Week 13 Story: Golden Wings

                                                                      Image: Golden Wings, Source: Pixabay

It was a brisk, chill morning. The cold wind grazed my arm as I walked toward the house. It was a small, thatched cabin with vines covering the walls and the roof. I need to get rid of that at some point. As I walked up to the front door, I could hear the stairs moan beneath each step I placed. I sighed; I swear this entire house reeks of poor. I opened the front door and could hear my mother furiously working in the kitchen. I couldn’t help but chuckle. We barely have enough food to cook in the house and she’s making lunch.

“Nandini, is that you?” I could hear her slowing down her pace and I knew what she was waiting for. It was pretty common for the older children in the family to be the most relied on to gather supplies and provide for the family. Father died over four years ago and it’s just been me, mother, my brother, and my two younger sisters. Even though my brother was older than me, he refused to help out in the house. Moreover, he works against us by taking a majority of money that we get, stating that he has a share in it. My mother refuses to say anything against for fear that he will leave us, although I don’t see anything wrong with that.

I walked into the kitchen and smiled at my mother, but her eyes were fixated on the bag that was in my hand. I placed the bag on the table and sucked in my breath, anxious about how she would react. My mother opened the bag and her face dropped. She pulled out the three cans of food, loaf of bread, and the small package of butter that I bought from the market. She ran her finger around the rim of the can and looked up at me, “Is this it? I nodded my head and could see the disappointment in her eyes. “Prices have gone up.” She shook her head, “How can I make dinner with this? This is barely enough for two people, nonetheless five.” I placed my hand on top of my head and ran my fingers through my hair.

I hated this and she knew it; blaming me for not being able to provide for us instead of asking anyone else to help us. I opened my mouth, but then stopped. I never knew what it was, but I could never bring myself to say this to her. She sighed and turned around to begin dinner, ignoring my presence in the room. I decided to leave and let her blow of some steam. I slipped out of the house and walked toward the lake house near the edge of the lagoon. Slowly, I opened the creaky door, and quietly shut the door behind me. At the end of the room, there was a  nook in the wall. I knelt beside the nook and reached my hand inside to pull out a small velvet bag with a green drawstring. Inside the bag were some silver coins that I had been saving up since my father died. I turned the coins over in my hand, feeling their cool aura on my skin. 

I reached into my pocket and added another five coins to the bag. It wasn't a lot, but I knew that it was enough so that I could leave one day and start my own life without being blamed by others. Over the next few weeks, I would frequently visit the lake house, adding as many coins as I could without my mother becoming too suspicious. Every time I visited the lake house I always had an exhilarating feeling. It was like I had wings; slowly but steadily flying towards my freedom, However one day, that feeling was gone. I came back home after work and headed into the kitchen to give my mother the daily rations she needed to prepare dinner. However, she wasn't by herself. My brother sat across form her at the dining table. That's odd. He's never home. Wonder why he's here?

As I walked into the kitchen, it was like I broke the trance that they were in. My mother gazed intently at me while my brother glared with his menacing eyes. I decided to be brave. "What's wrong? Why are you guys looking at me like that? My mother looked down. "Nandini, I think that we need to have a talk? Would you please sit?" She pointed her hand towards the chair sitting in front of me. I sat down and my brother cleared his throat. "We have reason to believe that you are hiding something from us. We know you are so don't you dare deny it." I glared at him. It infuriated me when he spoke to me in that tone, as if he had control over me. I stared at him. "I have no reason to hide anything from you. And if I did, there is no reason that I need to tell you anything." My mother placed her hand over mine. I thought that she was trying to calm me down, but when I glanced at her, I realized that she was shaking with fear.

My brother reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out the velvet bag that I had been hiding. I began to feel faint, as if the whole world was crumbling beneath my feet. I could feel tears well up in my eyes, but I did not dare let them fall. I didn't want him to know how weak I felt. He looked at me and chuckled. "Well I must say that I am shocked. The fact that you would be hiding money from us. After all that we have done for you, I must say that I am ashamed." I shook my mother's hand off of mine. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I stood up and snatched the velvet bag in front me. I stashed in my pocket and stared down my brother. "I am done with this. I have been working for years for this family while you have been taking your so called share without caring about the family once. My mother shook her head. "Nandini.." 

"No mother. Not anymore. I can't live like this." I turned on my heel and walked towards the front door. As I opened the door, my brother called out to me. "If you leave, you can never come back again." I turned around to face. "Don't worry brother. I don't intend on returning." I walked our of the door and shut it behind me. As I was stepping down the stairs, I could feel the burden weighing me down lift. It felt as if I had wings and it was my time to fly towards my freedom. 

Author's Note: For my story, I adapted it from the story "the golden feather." The story was about a young father who turns in to a goose with golden feathers. A couple of times a year, the goose would visit his poor family and give them a golden feather. Soon, the wife becomes greedy and strips the gooses feathers. The goose's feathers turn white and soon he flies away from his family. For my story, I took the same concept of an oppressed character. However, I made it so that the daughter would keep the money that she saved up which were the representation of golden feathers. I wanted my character to stand up to her oppressors and gain her independence. 

Bibliography: Inayat, Noor. Twenty Jataka Tales - The Golden Feather.