Love's Curse Ch. 03

Ch 3: Unnatural Life

Harken dear reader as I continue this tale that will take us along the darkened paths to the outskirts of town where a family dwells. It is not a happy family by any means but then again, life is never fair. Listen well to the story of a young maid who wishes for little and never receives much except misery.

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Lilandra stood at the edge of the forest and stared at the place she called home. Not that it was much of a home. Not since her mother had died at any rate. She had just turned eighteen five days ago and now she worried more. Her father's behavior was becoming more and more disturbing. She longed to be free but that would never be because he watched her like a hawk. She knew he was hoping to pawn her off on some guy that had money and if it were any of those in the village she knew she'd rather die than be married to such boors. Her mother had taught her to dream of better things and such things were not to be found in her home or in the village.

The harsh roar of her father's irate voice emanating from the house however interrupted her thoughts. "Lilandra! I thought I told you to have dinner ready by the time I got back from the north side! And why the hell is the fire not stoked up yet! You've had a whole three hours to get it done! Get in here right now!"

His roar startled her. She flinched before dropping her head and hurrying to the house. She had not been paying attention to the time when she'd ventured into the forest to pick blackberries for the jam she was hoping to make. And now she was in trouble. Again. She ran the last few feet and skidded to a halt before her father. She clutched her nearly overflowing basket to her chest. Her eyes only briefly strayed to his face before dropping back down to the ground.

Her father's pitch black eyes bored into her face. He looked down at the basket before snatching it from her hands. Angrily he threw it on to the huge kitchen table, berries spilling over its surface. "I tell you to have dinner ready and this is what you do! Go and pick BERRIES instead of cooking the freshly slaughtered pig? What do you think I am, a rabbit?" His anger was pure and seething, his face red from both his rage and a hard day in the sun. "When I tell you to have dinner ready I expect it to be done! I work all day to keep a roof over our heads and appease our Lord and this is how you repay me! Perhaps I should send you to him to learn some respect?"

She flinched again, her eyes still on the ground as she swallowed hard. She wasn't sure what to say to appease him. "Father, please, no," she whispered. Her heart was racing and she prayed that his anger would cool quickly.

This seemed only to anger her father more so, his hand rising into a position to strike her down with a hard blow from the back of his hand. "You think to tell me what I can and cannot do? How dare you disrespect your father in such a way! Do you wish to be sent out on the next wagon?"

She saw his hand rise and she hastily took a step back, her head snapping up in her fear. "No, father! I'm sorry I meant no disrespect!" she pleaded. She had said the wrong thing again!

Reluctantly he lowered his hand, his eyes burning with pent up fury now. "You have one hour to clean up this mess and have my dinner ready or you will feel the taste of the birch!" He moved away from her and stomped through the house, slamming the kitchen door.

She let out a shaky breath. She cautiously entered the house, her eyes furtively looked about to make sure he had truly gone through the kitchen and into another part of the house. She didn't shed the tears that stung at her eyes. Instead she hurriedly scooped up the spilled berries and moved the offending basket over to the side out of the way and out of her father's sight. Hastily she searched the cupboards for things to cook. She found several potatoes that she peeled and tossed into the giant black pot of water. She quickly stoked the fire and began cutting up the carrots and greens that she also found.

Once they were added to the water and boiling, she went outside to finish skinning and cleaning the pig her father had killed. She cut it into the appropriate sections, three big ones for her father and brothers, two medium sized ones for her sisters-in-law and then finally a modest sized one for herself. She put them on the large platter and headed inside to the oven. She stoked the fire in it and placed the slabs inside. She leaned against the wall for a second and closed her eyes. She was now hot, sweaty, and stank of pig's blood but at least dinner was cooking. She still had four loaves left from yesterday's baking that she could serve. She hoped it would be enough.

From upstairs came a squeal of delight that Lilandra recognized as her sister-in-law Trina. Her father held the timely tradition that while living under his roof his sons were to share their wives with him. The ceiling creaked as the sounds of Trina landing on the bed and the almost clockwork sounds of her father, Victor moving atop her. He was loud and animalistic; his grunts of effort were punctuated by the erotic moans of the young wife. The deep grunting laughter of Victor as he had his wicked way with his daughter-in-law accompanied each surprised squeal.

Lilandra squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears but it couldn't keep the sounds out. With a disgusted snort she ran from the house and outside to the garden. At least out here she wouldn't have to hear them. She grabbed a basket and began pulling up turnips and some lettuce. She could add them to the soup as well.

She finished, stood and dusted herself off. She went back inside, heard the noises still coming from upstairs and promptly put the turnips and lettuce into the water and hurried back outdoors. She looked at the barn. She'd better make sure they had milk on the table. Her father didn't care much for water. Only his alcohol and his milk. Snatching up a pail she went to milk one of their three cows. Her brothers should be coming in from the field soon.

As if on cue the sounds of horses could be heard coming down the dirt road, accompanied by out of tune singing. Obviously Jacob and Josiah had been at the still before heading home. The wagon behind them bounced and jostled, spilling a bit of hay on the particularly deep ruts in the road.

Lilandra was almost in the barn when she heard the wagon and grimaced at their bad singing. She ducked inside the barn and sat down to milk Ginger, one of the younger cows they owned. She always produced a lot of milk.

The wagon rattled to a halt outside and the barn door was pulled open by Josiah. Jacob who had heard his father from outside snorted and muttered. "That old fart gets her more than I do these days." He turned and his eyes fell upon his sister. "Well if I can't have MY wife, I guess I'll just have to take some home grown pussy won't I?" He moved towards Lilandra, staggering slightly and chauvinistically pawed at her firm buttocks. "Come on Lilly, put out for your big brother eh?"

Lilandra leaped back away from him. "Stay away from me, Jacob!"

Josiah conveniently blocked the door, a lurid grin across his face. Jacob advanced upon her, hands still groping, now trying to undo her dress. "Aww don't be like that sis, I only want a bit of love. You can't be THAT cold hearted can you?"

"Get off me!" she screamed and tried to push him off. When that failed she did the only thing she could think to do. She kneed him hard in the crotch.

Jacob's face went still a moment, the next he was crumpling to the ground cradling his groin. Josiah took that moment to burst into a fit of giggles at the unfortunate events that happened to his brother and had to lean on the doorframe to keep upright.

Lilandra took advantage of the situation, grabbed the full pail, raced past her two brothers and out the barn. She didn't stop running until she was at the kitchen door. She was forced to try to catch her breath and then she bit back a curse when she saw that she had spilled about half of the milk. Father was not going to like this at all. She opened the door and went inside. She let out a yelp when she saw that the vegetable soup was boiling over. "Oh no!" she grabbed a towel and a ladle and pulled the cauldron away from the fire. She stirred the vegetables but some of them had begun to burn at the bottom of the pot. Nothing was going right for her this day!

The room upstairs had gone quiet, filled with the sounds of post mating. The bed creaked above Lilandra once more, dust falling from the ceiling as her father got out of bed. A few moments later came the clumping sounds of his heavy boots coming down the stairs, followed by the soft patter of Trina's petite form. The kitchen door burst open, her father seeming calmer than before, but not by much. "Time's up Lilandra so serve up the meal." He glanced at the clock and frowned in puzzlement, growling now, "And where the hell are those two slackers? It shouldn't take more than five minutes to load that wagon."

"Yes father," she muttered obediently as she went about setting the table with bowls, spoons, and knives.

Trina stood by and didn't offer to help. Another set of footsteps was heard as Samantha came downstairs, scratching at her armpit as she looked about the room. "What did I miss?" she demanded as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Nothing. It's dinner time," Trina pointed out just as muted cursing reached their ears. Samantha giggled and went to the table and sat down.

The kitchen door handle rattled a moment before it swung open, Jacob being support by Josiah as he was helped into the room. They both stunk of moonshine and Victor's face began to turn purple with rage. "What in hell have you two been doin'? I told you both to come straight home after loading that wagon. I bet you spilled half the goddamn load coz you weren't watching out for potholes and you both stink of MY moonshine! What the hell were you thinking? You could've wrecked my damn wagon half pissed like that. What've you got to say for yourselves?"

The brothers were silent, too drunk to think up a speedy explanation so Jacob resorted to shifting his father's fury. "I can't quite remember. I slipped on the big puddle of milk Lilandra threw when I offered to help her milk Ginger. Then she kicked me in the royals dad, got me good."

Victor's eyes shifted back and forth between Jacob and Lilandra, reason sprouting its head a moment to spare his daughter. "Oh really? I have a feeling she didn't attack you offerin' to help milk Ginger. That beast hates your guts." His fury bubbled down slightly as he sat at his place and slapped his hand to the table. "Sit down and eat, I'll deal with you after dinner."

Josiah smirked at his brother once their father's back was turned. He looked at his wife Samantha who gave him a sour look. Trina only smiled as if she knew something he did not. He staggered over to the table and dropped his brother into the nearest seat before sitting down himself.

Lilandra had almost panicked when Jacob had blabbed about her spilling milk but when her father hadn't yelled at her she figured she was safe. Quietly she filled their bowls with the soup, placed the sliced bread in the center of the table and took the plates over to the oven to get out the meat. She served her father first, making sure he got his meat and filled his cup with some of the remaining milk. She fed the women next and lastly her two brothers. Once everyone had food she got her own meager portion. She slid into her seat, eyes down on the table and began to eat.

Victor brought the spoon to his mouth and took a big gulp of the soup, immediately making a face at the taste, his venomous glare centered once again on his daughter. He spoke quietly as he pushed away the bowl. "I'll assume for the moment that the pig I bought and killed for you to cook was somehow allergic to being boiled up in my soup shall I? I told you a hundred times to put some meat in my soup!" He sliced a thick chunk of pork off the slab and angrily began chewing.

His jaws immediately began to slow and he looked down at his meat, seeing it was still bleeding in the middle. He spat the mouthful out on to the table and roared, "WHY THE HELL IS MY DINNER HALF COOKED, LILANDRA?" He pushed out of his chair so fast that it crashed against the back wall, his monstrous bulk moving at a thunderous pace towards his daughter, hand once more raised to strike. This time he did not hesitate or restrain himself but let it fly with a shocking force, knocking her from the chair.

She let out a cry of fear as she hit the floor and tried to roll to her feet. Her skirt tangled in her legs and kept her from getting up as quickly as she wanted to. She had learned from past experience if she didn't get to her feet he would pull her to her feet and it was often worse.

This was the case right now, however Lilandra was on her feet only for a moment before he knocked her back down again. His fury fully unleashed. "I give you a roof over your head! Ask you to have nothing more than my dinner ready and a fire going! And what do you do instead? Spend hours wandering the forest instead of your chores!

She hit the floor harder the second time and let out a whimper. She lay there for a moment trying to breathe for her breath had gotten knocked out of her. It was going to be bad. Maybe she should have just stayed in the forest then none of this would have happened. "Papa, please! I'm sorry!" she cried.

Her father dragged her once more to her feet and out into the yard towards the low fence that had acquired the nickname of 'The Birching Fence'.

"Sorry ain't good enough anymore, Lilandra! You are gonna learn the hard way the consequences of disobeying my simple requests!"

She knew she shouldn't struggle but she didn't want him to punish her. She was trying so hard and she was tired. Her two sisters-in-law never did anything. She had to wait on them hand and foot and still do all the chores. It wasn't fair! "No! No! No!" she protested, struggling to break free.

Her father's grip in her hair tightened and for a third time he slapped her face, bursting her lower lip. Hauling her over to the fence he tied her wrists to the bottom posts with the tough leather thongs that were put there specifically for this task. His plate sized hand gripped the lower half of her dress and tore it off, letting the cool air caress her exposed body as he strode over to the birch tree near by and selected a suitable branch.

She twisted futilely. She was crying in earnest now. She heard the kitchen door open and heard the giggles of her sisters-in-law and the drunken laughter of her brothers. Of course they would all come out to see the show.

The heavy footsteps of her furious father came thudding back towards her. There was only the briefest of whistles before the branch struck her flesh, the searing pain erupting across her flesh like a firestorm.

She screamed in pain and the tears streamed down her face. She sobbed brokenly, "Please, stop!"

Her father's arm worked back and forth over and over again, birching her buttocks, thighs and lower back. "I'll teach you how to obey one way or another! Remember this night because the next time I'm leaving you out here all night!

She was nearly fainting from the fire that raged through her body at the blows. She only wanted it to stop. Oh mommy, she screamed silently in the depths of her soul. Father hadn't been this way when she was alive.

The final blow struck, Victor stood panting and threw the branch down, blood coating its surface. He loosed the thongs and grabbed her hair, forcing her face upwards to meet his gaze. "Next time you'll remember your place, won't you?" He stood up and headed towards the house, shouting towards his sons. "What the hell are you two laughing at? You're getting up at dawn tomorrow to go fetch all the hay you lost! And you can sleep in the goddamned barn tonight for stealing my drink!"

"Aw dad!" Josiah whined.

The whine was met with a blow from Victor. "I SAID OUT YOU LITTLE THIEVING SHIT!"

He roughly grabbed Samantha by the arm and dragged her towards his bedroom.

"Hey, sir, I'm coming," Samantha grinned. Of the two women she liked her sex rough. And Victor in this mood was one she enjoyed.

Jacob laughed at his brother before stumbling back in the house. Trina rolled her eyes and followed her husband inside. That left Josiah struggling to rise as he wiped the blood off his face.

Over by the fence, Lilandra had fallen to the ground near the post. She could feel the blood running down her back but she was too hurt to care. She didn't think she had any tears left but a few ran down her face. It took her a long time but she finally managed to get to her feet and stagger into the house. It was even worse when she made it to her bedroom. She had begun bleeding again but she collapsed onto her pitifully thin straw mattress.

A short time after Lilandra had made it to bed, a ruckus could be heard as Victor threw Jacob out of the house to join his brother, shouting, "Until you learn to keep your damn hand off my drink you can STAY out there!" The door was slammed again and he could be heard stamping upstairs, returning to Samantha who cried out in ecstasy as Victor's hand connected with her firm buttocks.

Lilandra cringed. She wanted to escape from this life and these people. But she didn't see any hope of that happening. Ever.