“I wake up, ready for another long day.
It’s the same old thing, but I won’t grow tired.
I will work for the master ’til I can say.
I’m free, and I’m retired.”
Jannis softly sang to herself as she sat up, the barnwood floors barely creaking underneath her petite chassis. She yawned directly into the newborn sunbeams struggling to make their way from the sky into the old shed that she called home. They were barely able to squeeze through the cracks snaking their way up the walls, revealing the hidden age and level of disrepair the shed ailed from.
Jannis stood quickly to her feet and looked at the empty mat on the other side of the room. Did she oversleep?
The young girl briskly made her way to the closet on the far side of the shed, looking inside and taking far longer than most would to choose from a wardrobe of exactly two outfits. She quickly dawned her ratted brown sundress, and twirled in the flickering light. The morning dust always passed in front of the cracks in the wall, causing the sunbeams to sparkle on the floor as if she was a guest at some fancy nightclub on a far away world.
As Jannis opened the door, she felt the full degree of the days warmth, and could not help but close her eyes momentarily as she inhaled another breath, this time of warm, dust-free air.
Her master owned a fair amount of land here on the planet Mama had said was named Lothal, and he had settled down for the time being until the spooky white-clad knights stopped bothering them.
She ran across the back lawn of his rather large vacation home, and under the vine covered trellises that gave way to his massive garden. She stopped when she saw her master’s two bodyguards, Bruthus and Strathos, who both waved to her rather clumsily.
Mama had told her they were a primitive alien known as the Amani, and while they had scared Jannis a few years ago when her master had first acquired them, she had quickly learned that they were actually very sweet, just like Mama had said.
Mama knew so much.
Strathos wound and curled his long body up into a tight wheel, rapidly rolling over to Jannis. The gust of air from his speedy approach caused her hair to blow into a most disheveled mess, and she laughed giddily as she dug through her matted locks to see what the Amani had wanted.
He extended his disproportioned green and yellow arm to her, holding a flower he had crudely pulled from the garden, dirty roots still attached to the bottom of the stem. He remained motionless and without expression, only making a low rumbling noise in his chest.
She smiled and grabbed the flower, twirling around and imagining a handsome young dignitary had just given her the most beautiful bouquet she had ever laid eyes on.
“I love it Strathos, thank you!” She exclaimed and hugged him, looking up and seeing his inexpressive features almost contort into something resembling a smile.
She waved to Bruthus, who was still watching her from the other side of the garden, and ran off up the stairs leading into the manor. She plucked the long stem from the cyan blossom and tucked the bloom behind her ear.
She reached the doors and laid her hands on them, hoping to quickly sneak into the residence and resume her duties tending to the laundry and dishes, as if she had not enjoyed a few extra luxurious moments of sleep. However, before she could do so, they swung open in a swift and jarring motion, startling the young girl.
Towering above her was Sheev, her master’s long-time butler. Jannis loved Sheev almost as much as Mama, even if he was a lot less nice to her in public. She knew him better than anyone.
“Get that thing out of your hair,” he said, reaching for the flower, “you’re over two minutes late.”
She smiled and cupped the flower to her head with her dainty hand, knowing that Sheev’s oversized Phindian fingers would most definitely crush it.
“But don’t I look like a princess today, Sheev? Isn’t this just the most beautiful floral crown you’ve ever seen?”
Sheev put his hand to his angular head and pursed his already considerable yellow lips as he sighed, “alright, I suppose you can keep it with you today. But make sure to hide it when around Master Kaligraph, you know how he hates that kind of thing.”
He peered out of the large door before quietly closing it, “and tell the Amani not to mess with my garden anymore. They’ve done enough damage as it is.”
Jannis grinned from ear to ear as she playfully balanced on her heels, “deal. I love you Sheev.”
The lanky Phindian couldn’t help but smile in return, “I love you too, Princess Calypso. Now get going.”
Jannis quickly slipped passed the door where she knew her master was feasting with his colleagues, hearing his boisterous laugh rattle the wooden frames. She peered through the keyhole for only a moment, and saw her roommate Vick pouring the master his tea.
One of the large creatures seated in the room, who looked just like a pile of their Fathier’s dung if it was slightly greener and had a tail, slammed his fist down on the table in delight. This surprisingly powerful action had caused Vick to spill the tea in the lap of their master, the mighty Baron Urul Kaligraph.
She saw the other figures in the room, along with the sluggish turd creature, stop and look towards her master to see what he would do.
For a moment, he flashed a frustrated smiled, his large white mustache rising up to reveal his fuzzy double chin. However, this farce was short lived as his tone swiftly switched to that of intense displeasure, and she looked away as she heard the Baron’s hand connect with Vick’s face creating a most upsetting thud.
She had already seen enough and moved along to the manor’s massive laundry room, where she caught sight of dozens of the Baron’s finest silk robes hanging up to dry. Still, at least three or four more lay dirty in the basket by the door, and to remove what just witnessed from her mind, she began to ponder how one man could go through so many outfits in just a day. She couldn’t even imagine owning four different outfits, let alone the dozens and dozens that he possessed.
As she resumed her duties from the day prior, she quickly compartmentalized what she had observed happen to Vick in the dining hall. Of course, this was not the first time he had been punished for embarrassing their master, and she knew he was tough, not even fearing the beatings anymore.
Jannis began to softly sing to herself as she folded the gem-lined sheets and dribble covered bibs.
“I wake up, ready for another long day.
It’s the same old thing, but I won’t grow tired.
I will work for the master ’til I can say.
I’m free, and I’m retired.”
She tossed one of the glittery white sheets up in the air and imagined it was a blanket of snow falling over her as she shivered due to the imaginary cold.
She was brought out of her fantasies when she saw someone step into the room out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see Vick walk in, rubbing his bruised cheek, and she ran to hug him.
“I may have overslept… so I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell you good morning,” she said looking up at the taller boy through the thicket of his furrowed tunic.
After a moment, he embraced her back and smiled as he looked down at his only friend. She stepped away and examined his injury, and although the bruise was disguised by his darker complexion, she could still see patches of purple starting to form.
Her gaze shifted to the rest of his face, and his reassuring smile made her feel all fuzzy inside. They may have been the same age, but he seemed so much wiser and more mature than her. And no matter what happened, his smile always had the ability to both calm and delight her.
This smile quickly faded, however, and he painfully exhaled as he took a step back towards the door, “don’t worry about me. I actually came in here to tell you that the Baron asked for you personally. He said that he had an errand he needed you to run.”
Jannis smiled excitedly, “do you think that means I get to go into town?”
The young boy shrugged. “I don’t know, but don’t be late,” he said rubbing his cheek, “he may not be in a good mood forever.”
Jannis quickly wiped her hands on her equally dirty garments and passed Vick out the door. Her smile faded and she took on a very serious and stoic persona as she neared the large doors to Baron Kaligraph’s dining chambers. As she began to push the door open, she realized the blue flower was still in her hair, and she crumpled it up as she quickly shoved it into her front pocket.
She slipped through the small crack in the heavy doors, and deliberated every step as she made her way towards her master.
Seated at the table and watching her with intimidatingly intent eyes were three other creatures. There was the fleshy mound of a creature she had noted before, as well as two others situated on the opposite side of the room from her.
One was a purple man, just as rotund as her master, and lacking legs just like the other two guests. That being said, the last patron was much thinner than the others, and had the body of an eel. Yet he was brown and furry, possessing the elongated face of the dog and the curled horns of a ram. She thought he would almost make a cute pet, if his teeth weren’t so sharp and scary.
She arrived at her master’s side but couldn’t quite make her eyes meet his gaze. The best she could do was stare at his mustache, which was littered with small amounts of all sorts of exotic foods and sticky wines.
He set his golden goblet down on the table and he circled his empty plate with his finger. As he began to talk, Jannis was reminded of how she always thought his blubbering voice matched his walrus-like appearance.
Still, this was a voice she feared, due in part to the fact that the Baron was just so unpredictable. She clenched her teeth as she prepared to be scolded for missing a spot on his favorite bath robe or even worse, for coming in late this morning.
Instead, he placed his portly hand on her shoulder and looked straight down at her. “My friends and I were in the mood for some Jogan fruit, but it appears we are all out. I need you to run to the market and buy one for me.”
While she still was not meeting his gaze, she could feel her eyes widen with surprise. This was not a usual request as she had never gone into the town by herself before, but at least she wasn’t in trouble. His words were still arrogant and devoid of any compassion, but somehow they comforted her as, for once, they did not come from a place of pure anger.
He handed her some credits from his pocket, and she smiled and nodded, “yes master.” As she hastily made her way back towards the doors, she heard him call out to her from behind.
“And do hurry, we may not be in the mood forever. I trust you can manage on your own?”
She smiled and turned back to him, finally looking into his eyes as she reached the doors, “of course. I will be back soon.”
As she closed the heavy wooden doors behind her, she fell back against them and exhaled in relief. She had never known to find the master’s words comforting, but if she could bring the fruit back in time, he might actually be pleased with her. Maybe she could even finally make him like her enough to not yell at her anymore.
She quickly walked back down the hall to tell Vick what had happened, but slowed her youthful stride as she passed an empty bedroom.
She peeked her head through the slender entryway and glanced around the darkened, dusty walls. The room was furnished only with a cot, a rocking chair, a barren wardrobe, and a delightfully colorful bookshelf.
And as always, Mama still wasn’t there…
Jannis stepped into the room and sat down in the rocking chair. She closed her eyes, smiling as she felt all of her anxieties melt away, and she imagined she was sitting in Mama’s lap while the woman read her a soothing bedtime story.
It had been over a year since the Baron’s maid, Mama Calypso, had disappeared. Jannis had never actually learned Mama’s real name, but she did know that the feline woman was something known by many as a Cathar. She had told Jannis that Cathars were tough and hard working, and that the Calypso family was the toughest of them all.
Jannis has grown ecstatic when Mama had said she could be a Calypso too. She had never had a last name to call her own, nor a real mother, so Mama had been the most comforting figure in the galaxy.
She snuggled into the chair as she remembered all of the nights Mama had carried she and Vick back to the shed and tucked them in. Mama always disappeared a night, and Jannis never knew where she went. But she wished she could have fallen asleep in the warmth and comfort of this room just once. The cot in the corner looked so tantalizingly comfortable.
A creak in the floor caused Jannis to snap her eyes open and hop off of the rocking chair. She held it in place in an attempt to cease it’s noisy rocking, and hoped that the Baron would not walk in on her slacking off.
But it was Vick who peaked his bruised face around the doorway.
“I guess we had the same idea…” he said, lowering his head.
“Yeah,” the young girl said, feeling tears form in her eyes. “I really miss Mama. Why doesn’t anybody talk about her? Where do you think she could be?”
Vick clenched his fists, “I heard that the Baron sold her because of that time with the knife. But I think it was worse than that. The Baron has a way of making sure people he doesn’t like… expire.”
“Expire…?” Jannis asked, knowing exactly what Vick was inferring. He was just attempting to soften the blow with the vaguest word in his vocabulary.
Vick continued to bite his lip as he glared at the floor in thought.
Expire. Jannis didn’t like that word, it should be used to refer to fruit, not people. Especially not Mama.
She frowned as she remember the morning she had walked in on Mama curled up in bed, covered in cuts and bruises. Apparently Mama had tried to hurt Baron Kaligraph in his sleep, but she had tripped and woke him up. That was why he had purchased Bruthus and Strathos.
Vick finally shook his head and looked back up at his fellow slave, “either way, she’s gone now. So there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Growing puzzled, he glanced around the room. “What did the master call you in for?”
Jannis felt her eyes grow wide, and she sprinted past the older boy. “Oh my goodness, I need to hurry! The Baron wants me to run to the market and buy him some Jogan Fruit!”
“By yourself?” Vick asked in shock.
He chased after Jannis as she made her way back into the large, wooden foyer.
“I can manage, Vick. I will be back before you know it, and the master will be happy with me,” she said as she slipped her shoes on.
“I don’t know… maybe one of the Amani can go with you? They don’t seem to be doing anything all that important today?”
She opened the front door, and caught a glimpse of Sheev peeking his head out from the kitchen. “I promise, I’ll be fine Vick. This will be a fun little adventure for me!”
Vick sighed and rubbed his hands together nervously, “not that I don’t trust you but… just, be safe, okay?”
“And do hurry,” Sheev added as he wiped his hands off on his apron, “the master will most likely want me to convert the fruit into some sort of pie.”
Jannis blew kisses at both of them in an exaggerated manner as she playfully backed out the door, “it feels so good to have adoring fans. I shall return for an encore!”
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