Envy ~ Invidia
The rain had been pouring all night. It pelted the kitchen panes as the young woman put the kettle under the cold tap. When it was half-filled she lifted it and set it upon the Aga stove, the large monster of a cooker cast in creamy yellow that dominated one side of the kitchen. ‘Big Aggie’ never wasted time boiling the kettle but in spite of its efficiency the young woman loathed the machine. True, it was a God-send on cold, wet November days like this but she had never forgiven it. Years before, on her first day working in the house, Aggie had burnt her. She had opened the bottom oven’s cover to take out a roast chicken but had leaned in too far. Its inner surface brushed against her left wrist and scorched it. The mark was still there, arcing in a light brown smudge along her skin. Since that day the young woman had resolved to be careful whenever using the stove but no amount of caution could wipe away her scar. However the Aga was just one of many things she hated in that house.
While the kettle boiled she made the breakfast; the same simple breakfast she had made almost every day for five years. Two slices of wheat toast with rind-less marmalade and real butter. The kettle was whistling by the time the bread popped out of the toaster. Perfect timing as usual; precision always made the young woman smile. She filled the teapot and set it on a silver tray along with a small pitcher of milk, a bowl of sugar and a tea spoon. On the left-hand side of the tray she put a plate with the two pieces of toasted bread, a knife and two ceramic holders of butter and marmalade. With a sigh she lifted the tray and exited the kitchen. Half a dozen narrow steps connected it to the hallway. Compared to the kitchen it was a more lavish area of the house with a rich, red carpet, numerous antiques on display and a long mirror at the foot of a grand staircase. She stopped in front of it to check her appearance. Her auburn hair was neatly tied up in a bun while her uniform was immaculately tidy. It consisted of a black one piece, knee-high dress, a frilled white apron, opaque brown pantyhose and a smart pair of low, one inch black heels. A white cotton tiara, the final component of her uniform, was atop her head; primly setting off her hair style. After a long, expressionless look in the mirror she made her way up the stairs.
At the door to the master bedroom she placed the tray on a side table. Straightening herself, she coughed softly then gently rapped the door. A muffled sound from within came in reply. After turning the door knob the young woman gingerly picked up the tray and slinked into the bedroom. Although the light was dim inside from memory she knew the layout exactly. In a luxurious four poster bed she could discern the familiar shape of its occupant. She set the breakfast tray upon the bedside table without making a sound then proceeded to move to the other side of the bed to draw open the thick curtains, making sure to keep the blinds tightly closed. At the influx of light the sleeping form in the bed stirred. By the time the young woman had returned to the breakfast tray the sleeper was awake. She was a lean, mature lady with aquiline yet beautiful features rendered more graceful with age. Even though she had just opened them, her blue eyes shone with a satisfaction only perfect rest can bring. She shook her head to loosen her long raven hair and after running her fingers through it sat up with a contented sigh.
“Good morning Ma’am,” said the young woman meekly.
“Morning,” said the lady with a yawn.
Her maid reached forward to prise up the pillows in order for her mistress to sit more comfortably.
“Thank you,” mumbled the woman as she rested her back upon them. The breakfast tray was placed across her lap.
“How are you this morning?” she asked the maid.
“Fine, thank you Ma’am. Sadly it’s still raining,” she said nodding toward the window.
“Not again!” said the lady with amused disappointment. “That storm is a leviathan! I had wanted to go out today but I suppose I can just laze about the house instead,” she said smiling.
As per procedure the young woman had already added a tea spoon of sugar and some milk to the lady’s cup. However when she poured the teapot all that emerged was hot water; she had forgotten to add the tea leaves. The sight of her mistake caused her heart to jump. Her wrist also twinged at this realisation and the hot water duly splattered over the toast.
“Oh God! Ma’am, I’m so sorry! I didn’t add the tea leaves!”
Her employer gave her a haughty look. The young woman sensed a measure of contempt behind the expression but her nervousness was expunged when the lady’s countenance morphed into one more akin to understanding. She smiled causing a light feeling of relief to rush through the maid.
“Accident’s happen,” she said sighing softly before waving away the tray with its spoilt breakfast. Her maid picked it up.
“Shall I bring you some more Ma’am?” she asked as tears brewed in her hazel eyes. The lady’s voice was blunt.
“Do.”
Back in the kitchen the maid berated herself. How, after five years of preparing the same boring breakfast, day in, day out, could she have made such a sloppy mistake? At least she hadn’t spilt any of the hot water over her boss. This thought gave her a measure of solace as she hastily prepared a second, identical breakfast. This time she made doubly sure she filled the pot with three tea spoonfuls of leaf. As she ascended the stairs for the second time that morning to serve her mistress breakfast the young woman felt thoroughly rattled.
Having deposited the meal with the lady, who said nothing about the earlier incident, the maid left her alone to eat it in peace. On her way back down the hall she could not resist a quick peek in one of the rooms. She came to the appropriate door which lay at the opposite side of the house from the master bedroom. An archaic plaque stated the room’s purpose: ‘~ Toys ~’. After a cautionary look back down the hall towards her employer’s bedroom she opened it and went inside. The curtains were closed. ‘Ma’am’ had jokingly insisted they be pulled over in order to let the toys sleep and the young woman had obeyed the instruction. If ever she was caught she could always say she had come in to air or clean it but throughout her time in the house she had always felt compelled to spend time in the toy room. To her it had a unique serenity about it. No other part of the house made her feel as relaxed as the toy room but there were also times she felt afraid of it. This was because of Alice. According to the lady Alice was the princess of the toy room, queen of all its inhabitants. The wooden soldiers were her army, the rocking horse her steed and the other dolls her friends and servants. Her status was such that Alice reigned over her subject toys from on high, seated on her wicker chair that acted as her throne. It was perched atop a stack of five round hat boxes of ascending size the smallest of which bore the chair and whose lids were decorated with light pink and white chequers. They in turn sat in the middle of a white table that was thronged with cuddly toys of every shape, colour and description. Above them all sat Alice. It was hard to tell if she was made from porcelain or a fabric. Her expression was a plain, almost flat, smile that invited welcome in her arms which were outstretched in a permanent gesture of embrace. She wore black overalls on top of a red shirt which gave the doll a kind of regal quality despite wearing no crown on her dark croppy hair.
The young woman did not like Alice. There were times when she felt as if the doll’s expression changed from one of mirth to a scowl whenever the maid entered the toy room. Perhaps it was a trick of the faint light, mingled with an irrational, childish fear. Or perhaps it wasn’t. It was not something she liked to dwell on yet she often wondered why her mistress was so enamoured with such a simple looking doll. However it was the antique doll house that captivated her the most and the young woman could spend hours just looking at it in admiration of the exquisite details. After opening the curtains she knelt in front of it, emitting a smile of contentedness as she surveyed every inch of the antique model. The abrupt clamour of the servant’s bell brought her back to reality. She was up and out of the toy room in an instant while behind her the slightest of draughts eased the door shut.
It was not everyday that the lady asked for help getting dressed however of late it was a task she had requested with increasing frequency and the young woman had come to dread it. As she scuttled along the upper hallway she knew what she would be told to do. ‘Why does a grown woman want me to dress her?’ It was a question that confused her and the embarrassment it caused made her all the more reticent. Knocking the door to the master bedroom she was summoned inside. The lady stood at the far side of the bedroom by the open entrance to the wardrobe room. This was a room, almost as big as the bedroom, which housed all her expensive clothes and footwear. She was already partially dressed in her underclothes and tights and was holding up a smart one piece dress suit.
“I think you’d look good in this dress girl,” she said smiling as her maid approached. The lady held the dark, shiny gown against the young woman’s body. She nodded.
“Perfect. What size are you?”
It was a question the lady had asked her before.
“Ten Ma’am,” she answered blushing.
“Oh, the same as me,” said her boss coyly. “In fact you’d look fab in any of my gowns but I’ve always thought you look very smart in your maid’s uniform. It suits you much better. Don’t you agree?” asked the lady flatly.
“Yes I suppose so Ma’am.”
It was all the girl could muster in reply and she was further taken aback when the lady handed her the dress and stretched out her hands signalling an end to the conversation. She stooped and beckoned the lady to raise her legs. When she did so the maid pulled it up her body then assisted the lady put her arms through the short sleeves. As she scrutinised herself in a long mirror close by the young woman ran the gown’s zip up to the lady’s neck.
“There,” said the lady with hands on hips. “Magnifico! What do you think?”
Her maid beamed and nodded in acknowledgement.
“Very nice Ma’am.”
In truth she didn’t care in the slightest. The lady frowned and eye balled her.
“Just very nice? Well, aren’t you hard to please?”
The maid’s face went crimson.
“Well Ma’am, it is very nice,” she said fumbling for words. “Very beautiful even, you look wonderful!”
Her Mistress chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I was only joking. But thanks for the compliments. Now, some footwear!”
The maid entered the wardrobe room to select a pair.
“Better make it boots,” her mistress called after her. “It’s going to be cold and wet all day. Did you turn the heating on?”
“I did Ma’am,” answered the maid with a sniffle in her voice; a result of the lady’s infantile remarks. She came to the shelf that held the boots. It was so long it ran nearly the whole length of the room and was just one of several. The others were used to store the lady’s other shoes whether they were stilettos, pumps or sandals. According to her she had over three hundred pairs and her maid readily believed this estimate.
“Fetch a flat pair, knee high,” order the lady. The maid picked such a pair. Like all of the lady’s boots they were made from black leather and this pair had a shiny crocodile tinge.
“Ah, good choice,” said the lady when the maid returned with the chosen pair. She was sitting on the dressing table chair and when her servant knelt before her she stretched out her right foot. The young woman slipped the first boot up the silky tights and once in place fastened it with the zip. She did the same with the other foot and all the while the lady watched her.
“Good girl,” said the lady when the maid had finished. She rose and went to the mirror. Satisfied, she turned to the maid and clapped her hands.
“Right, get my wrap, the dark blue one. My shoulders are getting cold already.” The maid toddled instantly back into the adjacent room and retrieved the garment.
“Thanks,” said the lady when it was over her shoulders.
Although she preferred not to engage her employer in conversation the expression of gratitude gave the maid some confidence to venture a question.
“What are you plans today Ma’am?” The lady looked at her as if sensing some subliminal rivalry to her authority.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” added the maid hastily.
“I have things to do in the study. Depending on the weather I might go out later.”
The maid nodded. She hoped her boss would go out today and give her some peace for a while.
“Why would I mind you asking girl?” There was a trace of suspicion in the question.
Once again the maid grew hot in embarrassment and she furiously admonished herself for opening her mouth.
“I don’t wish to appear nosey Ma’am,” answered the maid red faced.
“Not at all,” said the lady. “We have a good working relationship do we not?”
“I should like to think we do Ma’am.”
“How long have you been in my employ?”
“Five years Ma’am.”
“Is it really five years? Goodness! Well, there you are! After five years I see nothing wrong in informing you of my daily plans.”
The maid nodded in relief.
“I’d even consider you a friend,” said the lady continuing, “If you weren’t just my maid.”
Her nose twitched momentarily, forming only the most subtle of sneers. She turned her back on the maid and sat down, tossing her hair backwards.
“Now girl, my hair.”
Although she failed to outwardly show it, these words hurt the young woman in a way no other utterance from the lady had before. Over the years there had been remarks that had upset her; a mild rebuke or a curtly given order but nothing qualitatively demeaning until now. Hitherto her sensitivity had only caused nightmares to sprout after a stressful day at Ma’am’s beck and call whenever the lady delivered a coldly impersonal word. Now she had to strive to hold back the hot onrush of tears as she began to brush her Mistress’s hair and hope she did not see her distress in the dressing table’s mirror. Fortunately for her the lady was too transfixed with her own face to notice the young woman’s tear-filled eyes. With this routine personal task done her Mistress quietly dismissed her in order for the maid to commence her daily household chores. She had been upstairs in the lady’s trying company for more than an hour and only when she reached the warmth of her kitchen sanctuary did her breathing relax again.
“I’d even consider you a friend if you weren’t just my maid.”
The phrase rankled within her. It repeated inside her mind over and over again. The more she tried to forget it the more it asserted itself. She made herself a cup of tea and swept the floor but still it lingered. It panged her to think that the lady would go so far as to say such a thing. Had she kept it to herself as a private, if not very nice, opinion that would be would be kind and professional but to have the audacity to say it to her very face crossed a line. Fundamentally, the young woman had no doubt that her boss had said it purely to hurt and humiliate her. She had dreaded this day would come.
“Familiarity breeds contempt,” she said out loud. “How very true. But it works both ways Ma’am.”
She raised her glaring eyes to the ceiling. If she could have seen through it perhaps she would have seen her Mistress applying makeup or lipstick before beginning another hard day of indulgence relaxation.
On the evening she arrived at the house it had been raining. Sometimes it seemed to her as if the same constant downpour had never stopped since that night long ago. She had rung the doorbell and stood waiting anxiously on the step. All she knew was that she had come to this house to start a new job working for the rich lady who lived there. Before that any mental recollections were faint and insubstantial. She could remember being small and having a wonderful time with children. Apart from that there was little else until now. Clad in a plain long coat, hat, dress and shoes with a light travel bag hooked over her shoulder, she was standing in front of a massive oak door that glistened with rain water in the dismal light of an autumn afternoon. It opened. The lady looked her up and down and gave her a smile she would become very familiar with.
“It worked!” she exclaimed.
“Pardon me?” asked the girl warily.
“Never mind. Come in dear.”
The young woman obeyed and wiped her feet on the mat as the lady closed the door shutting out the wind and rain.
“How do you do?” she said offering the young woman her hand.
“I’m very well though for some reason I’m very tired.”
“In that case we’ll get you something hot to drink. Hang up your hat and coat then follow me.”
The lady led her into a plush lounge with twin brown leather sofas and told her to sit down. A cosy fire burned strongly beneath a mantle composed of elaborate stonework.
“Get warmed,” said the lady as she left the lounge.
Several minutes later she returned and handed the young woman a warm cup of tea then sat down opposite, crossed her legs and gave her a long look.
“You’ve come about the position?”
“Position?”
“The job?”
“Ah yes, the job. I think I was told to come here,” said the young woman with uncertainty.
“That’s correct. Do you know what the job entails?”
“No Madam I don’t.”
“Well it’s very simple. I have a big house and it doesn’t clean itself.” She opened out her arms momentarily and gestured all around her. “I need someone to help out and I think you’d be perfect.”
There followed a pause that obliged the young woman to respond. Deep within her arose a warning that working here would be a bad idea yet the intense gaze of the woman and her friendly manner made her feel obligated to quell this negative notion.
“What will my duties be?”
“Cooking, cleaning, serving meals and anything else I may need done.”
“It sounds like a servant’s job,” said the young woman with a soft embarrassed laugh.
“It is,” replied the lady with no hint of emotion. With her discomfort beginning to show the young woman avoided the lady’s steely gaze. Her eyes swivelled randomly to the floor, the ceiling, the fire and she started to mutter an excuse.
“I’m not sure I’d like to….”
The lady rolled her eyes and raised her right hand.
“Look,” she said leaning forward. “I can understand a new job in a new house with me as your new boss is all a bit daunting. Believe me I’ve been in your situation but you need to learn to grasp an opportunity whenever it presents itself.”
The lady sighed and sat back again.
“I can easily find another girl to work here so if you want to take your chances elsewhere good luck. In this economic climate you will definitely need it. Now, what’s going to be? Yes? No? Deal or no deal?”
Never before had the young woman been placed under such pressure. For a moment she had been tempted to get up and walk out the front door and escape from this strange woman forever. However the lady’s words had frightened her and the simple truth was that she had nowhere else to go.
“I accept,” she said.
The lady grinned.
“Excellent,” she said. “I knew you’d make the right decision.”
She rose and offered the young woman her hand once again. The girl stood up and shook it tenderly.
“Welcome aboard,” whispered the lady.
With an agreement struck the young woman was conducted to her new quarters which were next to the kitchen. It was comfortable yet frugal accommodation with a single bed, dresser, wash hand basin, toilet, bath and wardrobe.
“Before I let you get settled in there’s one more thing,” said the lady opening the wardrobe. From it she took out a hanger that held an outfit concealed within a protective cover.
“You’re uniform,” she said handing it to the young lady. “You’ll be wearing it while on duty. Try it on and get used to it. The shoes are in the wardrobe. Goodnight.”
Five years on and her situation was as unchanged as the night she had come to the mansion. Contemplating that first encounter with her Mistress made her feel no better. Instead, it served to heighten her frustration that was sparked by the lady’s comment. Sipping her tea she considered leaving the house immediately. ‘And go where?’ she thought contemptuously. As far as she knew she had no family to speak of and although she had been friends with many people in the past their names and even their faces escaped her. Walking out was therefore not an option.
“Some day I will go,” she whispered to herself.
Time was now pressing and the morning waned. She decided to begin her housework chores.
Ma’am insisted on cleanliness. Everything had to be spic and span. Each day saw the maid painstakingly cleanse the vast expanse of the ground floor hallway decked as it was with a pristine red carpet atop varnished wood. She had already vacuumed this carpet and had nearly finished polishing the wood with a floor wipe when she spotted the lady at the top of the stairs. It was clear that she had been watching the maid for some time yet even when she realised she had been noticed her benign countenance did not change. She took her hands off her hips and descended.
“Hard at it, are we?”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Good, that’s what I like to hear.”
The maid could only admire her elegance as she approached. At times like this she wondered why the lady wasn’t married. In all her time working in the mansion she had never heard her mention a husband, boyfriend or lover of any kind. Certainly she was unmistakably beautiful. Her hair was perfect and her body was exquisitely enhanced by her taste in rich, fitted clothing. ‘Jealousy’ would not do justice to how the maid felt on beholding her Mistress at that moment whose very being exuded confidence and authority. By contrast the maid’s apologetic demeanour rendered her fragile self-esteem all the more vulnerable. She did not doubt that the lady was acutely aware of this. It felt as if she was intent on leaving her dangling on an emotional tenterhook or perpetual state of nerves. But why? Was it to control her? Humiliate her? Confound her? Or was it a combination of all these reasons? There was no way of knowing unless she asked the lady directly and as she could never foresee herself summoning the courage to question her the matter evaporated from her mind. She now braced herself for another conversation for the lady had reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Now what have you been doing?” asked her boss emitting a polite smile as she folded her arms. Her voice itself added to her status. To the maid it sounded assertively masterful. She curtsied.
“I have just begun my chores Ma’am. I hoovered the carpet and now I’m just polishing the floor.”
“Is that so?” asked the lady pointedly. “Well it certainly looks nice and tidy though I have to say I don’t know much about the technicalities of domestic cleaning.”
She leaned in and whispered.
“You see a job like yours, well, it’s beneath me.” The lady tilted back her head and laughed. “Unlike me a girl such as you is much more suited to this type of drudge work. Why, it’s what you were born to do.”
Her maid was lost for words. Rather than say anything she turned her eyes to the floor and continued mopping.
“Oh I don’t mean any offence. You should take pride in what you do even if it is just scrubbing my floors or polishing my shoes.”
The young woman focused squarely upon the movement of the mop. She must have gone over the same patch of floor about fifty times. The lady coughed.
“Excuse me girl. Do you mind looking at me when I talk to you please?”
With burning reluctance she stopped, swept away a tear and faced the lady.
“That’s better. Now I do not wish to sound rude but a grown woman like you should be able to control her emotions especially in a workplace. More to the point you should know to pay attention to me at all times. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
The lady drew nearer to her. Although her voice’s tone was lower its level of spitefulness had soared.
“Yes what?”
The maid swallowed hard.
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Do I have to remind you on the proper etiquette for addressing one’s Mistress?”
“No Ma’am.”
“I should hope not. I will let it go this time. Still, one slip up in five years isn’t bad I suppose.”
Her attitude mollified.
“Forgive me if I have upset you,” she said warmly. “I cannot help being a little bit old fashioned when it comes to dealing with a servant though at the same time it is important for us to talk to one another. There’s no reason why we can’t be friends…of sorts. After all we don’t get many visitors, do we?”
Despite her sadness this fact caused the maid to think. The lady was correct. In five years no other soul had so much as set foot inside the mansion. Strange that she had never realised this until the lady mentioned it.
“It’s just you, me and the toys upstairs,” continued the lady. “So we may as well make the most of it.”
“I agree Ma’am,” said the young woman finally able to speak despite her angst ridden voice.
“I’m glad. You also just need to put a bit more effort into your work. If you do then you will no longer be just a good servant you will be an excellent servant. We can discuss it in more depth another time as I’ve some work of my own to do in the study. I would ask you to help but I doubt you could. It’s to do with finance, computers, et cetera; wouldn’t interest you dear.”
The lady winked cheekily then pointed sternly at the mahogany floor.
“Back to work!” she said with two sharp claps of her hands.
As the maid resumed polishing she walked off to her study but when a muffled noise as of something falling came from the upper floor the lady halted.
She called back down the hallway.
“Girl!”
“Ma’am?”
“I expect you’ve left a window open again. See to it,” she ordered pointing upwards.
“Right away Ma’am,” said the maid. She rested her mop against the wall and scuttled up the stairs. With her Mistress out of sight she cried openly. She went straight to one of the guest rooms and locked herself in its en suite bathroom. Extracting a lengthy piece of toilet paper she blew her nose into it and sobbed as she sat down on the toilet. The encounter at the foot of the stairs was a watershed moment in her relationship with the lady. Never before had she felt as sick and upset as she wept profusely into her hands. The earlier incident had been distressing enough but this time the lady had deliberately set out to be hurtful. Practically everything she said had been insulting and the young woman’s sensitive nature analysed the incident with furious intensity.
For her to always call me ‘girl’ when I am at least twenty three. Then she says I’m a grown woman! For God’s sake! She’d know all about the technicalities of domestic cleaning if she was toiling away on her hands and knees for ten hours a day! And who is she to say that I was born to do such work? I can’t even remember being born! I can’t remember anything before I came to this house!
This deadly thought made her drop the toilet tissue. Then she proceeded to thump the cistern behind her with her fists. Stopping, she put her hands to her eyes again and smeared the tears into her face.
Why can’t I remember? I bet that bitch knows the truth. I’m going to ask her one day. What will she say apart from correcting me? ‘Girl, kindly refrain from enquiring as to your origins, they are not your concern. Now you may have the honour of massaging my feet. Get to it!’ ‘Oh thank you Ma’am! What joy!’ Hah! I will break her neck if she doesn’t tell me! God, what awful thoughts these are! Stop it at once. Please stop it right now. You are a good person. Smile! Smile just like Alice.
Smile! And she did. The barrage of evil thoughts died away leaving her feeling calm and assured. She decided that, in part, she had brought the lady’s tirade upon herself. Of course her boss should know better but at the same time she had to stand up for herself within reason. The next time she saw the lady she would be prepared. She would be more confident whilst not overstepping the boundaries her position imposed.
But don’t forget, she knows something you don’t!
Before she could relapse into more analytical thoughts there came another noise from somewhere on the first floor. It was a dull thud but due to her closer proximity it was now louder. Wasting no time the maid got up and left the bathroom and guest room and returned to the hallway. She prayed that her Mistress had not heard it again for if she did she would soon be on the scene enquiring as to why the maid had failed to locate and put an end to its source. At least ten minutes had been spent crying in the toilet but to her relief there was no sign of the lady. First she checked the west end of the hall along with her Mistress’s chamber, wardrobe room and all the adjoining guest rooms. All the windows were solidly shut. With nothing amiss she went back to the east side and the guest she had passed through. Its windows were closed as were those in every other room in that end of the mansion. Finally she crept into the toy room. Typically, the culprit was there, in the last place she planned to check. A steady breeze lifted the silk inner curtain like a wavering ghost making the air rife with the damp coolness of the storm. In an instance the maid had the window closed. It must have been pushed ajar earlier when she opened the curtains that morning. Only when she turned to leave did she notice the mess. All five of the hat boxes lay in a heap beside the table. Clearly the wind had blown them down. Poor Alice and her wicker chair were somewhere amongst them. If the lady saw this she would know her maid had intruded so she picked up the largest box and set it back on the table. Just then the bell rang. Ma’am wanted something. The girl left the boxes in the heap they were in, gingerly tip toed from the room and descended the stairs.
Her Mistress sat at her desk studying her laptop computer with her back to the maid.
“You rang Ma’am?” she asked assertively.
“Obviously I did or you wouldn’t be here. Bring me my mid morning coffee please,” replied the lady without turning.
“At once Ma’am.”
“Girl,” said the lady flatly.
“Ma’am?”
“What was the cause of that racket upstairs?”
“Oh, you were right Ma’am. I had neglected to close one of the guest room windows when I aired it yesterday. I do apologise.”
The lady sighed.
“Try and remember not to do it again. I simply cannot tolerate carelessness.”
Not for the first time that day the maid was found wanting for something to say. In the end it was another apology.
“Very well. Dismissed.”
She retreated to the kitchen and quickly prepared the coffee. A new mood had come over her, one in which she actually felt a certain pride in serving her Mistress the coffee. The coffee would be presented to her, Ma’am would sip it and relax whilst the maid would slip back upstairs and tidy the toy room. After that, she vowed to herself, she would not cross its threshold for at least a month!
“Set it down on the table girl,” ordered the lady when she returned to the study with the coffee.
“Now, off you go,” said her Mistress waving her away as she set it down on the table between a sofa and the study fire. A minute later the maid was back in the toy room. Half a minute later the hat boxes were arranged in proper order with the wicker chair on top. She stooped to grab Alice. The doll was nowhere in sight! Her eyes combed the spot where she expected to see it. There was nothing. Then she surveyed every inch of the room. Still nothing. A frantic anxiety began to overwhelm her. Had she not seen Alice lying on the floor just before she had been called away to make the coffee? Now she was not certain however the doll had to be there somewhere. Perhaps it had got caught up amidst the other cuddly toys on the table and those scattered randomly throughout the room. Before she started to search she went to the doorway, peered out and listened. Her anxiety was such that she suspected the lady to suddenly appear and demand an explanation. There was no sign of her. However the maid had to move quickly for it was approaching luncheon which she had to prepare as well as finish the polishing downstairs. Alice was not amongst the toys on the table with the hat boxes. Nor was she with any of the other soft toys or behind the doll’s house or hidden in an obscure corner. Alice was gone. The only viable explanation was that the lady had taken her whilst she was making the coffee down in the kitchen. A paranoid thought subsequently occurred to the young woman on contemplating this notion. Had the lady taken Alice in order to test the maid’s honesty? She must have. It was the only logical conclusion one could reach. What could she do? If it was a game orchestrated by the lady she resolved to play no part in it. Should the issue of the missing doll arise then in all likelihood it would end in tears again. In the meantime she would follow the example of Alice and smile; smile as if nothing had happened.
It did not take long for her to complete cleaning the downstairs hall and by the time she had vacuumed and polished the lounge and dining room the morning was gone. The young woman was utterly exhausted following this session of physical labour. She felt as if she had been awake and on her feet for a lot longer than the five hours since she got out of bed. Yet she could not afford to take even a moments rest. Next on her busy agenda was to make the lunch before doing the laundry and cleaning upstairs. After that the dinner had to be cooked. Whatever free time she had in the evening was spent resting in bed after a long hot bath. The she would get dressed again to assist Ma’am with her nightly bath and serve her bedtime coco. It never got any easier and the maid was often terrified to think she would be doing this job for the rest of her life. For this reason she threw herself into her work so that any time spent thinking unpleasant thoughts would be largely minimised. It was not a thorough safeguard however. Ma’am’s new tendency for outspokenness and its emotional affect on the young woman had heightened her worries to a new, more dangerous degree.
After a faint rap on the study door the maid entered the room. Her boss did not even look up to visually acknowledge her. She gently walked over to stand next to the lady who was seated on the sofa reading a magazine.
“Pardon me Ma’am. It’s nearly lunch time. What would you like?”
The lady’s expressionless visage did not change. Nor did she look away from the magazine.
“Ah yes, lunch. Let me see. What did I have yesterday?”
“I believe it was salmon fillet with salad Ma’am,” answered the maid.
“Yes, it was good. I think I will have something simple today. How about vegetable soup?”
“Not a problem Ma’am.”
“I should hope not. Any idiot can make it.”
“I will make it at once Ma’am,” said the maid, stung by this last remark.
“Wait, I haven’t dismissed you yet girl,” snapped the lady as she moved away.
She closed her eyes and prayed that another lengthy put down was not imminent. The lady exhaled deeply and loudly set the glossy magazine upon the coffee table. Rubbing her eyes she then yawned and beckoned the maid to face her.
‘Alice! She knows!’ thought the maid as she waited for the lady to speak. Instead her Mistress gave her a long, contemplative and almost affectionate stare. Then she smiled at the maid.
“It’s nice to have someone like you to make my lunch. Believe it or not girl I really appreciate all that do for me. I mean that sincerely.”
This expression of gratitude served to relax the maid and she acknowledged this with a faint smile.
“I appreciate that some the things I said earlier may have upset you. If they did then I regret that.”
“Don’t worry Ma’am. I wasn’t upset.”
As soon as she uttered these words the maid new she had made a mistake. Her Mistress sensed the lie immediately.
“Come now. I knew I had upset you girl. Do forgive me. There are times I feel very lonely and bored especially over the last few years. As a result I’ve tended to lash out at you. It’s inexcusable. Even though I am your boss I have responsibilities as well; to provide for you, respect you, treat you like a human being.” She reached out her right hand and brushed it affectionately up and down the maid’s left arm. Was there a seductive glint in the lady’s eyes? The young woman certainly thought so but before she could protest the lady stopped. She rested her head upon her hand and again beheld the maid with warmth.
“Did you know I am somewhat jealous of you girl?”
“Why so Ma’am?”
“Compared to mine, your life is so simple. All you have to do is cook and clean. Of course you are kept busy and work hard but your duties serve no qualitative purpose. I, on the other hand, bear responsibilities that affect so many things. I am a wealthy lady of status. People look up to me. My conduct must be impeccable and mannered at every hour of the day and night.”
The lady sighed and stood up, pressing her hands against her back in order to ease whatever discomfort she felt. She made her way to the fire and warmed her hands.
“So you see girl everyone is watching me. It’s as if I cannot sneeze without it being gossiped about.”
She turned to face the anxious maid who was curious as to where this speech was leading. In spite of herself she was feeling sorry for her Mistress even though some of what she said had no logical basis. For a start to the best of her knowledge she was the only human being the lady had been in direct contact with for five years.
“But what can I do about it? I must carry on with this charade. I must appear larger than life for if someone like me gives up on life then what hope is there for the rest of you? I mean the little people, the workers. The farmers, the beauticians, the lorry drivers, the maids?”
She put her arms on the maid’s shoulders who tried to avoid the lady’s imploring, tortured gaze. Then she took the girl’s hands and clasped them firmly.
“You are so lucky girl. I wish I knew such simplicity in life.”
Following a long, awkward pause the lady let go and wiped her eyes with a silk handkerchief.
“We will continue this conversation later. Get me my lunch.”
Back in the kitchen the young woman carefully stirred a pot of vegetable soup that simmered on the stove. She did not know where to begin. At first she was confused. She could understand the lady’s loneliness for the maid herself experienced it daily. Mentioning other people however sparked off a train of thought. Who could she be worried about? No one ever came to the mansion apart from an unseen someone who magically delivered a week’s supply of food on the kitchen doorstep each Monday dawn. The maid had never laid eyes on them. While the lady did venture out on occasion it was always for a brief walk around the grounds, hardly enough time to be questioned or photographed by a society journalist. The maid simply could not put her finger on it. Nonetheless she felt sympathy for the lady along with a degree of guilt for having felt ill towards her. To top it all off she did not even mention Alice! She was certain the lady had the doll but could not be sure. The answers, if there were any, would have to wait. Lunch was to be made and all the while the rain rattled down outside.
Fortunately the lady said nothing bizarre when the maid served her lunch in the dining room at one P.M. She merely complimented her on the quality of the soup before dismissing her. As she ate the maid finally finished cleaning the ground floor hallway and, in anticipation of the lady’s afternoon routine, lit the fires in the both the study and lounge. When she returned to check on her Mistress the dining room was empty. Most likely the lady had gone to the lounge to relax as she normally did after lunch so the maid tidied and did the washing up. As she scrubbed the pots and crockery the air outside grew darker. On a day like that it would probably be pitch black by half past four. The maid loathed the long winter evenings almost as much as she did her employer. At least the weather was consistently bad whereas her Mistress remained unpredictable. As the light darkened so did her mood. Her afternoon, like every afternoon, would be spent cleaning upstairs.
When she reached the upper floor it seemed even darker than it had below. With a weary sigh she tightened her apron and started vacuuming.
What a miserable life this is.
More than an hour had passed when the strengthening wind whistled through the window chinks. The sound echoed from one end of the hall to the other, shaking the two arched windows that faced each other from opposite ends. It was a phenomenon that continued repeatedly for some time but the maid’s downcast mentality made her oblivious to it. Her mood had now sunk so low that the entire mansion itself could have imploded and she would not have raised an eyebrow. Instead the steady rhythmic pulse of the wind served to fix her concentration on methodically sweeping the wooden floors and fixtures in an exhausting cycle. Only when the lights flickered did she take notice. She had just thoroughly wiped the mantelpiece in her Mistress’s chamber but she could not continue working under the haphazard light. It did not stop. Checking the hallway she discovered the row of lights overhead were flickering also. A cascade of thunder reverberated in the tumults far above the house and as its echoes lingered throughout the house the lights failed. The corresponding salvos of lightening violently illuminated the long hallway for several fleeting seconds. In the still silence that followed the maid became uncomfortably conscious of something nearby. Whatever forlorn luminosity from outside managed to penetrate the windows was not enough for her to see it. Edging forward she could now discern a partial outline of an unfamiliar shape standing in front of the window at the far side of the hall past the toy room door. It was unmoving and barely a foot above the floor. Curiosity overrode any apprehension the maid felt as she moved hesitantly towards it. When she reached the top of the stairs, precisely half way along the hall, another blast of thunder resonated from the sky. In its wake came a lengthy series of flashes. With each one she saw the object form. The colours, the size, the shape and finally the smile; all garnered via sporadic glimpses came together; came together as Alice. Alice. The young woman’s fearful gasp could almost have rivalled the continuing thunder for loudness. For less than a second she saw the doll, standing against the window. She must have blinked because a second later the lights were back on and she was alone. The doll was gone. All the old, childish fears resurfaced as she stood transfixed; staring at the empty space by the window. This was no trick of the light, no delusion; it had been there. And it had moved. Even when the clamouring of the servant’s bell broke the quietude of the mansion she remained rooted to the spot. Then, after resolving never to come up there alone again, she practically leapt down the staircase in response to the summons.
Her Mistress was not furious but nor was she best pleased.
“I was ringing for age’s girl. Where on earth did you get to?” she demanded when the maid entered the lounge.
“So sorry Ma’am, I got lost in the dark upstairs. I had been cleaning,” she answered, almost sobbing.
The lady was unimpressed. Her arms were folded and her expression was firmly resolute.
“Pull your self together girl this instant!” With no hesitation she wielded her right hand sharply across the young woman’s face. It was the first ever time she had physically struck her maid. The affect froze the girl who stood there breathing heavily.
“That shut you up alright,” said the lady with real venom. “Now girl, explain yourself. What’s this balling in aid of?”
“I was…. The lights…” mumbled the maid.
“Speak up!” yelled the lady.
“Upstairs Ma’am,” she spluttered. “I saw….”
“Saw what girl?”
“Ma’am, the lights went out and…. I was afraid of the dark.”
It was a lie but the young woman shuddered to think what the lady would say if she told what she had really seen.
“Afraid of the dark?” repeated the lady with smug disdain.
“What are you? A little girl? A child? Well if that’s the case my girl perhaps I should treat you like a child. A slap is too good for you; a good spanking is what you need! Eh girl?”
The maid’s head was tilted down in shame. She said nothing. Dual lines of tears streamed down her cheeks in two shiny vertical streaks.
“No,” she said.
The lady breathed deeply in frustration. Her voice was calmer now.
“What am I going to do with you? All this just because you’re afraid of the dark! It’s ridiculous.”
She paused and looked sternly at the maid.
“Very well. Consider this a warning girl but should you ever behave in such a disgraceful way again you will be over my knee faster than you can say Jack Robinson.”
She stopped her rant again to let the threat sink in.
“Is that clear?” she hissed.
“Yes,” muttered the maid.
“Yes what?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“I should hope so. Now I don’t want the power going off again so you are to go to the kitchen and check the fuse box. Think you can manage that girl or do you need me to hold your hand?”
“I can manage it Ma’am.”
The lady turned away and sat down on the sofa by the fire.
“And when you’ve done that, make me a cup of tea and bring me my slippers. Dismissed.”
A detached state of being, numb with grief, paralysed the maid’s senses. She trudged back to the kitchen with a comatose expression, her mind devoid of all thought. In silence she checked the fuse box, made the tea and retrieved the lady’s slippers. Around her the walls, floors and windows appeared to briefly flicker as the hall lights had done. Attributing it to the stresses undergone she focused solely on brewing the tea, making sure she added leaf to the pot this time. When it was ready she blew her nose, rubbed away her tears, picked up the tea tray and slippers and psyched herself for another showdown with her Mistress.
Her ladyship was seated as before; legs crossed by the open fire with one arm folded over, the other holding a book. With all due deference the maid approached and curtsied. She set the tea tray on the large antique table then lifted the slippers which she had slid inside her apron’s ribbon. Without looking at her the lady uncrossed her legs and planted both legs out on the floor. The maid knelt and unzipped the boots and slid them off her legs before putting the black felt slippers onto the lady’s stocking feet. Once done the lady pulled back her legs and crossed them again.
“Pour my tea girl,” she ordered, turning a page.
“Yes Ma’am,” said the maid softly.
She rose, added milk to the ornately painted china cup along with one cube of sugar. Opening the tea pot’s lid she gave the liquid a thorough stir, closed it then carefully poured it into the cup.
“You remembered the leaf this time girl?” asked her Mistress dourly.
“I did Ma’am, yes.”
The maid lifted the cup and saucer and offered it to the lady. Her hands shook, causing the mildest of rattles as the small spoon grazed the cup. Although right next to her, the girl’s employer still had her eyes aimed at the book.
“Girl, tell me something.”
“Ma’am?”
The lady finally looked at her and snapped shut the book. She smiled cruelly.
“Have you ever had a lover?”
Yet again she had rocked the boat that was the young woman’s nerves. If the earlier event was a watershed moment this question, laden as it was with a multitude of implications depending on how she answered it, was monumentally intrusive. Each conversation that day appeared to force her to open up her inner most thoughts and feelings to her boss who, each time, was prying ever deeper as if she sought to test the girl somehow by pushing her to the limits of her patience and each time she had been rendered either distraught or unnerved. No doubt the same outcome could occur now if the young woman allowed it. Determined resolve was one thing, implementing it against the sly verbal machinations of her Mistress was another thing altogether. Her first instinct was to bide her time.
“Pardon me Ma’am?”
“You heard me,” answered the lady wryly.
The girl looked at her flatly until she repeated the question, this time with less assertiveness.
“I asked have you ever had a lover?”
“Have I ever had a lover Ma’am?”
“Yes.”
“Oh I’m sorry Ma’am, I misheard you.”
“Well?”
“Ma’am?”
“Have you ever had a lover?”
The young woman answered honestly.
“No Ma’am, I have not.”
Her Mistress raised an eyebrow.
“I see. Well, I’m surprised. You are rather beautiful in your own way.”
She took the cup and saucer from the maid and sipped the tea.
“What kind of man would you like?” she continued.
“Well, I’m not really sure Ma’am. To be honest I’ve never given it much thought.”
For her the matter was simply not an issue. Years of insular drudgery in the house had sent such concepts of love and friendship to the depths of her mind.
“I find that hard to believe,” said her Mistress with mild surprise. “I’d have thought all the men would be queuing up to get a shot at you. I know I would.”
The glance her Mistress gave her was far from pure.
“If I was a man that is,” added the lady enjoying the young woman’s uncomfortable reaction. She eased back comfortably in her seat and put her feet up on the table.
“Well girl, if ever you do get around to getting a boyfriend, perhaps I will hire him as my butler”.
The lady contemplated this thought with another smug smile.
“But don’t worry, I won’t steal him from you. At least not at the beginning.”
Her employer nodded in satisfaction at this idea while the maid reddened with embarrassment yet again.
“Yes, that is what I’ll do. Then, when he makes love to me, you can watch us!”
The lady’s long throaty laugh made the young woman feel even worse.
“And if you’re a very good girl, you can join in!”
She resumed her outburst of merriment. Whether it was caused chiefly by contemplation of that eventuality or her servant’s abject shock was hard for the girl to construe.
“Why do you say such things Ma’am?”
As the maid asked this imploring question the thunder boomed and the very house itself vibrated in the audible wake. Had she cared to look and had her Mistress’s eyes not been shut due to the excesses of her merry spasm, they would have seen not just the lights, but their very surroundings flicker temporarily as though the very house struggled to sustain its power and very existence. Indeed the sudden return of the thunder correlated with the girl’s desire to yell abuse at her employer.
“I’m sorry dear,” said the lady handing back the cup and saucer. “It’s just my way of having fun with you. We have to joke and laugh every now and again, don’t we?”
“I suppose so Ma’am,” answered the maid with disinterest.
“We’d get you a man if any existed here.”
“What do you mean Ma’am?”
The maid’s curiosity was perked.
“Never mind,” said the lady whose interest in the matter had clearly gone but her dismissal of the question prompted the maid to think. In retrospect she sensed deceit from the lady. Throughout the chat regarding her non-existent lover the lady’s words had again confused her, especially the mention of men.
“We’d get you a man if any existed here.”
Where are the men? Where is everyone else? Where is the rest of mankind? Then, with the same undue suddenness of the lady’s inappropriate query, a desire to walk upstairs and go to the toy room filled her heart. She could not ascertain why but she somehow knew that the answer to all her questions lay inside that room filled with toys. The memory of glimpsing Alice returned to her yet this time it caused her no alarm. Strangely it gave her hope. Her old, infantile fear of the smiling little doll diminished forever at that moment. It was not evil. On the other hand her Mistress, while surely not the devil incarnate, was far from being good. She would make her excuses and search for the doll.
“Alright Ma’am if you will excuse me I must finish my duties upstairs.”
She curtsied and moved toward the door.
“Girl,” said the lady in a flat intonation.
The maid turned to her.
“I haven’t yet dismissed you.”
Mingled with the odd shimmer of her eyes, the young women gauged a trace of suspicion from her.
“But Ma’am, the upstairs must be done before I can start dinner.”
Her excuse was coldly ignored.
“Come here girl.”
The maid did not budge until the lady raised a bony finger and beckoned her thither.
“Kneel down,” she ordered when her servant was next to her. The lady’s toes kicked off her slippers and she thrust her feet toward the young woman.
“I would like you to rub my feet please. It’s been a long time since you massaged them. They’re certainly overdue some pampering, don’t you think?”
Although the pressing impulse to leave and enter the toy room still burned strongly within her, the maid felt obliged to grant the lady’s request. Even now, in spite of her epiphany, the sheer force of the lady’s personality drew her like an unwilling magnet.
“Fetch my foot stool and get cracking.”
Five minutes later she was on her knees applying her hands to her Mistress’s stocking feet. It was not a pleasant task but she bore it stoically having decided that the toy room could wait. Her resolve to search it however had not wavered. She was merely biding time.
“Oh I really must have you do this more often girl,” purred the lady. “It’s so blissfully relaxing.
“Would be my pleasure Ma’am,” lied the maid with a frown.
“I could get used to this,” said the lady, thoroughly relaxed. She put her head right back on the sofa beneath her crossed arms.
“If you had a lover would you do this for him?”
“Yes Ma’am, why not?” The young woman had no time for such small talk as she neared the end of her tether. She would humour the lady as much as possible as it now amused her also.
“Lucky him,” said her Mistress. “Or her if the case may be.”
“Possibly Ma’am, one never knows.”
Had the maid’s mood not been so adventurously defiant she would have remained silent. Needless to say the lady’s interest was kindled.
“Really?” A curious delight overcame her as she sat up straight and peered down at the young woman. The maid simply raised an eyebrow and imparted only a fractional smile.
“Very interesting indeed girl. I will have to keep my eye on you. I can’t have any immoral behaviour going on under my roof now can I?” She spoke with no hint of genuine concern then sipped the last of the tea.
“No Ma’am you can’t. You would have to punish me if there was.”
“I would. And I’d enjoy it too.”
“Then allow me to give you an excuse to do so Ma’am.”
She was about to do something reckless but was interrupted.
“I already do girl. I’ve been far too soft on your over the years. That is going to change as of now.”
The maid let go of her feet and stood up.
“But before I light up that silly little backside of yours girl, answer me this. Where is she?”
“Where’s who?” asked the maid. For a moment she became genuinely intimidated by her Mistress but the feeling soon passed. The lady leapt to her feet.
“Don’t you dare play smart with me my girl, you know dam well who I mean!”
“I’m sorry Ma’am,” said the maid sarcastically. “I don’t know what you mean!”
“Alice!” hissed the lady. “Where have you taken her?”
The maid was dumbfounded and scared again. Not because of her Mistress but by the implication of her words. The lady had not taken Alice from the toy room. This meant she really had seen the doll moving of its own accord!
“Ma’am, I swear to you I did not touch her, I’ve never laid hands on her in my life!”
“Liar! I will beat the truth out of you if I have to girl, I’ll break your neck!”
At this she lunged for the maid who had not anticipated any violence from the lady. Her well manicured nails scraped and tried to dig into the girl’s neck. She tried to push her away but the lady’s assault was fiercely determined. Her first defensive instinct was to raise her hands but her Mistress had already grabbed her neck and part of her dress so she thrust forward to try and knock her off balance. The effort failed. Then the lady managed to pierce part of her cheek with her thumb nail. It was enough to stoke the maid’s resistance and with one movement she jabbed her boss in the stomach, lifted her right foot and slammed it down onto the lady’s exposed counterparts. Her grip upon the maid loosened substantially and as she clutched her belly she was hurtled back onto the sofa where she whimpered uncomfortably. The maid was breathing profusely.
“I am going up to the toy room Ma’am.”
Her Mistress did not respond, so shaken was she by the girl’s fight back but her servant did not stay to assist her. In her mind the maid commended herself but her mild elation died when her attention became focused on the walls. They had begun to shimmer. The curtains and windows vanished and reappeared rapidly over and over again. Looking up and down in alarm she saw the same thing happening to the ceiling and floor. Only she and her Mistress remained constant. The surroundings then stabilised and everything was solid once again. Without giving it any thought the maid fled from the lounge and bounded up the stairs. Again the very house itself and everything in it flickered in quick succession. The more frantic the young woman felt the faster the phenomenon repeated. Somehow she knew would feel better and the terrifying manifestation would be banished if only she could reach the toy room! True enough it was intact and whole with no sign of any portion of it or its contents fading. There was still no sign of Alice.
“Alice?” she said, in a terrified whisper.
She ran to the other side of the room, searching vainly as she went. In the end she dropped to the floor and cried. Outside in the hallway, the rest of the house flickered. As her breathing grew more relaxed the flickering receded. All was tangible again. A while later the door opened fully.
“Alice?”
The figure at the door was too tall to be Alice. It was her Mistress. And she held a long, lean kitchen knife.
“It was fun keeping you ignorant all these years,” came her phlegm-filled voice through the dark. “But all good things….”
Alice’s wicker chair at the summit of the hat boxes was empty. Noticing this, the lady raised the knife and pointed it at the young woman.
“Where is Alice? Tell me.”
The sound of her voice was icy, exasperated; the lady meant business. But the maid did not cower. Leaning against the window, she prised herself up to stand and face her Mistress.
“I told you Ma’am, I did not touch her. That is the truth. Put that knife down please.”
“There’s a first. A maid giving her Mistress an order! It seems revolution’s in the air.”
The lady inched forward, poised with the blade.
“At least it’s not as pungent as your feet Ma’am.”
“Aren’t you the funny one? If that’s the case you can bathe them for me when you have calmed down.”
“That won’t happen, Ma’am, never again.”
The unhinged contortion on the lady’s face altered to its usual one of arrogant superiority.
“Kneel,” she ordered, gesturing to the carpet with the knife.
Her maid stayed standing.
“Kneel,” repeated the lady.
The young woman trembled. If she gave in and acquiesced now there would be no going back. She would never rebel like this again, never defy her Mistress so brazenly. The lady would inevitably remind her of this failure and take perverse delight in subjecting her to more inventive humiliations for years to come.
“Kneel,” said the lady pleasantly and in such a subtly seductive way that the young woman collapsed to her knees. Her defiance had failed. She was cornered and afraid yet again. Next thing she knew the tip of the knife was caressing her gullet, running smoothly up her throat to stop beneath her chin.
“I’ve won girl. Admit it,” said the lady in a soft whisper.
“You’ve won Ma’am. You’ve won,” whimpered her maid.
“I’ve won. Thank you girl.” She took away the knife and set it on the table. “Things are going to be a lot more interesting from now on girl. If you thought you had a hard time of it up to now just wait and see what I’ve got in store for you tomorrow and every other day from now on!”
Her softly intoned words sounded as if she was granting the maid a deserved reward.
“You will be slaving away night and day! You won’t be able to so much as piss without my permission and on top of all that we will be taking our relationship to a whole new level.”
She reached out her hands and ran them gently over the young woman’s hair. Then she put them on her chin and tilted the girl’s head upwards and stooped to brush her lips against hers.
“Did you like that? It matters not if you didn’t because you will grow to like it. Trust me. Now, before we begin our new lives, I still want to know what you have done with my favourite toy. Where is Alice?”
The maid’s spirits were utterly shattered. Death would have been a release for her as she had listened to the lady’s plans and inwardly grimaced when she had kissed her. Strangely it was the thing that always scared her that gave her hope. For the briefest of moments she saw it move and stop upright. There, at the door, stood Alice!
“She’s behind you Ma’am.”
The lady spun round and gasped.
“Just as I thought! But how did you….? I see.”
“What does it want Ma’am?” screamed the maid, pressing her body against the window as if she sought to extricate herself not just from the house but reality itself.
“Hush girl. Don’t be afraid. I understand now.”
“It can walk Ma’am! It can walk by itself! Oh God don’t let it near me!”
The lady laughed.
“Don’t worry girl, it couldn’t harm you even if she wanted to.”
“In the name of God please tell me what’s going on!”
“Very well, I will tell you. I suppose it’s only fair,” said the lady assuredly. “Then when that’s over and done with and you know the truth I will administer the punishment I mentioned earlier! But first, say hello to Alice.”
The lady picked up the doll and looked at it tenderly.
“Poor Alice! You know you should not be wandering about the house in the dark my dear, you might get hurt.”
She smiled at the doll and turned to the maid. Giving her a glare she finally broke into an evil laugh of triumph and raised Alice aloft like a trophy. Then she wrapped her arms around the doll and began to explain.
“Haven’t you ever put down your mop to think about it? Why do you never get any callers? Why do you have no family or friends to speak of? And why do you think you cannot even bear to look at Alice? It is because, girl, you are Alice!”
“How can I be Alice?” demanded the maid standing up again. “How? You’re insane!”
The lady was unphased.
“Prepare yourself to hear wrongs darker than death or night girl. It is too cold up here. Follow me to the fire.”
She kept her distance from the lady as she was led across the hall, back down the stairs and into the lounge.
“Warm yourself girl,” said the lady motioning her to the fire as she set Alice down upon an armchair. The maid watched as she approached smiling but when she was right in front of her the lady’s eyes were overcome by a far-away glaze as her mind resurrected long buried memories.
“Long ago I was a school mistress. And you were always there in my classroom Alice. I don’t know where you came from. You were the best doll, the most popular toy. The girls used to fight over you and even the boys liked you. I think they sensed the goodness in you. I loved my job but as the years past I grew bored and selfish. Sheer hedonism became a way of life, an addictive life at that. Beautiful clothes, delicious food, fast cars; I begged, borrowed, stole and gambled for material possessions until I had nothing but my job. It caused my marriage to fail and I was left alone. No husband, no children, not even a pet to keep me company. There came a day, some time after my husband left me, I sat at my desk in the empty classroom. The children had gone home, the rain teemed outside and I set the painkillers out on my desk, one by one in a neat little row. I wanted to take them all and be done with it. Life was a misery. Then, just before I was about to kill myself, you stirred. You moved. You even spoke! You said you were an ancient spirit of benevolence that took the form of a simple, friendly, smiling doll to better know the children of Earth. That is why you were called Alice; from the Latin meaning. Your life’s aim was to do good for the innocent, the children of this world. On that rainy afternoon however my plight and my feelings of self-hate served to awaken you. You could not stand idly by and watch me take my own life. You asked how you could help me and said you could do anything. All you wanted in return was to experience life as a human being. Now you could not bestow that gift upon yourself, you had to be granted it! I had to wish it upon you and only then could you make it a reality as a part of my wish. And so you made my fantasy tangible and read my mind to create the perfect life for me. My mansion, my wealth, my clothes; everything I could ever want, living isolated and alone in privacy, hidden safely away from the idiots of real life and the world itself! But that was not enough. I needed a companion, someone to talk to and, ultimately, someone to serve me, waiting upon me hand and foot! I took advantage of you. I exploited your naïve good nature for at the moment this place sprung into being around me I closed my eyes, held your doll-self tightly and implored you to always forget your previous life as a toy. In turn you immediately manifested yourself into a beautiful, young female body and appeared at my door clueless as to who you were and how you got there.”
“Nonsense,” breathed the maid. “Utter nonsense!”
“Is it? I assure you Alice that every word of it is true. Anyway, there you were; cold, scared and confused with nowhere to go. You easily agreed to work for me and have now the honour of serving me as my maid, forever, in the middle of nowhere in the beautiful rain that will pour for eternity. And I wanted you to envy me and lust after what I possess whilst knowing you can never have it! Deep down I know you still do!”
The maid shook her head and paced about in confusion.
“How can I be her?” she asked pointing to the doll. “She walks around of her own accord. I’m not responsible for that!”
“True. Physically speaking you are not her anymore, but believe it or not it is you who caused her to move,” replied the lady calmly.
“How?”
“I imagine some trace of your mind lingers within the doll. Today, when I subjected you to stresses you’ve never experienced before, your former self, driven by the heightened instinct of fear, panicked and sought to hide. So it fled from the toy room and lurked in the dark, empty rooms upstairs.”
Horrified, the maid put her face in her hands, and cried.
To her it was all absurd yet she could not deny the logic conveyed by the lady who strutted confidently as she held forth.
“I could not keep the secret any longer. Five years is long enough but although you now know the truth it matters little. In fact it is going to make my victory all the sweeter! I wanted to see how far you’d go, to test your endurance, and after all your defiance you are still mine, Alice. Even now, knowing your true nature will make no difference. You will be my maid, my servant, my slave and my lover forever. Enjoy.”
The maid said nothing. Her Mistress turned away and looked out the window at the storm. The maid’s voice wilted feebly across the lounge.
“What about kindness? What about love?”
“Kindness? Love?”
“If you were once in a place where love mattered you would understand Ma’am. As a teacher did you not love and care for your boys and girls? You were married. Did you not love your husband Ma’am? Do the rules of love and goodness mean anything to you? You ought to know that what you are doing is wrong.”
Speaking took its toll on the maid and when she had finished her speech she hid her face again.
“This is fantasy girl, an illusion you created! How can I do wrong? How can I sin when none of this is real? When I struck you earlier I struck nothing!”
The lady looked right down her nose at the maid.
“I doubt you even really exist,” rasped the lady.
“I am real!” insisted the maid.
“As for love,” laughed the lady. “Love. Do you think that bastard of a husband of mine cared one iota about love? Let me tell you something girl. The only true love is love for oneself! Marriage? Relationships? Friendships? They are chimeras. In life the only things that matter are power and money and here, in this unreality, I have them both.”
She went and picked up Alice, fondling the doll’s hair.
“I think I have explained everything girl. Do you have any more questions?”
The maid shook her head.
“Come over here then,” said the lady, stretching out her arms beckoningly. Placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders she looked at her tenderly.
“Things are going to be different girl but you will get used to it. One day you will appreciate me.”
The lady held up the doll.
“Won’t she Alice?”
She laughed, gave the doll another warm look then offered it to the maid.
“Here, take a look. Hold her. Look carefully into her face and eyes and perhaps you will remember.”
She handed the doll to the young woman and stepped away to stand by the fire.
“I will give you a moment to get reacquainted with yourself. After that, I seem to recall that you are due a severe punishment.”
Outside there rolled a wallop of renewed thunder. The house trembled, the lights flickered and the air itself seemed changed.
“That won’t be necessary,” said a voice that resounded in the silence following. While it sounded like the maid’s it was different; confident, assured and certain of itself. The lady watched in trepidation as her servant turned to face her. It was as if a new person had appeared. She looked identical to the maid but her bearing, posture and visage were altered. Gone was her uptight stance, her nervous features and her meek, apologetic eyes that now radiated poised mettle. Her smirking smile was too sincere to be false and her relaxed posture was bordering on suave. It was as though her old obeisance had never even existed. The lady’s instincts, so attuned to bullying the maid, had been smote with an alarmed confusion and the suffocating notion that she had just made a terrible mistake!
“Girl?”
Her voice quivered and the maid grinned affectionately at Alice.
“I’m afraid Ma’am that I lied to you. I said you had won but you haven’t.”
“But I have, you admitted so yourself!”
“I did but now I have remembered.” The maid’s tone became graver.
“That day in the school room long ago I also told you that my power was indomitable. Although I relinquished it when I acquired this form it had not gone away. I had to put it somewhere.”
Again she glanced happily at the doll as the lady watched warily.
“Girl,” she said. “Give her to me.”
“Please do not interrupt Ma’am. I simply cannot tolerate bad manners! If you really want, you can have Alice back if you like.”
The maid casually tossed her to the lady who caught it then looked carefully at the doll.
“You see Ma’am,” said the maid sauntering toward her, “My power rested in the doll, inside my old self and when you handed her to me just now, that grace was restored to me.”
“No!”
“Yes. Watch this.”
The maid raised her hands upwards and closed her eyes. As she did the mansion rocked. Dust seeped down from above, pictures fell off the walls, the fire roared in a frenzy and the windows rattled against a force other than the wind.
“Stop!” commanded the lady. “Please stop!”
The maid opened her eyes.
“Why should I?”
“Because we’ll die!” exclaimed her Mistress.
“No, you will die Ma’am, I won’t.”
The lady grabbed the mantelpiece to support herself and looked imploringly at the maid.
“When you entered this reality you said goodbye to life. There is no going back. I, on the other hand, am eternal. I can survive this dissolution!”
A wisp of white energy emerged from the young woman. It coiled around her then dispersed it every direction. At this the chaos increased. The windows shattered, the fire sent tongues of flame to burn across the room and a monumental din pierced the air! The lady flung herself at the maid’s feet and clasped her legs.
“But I beg you Alice,” she sobbed. “Please don’t do this to me! You are good, remember?”
“I am,” cried the maid.
“Then don’t do it! Please don’t!”
“I am good, that is true. But, like any creature, I have an evil side also!”
“It doesn’t matter Alice. Just stop it, I’ll do anything.”
“No!” she yelled. “I won’t restore that status quo. I will never serve you again.”
“Then restore it so that we’re equals Alice! Quickly!”
Around them an intense stream of indescribable energy was forming, absorbing the entire mansion at a terrible speed.
“I won’t!” said Alice the maid. “Never!”
The lady groaned.
“Then restore it as you see fit Alice, whatever way you want! Please!”
“Whatever way I see fit?”
“Yes!”
Alice’s eyes went dark as she pondered the idea.
“Very well,” she said eventually. “But you must wish it!”
“I wish it!” screamed the lady. “I wish it restored as you see fit! The way you want!”
She had barely uttered this when all was calm again. The noise was gone, the windows were intact, the fire burnt gently and the house was pristine and strong. Outside, the rain continued. The lady sighed in relief as he clambered to her feet.
“Thank you,” she breathed, setting the doll back on the armchair. “Oh thank you so much!”
The lady wept and hugged the maid.
“Killing me would have been senseless,” she said. “There’s no point in murder Alice, none at all.”
The lady produced her hanky and blew her nose.
“You did the right thing girl.”
The young woman wearing the maid’s uniform looked at her impassively.
“Girl?”
“Yes, sorry. I suppose from now on I must call you Alice. And you can call me by my Christian name unless you are too used to ‘Ma’am’.”
“Alice?”
“I promise you girl, this time I will be kinder. You can have days off, you can conjure up friends and treats for us. We’ll even go for walks together in the rain!”
Smug disdain swept over the young woman’s face.
“Alice? Girl? Is either a proper way of addressing one’s Mistress?”
“Pardon me?”
“When I was your maid, how did you react whenever I forgot my place?”
“When you were my maid? You still are, aren’t you?” The lady’s tense nerves infiltrated her voice when she asked this question. In response the young woman chuckled softly.
“Did you or did you not wish this fantasy restored?”
“I did.”
“Restored as I saw fit,” said the young woman jerking her thumb to her chest.
“But,” stammered the lady, “it is restored. My house is back; everything’s fixed!”
The young woman frowned.
“It was your house but not any more.”
“Our house then, together? How wonderful!”
“Not ours!” said the young woman firmly.
“Then who’s?”
“Mine.”
“Yours?” gasped the lady with fearful disappointment. The young woman inclined her head.
“All mine, along with everything in it.”
The lady shook her head rapidly.
“No!” she scoffed. “Look at you, you’re still my maid, you have your uniform!”
“It’s not my uniform, not anymore.”
“Then who’s is it girl?”
The young woman set her hands on her hips, smiled faintly and ran her eyes up and down the lady’s body. At that moment the lady realised with suffocating reluctance that the owner of the uniform was no longer the young woman, its new owner was her.
“Me?”
“You.”
“But you are good Alice. Surely we can be equals!”
“As I said, I am bad too. The human nature I acquired in this body is appealing. Only now have I the ability to fully experience it and I intend to enjoy myself. Of course I will need a companion; just someone to talk to. In particular I will require someone to serve me and wait upon me hand and foot!”
The lady cowered as the young woman jabbed her in the chest for there could now be no doubt that she would be the ‘someone’ of whom the former maid spoke. No longer was she the dominant Mistress of supreme authority or the self-indulgent hedonist. Gone too was her confidence, crushed as it was by the young woman’s display and inert power that radiated from her like heat. Most of all, the lady cursed her carelessness. It was true that she had no way of knowing that the girl’s contact with the doll would have resurrected the grace Alice spoke of but it galled her to think that had she not been so arrogant their former roles would have been maintained for perpetuity. Now, however, the lady’s role would be a different one. With nothing left to say she meekly bowed her head. Alice, reborn, surveyed the lady from head to toe and laughed seductively in a way not dissimilar to her former Mistress.
“All that was yours Ma’am is now mine. If you thought being a maid for five years was bad, try five hundred years or, better yet, five thousand. I can prolong your life for as long as I wish, mortal.”
Tears formed in the lady’s eyes.
“Now,” continued Alice, “tie up your hair! Such a long, self-indulgent style is inappropriate for a house maid!”
The lady obeyed her command; lofting her black hair into a pony tail which she secured with a dark cotton band presented by Alice.
“Perfect,” said the young woman.
Alice then lifted the firm cotton tiara from her hair and set it on the lady’s head. The older woman swallowed hard.
“That gown, remove it!”
“Please,” begged the lady.
“Remove it.”
A minute later the dress was off and the lady stood shivering in her underclothes yet this quivering was not caused by lack of heat but failing nerve. The young woman then took off the maid uniform for the last time. She smiled and handed it to the lady.
“Put on your uniform,” she ordered. “It ought to fit you as we are the same size. Remember?”
“Alice?” she said, in a terrified whisper.
She ran to the other side of the room, searching vainly as she went. In the end she dropped to the floor and cried. Outside in the hallway, the rest of the house flickered. As her breathing grew more relaxed the flickering receded. All was tangible again. A while later the door opened fully.
“Alice?”
The figure at the door was too tall to be Alice. It was her Mistress. And she held a long, lean kitchen knife.
“It was fun keeping you ignorant all these years,” came her phlegm-filled voice through the dark. “But all good things….”
Alice’s wicker chair at the summit of the hat boxes was empty. Noticing this, the lady raised the knife and pointed it at the young woman.
“Where is Alice? Tell me.”
The sound of her voice was icy, exasperated; the lady meant business. But the maid did not cower. Leaning against the window, she prised herself up to stand and face her Mistress.
“I told you Ma’am, I did not touch her. That is the truth. Put that knife down please.”
“There’s a first. A maid giving her Mistress an order! It seems revolution’s in the air.”
The lady inched forward, poised with the blade.
“At least it’s not as pungent as your feet Ma’am.”
“Aren’t you the funny one? If that’s the case you can bathe them for me when you have calmed down.”
“That won’t happen, Ma’am, never again.”
The unhinged contortion on the lady’s face altered to its usual one of arrogant superiority.
“Kneel,” she ordered, gesturing to the carpet with the knife.
Her maid stayed standing.
“Kneel,” repeated the lady.
The young woman trembled. If she gave in and acquiesced now there would be no going back. She would never rebel like this again, never defy her Mistress so brazenly. The lady would inevitably remind her of this failure and take perverse delight in subjecting her to more inventive humiliations for years to come.
“Kneel,” said the lady pleasantly and in such a subtly seductive way that the young woman collapsed to her knees. Her defiance had failed. She was cornered and afraid yet again. Next thing she knew the tip of the knife was caressing her gullet, running smoothly up her throat to stop beneath her chin.
“I’ve won girl. Admit it,” said the lady in a soft whisper.
“You’ve won Ma’am. You’ve won,” whimpered her maid.
“I’ve won. Thank you girl.” She took away the knife and set it on the table. “Things are going to be a lot more interesting from now on girl. If you thought you had a hard time of it up to now just wait and see what I’ve got in store for you tomorrow and every other day from now on!”
Her softly intoned words sounded as if she was granting the maid a deserved reward.
“You will be slaving away night and day! You won’t be able to so much as piss without my permission and on top of all that we will be taking our relationship to a whole new level.”
She reached out her hands and ran them gently over the young woman’s hair. Then she put them on her chin and tilted the girl’s head upwards and stooped to brush her lips against hers.
“Did you like that? It matters not if you didn’t because you will grow to like it. Trust me. Now, before we begin our new lives, I still want to know what you have done with my favourite toy. Where is Alice?”
The maid’s spirits were utterly shattered. Death would have been a release for her as she had listened to the lady’s plans and inwardly grimaced when she had kissed her. Strangely it was the thing that always scared her that gave her hope. For the briefest of moments she saw it move and stop upright. There, at the door, stood Alice!
“She’s behind you Ma’am.”
The lady spun round and gasped.
“Just as I thought! But how did you….? I see.”
“What does it want Ma’am?” screamed the maid, pressing her body against the window as if she sought to extricate herself not just from the house but reality itself.
“Hush girl. Don’t be afraid. I understand now.”
“It can walk Ma’am! It can walk by itself! Oh God don’t let it near me!”
The lady laughed.
“Don’t worry girl, it couldn’t harm you even if she wanted to.”
“In the name of God please tell me what’s going on!”
“Very well, I will tell you. I suppose it’s only fair,” said the lady assuredly. “Then when that’s over and done with and you know the truth I will administer the punishment I mentioned earlier! But first, say hello to Alice.”
The lady picked up the doll and looked at it tenderly.
“Poor Alice! You know you should not be wandering about the house in the dark my dear, you might get hurt.”
She smiled at the doll and turned to the maid. Giving her a glare she finally broke into an evil laugh of triumph and raised Alice aloft like a trophy. Then she wrapped her arms around the doll and began to explain.
“Haven’t you ever put down your mop to think about it? Why do you never get any callers? Why do you have no family or friends to speak of? And why do you think you cannot even bear to look at Alice? It is because, girl, you are Alice!”
“How can I be Alice?” demanded the maid standing up again. “How? You’re insane!”
The lady was unphased.
“Prepare yourself to hear wrongs darker than death or night girl. It is too cold up here. Follow me to the fire.”
She kept her distance from the lady as she was led across the hall, back down the stairs and into the lounge.
“Warm yourself girl,” said the lady motioning her to the fire as she set Alice down upon an armchair. The maid watched as she approached smiling but when she was right in front of her the lady’s eyes were overcome by a far-away glaze as her mind resurrected long buried memories.
“Long ago I was a school mistress. And you were always there in my classroom Alice. I don’t know where you came from. You were the best doll, the most popular toy. The girls used to fight over you and even the boys liked you. I think they sensed the goodness in you. I loved my job but as the years past I grew bored and selfish. Sheer hedonism became a way of life, an addictive life at that. Beautiful clothes, delicious food, fast cars; I begged, borrowed, stole and gambled for material possessions until I had nothing but my job. It caused my marriage to fail and I was left alone. No husband, no children, not even a pet to keep me company. There came a day, some time after my husband left me, I sat at my desk in the empty classroom. The children had gone home, the rain teemed outside and I set the painkillers out on my desk, one by one in a neat little row. I wanted to take them all and be done with it. Life was a misery. Then, just before I was about to kill myself, you stirred. You moved. You even spoke! You said you were an ancient spirit of benevolence that took the form of a simple, friendly, smiling doll to better know the children of Earth. That is why you were called Alice; from the Latin meaning. Your life’s aim was to do good for the innocent, the children of this world. On that rainy afternoon however my plight and my feelings of self-hate served to awaken you. You could not stand idly by and watch me take my own life. You asked how you could help me and said you could do anything. All you wanted in return was to experience life as a human being. Now you could not bestow that gift upon yourself, you had to be granted it! I had to wish it upon you and only then could you make it a reality as a part of my wish. And so you made my fantasy tangible and read my mind to create the perfect life for me. My mansion, my wealth, my clothes; everything I could ever want, living isolated and alone in privacy, hidden safely away from the idiots of real life and the world itself! But that was not enough. I needed a companion, someone to talk to and, ultimately, someone to serve me, waiting upon me hand and foot! I took advantage of you. I exploited your naïve good nature for at the moment this place sprung into being around me I closed my eyes, held your doll-self tightly and implored you to always forget your previous life as a toy. In turn you immediately manifested yourself into a beautiful, young female body and appeared at my door clueless as to who you were and how you got there.”
“Nonsense,” breathed the maid. “Utter nonsense!”
“Is it? I assure you Alice that every word of it is true. Anyway, there you were; cold, scared and confused with nowhere to go. You easily agreed to work for me and have now the honour of serving me as my maid, forever, in the middle of nowhere in the beautiful rain that will pour for eternity. And I wanted you to envy me and lust after what I possess whilst knowing you can never have it! Deep down I know you still do!”
The maid shook her head and paced about in confusion.
“How can I be her?” she asked pointing to the doll. “She walks around of her own accord. I’m not responsible for that!”
“True. Physically speaking you are not her anymore, but believe it or not it is you who caused her to move,” replied the lady calmly.
“How?”
“I imagine some trace of your mind lingers within the doll. Today, when I subjected you to stresses you’ve never experienced before, your former self, driven by the heightened instinct of fear, panicked and sought to hide. So it fled from the toy room and lurked in the dark, empty rooms upstairs.”
Horrified, the maid put her face in her hands, and cried.
To her it was all absurd yet she could not deny the logic conveyed by the lady who strutted confidently as she held forth.
“I could not keep the secret any longer. Five years is long enough but although you now know the truth it matters little. In fact it is going to make my victory all the sweeter! I wanted to see how far you’d go, to test your endurance, and after all your defiance you are still mine, Alice. Even now, knowing your true nature will make no difference. You will be my maid, my servant, my slave and my lover forever. Enjoy.”
The maid said nothing. Her Mistress turned away and looked out the window at the storm. The maid’s voice wilted feebly across the lounge.
“What about kindness? What about love?”
“Kindness? Love?”
“If you were once in a place where love mattered you would understand Ma’am. As a teacher did you not love and care for your boys and girls? You were married. Did you not love your husband Ma’am? Do the rules of love and goodness mean anything to you? You ought to know that what you are doing is wrong.”
Speaking took its toll on the maid and when she had finished her speech she hid her face again.
“This is fantasy girl, an illusion you created! How can I do wrong? How can I sin when none of this is real? When I struck you earlier I struck nothing!”
The lady looked right down her nose at the maid.
“I doubt you even really exist,” rasped the lady.
“I am real!” insisted the maid.
“As for love,” laughed the lady. “Love. Do you think that bastard of a husband of mine cared one iota about love? Let me tell you something girl. The only true love is love for oneself! Marriage? Relationships? Friendships? They are chimeras. In life the only things that matter are power and money and here, in this unreality, I have them both.”
She went and picked up Alice, fondling the doll’s hair.
“I think I have explained everything girl. Do you have any more questions?”
The maid shook her head.
“Come over here then,” said the lady, stretching out her arms beckoningly. Placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders she looked at her tenderly.
“Things are going to be different girl but you will get used to it. One day you will appreciate me.”
The lady held up the doll.
“Won’t she Alice?”
She laughed, gave the doll another warm look then offered it to the maid.
“Here, take a look. Hold her. Look carefully into her face and eyes and perhaps you will remember.”
She handed the doll to the young woman and stepped away to stand by the fire.
“I will give you a moment to get reacquainted with yourself. After that, I seem to recall that you are due a severe punishment.”
Outside there rolled a wallop of renewed thunder. The house trembled, the lights flickered and the air itself seemed changed.
“That won’t be necessary,” said a voice that resounded in the silence following. While it sounded like the maid’s it was different; confident, assured and certain of itself. The lady watched in trepidation as her servant turned to face her. It was as if a new person had appeared. She looked identical to the maid but her bearing, posture and visage were altered. Gone was her uptight stance, her nervous features and her meek, apologetic eyes that now radiated poised mettle. Her smirking smile was too sincere to be false and her relaxed posture was bordering on suave. It was as though her old obeisance had never even existed. The lady’s instincts, so attuned to bullying the maid, had been smote with an alarmed confusion and the suffocating notion that she had just made a terrible mistake!
“Girl?”
Her voice quivered and the maid grinned affectionately at Alice.
“I’m afraid Ma’am that I lied to you. I said you had won but you haven’t.”
“But I have, you admitted so yourself!”
“I did but now I have remembered.” The maid’s tone became graver.
“That day in the school room long ago I also told you that my power was indomitable. Although I relinquished it when I acquired this form it had not gone away. I had to put it somewhere.”
Again she glanced happily at the doll as the lady watched warily.
“Girl,” she said. “Give her to me.”
“Please do not interrupt Ma’am. I simply cannot tolerate bad manners! If you really want, you can have Alice back if you like.”
The maid casually tossed her to the lady who caught it then looked carefully at the doll.
“You see Ma’am,” said the maid sauntering toward her, “My power rested in the doll, inside my old self and when you handed her to me just now, that grace was restored to me.”
“No!”
“Yes. Watch this.”
The maid raised her hands upwards and closed her eyes. As she did the mansion rocked. Dust seeped down from above, pictures fell off the walls, the fire roared in a frenzy and the windows rattled against a force other than the wind.
“Stop!” commanded the lady. “Please stop!”
The maid opened her eyes.
“Why should I?”
“Because we’ll die!” exclaimed her Mistress.
“No, you will die Ma’am, I won’t.”
The lady grabbed the mantelpiece to support herself and looked imploringly at the maid.
“When you entered this reality you said goodbye to life. There is no going back. I, on the other hand, am eternal. I can survive this dissolution!”
A wisp of white energy emerged from the young woman. It coiled around her then dispersed it every direction. At this the chaos increased. The windows shattered, the fire sent tongues of flame to burn across the room and a monumental din pierced the air! The lady flung herself at the maid’s feet and clasped her legs.
“But I beg you Alice,” she sobbed. “Please don’t do this to me! You are good, remember?”
“I am,” cried the maid.
“Then don’t do it! Please don’t!”
“I am good, that is true. But, like any creature, I have an evil side also!”
“It doesn’t matter Alice. Just stop it, I’ll do anything.”
“No!” she yelled. “I won’t restore that status quo. I will never serve you again.”
“Then restore it so that we’re equals Alice! Quickly!”
Around them an intense stream of indescribable energy was forming, absorbing the entire mansion at a terrible speed.
“I won’t!” said Alice the maid. “Never!”
The lady groaned.
“Then restore it as you see fit Alice, whatever way you want! Please!”
“Whatever way I see fit?”
“Yes!”
Alice’s eyes went dark as she pondered the idea.
“Very well,” she said eventually. “But you must wish it!”
“I wish it!” screamed the lady. “I wish it restored as you see fit! The way you want!”
She had barely uttered this when all was calm again. The noise was gone, the windows were intact, the fire burnt gently and the house was pristine and strong. Outside, the rain continued. The lady sighed in relief as he clambered to her feet.
“Thank you,” she breathed, setting the doll back on the armchair. “Oh thank you so much!”
The lady wept and hugged the maid.
“Killing me would have been senseless,” she said. “There’s no point in murder Alice, none at all.”
The lady produced her hanky and blew her nose.
“You did the right thing girl.”
The young woman wearing the maid’s uniform looked at her impassively.
“Girl?”
“Yes, sorry. I suppose from now on I must call you Alice. And you can call me by my Christian name unless you are too used to ‘Ma’am’.”
“Alice?”
“I promise you girl, this time I will be kinder. You can have days off, you can conjure up friends and treats for us. We’ll even go for walks together in the rain!”
Smug disdain swept over the young woman’s face.
“Alice? Girl? Is either a proper way of addressing one’s Mistress?”
“Pardon me?”
“When I was your maid, how did you react whenever I forgot my place?”
“When you were my maid? You still are, aren’t you?” The lady’s tense nerves infiltrated her voice when she asked this question. In response the young woman chuckled softly.
“Did you or did you not wish this fantasy restored?”
“I did.”
“Restored as I saw fit,” said the young woman jerking her thumb to her chest.
“But,” stammered the lady, “it is restored. My house is back; everything’s fixed!”
The young woman frowned.
“It was your house but not any more.”
“Our house then, together? How wonderful!”
“Not ours!” said the young woman firmly.
“Then who’s?”
“Mine.”
“Yours?” gasped the lady with fearful disappointment. The young woman inclined her head.
“All mine, along with everything in it.”
The lady shook her head rapidly.
“No!” she scoffed. “Look at you, you’re still my maid, you have your uniform!”
“It’s not my uniform, not anymore.”
“Then who’s is it girl?”
The young woman set her hands on her hips, smiled faintly and ran her eyes up and down the lady’s body. At that moment the lady realised with suffocating reluctance that the owner of the uniform was no longer the young woman, its new owner was her.
“Me?”
“You.”
“But you are good Alice. Surely we can be equals!”
“As I said, I am bad too. The human nature I acquired in this body is appealing. Only now have I the ability to fully experience it and I intend to enjoy myself. Of course I will need a companion; just someone to talk to. In particular I will require someone to serve me and wait upon me hand and foot!”
The lady cowered as the young woman jabbed her in the chest for there could now be no doubt that she would be the ‘someone’ of whom the former maid spoke. No longer was she the dominant Mistress of supreme authority or the self-indulgent hedonist. Gone too was her confidence, crushed as it was by the young woman’s display and inert power that radiated from her like heat. Most of all, the lady cursed her carelessness. It was true that she had no way of knowing that the girl’s contact with the doll would have resurrected the grace Alice spoke of but it galled her to think that had she not been so arrogant their former roles would have been maintained for perpetuity. Now, however, the lady’s role would be a different one. With nothing left to say she meekly bowed her head. Alice, reborn, surveyed the lady from head to toe and laughed seductively in a way not dissimilar to her former Mistress.
“All that was yours Ma’am is now mine. If you thought being a maid for five years was bad, try five hundred years or, better yet, five thousand. I can prolong your life for as long as I wish, mortal.”
Tears formed in the lady’s eyes.
“Now,” continued Alice, “tie up your hair! Such a long, self-indulgent style is inappropriate for a house maid!”
The lady obeyed her command; lofting her black hair into a pony tail which she secured with a dark cotton band presented by Alice.
“Perfect,” said the young woman.
Alice then lifted the firm cotton tiara from her hair and set it on the lady’s head. The older woman swallowed hard.
“That gown, remove it!”
“Please,” begged the lady.
“Remove it.”
A minute later the dress was off and the lady stood shivering in her underclothes yet this quivering was not caused by lack of heat but failing nerve. The young woman then took off the maid uniform for the last time. She smiled and handed it to the lady.
“Put on your uniform,” she ordered. “It ought to fit you as we are the same size. Remember?”
As she slowly put on her uniform the lady’s stiff breathing was audible. The young woman slipped off her flat shoes and kicked them over to the lady who put them on when the dress was buttoned up. Arms by her side she stood in silence awaiting her young Mistress’s first command. The young lady released her hair clips and let her shimmering auburn locks cascade down across her shoulders. She held up the lady’s gown.
“This morning you said I’d look great in this. Help me put it on.”
Kneeling, the lady assisted Alice into the dress and fastened it.
“You’d better get used to dressing me, old maid,” sneered the young lady.
Her new servant mumbled something.
“What did you say?”
It looked as if the lady had aged suddenly and her voice resembled a dry croak.
“I said that won’t be a problem.”
“Excuse me?” asked the young woman. The lady blinked hard.
“That won’t be a problem, Miss.”
“You’d better get used to calling me that,” said her Mistress joyfully.
“Yes Miss.”
“You have a lot of work to do,” said the young lady. “I want the upstairs swept and polished, the laundry done and my dinner on the dining room table by eight o’clock sharp!”
The lady nodded.
“Right now though, you can get me a cup of tea and a nice pair of your shoes. Sorry, my shoes. Those gorgeous, three inch, open-toed black pumps you love so much will do. Luxury will take some getting used to but I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”
The forlorn old maid’s expression of self-pity brought only another amused grin from the wealthy young lady.
“Dismissed.”
With that her former Mistress, now her servant, shuffled away to begin a new life of servitude. Alone, the young woman lay out on the sofa with a blissful sigh of pleasure. Moments later she leapt up again and dashed to the armchair.
“Hello me!” she said to the smiling doll.
Picking up her former self she laughed merrily and twirled round with the toy pressed against her heart. She came to the window and was pleased to see the rain disperse quickly as shafts of radiant light pierced the grey clouds and sent them away forever. Like the doll, the young lady could have smiled forever more at the sight.
“Look Alice,” she said. “The sun is shining!”
“This morning you said I’d look great in this. Help me put it on.”
Kneeling, the lady assisted Alice into the dress and fastened it.
“You’d better get used to dressing me, old maid,” sneered the young lady.
Her new servant mumbled something.
“What did you say?”
It looked as if the lady had aged suddenly and her voice resembled a dry croak.
“I said that won’t be a problem.”
“Excuse me?” asked the young woman. The lady blinked hard.
“That won’t be a problem, Miss.”
“You’d better get used to calling me that,” said her Mistress joyfully.
“Yes Miss.”
“You have a lot of work to do,” said the young lady. “I want the upstairs swept and polished, the laundry done and my dinner on the dining room table by eight o’clock sharp!”
The lady nodded.
“Right now though, you can get me a cup of tea and a nice pair of your shoes. Sorry, my shoes. Those gorgeous, three inch, open-toed black pumps you love so much will do. Luxury will take some getting used to but I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”
The forlorn old maid’s expression of self-pity brought only another amused grin from the wealthy young lady.
“Dismissed.”
With that her former Mistress, now her servant, shuffled away to begin a new life of servitude. Alone, the young woman lay out on the sofa with a blissful sigh of pleasure. Moments later she leapt up again and dashed to the armchair.
“Hello me!” she said to the smiling doll.
Picking up her former self she laughed merrily and twirled round with the toy pressed against her heart. She came to the window and was pleased to see the rain disperse quickly as shafts of radiant light pierced the grey clouds and sent them away forever. Like the doll, the young lady could have smiled forever more at the sight.
“Look Alice,” she said. “The sun is shining!”
© Ciaran McVeigh 2010
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