The Story Of Dusk

Now Senja could hear the other children whimpered and sniveled.

Senja was depending on her senses to a.s.sess the situation around her, she couldn"t tell for sure how many the bandits and how many the children, but this carriage was quite crowded with them.

Only when she heard the pounding of horses" hooves against the ground and the carriage started to move, Senja opened her eyes slowly. It took long time before her eyes could adjust with the blinding sunlight.

She pushed her body so she could lay on her back, just like what she thought, there were many children around her inside the cage, which was pulled by six horses.

Around the cage, there were around twenty burly men, riding atop of their stallion with sword on their side body.

The sky was so clear, a good day to do a long journey.

However, this wasn"t a journey that Senja wanted. She blinked her eyes couple of times, turned deaf by the whimpering and buzzing sound that those children produced. What else that she needed to care? Once she arrived at the black market, her fate was sealed.

No one could save her there. The worse part was; probably no one would know that she was there. Carye could lie about her disappearance with thousand of story that she, unfortunately for Senja, was able to create and convinced her grandfather about it.

Senja"s lips curved into self- deprecation smiled. 

What the used of thinking about her grandfather now? Even when he was at home, he couldn"t notice the harsh life that his granddaughter had been going through.

Senja closed her eyes again, surrendered. She was too tired to fight back the harsh reality that she had to face.

She was only an eleven years old girl, the age where she supposed to enjoy her life without so much thing to think about or responsibility, especially a girl from well known family like her.

However, that wasn"t her case and probably that wouldn"t be.

She gave up, no more fight.

But, a lonely tear trickled down her eyes, betrayed her will along with a grumpy sound from her stomach. She was hungry…

The journey to the black market apparently took more than a day.

Senja didn"t know exactly where the black market, but she had ever heard one or two things about that place and she could tell that wasn"t a pleasant place to visit.

When the sun slipped in the west, finally the leader of the bandit decided to take a break and fed those poor children inside the cage, including Senja.

One of the fat men untied her rope and looked at her affectionately, he tried to stroke Senja"s cheek, which she swatted his hand away.

"You will be a fine girl. Such a pity that you have to end up in our hands." He contemplated, but his eyes still locked on Senja"s fair skin after he gave the food to her.

Senja was too hungry and thirsty to care about him as she stuffed a mouthful rice into her mouth.  

Not only the bandits, but the children inside the carriage also were looking toward her direction, Senja indeed stood out among them.

Once the late meal between lunch and dinner, seemingly this would be they last meal for today, had ended, they moved again toward their destination.

Another tiring and grim night fell.

Senja didn"t speak to the other children and they also too reluctant to start a conversation with her as those children only looked at her with bewilderment in their eyes.

Senja was about to fall asleep once the forest became so quiet and the night started to get cold, she hugged herself like she always did when she hid inside the secret door.

This was almost similar situation for her and she really quick to adapt with it.

Before she closed her eyes, Senja looked at the children, who shared the same fate like her, they had stopped to cry and plead to be set free, probably finally realized that those men wouldn"t hear them anyway.

But, for Senja, she had stopped did that long time ago. She had been treating unfair since she was born and once she tasted another life with Uncle Ye Xiu and Aunty Su, the life that she had been longing, she found herself to be abandoned and back to her ordinary hard life.

Senja snuggled closer to her own warm embraced when the cold wind blew.

This night would be another long night for her and those children.

But, when Senja had just entered her into a deep slumber, abruptly the carriage stopped followed by the voice of the coachmen who yelled to someone.

"Who is there!?" His voice laced with cautious. "Show yourself!!!"

It was like a sign for the other bandits to brandish their sword. The sound of metal against metal immediately heard.

Those children were awoken and started to whimper again, hugging the other child beside her, but still didn"t want to be close to Senja, so she was left to comfort herself.

There was an eerie silence that followed after the rude request.

"There was someone there!!!" One of the bandits pointed his left with the tip of his sword. "Who is there!"

The spot that the other bandit pointed was out of the main road and covered with tendrils.

"You two, go and check." The leader of the bandit pointed two of his subordinates to go.

The two people who had been pointed out, raised their sword in alert as they moved closer toward the forest. This place was so dark and they could see nothing.

"We need a torch here!!!" One of the two people shouted at their fellow friend, but before someone could deliver a torch to them, there was a shrill scream came from the two people.

"What happen there!!!?" The leader of the Bandit shouted to the dark spot. "Whoever you are, I a.s.sure you that I will kill you if you don"t come out in count of three!!!" He said arrogantly.

Now, the tension in the atmosphere was so thick as they were waiting what would their attacker did. Not only those bandits, but the children also covered their mouth to m.u.f.fle their fear.

"One!!" He started to count.

"Two!" Still no one stepped out from the dark.

"Three!"