Mosana - Part XXI
EPISODE 21
‘Drink it.’
What?!
I knew I had heard well. With all the strength in my body, I struggled not to show my panic. I couldn’t drink that tea! I had poisoned it myself. What do I do now? I thought to myself. My mind raced uselessly. I couldn’t come up with anything.
I tried delay tactics. ‘But it’s the mistress’ tea, ma’am. I don’t think-’
‘I didn’t ask you to think. I gave you a simple directive. If you’re not poisoning my daughter as you say, then follow orders. Drink it!’
I swallowed and replied her, ‘Yes, ma’am.’
I shakily poured the tea into the cup and raised it to my lips, trying to calm myself.
And I prayed.
I thought about pretending to drink, but I knew Madam Russell would notice. And now was a crucial time. If she found out I was pretending, she would know for sure that her daughter was right.
I took a sip and brought the cup away from my lips.
‘More,’ Madam Russell commanded.
I submitted myself to my fate and took a couple more sips, hoping it was enough. I looked at Madam Russell and waited for the next blow. She eyed me for a few seconds like she expected me to drop dead at her feet.
‘You can leave.’
I set the cup down and took away the whole tray as I left her presence. I walked briskly to the kitchen and washed out all the utensils. One thought made my blood pressure rise: I had poison in my body. I needed to find Tricia. I hoped there was something she could do to help me. If I got sick like Master Wells, Madam Russell’s suspicions would be confirmed.
As soon as I was done in the kitchen, I ran with full speed to the slave quarters. I burst in on Tricia’s door and cried out, ‘Help!’
But she wasn’t there.
‘Tricia!’ I screamed. Where was she?
I went to look for her in the garden. I found her knees down in a patch of vegetables.
‘Tricia!’
She turned around and looked at me alarmingly. I didn’t want for her to get up, but got down with her in the soil.
‘What is it, child?’
‘I drank poison, Tricia. Please help me before it kicks in!’
‘What? What you mean, you drank poison?’
‘Madam Russell made me drink it. It was meant for Amy. She suspected and… Just help me, Tricia. Do something.’
‘Oh Lord,’ Tricia groaned. She got up and walked back to the slave quarters, to her room. I followed her, silently praying that my immune system was strong enough to hold out for me till I could get some form of antidote in my body.
‘How long ago did you take it?’ Tricia was asking.
‘Just now,’ I replied. ‘I ran to you as soon as I could.’
‘Good, good,’ Tricia mumbled.
Good? There was nothing “good” about this!
She got out a small leather bag from the only trunk in her room and opened it. It released a pungent smell of spices and something else I couldn’t place as she rummaged through it. She finally brought out a drying green plant, preserved in a separate cloth pouch. Working with the preciseness of an established apothecary, she ground a small portion of the herb in a small clay bowl and mixed it with water. While she was mixing the potion, she gave me milk to drink. I looked at her like she was crazy but drank it anyway. When she was done mixing the potion, she gave me to drink and commanded, ‘drink it all at once, fast as you can.’
I did as she instructed and finished the dark liquid. I gave the bowl back and looked at her.
What now?
She got out a bucket from the side of her room and set it in front of me. I was about to ask her what the hell I needed a bucket for when I retched horribly and vomited into the bucket in front of me. Heave after heave removed all the food and water in my stomach. I thought I was going to pass out from vomiting. I grabbed both sides of the bucket and almost passed urine on myself. I felt sick all over. Tricia poured water on my head and into the bucket, making me shiver.
But I was alright.
‘What was that?’ I asked after I was calm and no longer retching up my entire throat.
‘The bloodroot.’ Tricia replied. It’s an emetic. Make you throw up half your stomach if you so wish. I gave you to make you vomit your most recent meal, poison included.’
I recalled my latest ordeal and wondered what I would have done if someone like Tricia wasn’t among us. It occurred to me that in all my bad luck, I had always had a bit of help. A bit of good luck.
I was still pondering this when Tricia spoke up. ‘You need a lot of fluids in you, girl. Mostly water. But here, take this first.’
Turned out, that while I was emptying my stomach, Tricia had been warming up some more milk for me. I drank the whole lot and almost vomited again. But she sprinkled water on my face and prevented me from doing so. After that, she gave me water in a giant pitcher and ordered me to finish it. I sat down there, and drank the water in bits. It was the most water I had ever drank at a go.
‘Thank you,’ I said, when I was finished. She was looking at me and only nodded at my thanks. Then she stood up and left me in her room, most likely to go back to the garden.
The very next day, Madam Russell sent Gabe to the market. He ran to me to tell me he was going alone wih Jerome, and I confirmed if he still had the coins he needed to get that diary. He fearfully told me of how Madam Russell had summoned him. Seeing as she didn’t have a choice but to restock her house, she called Gabe to show him his sister held at gunpoint. She wanted to make sure that Gabe would make no moves on freedom. Looking into Gabe’s eyes as he related seeing his sister at the mercy of the trigger, I knew he wouldn’t.
I assured him that one day, we would be out of there and that diary was the key.
He went and came back with the diary; exactly like Master Wells’. I congratulated him and he looked excited too, even though he didn’t know what I needed the diary for. I hadn’t told him about how the diary fit into the overall plan.
I hid the new diary with the original one in the room I shared with Meg and Mel and went back to my chores as usual. During the night, when everyone was asleep, I would put my plan into action.
It was time to activate Plan Diary.
‘Drink it.’
What?!
I knew I had heard well. With all the strength in my body, I struggled not to show my panic. I couldn’t drink that tea! I had poisoned it myself. What do I do now? I thought to myself. My mind raced uselessly. I couldn’t come up with anything.
I tried delay tactics. ‘But it’s the mistress’ tea, ma’am. I don’t think-’
‘I didn’t ask you to think. I gave you a simple directive. If you’re not poisoning my daughter as you say, then follow orders. Drink it!’
I swallowed and replied her, ‘Yes, ma’am.’
I shakily poured the tea into the cup and raised it to my lips, trying to calm myself.
And I prayed.
I thought about pretending to drink, but I knew Madam Russell would notice. And now was a crucial time. If she found out I was pretending, she would know for sure that her daughter was right.
I took a sip and brought the cup away from my lips.
‘More,’ Madam Russell commanded.
I submitted myself to my fate and took a couple more sips, hoping it was enough. I looked at Madam Russell and waited for the next blow. She eyed me for a few seconds like she expected me to drop dead at her feet.
‘You can leave.’
I set the cup down and took away the whole tray as I left her presence. I walked briskly to the kitchen and washed out all the utensils. One thought made my blood pressure rise: I had poison in my body. I needed to find Tricia. I hoped there was something she could do to help me. If I got sick like Master Wells, Madam Russell’s suspicions would be confirmed.
As soon as I was done in the kitchen, I ran with full speed to the slave quarters. I burst in on Tricia’s door and cried out, ‘Help!’
But she wasn’t there.
‘Tricia!’ I screamed. Where was she?
I went to look for her in the garden. I found her knees down in a patch of vegetables.
‘Tricia!’
She turned around and looked at me alarmingly. I didn’t want for her to get up, but got down with her in the soil.
‘What is it, child?’
‘I drank poison, Tricia. Please help me before it kicks in!’
‘What? What you mean, you drank poison?’
‘Madam Russell made me drink it. It was meant for Amy. She suspected and… Just help me, Tricia. Do something.’
‘Oh Lord,’ Tricia groaned. She got up and walked back to the slave quarters, to her room. I followed her, silently praying that my immune system was strong enough to hold out for me till I could get some form of antidote in my body.
‘How long ago did you take it?’ Tricia was asking.
‘Just now,’ I replied. ‘I ran to you as soon as I could.’
‘Good, good,’ Tricia mumbled.
Good? There was nothing “good” about this!
She got out a small leather bag from the only trunk in her room and opened it. It released a pungent smell of spices and something else I couldn’t place as she rummaged through it. She finally brought out a drying green plant, preserved in a separate cloth pouch. Working with the preciseness of an established apothecary, she ground a small portion of the herb in a small clay bowl and mixed it with water. While she was mixing the potion, she gave me milk to drink. I looked at her like she was crazy but drank it anyway. When she was done mixing the potion, she gave me to drink and commanded, ‘drink it all at once, fast as you can.’
I did as she instructed and finished the dark liquid. I gave the bowl back and looked at her.
What now?
She got out a bucket from the side of her room and set it in front of me. I was about to ask her what the hell I needed a bucket for when I retched horribly and vomited into the bucket in front of me. Heave after heave removed all the food and water in my stomach. I thought I was going to pass out from vomiting. I grabbed both sides of the bucket and almost passed urine on myself. I felt sick all over. Tricia poured water on my head and into the bucket, making me shiver.
But I was alright.
‘What was that?’ I asked after I was calm and no longer retching up my entire throat.
‘The bloodroot.’ Tricia replied. It’s an emetic. Make you throw up half your stomach if you so wish. I gave you to make you vomit your most recent meal, poison included.’
I recalled my latest ordeal and wondered what I would have done if someone like Tricia wasn’t among us. It occurred to me that in all my bad luck, I had always had a bit of help. A bit of good luck.
I was still pondering this when Tricia spoke up. ‘You need a lot of fluids in you, girl. Mostly water. But here, take this first.’
Turned out, that while I was emptying my stomach, Tricia had been warming up some more milk for me. I drank the whole lot and almost vomited again. But she sprinkled water on my face and prevented me from doing so. After that, she gave me water in a giant pitcher and ordered me to finish it. I sat down there, and drank the water in bits. It was the most water I had ever drank at a go.
‘Thank you,’ I said, when I was finished. She was looking at me and only nodded at my thanks. Then she stood up and left me in her room, most likely to go back to the garden.
The very next day, Madam Russell sent Gabe to the market. He ran to me to tell me he was going alone wih Jerome, and I confirmed if he still had the coins he needed to get that diary. He fearfully told me of how Madam Russell had summoned him. Seeing as she didn’t have a choice but to restock her house, she called Gabe to show him his sister held at gunpoint. She wanted to make sure that Gabe would make no moves on freedom. Looking into Gabe’s eyes as he related seeing his sister at the mercy of the trigger, I knew he wouldn’t.
I assured him that one day, we would be out of there and that diary was the key.
He went and came back with the diary; exactly like Master Wells’. I congratulated him and he looked excited too, even though he didn’t know what I needed the diary for. I hadn’t told him about how the diary fit into the overall plan.
I hid the new diary with the original one in the room I shared with Meg and Mel and went back to my chores as usual. During the night, when everyone was asleep, I would put my plan into action.
It was time to activate Plan Diary.
________________________________________
Hey you!
What's good, y'all?
Who noticed that Mosana prayed twice in this chapter, lol? Guess she needs Jesus after all.
About the bloodroot... A little fun fact: The blood root is actually like any other green plant, with white flowers. It derives its name from the fact that it can be used to make red dye, and the roots are reddish in colour too. So write that down! ;)
Till next Sunday, when Mosana activates Plan Diary :-D
Fans of Money Heist would know all about something like this...
xoxo,
Ava.
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