The Devil Will Save Her

Abi wiped the blood off her body and held the make up tightly in her hands. She hid it behind her and walked to her mother. Each step taken was a new struggle, her legs hurt, her cheeks hurt and her stomach still bled. There might be a larger cut than she had expected. All of this because she was poor, because she was a woman.

She hated her father, she hated her boss, she hated being pathetic. The hatred made her dizzy and hot but when the thought of money crossed, she stopped to collect the silverware from the ground. This could provide her food for a few days.

It took her seconds but the voice of her mother kept breaking the bubble of hatred around her with her quavering voice.

"Abi.. Abi!" Abi took a long breath. She forced herself to feet again and hurried to the room. She was going to regret that action later. But she did not know how much time did she have before her father barged into the house again and beat her.

Her mother was sitting when she opened the door. Her face was exhausted, dark and covered with wrinkles from continuous coughing and worrying for her. She looked so frail and was having difficulty keeping her eyes open. Her gray hair was tied in a loose braid. She was coughing so hard that her whole body was shaking.

"Mother, you should rest more." she rubbed the back of her mother to soothe her pain. "Lie down. It is late at night." 

"Did he beat you again?" though it was a question, it did not sound like one since beating was such a common occurrence for her. She only sighed when her mother kept staring at her.

"You must run away before I die, Abi. or the beast will sell you." 'He had already sold me. Mother, why did you marry him if you knew he was a beast? Or did you realize it later when you had me?

Was it the chain that kept you tied from this home?' There were thousands of questions that Abi wanted to ask. She could never understand why her kind mother wasted her life on a man who wanted to touch his own daughter.

Someday.. He had said. But his eyes had told her he would not show such patience. Perhaps, he would take her after mark. The thought disgusted her. She wanted to shout, she wanted to run away. But… her mother did not run away because of her. How could she leave her then just because she was sick! The thought tore her. Would her mother be able to run away if she would ask her now?

"Mother.."

"You need help Abi. I have help. They will help you." she babbled holding Abi's hands tightly. Her untrimmed nails dug deep into Abi's skin and she winched again.

"Mother.. It is alright." Perhaps lying on the bed would not be that bad if she could have a day to herself. It was a lie, her heart told her that but she ignored that whisper and smiled at her mother. 

"No, Abi. you must.. Cough." she looked aside to cough hard again. Nell touched her mother's forehead with her palm. The fever was still strong and her reddish face looked like a hot burnt charcoal.

"Mother, you should lie down." but her mother shouted, fretful. 

"No, I have.. I have already written a letter. Go to the bar, he would come there to fetch you. He will help. He will charge but he will help. Abi… I only wanted to save you. I did not know that I would fail so miserably." her mother hugged her in a bony tight grip. But her thin frame shook with another violent fit of coughing.

Her body burnt like coals.

"It is my time to leave. It is your time to leave. When he drags you away, go to the bar and find him. Show him your face and he will save you." she did not understand a single word left from her mouth. The herbalist had told her that the fever could reach the brain. Was that it? Did her mother lose her sanity too? What if she did not recognize her later?

 The thought hurt her further.

"I will find a way for your treatment, mother. Do not worry." She pressed her mother down with some force but her mother kept shaking her head looking desperate.

"Please, go look for him before he returns. Burke.. You will go and find Burke in the bar. He will be wearing fancy clothes and have a big carriage." she pressed and for some reason, Abi remembered the man. He wanted to see her face. 

She could not imagine any other fancy carriage in this small village. She had thought he was here to buy women like others.

"Why.. who is this Burke?" for a wild second she imagined that her mother was talking sanely and perhaps that man had come to save her. But why? How? 

"He is a devil." her mother snickered, startling her. For a second, she looked like the stern woman she had been once and protected her. "but he will save you from all the devils.

Abi, you must not give her heart to any man. You must not make the same mistake. You… you will be rich, famous and powerful. You will be safe. But do not trust them. Do not trust any of them. Even Burke is a devil. He will sell you to hell if you trust him. Promise me… you will be strong and safe. You must not trust them." That was the longest sentence her mother has told her and just as she finished, she coughed hard and then fell silent. 

The silence felt strange. Abi hastily checked her pulse and took a breath of relief. For a second she had thought… she shook her head. No, she will find a way to save her mother.