The Ember In The Storm (undergoing editing)

Chapter 8: Procurement

    ELIZABETH sniffed her nose once more, looking up in attempt to stop the tears from falling. She could still hear her brothers cries even after having the door closed.

Looking at him was something she could not bring herself to do. She felt like a failure and disappointment. She failed to protect the one thing her mother died for. She just left.

No, she promised him she would return and he knew she always kept her promise. She too would come back for him even if it would cost her her own life.

"Walk faster", the vendor ordered, pushing a woman at the front of the queue from her shoulder. They all stepped out of the ship and landed straight onto the land.

The British soldier from earlier stretched his hand forth, opening his palm in expectancy of something. The second man reached for his waist, unknotting a small bag and handing it to him. It was quite full, the soldier had to use both hands to carry it.

"Good doing business with you", he smiled, showing off his rotting teeth.

"Yeah, whatever", the soldier waved his hand in the air before walking back into the ship. Elizabeth then had it dawn on her that she was never returning to her brother. She had just been sold.

This experience in itself was traumatizing and alien to her. She had just been sold. She had never been sold. All her life she was born and raised on the land of the Andersons and she was never sold or bought. Only her mother, yes. She had never felt so... cheap and discreditable.

Their purchaser walked towards a horse and dragged out a long chain of metal handcuffs connected in a series. He first put the first set onto the children who were about three before moving to the four women and doing the same. In front of both chains were sashes that seemed to be the holding place of whoever would be dragging them.

He walked towards Elizabeth, squinting his eyes at her as if wanting to see something on her. He had a dry rough face, eyes blue and lips thin, almost invisible. He was bald and yet had bushy eyebrows. He reeked of fresh fish, sweat and horse dung. Elizabeth had to scrunch her nose at the combination of smell.

His eyes rolled down to her petticoat before reaching for the hem right next to her chest. His hard rough fingers brushed against hers, causing her to flinch at the feeling.

"Dear, oh dear, this material costs much more than you do, yet how do you have this on?" He asked with interest turning to face her. She said nothing and so he presumed she could not understand or speak English.

He pulled the hem of the dress closer to his chest, moving his head nearer to her neck and dropping his eyes to what hid behind the dress.

He smiled at the sight as Elizabeth bit her bottom lip, looking to her left and holding the tears in.

Finally, after half a minute, he pulled back and pinched her right cheek, showing yet another set of his brown teeth. "You might actually make me a lot of money".

He then walked away, letting Elizabeth inhale at last. Another man walked towards them, discussing for a minute before taking a hand of the boys who obediently followed behind.

Elizabeth felt a pull at her hands and realized the women ahead of her were moving. She was the last and so had to follow behind. They were led through the market, barefoot, hungry and thirsty to the last.

Elizabeth had thrown up at least three times in the street, receiving one insult from a female vendor at the action. She could not seem to hold it in however and suddenly wondered if it was really the stench of fish or something else causing such.