Jennifer was awoken by the door hitting her in the back as the man entered. He pushed the door open enough for he to peek his head inside and glowered down at her, "Why are you not in your nightshirt?" He inquired with a disapproving look upon his face. The girl scrambled backwards until she backed herself into a corner and trembled as the man entered the room. He set a neatly folded set of clothing upon a chair and a pair of shoes beside it, then turned to look upon the girl once again and frowned at her. "Why don't you take off your coat?" He stated angrily, "It isn't polite to wear a your coat indoors. I gave you a wardrobe for a reason." He moved quickly to her and took hold of her by the coat. "I'm sorry..." She sobbed as he began to unbutton the jacket for her. "Sometime I do not understand you bo-" He stopped as he opened the coat and stared at the girl's blue dress. His nostrils flared and his eyes filled with hostility as he glared at the girl, "How many times have I told you that boys don't wear dresses?!?" He exclaimed, taking hold of the front of her coat and pulling her to her feet. "I'm sorry!!" She cried out as she raised her hand in front of herself in defence, afraid that the man may strike her. "Stop crying Joshua!" He demanded, slapping the girl across the face, "You're almost a man so start acting like one." He grabbed hold of the front of her dress and pulled down, tearing it open from the collar to her waist; "I want you out of these filthy clothes and changed into your proper clothes this minute." To enforce his command he tossed the girl to the ground like a discarded rag doll. Jennifer let out a cry of pain as she collided with the wall and cowered in the corner, clenching her arms protectively around her body, "I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She sobbed, unable to stop the tears from flowing. "Stop trying to act like a girl, because it will not get you out of your work. It didn't work when you pretended to be ill and this will not work either. Now get dressed while I find some scissors to cut that hair of yours." He pointed to the clothes he had just set on the chair, and then turned to leave the room, locking the door behind him. Jennifer glanced upon the tear in her clothes. It was torn beyond repair and even though she knew she had some sewing skills she knew that there was no way to restore the dress to its former beauty. She stared at the door with uncertainty as she wiped at her tears, wincing at the pain in her left cheek from where the man had struck her. She kept her eyes on the door, unsure if the man would return to extract he anger upon her once again. When she heard his heavy boots mount the stairs she allowed herself to breath once again and permitted herself a quick scan of her new bedroom. The light of new day shone through a small rectangular window place close to the ceiling, but even the sight of the sun did not brighten her mood like it used to. The room was small and held a tiny bed against the far wall under the window. Upon the bed a nightshirt had been spread out for her. A small chair was near the foot of the bed, with her new clothes patiently awaiting the girl to put them on. A large wardrobe took up the far corner, opposite where she now sat and a small desk was place kitty-cornered to the wardrobe. She let out a sign of defeat and gazed at the clothes upon the chair. Shakily she crawled towards them and pulled them off the chair to discover that they consisted of a white short-sleeved shirt, a pair of brown shorts and some suspenders, all boys' clothes as far as Jennifer was concerned. She stared at the clothes in confusion when she heard the sounds of the man's feet overhead and quickly disrobed. She did not want to suffered at the hands of the man again so decided it would be best to play along for the time being. Slowly she stripped off her jacket and opened the wardrobe. It was old and made of a greying wood. The hinges were rusting and barely holding to the wood, causing one of the doors to hang slightly lopsided and Jennifer had to be careful not to tear it from its placement when opening it. Something fell as she opened one of the more secure looking doors, hitting the girl upon the head and startling a small yelp from her lips. She leapt backwards slightly in fear that it was one of the creatures she remembered seeing under the patio the other night. On the ground, partly under the foot of the bed, she found a stuffed bear. She knelt to pick up the toy and examined it closely. It was faded and old, one of its button eyes were dangling from a string and there was a rip in one of its legs that was bleeding yellowing fluff. To the girl the bear looked as depressing and sad as she felt. She proceeded to brush the dirt off the back of the bear and smiled down at it. Something about the bear made her feel slightly better about her situation, not so alone. She gave the bear a light hug and set upon the bed with its back to the wall, before she turned back to the wardrobe. She pulled down one of the few coat hangers that dangled from a rod that stretched across the inside of the wardrobe and prepared to hang her jacket up. Something about this action felt final to her. As if by doing so she was abandoning all hope of escaping that house. She hesitated for a moment, glancing around the room once again. There was no way she could escape the house and she was sure that the man would not allow her out of his sight as long as he was around. With a sigh she gave in to defeat and placed the coat upon the rack and closed the wardrobes doors. She leaned against the wardrobe as she tried to will her body to move. She wanted to curl up right then and there, however she knew if the man returned his anger would be much worse then before. She did not want to suffer at the hands of that man so decided it would be best to get dressed, anything would be better then going around in torn clothes. With a few silent sobs over lose of her dress, she removed the mangled remains of the clothes and placed them upon the bed, followed closely by her Mary Jane shoes, which she set under the bed, and her stockings. She kept on her bloomers and undershirt; even if the man had given her a new pair she was uncertain she wanted to wear boy's undergarments. Slowly, she pulled on the short, then the shirt and fastened the suspenders to a set of buttons along the top of the short. She had to will her hands to stop shaking as she fastened the last of the shirt's buttons, then pulled the suspenders over her arms and adjusted them. Finally she picked up the shoes and found a pair of long socks tucked in each shoe. She pulled on one sock, with some effort, then the other. The shoes themselves were slightly big on her feet, but not too bad. As she tied her shoes she heard the locks on the door rattle and she quickly finished tying the second shoe then moved back into the corner of the room, with her back against the wall and her hands behind her back. The man came through the door with a pair of rather rusty looking scissors in his hands. A smile played across his face at the sight of the girl fully dressed, "That's a good boy, Joshua. Now let's see to that hair of yours." He beaconed for Jennifer to come forward as he pulled the chair into the middle of the room. Too terrified to refuse the man's orders she guardedly moved across the room and sat down upon the chair. The man took a lock of the girl's long dirty blonde hair and with a snip it dropped to the floor. Jennifer bit down upon her lower lip as she stifled back a yelp of pain as the scissors more tore at her hair then cut it. She sobbed slightly as she watched locks of her hair tumble to the ground about her feet. Her beautiful hair, she had enjoyed having long hair and even wanted to grow it out longer, but now that looked like it would be impossibility. "I can not understand how we allowed your hair to get this long." The man stated bewilderedly, "Joshua, you have to learn to take better care of yourself or you will never find your princess." The man heedfully cut away at the girl's hair, being careful as he moved around her small ears and along her bangs. When he was finished he stepped in front of the girl and grinned at his achievement. "That's much better." The man said proudly and then fetches a folded hat from his back pocket, one that matched his own, and set it upon the girl's head, "Now you look more like my son." He stated satisfactorily, "Now come upstairs and clean yourself up before having some breakfast." The man gestured to the door. Jennifer grudgingly got up from the chair, rubbing at her tear-streaked face and shaking the loose hairs from her shoulders. Dismally she moved through the door with the man closely beside her, dragging her feet in her wake. She felt his hand upon her shoulder as he guided the girl up the stairs and out the door at the top. As she left the basement for the hall she noticed the back door once again and peered outside. The morning's sun peeked over the trees and spread its light across the back yard. She could see two distinct mounds of dirt in the middle of the yard with a shovel sticking out of the closer mass. She stared at these small hills, wondering what the man could have been burying out there when her eyes fell upon what appeared to be a child's shoe. She staggered away from the door as the thought of another little girl lying under that moist earth invaded her mind. She placed a hand to her mouth and tried to not let out the scream that wanted to break free. The man glanced out the window and followed the girl's gaze, "Do you want to help me plant peas today?" The man inquired. Jennifer backed away from the door and gazed up at the man as he stood over him. She was not sure if the man was being serious. Was it really peas that he buried out in the garden? Then her mind recalled that dreadful poem and she swallowed hard. Could there have been more children before her? Other kids forced to play the role of this man's son? What happened to his son? Was one of the mounds out there a grave for him and another unfortunate child? Before she realized what she was doing she felt herself slowly nodded her head in agreement with planting peas. A smile drew across the man's face and he patted the girl upon the back, causing her to stumble towards the back door and she quickly backed away again, "That's a good boy. I'm glad you're feeling better. Why don't you get cleaned up first and we'll have breakfast together?" He insisted, beaming at the girl. Jennifer forced herself to smile at the man and nodded again. She turned around to face the intersection. She recalled spotting the washroom down the hall to the left and ventured in that direction. When she reached the door, that she suspected would be the washroom, she glanced back down the hall to see the man had gone the opposite direction. There were doors to either side of the hall and a window at the far end. She curiously watched the man for a moment. His movements seemed rather slow and he was hunched over most of the time. He still wore the same old grungy work coat and hat that Jennifer thought could use a good washing. The man entered the room to the right and disappeared from sight, closing the door behind him. She gazed down at the round metal handle of the door before her. Her mind racing over her current situation, Was she to be this man's slave and do chores all her life or did he want something more from her? She shuttered at the thought and again glanced around herself. She was alone in the hall and the sense to flee entered her mind. She wondered if she could make it to the front door without the man being aware, if so would it be open? And should she risk an attempt to escape? What if the door was locked and the man found her trying to escape? Would he hurt her more or would he just lock her in the basement again? More over still, what if he had his gun with him and shot her down as she ran down the path away from his house? She had no idea where she was or how to get back to the city. She could try to get to that orphanage, but what if the man caught up to her? He would surely do harm to her if he did catch her. She lightly touched her cheek and quickly tossed the idea of escape out of her mind, then turned the knob of the door. Inside she found a square room with a tub to one end and a toilet beside it. At the sight of the toilet she recalled that she had been holding it in for a while and really needed to go. Locking the door behind her she quickly rushed over to the toilet and stopped. It was a mess and looked as if it had not been cleaning in some time. Really needing to go she swallowed her pride and pulled down her pants. When she was finished she moved to an oval sink that stood before a round mirror, that to looked like it had not seen a cleaning aside from the arm of a sleeve. She approached the mirror and her eyes fell upon her reflection in horror. With her new haircut she really did look like a little boy now and the sight of this made her cry. She held onto the sides of the sink as tears tumbled down her cheeks into the drain. She tried hard to keep her sobs quiet, but felt so lost at that moment that she did not think she could hold them back. She grabbed hold of one of the facets and turned it, with some struggling. Soon murky water splashed at the bottom of the sink, spiralling down the drain. It mixed with the layer of grim that clung to the sides of the sink, turning the water a dark brown. She cupped her hands and allowed the water to fill them. It was cold and soaked through her bandages. She could feel her fingers numb almost instantly, but did not withdraw them until they were overflowing with the liquid. Shakily, she splashed the water over her face and through her hair, knocking her hat to the ground. Still feeling the tears flowing she took another handful of water and hit herself in the face yet again. She leaned over the sink, panting as she tried to regain control of her emotions. Her bangs dripping with water as she stared at the dull liquid, circling about the sink and slowly disappearing down the drain. "Joshua, are you alright?" The man's voice drifted through the door. The girl spun around to face the door, her eyes fast upon the doorknob. She waited for a moment, holding her breath, unsure if she had actually locked it. "Joshua?" "I... I'm f... fine..." She stated, turning off the tap and picked up the hat off the floor, "T... the water's cold." She stated, watching the last of the liquid disappear down the drain. "I can heat some water if you want a bath." At first that sounded like a great idea, then Jennifer's eyes fell upon the tub. There was a layer of grim along the top that looked to be inches thick. She crept closer to the tub to see a ring of deep crimson near the bottom and she reconsidered. "Joshua?" The girl rushed over to the door and opened it. The man blinked down at the girl in confusion, "Is there something wrong?" The girl shook her head and glanced back at the washroom for a moment, "C... can I clean the washroom instead of helping with peas?" She inquired nervously, really not wanting to poke around in that garden for fear of what she might find out there. The man smiled down at the girl, "Sure you can." He agreed, "But first let's have something to eat." He gestured to another door to the left, where the hall elbowed to the right. Jennifer moved towards the door and opened it. This room served as both kitchen and dinning room. Immediately in front of the girl stood a small square table with only two wooden chairs to either side. To her left was a counter ran in an "L" shape along the far wall. A small stove and fridge took up the far end of the counter and there was a sink under a small window in the middle of the counter. The man circled around Jennifer as he entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, "Would you get me a frying pan from the sink?" He inquired as he dug in the fridge for something to eat. Jennifer crossed the room to the sink and grimaced at the mess before her. Pots and pans overflowed the sink and across the counter top. She was not sure if there was a frying pan under the mound of dishes. Deciding to make the best of her situation she began to sort the pile and clear out the sink. She found a clean pot under in a cupboard under the sink and filled it with water, then placed it on the stove. She turned on the stove and searched for the matches. Under a plate she found a large box of matches and took out one match, then struck it and placed it under the pot, blue flames burst forth before her eyes. For a moment Jennifer found herself mesmerized by the glow of the flames. Images of the bloody corpses from her nightmares jumped to mind and she needed to force them out of her mind. When she glanced around she found the man standing beside her with a puzzled look upon his face and a basket of eggs in his hand. "What are you doing Joshua?" He asked curiously. "W... warming some wa...water to wash the dishes." She said shyly, pointing to mound on the counter. The man glanced around the room and as if for the first time he noticed the piles of dishes, "I guess it is getting a bit messy around here." He stated sheepishly. Jennifer reached out for the egg basket, "I'll make breakfast." She insisted, taking the basket from his hands and finding a clear spot on the counter to set them. The man settled into a chair at the table and watched the girl in amusement, "I am so glad to see you are well again." He stated as he took his hat off and rubbed the back of his neck, "I was so worried about you before, but I see you are doing so much better now." He pulled the gun out from the back of his waistband and set it upon the table. Jennifer paused for a moment as she considered her actions as she stared at the weapon. The man thought that she was his son, but did his son do dishes and clean? She did not know and hoped that by doing these things that maybe she would not upset him. Seeing that he was not pointing the gun at her she decided to continue as she was and just hope it was the right thing. "I... I'm feeling much better thanks." She stated, nervously playing along. The man bowed his head; "I wish you wouldn't go outside at night anymore. You might catch a cold again and I don't want you sick again." The man seemed so miserable and weak at that moment that it made Jennifer feel sorry for him. "I... I promise..." She said softly, unsure if they were the right words to say. The man looked up at the girl and she watched as a tear trace a clean streak through the dirt upon his face, "Thank you Joshua. You are everything to me." He let out a shutter as if he were fighting with a wave of depression and suddenly got to his feet, "I'll wait in the den. Call me when breakfast is ready." He said as he picked up the gun and roamed out of the room, his head low and the gun swinging loosely at his side. Jennifer almost felt sorry for the man and considered going after him, but reconsidered. Whatever was bothering the man would not be something that a child could help with, however she could make life easier for the man and it was not like she had any place important to go. Seeing that the water was boiling she rushed over to it and prepared to begin her new life in her new home. ***** To be Continued . . .
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