'New Girls' by Zungur

[Zungur]

1 Awakening

They awoke on a huge stone slab on a plain covered with yellow, sun burned grass and weeds. Moans and astonished mumbles in different languages were heard as they slowly came to conscience and began to realise that they were not at home or any place they knew of, but instead out in the open, buck naked and wearing heavy iron collars around their necks tying them with massive chains to the stone. Some were still dazed while others started to shriek in panic.

But then all of them fell silent, as they saw an oxcart arriving, driven by a man with two girls walking beside. A girl with blonde curls desperately yanked at her chain, a black-haired loudly shouted for help, while the others just sat terrified and shivering.

 

[Zungur]

2 Shut Up!

When the cart came near the man barked a short command and the two girls sprang forward, switches in hand, whipping left and right, shouting: ‘Silence! Be silent! Shut up!’

After some desperate cries and shrieks very soon nothing but sobbing was heard. The man on the cart laughed heartily at this scene and his two cute but cruel helpers seemed to enjoy it immensely.

The taller one stood in front of the horrified girls, patting her whip: ‘You keep your mouths shut! But when you are allowed to speak, only in English. Whenever I hear a word in a different language you will be punished!’

English was none of the girls’ mother tongue but they all seemed to understand, some nodded obediently, others just stared, blinking through their tears.

 

[Zungur]

3 Collaring

The man climbed down from the coach box and approached the girls. He stood over the tiny Asian, a bunch of ropes in hand. ‘On your belly! Hands in the back!’ She stared at him wide eyed but did not dare to do anything but obey. He knelt beside her, tied her wrists firmly with one of the ropes and opened the lock of her collar with a big, clumsy key.

‘Two, bring me the collars!’ At this the smaller one of his helpers dashed to the cart and fetched four iron rings just like the one she wore herself. Quickly she ran back, knelt down beside the man, not looking at him and presented him the collars. He fastened one of them around the Asian girl’s neck.

‘One! Two! Take care they stay down. If they move let them taste the whip!’

‘Yes master!’ the athletic looking brunette answered obediently but smiling as if she just wished one of the girls would dare to move.

The man moved over to one of the blondes: ‘On your belly!’ She stared at him and started to plead: ‘But … please …’

He gave her a slap in the face, so hard it threw her down.

‘On your belly! Hands on your back!’

Now she obeyed immediately and when he put the collar around her delicate neck, he said: ‘Never again dare to speak to me without being told so.’

He did not speak loud, but all of them heard it and understood.

 

[Zungur]

4 Getting in Line

After this it did not take long to free the other girls from their chains, replace their collars and tie their hands.

‘Get them in line and ready for the march!’ the man ordered his helpers and turned back to the cart to take some rest. They fetched thick soled sandals from the cart and fitted them to the soft feet of the sobbing and snivelling prisoners who did not dare to speak a single word.

Still the two cruel beauties did not hesitate to use their whips in order to arrange the four new girls in a line, hands always tied to the collar of the next one. ‘You will call me One,’ the taller girl told them, ‘and the other one is Two

Your names are Three, Four, Five and Six, starting in front.’ The curly blonde was about to protest, but as soon as she saw Two raising her whip with a devilish smile she thought better of it. The first girl in the row, now named Three, was tied to the back of the cart and Two hurried to the front, kneeling down: ‘Excuse me Master, the girls are ready. We might start if you wish.’ They heard the crack of his large whip as he woke the oxen, the cart started to move and they had no choice but to follow.

Off they went across the endless plain, One and Two like watchdogs to the sides.

As the sun climbed higher the girls stumbled along behind the cart. An oxen is not a fast animal, but tireless, so soon the girls got weary, hot and exhausted.

 

[Zungur]

5 Taking Care of the Merchandise

They were thankful for the sandals that protected their soles, but still thorns and thistles scratched their legs and flies became a torture because they could not use their hands to fend them off. If their thoughts at the beginning of the march revolved around questions like: ‘Where am I?’ ‘What will they do to me?’ ‘How can I get home?’ after some time their minds were filled with, ‘Water! Please, I need water!’ or, ‘When will we be allowed to rest?’

In some of them anger rose. Astonishingly not about the man who dragged them along to an unknown place or about the two fierce girls who punished every wrong step and every little curse in their native tongues that escaped their lips with whip strokes that burned like fire. No, they began to despise the girls behind them for stumbling and tugging on the ropes, or the lazy bitch in front because she did not walk fast enough, and they blamed them when the whip bit in their buttocks.

As the sun climbed higher One hurried in front, asking for allowance to speak. ‘Please excuse me master, but the fairer ones of the new girls seem to get sun burned. If you wish to avoid this, you might allow me to cover them.’

‘Good girl! I have to deliver you lot in good shape. Just wrap them in blankets, but hurry up, I want to reach a spring by noon to have a decent rest.’

To the back of the cart the girls huddled in what little shade there was. One took a couple of thin blankets from the cart, untied Three and Five and wrapped them into the cloth. In heavily accented English Three dared to speak: ‘Thank you, mistress! Thank you!’

One answered with a sneer: ‘Don’t call me mistress! Do you think a mistress would walk around half naked, with a collar round her neck? I am a slave just like you!’

Three was about to protest, that she was no slave but Five saved her by stepping on her foot, asking: ‘Then please, why are you not tied up like us?’

Again One laughed: ‘Because I know that I’m a slave and you stupid little fools still think there will be a place to run to, an escape. I can tell you right away: there is none!’

Anxiously Two intervened: ‘Stop that silly chatting and tie them up again. If we don’t get moving we all will be punished!’

Within short time the caravan was on its way again.

 

[Zungur]

6 Watering

After several hours the cart crossed a low ridge and the oxen began to quicken their steps, because they could smell water. They reached a small brook running from a spring through green grass, bushes and even small trees. The man jumped from the cart and first took care about the oxen, leading them downstream where they could quench their thirst.

The four new girls sank into the grass without waiting for allowance. Immediately One and Two raised their whips and, before the first blow fell, they jumped to their feet again.

‘Ah, you start to learn! Nobody allowed you to lie down yet’ Two grinned. ‘Let’s shackle their legs, One, so they don’t get stupid ideas, when we untie them.’

In a minute the four wore short chains on their ankles, allowing only small steps. Then One and Two untied their hands and allowed them to shuffle to the stream where they fell to their knees and greedily started to drink.

‘Look at them, One! I think the oxen are better behaved animals than these!’

‘You are right, stupid animals they are!’ One answered turning to the new girls, ‘If you have to pee, go a bit downstream. But always stay in sight or you will regret it! Quick now, Two! Let’s get some water too, before the master calls us!’

 

[Zungur]

7 Rest and all the Rest

Indeed it was not long before the man called them to duty. One returned to the new girls who had been allowed to rest in the shade behind the cart. She brought a bag filled with dry bread and vegetables she distributed to the hungry girls.

Suddenly Four, the black-haired girl exclaimed: ‘Oh no! He’s raping her!’

‘Shut up, you fool!’ One snarled, ‘The little slut is happy being allowed to please him!’

And muttering under her breath: ’I wish it was me.’

‘But … but …’ Four went on, her eyes wide with shock.

‘Nothing ‘but’. He is using her, just as a slave girl is used … if she is lucky, that’s to say. Can’t you hear her moaning with joy?’

Indeed Two was rather loud and the noises she made didn’t speak of pain and terror at all. The Asian girl, Six, watched intensely and dared to ask:

‘Isn’t she ashamed, with us all watching?’

‘Who would care if a slave girl were ashamed? That’s just what we are here for, that’s what you are here for. Well, except for working naturally.’

‘He will … he will …’ Three stammered, ‘do this to us … to me?’

One shot her a pitying glance: ‘He could do that, if he has bad enough taste to use an untrained clumsy oaf like you. All free persons can use you just as they please if your owner permits it.’

 

[Zungur]

8 Cry and Punishment

‘He … he owns us?!?’ Five asked in disbelieve.

‘No, silly! He is not the owner. He is a master naturally, but just a cart driver who picked us all up and has to deliver us to a market where we will be sold.’

Five’s eyes went wide with panic: ‘Nobody sells me! … I’ m not … Je ne suis pas un esclave! Non! C’est fou …,’ she screamed.

Immediately One threw her down, knelt on her back and pressed the crying girl’s mouth into the dirt: ‘Shut up! Be quiet! You get us all whipped if you disturb his pleasure!’

While Three and Four stood frozen, Six quickly fetched one of the ropes, knelt besides One, presenting her the rope with both hands and shyly looked at her inquiringly, with her head bend down.

‘Ah, good girl!’ One hissed, ‘At least one who has a brain. Yes, tie her hands on her back and I will gag her.’

They secured the trembling body of the Blonde, while Two’s screams told that she had reached another orgasm.

 

[Zungur]

9 I Promise!

When a big sigh made it clear that the master was satisfied, One hurried over to him. He was still caressing Two, who purred like a kitten. One asked for allowance to speak and informed him of Five’s misbehaviour and that she had dared to speak in a forbidden language.

‘Ah … I hate to deal with new girls!’ the Man growled. ‘Silly bitches. No fun, just work!’

He shoved Two to the side: ‘Get off of me! And you, show me which one thinks she must be a nuisance!’

He got up and walked with One and Two to the place where Six still guarded the tied-up, sobbing little blonde, while the other girls huddled together like terrified puppies.

‘Ah, this one. Yes, she looks like trouble …’

He knelt down beside the shivering girl, raised her chin with a hand.

‘You were told only to speak in English, right?’

Five looked at him through tears and nodded.

‘Do you promise me from now on you will do as you are told?’

Again she nodded desperately and trembling with fear, but starting to hope that all would be good now.

 

[Zungur]

10 Where there is a Cane, there is no Mutiny

‘Fine. And to make sure you don’t forget your promise you will get twenty … ah, for good measure let’s say two dozen reminders on your little buttocks.’

He rose: ‘You will do that One, but don’t crack her skin. Get over with it and then let’s move’.

‘Yes master, as you wish. I’ll do my best.’

‘You better do!’

With this he went, to put the harness on the oxen.

‘I’ll hold her for you!’ Two exclaimed, pressing Fives neck to the grass. ‘This will teach you to misbehave, stupid!’ she grinned.

Five tried to scream: ‘No! Please! No, don’t … I promise …’ but the gag turned her desperate pleading into unintelligible mumble.

‘Shut up! And all you others watch well, if you look away, you will get your share as well,’ One said, ‘This is a lesson for all of you. The master does not wish to damage you, because you should look nice on sale. But believe me, I know ways to make you scream without shedding a drop of blood!’

With this the cane came whistling through the air and landed with a crack on Five’s upraised bottom. Her scream was muffled by the gag, but still it made all the others gasp. Yet none dared to look away.

Five groaned and tried to struggle away, but Two held her down with ease. Whack! The second blow landed, immediately followed by the third. In her desperate attempt to get up Five took her legs apart and One used the opportunity to land the next blow right on her pussy. Shrieking Five collapsed.

‘Another lesson learned’ smiled Two, who seemed to enjoy Five’s plight very much, ‘keep your legs firmly shut when whipped!’

Three watched, filled with terror and fascination, while Four and Six had started to cry silently.

One also had a devilish grin on her face as she continued the punishment. She was still frustrated that the master had chosen Two for his pleasure instead of her and her anger made her strike hard. After the first dozen blows Five gave up her struggle and just lay there whimpering and whining.

Finally One came to an end. Five’s buttocks were covered with swollen welts in glowing red but, just as the man had ordered, her skin remained unbroken. ‘Get her up Two, and lets tie them all together again. We don’t have time to play around all day.’

Two quickly checked Five’s buttocks: ‘No open wounds. Well done One, you are so good with this! But wait …’ she quickly shoved her hand between Five’s legs.

‘Ah, won’t you believe it? The little slut is all wet!’ she grinned and One chuckled but Five wept and cried as utter embarrassment and shame was added to her bodily pain.

When the girls were tied up in a line again, Two informed the man, who came over to unlock their ankle chains. He took a short look at Five’s backside, covered with glowing red stripes. He gave it a little squeeze that made her squirm but she now knew better than to protest.

‘Good job, One.’ ‘Thank you, master, you are too kind!’

Soon they all were on their way again. Five still sobbing with tears the others silent, agitated and intimidated.

 

[Zungur]

11 Soothing

After endless hours the sun went down and the cart came to halt at another little creek. The man jumped down, took a big jug from the cart and barked: ‘One, Two, get everything ready for the evening!’ With this he stretched out in the soft grass and took a deep swig from the jug.

‘You may sit down,’ Two told the girls, ‘or you might prefer to lie on your side, don’t you Five?’ she added with a grin. ‘And take off your sandals, the grass here is soft.’

One and Two first took care about the oxen, watering and feeding them, then they returned to the girls. Again they shackled their feet and removed the ropes.

‘Hush now, to the water! First drink, then you may wash yourself.’

The new girls were utterly exhausted. The violence of Five’s punishment still shocked and terrified them but their terror was overcome by tiredness. Indeed, they now could not help but to feel thankful towards the man and his two pretty helpers, just for allowing them to rest.

While One was busy starting a fire, Two provided some combs for the girls and checked them for sunburn, insect bites and blisters, applying a cooling ointment when necessary. Five naturally received most of this. She moaned a bit, when Two’s fingers touched her sore skin, but the girl’s touch was so soft and gentle that she looked up and, still sobbing with tears, murmured: ‘Thank you.‘

 

[Zungur]

12 The Demands of Fashion

One told the girls to check each other carefully for lice and ticks. Four did so with Six’s long black hair, when One stooped down and looked with disgust at the hairy patch between the Asian’s legs.

‘Oh my, we have to take care about this. That’s an invitation for crab lice if I ever saw one and terribly ugly anyway! I’ll ask the master for a razor and oil.’

To Ones amazement Six, who up to now had been the most composed girl, coping best with the situation, and even helping with Five’s punishment, started to cry and plead: ‘No, please! Don’t do this! Please!’

One looked puzzled how something minor like this could drive the girl hysterical. Shaking her head she grabbed her by the hair and, with Two’s help, secured her to one of the cart wheels.

The tiny Asian girl struggled without a chance and soon she was no longer able to move. Again she pleaded to be spared but when she realised that all the girls watched her helpless struggle she broke down crying, utterly humiliated.

 

[Zungur]

13 A Close Shave

Despite the little Asian’s whimpering One shaved her quickly until no hair or stubble was left.

‘Look, how much nicer you are now.’ But Six just continued to cry and her body shook with desperate sobs.

One got up: ‘Well, nobody should try to understand what’s going on in a new girl’s head, they are just too weird! I will bring back the razor to the master and recommend that you will stay bound tonight’.

‘All the others get up and collect firewood! If I see any of you being lazy you will taste the whip!’

But before One could inform the master, he himself appeared and inspected the work. He smiled and patted One’s head, because she had done a good job. Six started to wail in desperation as he inspected her carefully. He even bend down and stroked her mons to test his softness. Six’s crying stopped, her body seemed to cramp as she pressed against her bonds and she bit her lip.

‘Ah, the ropes,’ the man said with a grin, without expecting an answer, ‘that’s it for you, or is it because everybody can watch you? Your masters will find out in the future, if they care.’

Then he stood up and left chuckling. Six stared wide eyed as he left. She was panting and gasping, her trembling body covered in sweat.

 

[Zungur]

14 Evening Chores

One told the girls how to heat up crumbled bread, some vegetables and water for their meal, while Two grilled a large junk of meat for the man and roasted some bread that looked decidedly better than the dry crumbs for the girls.

‘Here I have an hour glass. When we all go to sleep, Three will stay awake and take care that the fire will not go out. When the sand ran through two times, you will wake Four to take over and so on. Five, when your turn is over you can untie Six, so she will watch. Never let the fire burn down!’

‘Please, why is it so important to keep the fire going?’

‘Leopards, bears, bandits.’

The girls stood with their mouths open in disbelieve, but obviously One did not joke.

‘Naturally you will all wear long chains connecting your collars to the cart, so nothing can drag you away easily,’ Two elaborated grinning, ‘If something tries to grab you just shout very loud.’

One meanwhile had gone to the master, bringing him food and drink. This time she was allowed to please him. Most of the new girls tried to avoid looking in their direction, or at least pretended not to do so, but they could not ignore One’s sighs of pleasure that several times turned into screams of ecstasy, whenever she succumbed to an orgasm.

 

[Zungur]

15 A Slave Girl's Needs

As night fell the little camp turned quiet. The girls were firmly chained to the cart and Three anxiously guarded the flames, nervously staring into the shadows. The other new girls had fallen into an almost comatose sleep, only Five sighed and twisted from time to time, because her backside was hurting. Not so One and Two. As soon as One was returned to the cart and chained like the others, Two had started to beg and plead that she should join her underneath the cart. One had readily complied and the little noises, the soft moaning and heavy breathing proved that they were eagerly kissing and caressing, trying to satisfy a desire that seemed much more demanding for them, than the need for sleep. Three shook her head in disbelieve because she herself was dead tired. She wondered what made these girls so fascinating. So powerful in their desire, but perfectly helpless and obedient in awe of their master.

‘Maybe,’ she thought, ‘it is because they are not pretending. Not pretending anything at all. They are just what they are: slave girls. And they seem to be perfect slaves.’

Three touched the cold metal of her collar and a shiver ran through her body. A thought kept creeping into her mind, no matter how much she tried to brush it away:

‘Didn’t I always wish I could stop pretending?’

 

[Zungur]

16 No Bed but Breakfast

The night was much too short for the new girls and as they opened their eyes the cold touch of their iron chains confirmed that what they had experienced was not a bad dream. Four and Three started to cry about their misery, while Five just stared in desperation. Six had been the last to keep the fire burning, but even before her time was up One and Two arose. They both washed quickly, combed their hair and checked each others appearance, because they wanted to look nice when the master came to unlock their chains.

‘First take care about the oxen, then feed the slaves’, he ordered, ‘I’ll hobble them and they have some time to get clean, before you line them up and we get going’.

As the new girls greedily devoured their miserable breakfast they were surprised to see that both One and Two used the time for a short workout of stretching, push-ups and the like.

When they came to tie the new girls hands before the man removed the shackles on their ankles Six dared to ask:

‘Are you not exhausted enough from the walk?’

‘A bit of walking is not enough to stay in shape’ One replied, ‘and which master would want to buy a pudgy, fat slave?’

‘This sounds as if you wish to be bought!’ Four said, eyes wide in disbelieve.

‘We all will be bought, stupid, and nobody cares about what we might wish. But I don’t want to be sold off for some coins to a shithole of a farmer’s village, to a mine or to one of the workhouses. So I will do whatever I can to look nice and attractive to a rich master or mistress.’

Still they were fantasising about escape or rescue from their captivity, but this short conversation gave a lot of food for thought for the girls as they trudged along their way to an unknown destination.

 

[Zungur]

17 Caught Wet-Handed

Their journey went on and every day seemed much as the one before. Still they were in shock and felt like walking through a nightmare. But as the days passed they just seemed to accept that their life consisted of nothing else but walking bound behind an oxcart over endless dusty plains. One and Two immediately stopped all tantrums with their sharp biting canes, so they desperately tried to avoid punishment and when during the third day Five started to cry aloud Four turned around and hissed: ‘Come on, stop it! You won’t change a thing with your whining!’

Five stood flabbergasted by this lack of compassion from one of her fellow captives, but then Six kicked her from behind and growled: ‘Keep moving! Maybe you like to be whipped but I don’t need this!’

The girls found out that, although they were strictly forbidden to talk about their previous lives, sometimes they could get some morsels of information about the world they now lived in when they caught One or Two in the right mood. In this way they learned that the spot they were picked up, indeed was just some hours in walking distance of a major city from where the cart had come. They also found out that there were numerous villages in the more fertile regions, but that a sensible trader in precious cargo preferred to stay away from settlements if he was not travelling in a caravan, accompanied by guards and soldiers.

From time to time they saw herds of animals in the distance that might have been goats, sheep or antelopes. Once a flock of huge black birds whirled up beside their path and they passed a rotten carcass, just bones and blood smeared, stinking remains of fur. The large prints of paws around it told them that the warning about animal predators had been no joke.

They began to realise that, wherever they were now, this place was full of dangers they were not used to.

Four once had dared to ask about the obvious lack of any advanced technology, but Two had immediately raised her whip: ‘Stop that rubbish talk or you will regret it! Here is where you are and you better forget about anything else!’

During a rest at another waterhole, surrounded by lush greenery in this otherwise starched plain, Three tried to find a place where she might get a little privacy, still close enough and visible to the others for not running the risk of being dragged back and beaten up by One. When she looked around a bush she almost tripped over Six, who looked up appalled and just managed to close her legs, her right hand still trapped between her thighs.

‘Please … please don’t tell! It’s not … no … I didn’t …’ she babbled in panic.

Three giggled softly: `Don’t worry! I don’t mind and I am sure not even the master would.’

‘I am so sorry’ Six stammered, still frightened, ‘but … but, you know, I am not like other girls.’

Three sat down beside her, stroking the trembling Asian’s hair reassuringly.

‘Why would you think that?’

 

[Zungur]

18 Confidentialities

‘I … I … well, even when I was very young, I had those fantasies … being captive, being tied up …in chains and ropes and … you all think this is horrible, well it is horrible, but I … for me …’ she blushed and bashfully turned down her eyes, ‘it makes me hot. I am so ashamed! And you all hate me, because I helped to punish Five!’

Again Three could not suppress a smile: ‘Oh you little stupid! There is no reason to be ashamed! You like to obey, don’t you?’

Six sniffled back her tears and nodded: ‘Yes, I want to obey. And she was making trouble and making trouble is bad and it needs to be punished and …’

Three smiled and put a finger to her lips:

‘Hush you little dear, maybe you are not like some other girls, but I bet you are just exactly the same than all of us here.’

‘You mean … you as well?’

‘Oh yes! I never dared back … back then. I was afraid. But those ropes, this iron ring around my neck: it turns me on as nothing else… before we were brought here.’

‘But One and Two …’

‘Ha! They most of all. Haven’t you seen how they get off, when they are allowed to please the master? He barely touches them and they come. And then they come and come again. Believe me, I started to envy them already on the first evening. And haven’t you seen how Four and Five stare and lick their lips when they watch it? No, be sure, you are not a bit different from them or us.’

‘But how come that we all …?’

‘I don’t know darling, but look at us: we are all young and pretty … and obviously we are all submissive. I think we were chosen. Carefully picked.’

‘But by whom…?’

 

[Zungur]

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.

 

[Zungur]

20 Crossing a River

They marched on for several days. Walking got easier as they became accustomed to it but they always felt thirsty, hungry and miserable. If any one of them had dreams about escape she did not dare to tell the others. There was no place to run to anyway and all they knew was that they were very, very far from home. The landscape looked foreign and hostile to all of them and they started to feel that their chains and bonds offered a kind of safety from the dangerous world around them. Their little travelling company started to become some kind of home for them and even if they feared the cart driver, they knew that he also was protecting them.

From time to time one of them still started to cry when she thought about her previous life but the canes of One and Two quickly stopped all hysterical outbursts. The other girls also despised a ‘trouble maker’ because for now their only goal in life was to reach the next place of rest.

One day they moved into a lush green valley that was cut into the scorched plain and they reached a river.

‘There is a ford over there,’ the cart driver announced, ‘but the current is rather strong. They will need their hands free to keep balance and we can’t have ropes at their collars, because they will choke if they get washed down. But all of you will wear a rope for safety around your waist!’

The man watched closely while One and Two unbound the new girls. They giggled and were excited and delighted to be able to move without restrains but none of them seemed to think about escape. He grinned, because knowing that they accepted to be completely dependent on him made his job much easier. This was another reason why he had chosen the route through the wilderness, far from any human dwelling.

One, herself tied to the oxcart, led them into the gushing river. They fought to keep their balance but still the cool water pressing against their hot skin felt heavenly and suddenly Four burst out laughing in sheer delight, because she never before had felt so alive. It was the first time one of the new girls laughed and the others looked shocked at first. But when Two started to splatter them with water they could not supress their smiles.