Lady of the big house

She is in a position where she felt everything has been taken away from her. She refuses to eat anything and doesn't have the energy to do anything. She feels like her spirit and beauty is taken away from her soul. She looks at her reflection in the mirror and she doesn't see herself. She's desperate to get back what she had before. The person she saw in the mirror was a stranger. Angered, she took the mirror, sprung it in the air and smash it on the floor. She then grabbed the glass with her bare hands. Her scream woke everyone up that night. She wouldn't stop screaming so we had to grab her hands and force her to let go of the broken mirror. She resisted and fought with all her might and she said furiously and crying at the same time, " I told her not to touch what is mine! Now everything I've worked for is gone!".

"Look at me! Look at what she's done to me!", she screams at us. We were confused that night. To us, she looked just the same. Her small fragile frame, her long beautiful black hair and her face - flawless and she was no different than how we saw her the first time before she was ill. Now both her palms are covered in blood. The maid tried to wrap her hands with a cloth to stop the bleed. She looks at her in disappointment and told us all that its no use to stop the bleeding now. She'd rather die, she whispers weakly. She won't stop saying that she's lost everything.

We waited for her. We wait for her to calm down.

"Take me to the bathroom" she said. We carry her slowly to her en suite bathroom. She ordered Hannah and I to accompany her inside while the rest waited in fear outside. Most of us were afraid of her. She kept herself very private usually. Neither of us have ever had any proper conversation with her. We only do our daily chores and did what our superiors asks us to do for her. This was our first time all seven of us were there in the same room with her.

She asked Hannah to ready the tub with hot water and salt. "Light the candles!" she ordered me. After everything is settled she asked us to leave her in the room and reminded us to tell the rest to go back to sleep. We hesitated at first, but that was an order. She is the master of the house and to do what is told was our pledge. I knew what she wanted to do. I saw her taking out the bottles from the locked cupboard. I couldn't stop her. I wish I could.

Neither of us could sleep that night. We waited quietly in our beds. Waiting for the sun to rise so that we can have a reason to go into her room. I was the first to wake that morning to ring the bell like I always do. Then I rushed to her room to check on her. Everyone was there by then. She lays on her bed. Tucked in neatly. Empty bottles on her side table. She's no longer breathing Hannah whispers.

By Ms Chaya