Orsgadts
Ulrych

Morning arrived at the foot of the Ciarten mountains, the kingdom of Arsyna. The sunlight that was originally reddish in color has now become bright yellow. The expanse of grassland that had been covered with dew began to dry up overnight. The beauty of the morning began to be enlivened by villagers who were on the move.

The men prepared their axes and hoes to work in the fields while the women cleaned houses and prepared provisions. Like the tireless worker bees, they come out of the house and will return later in the afternoon when their fields are finished.

The merchants were ready with their merchandise. Some will travel far into other kingdoms in search of luck. The little children ran around laughing happily. There is nothing more crowded than a morning in the small village of Ulrych.

In a corner of the village, aloof with two rice fields square right next to the house, is the residence of the Grantea family. Grantea's wife's husband is one of the descendants of the old family of Ulrych village builders. Although the family history is very long, unfortunately their great-grandfather was fond of gambling so only the house and two plots of the field were left for the next generation.

Currently, Grantea's husband and wife managed to improve the economic condition of their family by raising cows and goats. Four cows, five goats and a dozen chickens are valuable treasures that ensure the daily availability of their milk and eggs. The fresh milk and cheese they made were very popular with the villagers and the proceeds were more than enough to buy meat and nuts that were not grown in the fields themselves.

The morning commotion was not unusual as the three children in the Grantea family, two girls and one boy, were the culprits of the commotion. Who else would they bother if not Emune? What a pity for Emune, since childhood he has been like a doormat for all three. That condition did not change even until Emune was seventeen years old.

Emune is the smallest in the house but she has never felt the affection and protection of her older siblings. Yes, they are not her siblings. Actually, he was just a collector's child that they had to keep because of his father's request. He was very grateful that there was still shelter and food to fill his stomach even though it meant that he had to endure the torment of the children of Grantea.

Uncle Henry is Emune's old friend. They both traded on the outskirts of Orsgadt. There was nothing conspicuous about this man as he was truly like a calm flowing river water.

The man rarely spoke to anyone including his children. On Emune he was just talking as necessary. Emune likes it because it doesn't bother her at all. From childhood he took care of Emune in his own way.

The opposite of the calm river, Aunt Mary, wife of Uncle Henry, is a desert storm. His speech was loud, firm and fast enough. Nothing escapes his attention. Even Thomas could not hide the small wound on his leg without being noticed by his mother.

Uncle and Aunt treated him like their own son. Then why does Emune live in the barn? Long story short, Emune preferred the calm he could find in the barn. It's no problem with hay and dust. He just doesn't want to be disturbed on his own. Peace is the best gift for him.

Grantea's three children were a difficult ordeal for Emune. Thomas is almost twenty years old this year. He was no different from the other boys in Ulrych. Though Mineda and Daniela, Emune's playmates, find him handsome, to Emune he's just a shitty broomstick.

There is no day without interference from Thomas. The only free time without Thomas is when he goes to the square and dates girls. Of course, the dumb girls who were fascinated heard the booze about the greatness and wealth of the Grantea family in the past. If they were smart enough, they would know how many cows and goats there were left of the herd that Thomas told me each time, the numbers just kept growing. Nonsense, not even a rock will believe, thought Emune.

Then there are Clemence and Clarice, the plump twins, with a sharp but sharp-mouthed cheek. They were already eighteen years old yet there was also no young man approaching them. Actually they are sweet but the attitude is really unpleasant.

Sometimes Emune thinks maybe their brains are actually only half contained. The twins are always together and as if their same faces are not enough to show that they are twins, their clothes and makeup are always uniform. Emune sometimes prayed that the two of them be made one so that he could save energy dealing with one person only.

Just like the other days, early in the morning he was doused with a bucket of water. His shabby clothes became increasingly shabby and his hair was a mess because the water was mixed with straw dust flying. The three children of Grantea who were always united in crime stood arrogantly by the barn door. Thomas held the bucket with his left hand then threw the wooden bucket towards Emune. The wooden bucket fell right near Emune's feet.

"Cow and goat milk. Dairy now," he ordered flat and then turned away.

"Clean the cages!" clemence.

"And gather chicken eggs and feed all the cattle" Clarice said. He took his twin sister away. The two sauntered, turned around for a while while sneering at Emune who was still half-awakened then actually left the barn.

Emune scratched her head, wiped her dirty face and flicked her wet clothes.

"I already know. Very know. That's what I've been doing for the last ten years. You don't have to come and bother me just to repeat the same commandments." Emune rambled to himself. "I already know!" annoyed.

He rushed to wash his face and replace his wet clothes with other clothes that are more shabby again because he only had three sheets of clothes and the wet one was his best clothes. Aunt Mary had actually given him some pretty good clothes but Clarice and Clemence took them and set them on fire. He really didn't want to make a fuss so he just accepted.

This shirt once seen has obviously been patched many times and in a few weeks will definitely be destroyed because the material is the cheapest on the market. She was not a princess who could ask for anything she wanted so again she could not protest.

Emune out of the barn slowly. The sun is high enough. His eyes were glazed over because of the glare. Had he only done his job, which was to help make cheese, instead of doing Thomas and his two sisters, Emune could have relaxed a little today.

Cage, that's where he will start because milking cows is best done in the morning. He walked quickly with two clean buckets. Two heifers were waiting for him and he wanted everything done so he could make it to the waterfall this afternoon.

Emune took a cup of fresh cow's milk and finished it in three gulps. "Lzat!" he exclaimed while removing the remaining milk in the corners of his lips with the tip of his sleeve. This is indeed the best fresh milk in Ulrych which will later become the best cheese as well. He is very proud of his work.

"Uncle Henry, this is fresh milk from the cows." Emune put both buckets on the ground. Uncle Henry, just said "thank you" and raised two buckets with his burly hands. After putting a bucket on the table, he returned to Emune.

"That kid forced you to do this again huh? You should be strict with them, Emune."

"It's okay, Uncle. I can do it."

"It's not true. Not okay. They should be taught a lesson." A woman suddenly appeared from behind a large wooden barrel. Aunt Mary, a plump woman with a friendly face approached Emune. He clucked in wonder at the sight of Emune's clothes full of patches. "Come, there's better clothes you can wear."

"I'm fine with this shirt, Auntie. Really," said Emune on his sidelines trying to keep up with Aunt Mary's enormous power that kept dragging her home.

"You're such a badass and it's unsightly. I swear I'll punish those rancid boys if they bother you again" Aunt Mary said. This time he loosened the grip of his hand on Emune's arm. "Emune, you're not a maid. You're part of this family."

They reached the front yard where the three Grantea children were eating cheese and bread. They immediately stood up to see her mother approaching with Emune.

"You're doing it again, Emune?" thomas asked with a grin that Emune disliked.

"Shut up, Thomas!" hardik Aunt Mary. "Go to the goat house, milk boat and clean the cage right now! I'll punish you harder if you don't finish before noon."

Thomas went to the goat pen reluctantly without saying anything. Her mother cannot be denied. He was like a war general when commanding someone and was more sinister than the swamp monsters that travelers from the west told him about. It was roughly like that even though he himself had never seen firsthand what the monster looked like.

Clemence and Clarice giggled to see their older brother die of fleas in the heart of his mother.

"You two, go to the henhouse, collect the eggs, feed the beautiful chickens and clean the coop."

Both of them were silent for a moment, "Good Mom," said the two in unison. Clarice and Clemence walked past Emune. They murmured while being right beside Emune, the "fattler".

"And whoever took Emune's new clothes was punished for one week working in the fields!"

Aunt Mary's shout was so loud that it made Emune's ears buzz. He was sure that Grantea's "spokes" would be able to hear him. Emune grimacing. He was wondering what kind of retaliation he would receive from the three later.

He likes to get new clothes but it is more fun if not disturbed by them. Maybe a day, a week or forever? Can he ask? Will it be granted? Hmmmm, stop dreaming, it will not happen, thought Emune.

Returning to reality, Emune sees Aunt Mary handing him two dresses. One is blue and the other is brown. Both have simple stitches and no lace but Emune likes it. The material is softer and the clothes are clean.

"Bring it to your room. You've been a big help this morning so go play. Aunty sure you'd want to go to Urndie's. Remember to go home before dark."

Emune's eyes twinkled. It's like a dream. He got a new shirt and was free to play until the afternoon. He hugged Aunt Mary with joy. "Thank you" he said happily.

Mary Grantea smiled as she looked at Emune who was shoved back into the barn. He felt sorry for the girl at once. After three nights of being evicted from the rooms of the house by her mischievous children and not liking the presence of a new child, Emune asks for permission to stay in the barn. At that time, he was only seven years old. He can really adjust to living in the barn.

In the first winter while living in the barn, Mary worries that Emune will freeze to death. The boy cleverly piled the straw in an old box, put a piece of leftover cloth on it and slept in a woolly knitted blanket he received from Mary. Mary swore, the boy was glowing. Very pretty and shiny. Realizing how quickly time passed and the little girl had now become a teenager, her tears unknowingly trickled down.