Terren

  "Wake up, you degenerate! We’ve got a mountain of work to do," Marilyn shrieked at Terren, who had gotten dead-drunk the night before and was currently sleeping like a corpse.

  "To hell with you... let me sleep," Terren grumbled.

  "The devil’s already taken me and then some. I'm just trying to make sure he doesn't drag you down with me. Now get up when I tell you!"

  Terren dragged himself up, got dressed, and splashed water on his face to clear his head. He had been so swept up in the feasting the night before that he’d drunk until he remembered absolutely nothing.

  "Move it. You need to catch your boss’s eye at least occasionally so he doesn't kick you out and leave us both completely ruined."

  Terren didn't even bother to reply; his head felt like it was splitting open, and he barely heard half of what was said.

  By the time Terren made it out into the city, it was already midday. "How is this possible?" he wondered. "Did I really sleep that long?" He stumbled down the street, still half-asleep and barely able to drag his feet along.

  He stepped into a tavern, sat down, and ordered bone broth and three shots of vodka. He sat there thinking to himself: I wonder if I missed something important yesterday. Something I was supposed to do but didn't. He thought and thought, but nothing came to mind; all he could see were empty glasses, and all he could hear was the echo of the rowdy party from the night before.

  When the broth arrived with two dry crusts of bread and his three small glasses of vodka, Terren went at the spirits as if he hadn’t touched water in a week. He downed all three shots in quick succession, then followed them with the soup and bread. Slowly, he came to his senses, and pieces of the previous night began to return. He remembered he was on his way somewhere when he was lured into a tavern—after that, everything was a blur.

  He sat for a while in the tavern, which was thick with the stench of vodka and heavy tobacco smoke. The smell clung to the communal tables where old men spent their days drinking and smoking. It wasn't uncommon for them to bring in a woman and strip her naked right there on the table. More than once, a prostitute had been brought in for the half-drunk old men who needed more than just a drink; full of depravity, they would finish their business right there in the open.

  This would have been forbidden if the tavern owner were not also the owner of the brothel located right across from them. He knew his customers' desires very well and allowed them everything, turning the tavern and the brothel into a single establishment. Prostitutes moved through the tavern just as freely as the food and drink moved into the brothel.

  A hand brushed against Terren’s shoulder. "Want to have some fun, sweetheart? I can satisfy your every passionate desire," a woman said in a provocative voice.

  Terren turned and looked over. She was a shapely, alluring woman who was well-known for her ability to please men. It was hard for Terren to say no—a man who had never felt a woman’s warmth.

  "No, thank you. I don’t want to," he finally managed to mutter.

  "Are you sure? Do you know how much you’ll enjoy it? Besides, you’re young... you must be a virgin. Let me be your first."

  Terren was finding it very hard to restrain himself and was just about to say "let's go" when a man’s roar caught his attention. He looked over to see a grey-haired man shouting at a girl who seemed to be ignoring him. The old man stood up and lunged for the girl, but Terren moved faster. He stepped between them and said, "Back off, old man. This one is mine. Find another one."

  The old man stopped. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then decided it wasn't worth the trouble with so many other girls around. "She's all yours, sir. May God let you use her in peace," the man cackled before returning to his table.

  "If you want the girl, you have to pay up, boy," the collector told him.

  "How much?" Terren asked.

  "Twenty silver coins."

  Terren checked his pocket. He had only thirty silver coins left to last him until the end of the month, and the month had only just begun. But then he saw the terror on the girl’s face and the filthy, depraved look the old man was giving her.

  "Take it," Terren said, tossing twenty silver coins to him.

  "Rooms are upstairs. Enjoy," the collector replied.

  The girl led Terren upstairs. They found an empty room, and she locked the door behind them. She began to undress, her hands shaking with visible fear; it was obvious she had never done this before.

  "Stop," Terren told her.

  The girl looked at him in amazement.

  "I didn't pull you away from that man to do to you what he intended to do."

  "So... you don't want to...?" she asked.

  "No. I brought you up here because that dirty bastard was going to destroy you. Men like him take pleasure in your fear and resistance. They know you’re young and unwilling, which makes them feel powerful, and they enjoy that more."

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  "Thank you, sir..."

  "Terren. Call me Terren. I am no sir."

  "Well then, Terren... have you ever been with a woman?"

  "No. Never. I never pay for it."

  "Why would you ever need to pay? You're handsome. One or two sweet words and any girl on these streets would be yours," she told him.

  "You think so?"

  "I don't think so, I know," she confirmed. "By the way, I told you my name. What is yours?"

  "Salinarys, but everyone calls me Sali."

  "Sali, you're far too young for this business."

  "What else can I do? I'm not a man. I don't have the strength to haul heavy sacks or bang a hammer on an anvil all day."

  "You could be a nanny or a servant for a family," Terren suggested.

  "And what do you think the heads of families do to their servants? Do they treat them with respect? You're talking like a ten-year-old, Terren. When a master gets bored of his wife, he goes straight for the servant. Why do you think everyone hires beautiful women as servants? Have you thought about that? No. They care more about what’s hidden beneath the uniform than how well the job is done. You can teach a girl to clean, but you can't teach her how to have a certain body."

  Terren stared at her, stunned that a girl who looked no older than him knew so much. "How do you know all this?"

  "My mother was a servant in the house of a wealthy family. She took me to work once when I was twelve. She was in the kitchen when the master came home drunk. He didn't even look at his wife. He walked into the kitchen and started groping my mother. She was crying, begging him not to do it in front of me, but the bastard just said, 'She’ll gain experience.' He tore her dress, grabbed her hair, and slammed her face against the wall. Then he undressed and raped my mother right in front of me, occasionally turning to me and saying, 'This is the fate that awaits you, little girl. Learn from this.'"

  As she spoke, Sali’s eyes filled with tears. She sat down beside Terren. He was horrified; he had never imagined that being a servant could be as terrible a nightmare as this life. Instinctively, he put his arm around her and began to comfort her.

  "Life is ruthless," he whispered. "It sends trials to everyone. I never knew my parents; I was raised a slave and sold. I spent years as a sailor's captive. Now I’m here—supposedly free but still standing at the docks taking orders. Life is hard, but we have to try to overcome it and look for something better."

  Sali’s heart softened. She calmed down, wiped her eyes, and asked, "What better option do you see for me?"

  "You could work in an atelier. I have a friend there; you'll be with her, in a place with only women."

  "But I don't know how to sew," she said.

  "Half the girls there didn't know a month ago. They’ll teach you. If that doesn't work, you can stay with me for a while. I can't promise much, but I'll give you food and a place to sleep."

  "That sounds good, but the boss will never let me go," she said, fearing returning to her voice.

  "I’ll smuggle you out. No one will see us."

  "How?"

  "You'll climb out this window, cross over to the neighboring roof, and take the ladder down to the street," Terren said, as if he had been planning this for a long time. "I’ll meet you at the bottom, and we’ll go to my place."

  “I don’t know, what if I get caught. Or this doesn’t work out, then I am doomed” She was hesitant.

  “Are you telling me anything can be worse than this. You will never have to endure anyone forcing themselves on you or abusing you.”

  “Now I’ll ask you again. Do you wish to go, or do you prefer to stay.”

  "Okay. I'll do it “she said “probably whatever’s on the other side can’t be worse”

  "That’s the spirit. I’ll see you outside." Terren turned toward the door.

  "Terren!"

  He turned back. Sali moved toward him, stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his head, and kissed him. She kissed him for a long time. Terren was paralyzed; he had never been this close to a girl, let alone been kissed.

  She pulled away slowly and whispered, "Thank you."

  Terren was speechless. Sali stepped onto the windowsill and leaped onto the next roof. Terren stood frozen for a while, his mind racing, unable to forget the tenderness and bliss of that kiss. Finally, he snapped out of it, walked out of the room, and headed for the tavern door. Outside, the sun was almost gone. The city was quiet; blacksmiths were banking their fires and stalls were closing. Terren circled the buildings and found the ladder. Sali was already waiting.

  "Where to now?" she asked.

  "To my home."

  "And where do you live?"

  "In an abandoned sewer main," Terren replied anxiously, unsure what she would think.

  "It's ideal. No one will look for us there," she said, and Terren felt a wave of relief.

  They walked until they reached the entrance. Terren removed the cover, let Sali jump in first, then followed and sealed the hatch. Sali noticed the two mattresses immediately.

  "Who else lives here?"

  Said the girl and poured herself a cup of wine. Wine that Marilyn had stollen few days ago.

  "Marilyn. We met here and we work together. Don't worry about him; you won't be of any interest to him. He isn't interested in women."

  Sali finished the cup and poured herself another one.

  "Ah, I see," Sali said. "He likes men."

  "Exactly."

  She drank the second cup and poured herself a third.

  "Do you have a mattress for me?" she asked.

  Terren looked sheepish. "No, unfortunately. But you take mine; I’ll be fine on the floor."

  Sali finished the third cup and immediately followed it up with another.

  “You are too king to me Terren. I can’t steal your bed on top of everything.”

  Said Sali who had already started to get affected by the sudden intake of alcohol.

  “No. It’s quite fine” Said Terren” I’ll be okay on the floor.”

  "That won't be necessary," Sali said. "This mattress is large; it’s enough for both of us."

  Terren was stunned. "Should we sleep... side by side?"

  "Won't you have me?" Sali asked with a challenging voice.

  "Of course I will, it's just hard to believe you’re offering."

  Sali smiled and bit her lip. Alcohol had lowered her inner walls and had eased any trauma or pain, leaving her with confidence "Remember what I told you earlier about girls? Those one or two sweet words and any of them would undress for you? I want you to know it’s true."

  Sali took off her dress and stripped herself naked before Terren’s eyes. He became nervous, his words failing him. He thought she was doing this as a "thank you," so he stammered, "You don't have to do this... I wanted to help you because I wanted to."

  But Sali put her hand over his mouth.

  Chuckled and told him "You're wrong if you think I'm doing this to thank you. I'm doing it because I want to."

  She led him to the mattress, unbuttoning his jacket as they went. They lay down, and Sali slowly took possession of Terren, she was no longer trembling, quite the opposite. She was the one leading. Terren lay still at first, letting her, then he himself rose, kissed her, and rolled over so Sali was beneath him, kissing her again.

  Then Sali wrapped her legs around him, and in that moment, the world disappeared for them. There was no more poverty, no more hunger, no labor.

  A while later, the hatch creaked open. Marilyn climbed down and shouted, "I'm back! Teren, you here?"

  Silence.

  "You degenerate, are you here?" Marilyn repeated; still, no one answered.

  Marilyn finally reached the sleeping area and was about to yell again when he stopped dead. He pinched his arm, wondering if he was dreaming. Terren was lying naked, a single sheet covering him, but next to him was a beauty, also naked, and they were sleeping sweetly side by side.

  Marilyn chuckled softly. What are you shouting for, you halfwit? Bite your tongue, don't wake the lovebirds.

  He quietly undressed and lay down on his own mattress, falling asleep instantly.