Slow Prison Life

Chapter 32

The Young Lady Peddles [Flowers]

When the time comes for the downtown area of the city to start drawing in customers, there is another group of people already in [downtown] that are forced to crawl away. These are the people who can't come out when the sun is shining, whose naked desires would cause them to burn if they were found in the [entertainment district].

Women tightly clinging to any potential customers while calling out frivolous flattery mixed together with the odd angry shouts of the evening's drunkards. Others threw out jeers at any who'd pass by while sleazy-looking street vendors ignored the turmoil, adding to the cacophony by continuously shouting out their sales pitches.

It was a chaotic scene that would make any with even a tiny bit of morality frown occurring in a back alley that would be otherwise quiet if it were the middle of the day.

And at the edge of this chaos, even though it was the middle of the night, came the innocent sound of a child's voice.

"How about some flowers~?"

In a street containing only things that would be bad for her education, a red-headed girl was trying to sell several flowers from a basket she held underneath her arm. The twintailed girl was desperately trying to sell the several flowers she had randomly picked from the park, but there were no drunks who would participate in this carnival of vice that would also be interested in some silly flowers.

Ten years before Rachel would be imprisoned.

A six year old Margaret sold flowers in the entertainment district to try and top off her life.

♠

But in this city, Margaret's mother operated as a [high class] prostitute.

She was a woman who was beautiful enough even without make-up, and a fleeting, quiet smile which led people to believe she could pass off as the daughter of a noble. It was because she had such an appearance that Margaret's mother wore more modest clothing while others in her line of work did their best to dress flashily. Inside a group of gaudily done up [flowers], her graceful figure would naturally stand out leading to her [market price] being higher. But, there were still numerous people she called [Master].

With that being the case then, there must be quite a few [successful people] with a great deal of wealth who can just throw that kind of money around in this town........although seeing the customers that were chosen, the young girl couldn't tell these men had any money on their looks alone.

And so Margaret started selling flowers in the entertainment district every night trying to help her mother.

Mama is beautiful and smart.

And that Mama had told her, "we have to work while thinking about the future while we can."

Young Margaret had never thought any further into her future than her next meal, but what Mama says was always correct.

♠

"How about some flowers~?"

Even under the light of dusk the flowers Margaret had properly pulled from the side of the road looked to be in a sorry state.

Naturally she wasn't able to sell a single one.

That's how it is. People wouldn't pay for something like this.........she thought to herself. Sometimes there would be an adult who would throw out his pocket change as charity though, so she didn't feel terribly foolish.

(If two, three more people show me mercy tonight, I should be able to buy myself some milk tomorrow.........) Margaret thought to herself.

While doing some cost calculations in her head, Margaret looked around to see if there was anyone she could get to stop........when a shadow appeared.