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0.69% Garden Of Poison / Chapter 2: Calm before the rising storm

Chapter 2: Calm before the rising storm

In one of the peaceful villages named Hawkshead, on one of the early afternoons, two young girls sat on the back stairs of their humble home. They were sisters who were thicker than blood. The elder sister Marianne was thirteen years old, sitting on the upper stair, brushing her younger sister Anastasia's hair, who was three years younger than her.

The younger one sang, "Two feet hopping front and back, twirling and running, ah ah ahhh…" She took a deep breath, while the elder one ran the comb and braided her sister's wavy brown hair, which was similar to hers. "Little buds waiting to bl-ummm," she hummed softly.

"Bloom, Anna," Marianne corrected her sister, which had Anastasia furrow her eyebrows.

"That is what I said," Anastasia replied as if not knowing the difference because it sounded the same to her.

Tying the ends of her sister's hair with a blue ribbon, Marianne placed her hands on Anastasia's shoulders and said, "Your hair is all done."

Anastasia turned excited. Raising her hand, she touched her braided hair and said excitedly, "It's all pretty!"

Marianne smiled, shaking her head because her sister hadn't even looked at the braid in the mirror or in the glass window to know if her hair was made well. She said,

"Turn around so that I can place the flowers," picking the tiny purple flower they had plucked from the forest together, Marianne pushed one of them on the side of Anastasia's hair. The younger girl picked the rest of the flowers and placed them into her elder sister's hair. "I already have the flowers, Anna."

"Not enough! You should have more, Mary! You will look like a fairy, you will see," Anastasia used her small hands to place the flowers with utmost concentration so they wouldn't come off when they would later play in the fields.

"Mary! Anna! Go see where your father is," came their mother's voice from inside the house before she stepped near the back door wearing an old apron around her waist. Both the girls jumped on their feet and were quick to run, missing their mother's next words, "Wear your shoes!" She sighed.

"Such lively girls. They are going to be a handful once they grow up, Margaret," said the neighbour, watching the two young girls disappear from sight.

"They are," Margaret Flores agreed with a smile, while rubbing her enlarged belly as she and her family were expecting one more child.

The two young girls ran towards the forest with their bare feet stepping on the muddy, grassy land, while not bothering about the sticks and stones their tender feet stepped on. They raced, laughing in fits of giggles, until they saw their father coming from the opposite side. An axe was tied to the side of his waist, while he carried logs of wood on his shoulder.

"Papa!" The girls screamed in excitement upon seeing him.

"Careful there!" Hugh Flores warned his daughters because this side of the ground was hindered by the roots of the old trees that had pushed themselves out of the soil. But his warning came a second late, as his youngest daughter's foot got stuck between the ground and the root, causing her to fall flat on the forest ground. "Oh, dear!" He was quick to drop the logs of wood from his shoulder to come and help his youngest.

But before he could help, Anastasia was quick to sit up, as she was used to tripping, falling, and getting up. Marianne stretched her hand and helped her sister to stand. Their father kneeled and dusted his youngest daughter's dress, which was now smeared in mud.

"I am okay, papa," Anastasia said to her father, even though she winced when she touched her forehead.

Mr. Flores unrolled the shirt of his sleeve and pressed it against his daughter's forehead because the handkerchief he had carried from home was covered in sweat. Pursing his lips, he asked, "What did I tell you girls about being careful in the forest?"

"Forgive us, papa," Marianne apologised. Concerned, she asked her sister, "Are you alright?"

"I am, I am!" Anastasia nodded before wincing again as her father's sleeve rubbed against her forehead.

Mr. Flores stared into his youngest's big light brown eyes, who innocently stared back at him, and he said, "Don't you both look lovely with those flowers in your hair? Stay here." Saying this, he went back to pick up the logs of wood he had dropped earlier, carrying it back on his shoulder.

In the meantime, Marianne noticed her sister touching her hair at their father's compliment, only to make the flower fall from her hair. Soon their father reached where they stood, offering his hand to Anastasia to hold and saying, "Let us hold each other's hands so that no one falls."

On their way, Anastasia pointed to her father, "Papa, look. Marianne looks like a fairy."

"You both do, my dear," Mr. Flores included her so that his daughters would grow up knowing they were both dear to him and his wife.

Marianne had acquired his wife's pale skin and green eyes, while Anastasia had acquired his olive skin. As good as the people of the village of Hawkshead were, there were times some of them remarked about the difference between his two daughters' appearances. Where in their eyes, one was considered favourable, and the other not so much.

He heard his eldest daughter tell his youngest, "When we reach home, we are going to add some flowers in your hair. You will be a better fairy."

"With wings?" Anastasia beamed in eagerness.

Suddenly Mr. Flores and the girls heard the tower bell being rung continuously. The sound of the bell echoed all across the village, a warning that was being sent out, and Mr. Flores grabbed his daughter's hand and said,

"Something must have happened. Come quick," his footsteps fastened, and so did the girls, as they noticed worry starting to mar their father's face.

When they entered the village, Mr. Flores noticed the commotion as their village was being invaded by men who sat on horses and had a rugged look of appearance. Some of the brutes had scars, while some wore bandanas tied around their heads. These men weren't just intruders, but they were pirates!

The villagers were shouting, while some cried for help as one of the young girls was snatched away from their parents and being pushed into a carriage cart that looked nothing less than a cage.

"Capture the young girls and women! Put them all in the cage!" The leader of the pirates ordered his man gruffly and jumped down from his horse. His beard around his chin was braided.

Mr. Flores quickly dropped the logs of wood, and he caught both his daughter's hands before pulling them towards their home. He made sure no one saw them so that they wouldn't be caught. Screams and shouts echoed in the village, along with the tower bell that continued to ding to alert the people of Hawkshead.

"What's going on, Hugh?!" Mrs. Flores inquired on seeing her husband. He locked the doors when he and their daughters stepped inside the house.

Both the young girls held startled and stunned looks, not knowing what was happening. They stuck to each other closely.

"The pirates have attacked the village! We need to hide the girls! There's no time!" Mr. Flores hurriedly said to his wife, wanting to protect his family. But before Mrs. Flores took a step, the main door of their house was kicked open, and three pirate men appeared at the door. One of them was the pirate leader.


Chapter 3: Captives in the cages

Music Recommendation: Ships are Coming- Trevor Morris

Mrs. Flores quickly pushed her two young daughters behind her to hide and protect them from the eyes of these pirates. She and her husband tried to look brave, but their expressions gave away fear and worry.

"Who are you people?! You are not welcome here!" Mr. Flores firmly said, while standing between the three pirates and his family.

But just as the words left his lips, the pirate leader pushed him with force, and he almost fell on the ground before he found his balance. He pushed back the pirate with all his strength, but this only resulted in him being punched in the face.

"There are two girls in here," said one of the men, approaching where Mrs. Flores and the two young girls stood.

"Leave the woman and take the two girls," the pirate leader ordered his two men.

"NO!"

Mrs. Flores grabbed the closest utensil that her hand could grab and swung it in front of her, "Don't you dare come near us!" She threatened the two men, who stepped in front of her. When her eyes shifted to look at her husband, who was now pushed against the wall by the man with the scar, one of the men snatched Marianne from her.

"Mama!" Marianne screamed as the man caught her small wrist and dragged her out of the house.

"Let her go! She's an innocent child!" Mr. Flores shouted, while struggling to get away from the iron grip of the man with a braided beard.

Anastasia turned scared as she stood behind her mother. She clutched onto her mother's skirt, while they moved backwards until there was nowhere else to go.

"We will give you anything you want, but please spare my family! They are all that I have!" Mr. Flores pleaded to the men.

But the pirates didn't heed to his request. The third man, whose hands were free, slapped Mrs. Flores cheek with force, which had her crash against some of the utensils. Soon Anastasia was caught by the man and like her sister, she was dragged out of the house. The pirate leader raised his hand before landing a blow at Mr. Flores so that he wouldn't chase after them, leaving Mr. Flores unconscious on the floor.

"Don't take them away from us! Please don't do this!" Mrs. Flores sobbed, while torn between following the men and staying with her unconscious husband.

"MAMA!! PAPA!!" Marianne and Anastasia screamed for their parents, while their small bodies were hauled on the men's shoulders before being pushed inside the cage that was built on the cart.

"Papa help!" Anastasia shouted with tears like the other children caged with them. Some women who were captured and placed in the other caged cart shouted for help, and so did the children, crying for their families. But the families were taken care of by the pirates, who had pushed and injured them, before being threatened.

Soon the pirates started to move from the village, while keeping a few behind for an hour to ensure they weren't followed.

"Mary! Anna!"

The two young girls heard their parents shout for them, but they couldn't see them.

The two carriage carts filled with—young girls, young women and three young boys. Most of them clung to the grills, hoping to see their family. Hoping to be rescued. But no one came, and the carts were surrounded and guarded by the men, who had swords.

When one of the captured young girls continued to cry loudly, the men on the horses got annoyed. One of the men raised his sword and hit it on the iron grills of the cage,

"Shut up! I hear another sound and I will rip your head off your body," he warned in a voice that left fear in the minds of the young captives.

Marianne quickly stopped crying, wiping her eyes and cheeks before turning to her younger sister, who continued to sob softly. Anastasia turned to her sister with her light brown eyes filled with tears that continued to spill down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, Anna," Marianne whispered to her sister as she wiped her tears.

"Where are they taking us, Mary? I want to go home," Anastasia said with a sniffle. She wanted to go back to her house where their parents were.

Marianne shook her head, and the sisters hugged, "I don't know. But we'll see mama and papa."

"Promise?" Anastasia asked in a small voice.

"Promise," Marianne nodded, even though she was helpless like the others inside the cage.

The pirate with the scar loudly said to the captives, "Behave well and you will get to eat later. Behave badly, and you will be punished. We expect you to obey. The last thing we need is to damage the goods that need to be delivered," a dark chuckle escaped from his lips, as his eyes skimmed through the people in the cages.

Hours passed since the pirates had attacked and captured people from the village of Hawkshead. The pirates and the captives headed in the West direction until they reached the waters, where a galleon ship stood waiting for them.

"Aye! Bring them on the ship!" The pirate leader shouted. "Careful with the captives!"

Soon the horses and carriage carts were taken on the ship before setting sail in the water. The captives were taken to the lower deck, and their hands were tied in shackles. Marianne and Anastasia looked terrified, but it only worsened when the ship moved up and down. All they could hear was the sound of waves.

When it was time to feed the captives to keep them alive, but not enough to have them cry or shout. One of the pirates ordered the captives,

"Step forward and take the food!!"

Everyone came forward as they had been left unfed for long, and like others, Marianne and Anastasia's stomachs growled in hunger. But when the girls came to the front with their hands stretched forward, Anastasia was offered a small bowl of porridge that felt more like water, while her elder sister was offered a piece of bun.

"Keep moving!" The pirate who was serving glared at them, and it sent the two girls scurrying to the side.

"Let us split it," Marianne whispered to her sister, tearing the bread in half and offering one piece to her younger sister.

Anastasia was quick to eat the bread as she was hungry. Marianne took a sip from the hot watery porridge and realised this wouldn't be enough. She returned it to her sister, saying, "I am full, Anna. Here."

The young girl looked at her sister with questioning eyes, "But you are bigger than me. You need it more." She shook her head and pushed the bowl back to Marianne.

"How about we take a sip each then?" Marianne asked before raising the bowl to her lips without drinking and offering it to her sister.

Anastasia believing her sister was drinking the porridge, she ended up drinking the entire bowl without realising it.

Not far from them, a young girl around their age cried, "T—take me back to my parents, please… P—please, help me," she sobbed as she tugged on the pirate's shirt.

"Stop it," the pirate glared at the young girl.

Other people took courage from this and started to protest by saying, "We want to go home!"

"I miss them. Please take me back, I—I don't want to be here," the young girl begged for help, and tugged him with a little more force.

The man, seemingly lost his patience, raised his hand and smacked the girl hard enough to have her fall unconscious on the ground. A sudden eerie silence fell in there. The man then turned to look at the others with his eyes that were pulled slightly crossed. He ran his tongue at the front of his tooth as if something was stuck with a scowl on his face, and he said,

"If anyone complains next, you will be thrown into the sea. And mind you, it will swallow you," he threatened.


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