19 A Revelation
‘By whoever brought us here!’ they heard the cheerful voice of Two as she parted the twigs of the bush and together with One joined the two girls.
Three and Six started to panic, expecting a severe punishment, but One just grinned:
‘Don’t fret. Up to now you did nothing wrong.’
‘So,’ Three asked, ‘you were brought here as well, just like us?’
‘I was. A very long time ago,’ ‘Two said smiling, ‘One is born here as a slave.’
‘And where do you …’
‘Hush!’ One raised her hand, ‘You are not allowed to speak of the time before you came here! No one is! Never ever!’
‘I’m sorry One, I am sorry, please do not punish me!’
‘Just you never forget it!’
‘Please, may I ask about this place here? We are so lost, we know nothing at all.’
‘You are slaves!’ Two replied shrugging, ‘What else do you have to know?’
‘But who … who owns us?’
‘I don’t know myself for sure. I was given to a representative of the house of Nadiran, a big slave trading enterprise, in a place far back east, as a compensation for the debts of my previous owner.’ Two answered, ‘I was brought west with a caravan, then together with One we were handed over to the master, who has to deliver us to the city of Karmish. He was told to pick up some merchandise outside of town and that’s all.’
‘Merchandise? We are just …
goods to be sold somewhere?’
‘Well naturally, what else?’
‘But who will buy us? Will somebody free us? What are slaves supposed to do? Can we be rescued?’
Two burst out laughing when she heard this splutter of questions but One looked very serious when she said: ‘You have to understand this once and for ever: you are slaves, and slaves you will stay. Any free person can buy you. Any free person can do with you whatever they want. And why would someone waste his money by freeing slaves?’
‘But ….’
‘No ‘but’. That’s it. Nothing else! Even if you would manage to run away – and I know you little fools dream about it – what would you do? Where would you go? If the wild animals wouldn’t kill you, the first person you meet would catch you and put his collar round your neck. There is no escape! Most probably your next owner will have you tattooed or branded anyway …’
‘Branded?’ Six shrieked.
‘Yes, it hurts like hell for a while,’ One replied, ‘But it will always identify you as a slave, for all your life. And see how nice it looks like,’ she pointed to a little ‘S’ curved scar on the outside of her left thigh.
‘Two only has a tattoo, but on the inside of her thigh,’ One smiled. ‘I think the owner who did it wanted to point to her most precious region.’
Two showed One her tongue: ‘You are just envious. A tattoo looks much nicer and my owners always appreciated my talents!’
‘Oh yes, that’s why you are here on your way to be sold on the market!’
Three swallowed and dared to cut into the good natured banter: ‘And what will our owner do with us?’
Now, even One had to smile. ‘Well, slaves are there to work, so work you will. You do whatever your master tells you and you do it good and quick or else you will be punished.’
‘Work?’
‘Yeah, work. Whatever has to be done. Hard work, dirty work, boring work, dangerous work, tedious work that free people don’t want to do.’
‘But … you know … ‘
‘I know what you mean,’ Two grinned, ‘if you are lucky, if you are skilled and if you are attractive, then a master or a mistress might use you for his or her pleasure from time to time. But mainly you have to work.’
‘And if you get pregnant?’
One looked almost disgusted: ‘Slaves don’t get pregnant!’
‘Unless they are chosen for breeding’ Two cut in, ‘and get their controller removed.’
‘Their
what???’
‘The controller, stupid! Here you can feel it,’ One raised her left arm and pointed to a barely visible raise on the inside, close to her shoulder. ‘Everybody has one.’
Three and Six immediately checked their left arms and found tiny scars with something hard underneath.
‘What does it do?’
‘I told you,’ One shrugged. ‘You don’t get pregnant if you have one. And you don’t get old.’
‘
WHAT??? What do you mean ‘you don’t get old’?’
Two grinned like a little devil, ‘I told you, I came here many, many years ago …’
The man’s voice interrupted their talk and immediately One and Two jumped up. They hurried to bring the girls to the cart where their foot chains were removed for another long and weary march. But this time there was a lot of whispering along the line of girls, and for once One and Two did not intervene.