soul. I glared at him.
“My father would never sell his only daughter to a monster like you,” I quietly replied, seething with rage.
His laughter boomed throughout the carriage, unsettling everything, even the horses, as he said “You’d be surprised at the depths people will go to for money.”
“Monsters like you, maybe,” I quietly muttered, refusing to engage in any more conversation with my kidnapper.
Suddenly, the carriage jerked to a stop, and a footman opened the door. Peeking outside, a terrible sight met my eyes.
People, hundreds of them, stood on pedestals as a sea of wealthy landowners with cruel expressions on their faces argued over the price of each person. The scene made me sick to my stomach.
“What is this place?" I asked.
He just laughed and told me that this place was my future, where he took all the girls who had been sold to him. And at that moment, the tears I had been holding back so strongly leaked out as I began to cry, for I finally saw what I had become: a slave girl, never to see my family again.

Part Three shall be up Monday the 23rd, at The Devil's Advocate. We shall be posting daily, so please be patient! ~

Picture Perfect Post: Flower Can

"You cannot grow here."
"Why ever not?"
"Haven't you heard? Evil is sterile. You, as a blossom, represent growth and therefore are a direct embodiment of evil's opposite."
"Well then. How do you explain my presence here?"
"How should I know? I'm just a guardian here. Neither evil, nor good. Why should I care?"
"How can you not care? You live here! This is your home. Doesn't it matter to you at all that you're surrounded every day by a gloomy, dusty darkness in which no life can be found?"
"Not at all. In fact, I was just fine until you came along."
"It is not my fault I flourished in ground foreign to all others."
"Yeah, well, could you kindly move somewhere else? You're attracting the sun here."
"I am? Oh, I see it! How delightful! Its light casts a gentle warmth on me. I can feel my colour returning."
"Oh, this is terrible!"
"Why are you so resistant to this welcome change?"
"It's because I'm used to the dark."
"Just because you were born in a bleak place, you'll accept staying in it forever?"
"What else can I do?"
"Water me. Help me grow. Once I do, I'll spread seeds in this land. You'll see; you can be initiator of it all."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I don't need a lot. A bit of sun, a bit of water, and I'll spread my colours to the world. A little love, that's all I need."
"I guess I can try..."
"That's all I ask."

I hope you're enjoying my new series of posts. AC has sent me a whole whack of pictures, and that means I won't be short on inspiration for quite awhile. Many thanks for watering me! ~

Narcissism

A video a classmate and I put together for English class. The inspiration came from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book III. Hitler here represents Narcissus from the Greek myth. You might have to turn up the sound a bit once the theme music finishes playing. Enjoy and comment!

Picture Perfect Post: Shoes

"I want to be just as tall as you."
"One day, you will be. Then you'll regret ever wishing you would grow up."
"Why?"
"With each passing year, I see you growing taller, and with each inch, you lose some of your innocence and carefreeness. I want you to stay the way you are, or the way you were."
"But with each passing year, I see myself growing taller, and with each inch, I gain some wisdom and experience. I want to continue growing, and continue experiencing new aspects of life."
"Even the darker sides?"
"Of course. Would I really be living if I didn't?"
"Would a harsh life even be worth living?"
"Would living a blindly joyful life be worth living?"
"Then you'd rather suffer than smile?"
"Of course not. But it's in living through the suffering and overcoming it that I'll smile."
"Time only will tell, but I have faith that your flame will never flicker out."
"It'll stay alight to guide your way out of the dark."

Credit given where credit is due to AC for sending me this sweet picture.