The Silver Maid

I. The Deal

A long time ago in eighteenth century Britain, an old family mansion caught fire! The family was the Howl family, which conceived of a mother a father and their daughter. The daughter was ten years old. She ran through the smoke and flames to her father’s study, “Mother, father.” She shouted, “Where are you?”

As she reached her father’s study she saw a man still sitting in a chair. Tears ran down her cheeks, “Father, father get out of here!”

The man did not move. Is he dead she thought, her heart was racing, she ran from the study and sat on the stairs. She heard knocking at the door, she ran down to open the door as she did a masked man and woman grabbed her and took her from the burning building. They shoved her in a windowless carriage and then they went inside as well. With a swing of a lantern the driver stormed off.

They reached their secret destination and as the opened the door the man and woman stepped out with the girl in their arms. She was blindfolded; as they took her to the middle of an open field they took her blindfold off. She looked down at her shoeless feet and saw a pentagram! She tried to back away but one man patted her on the shoulder and said, “Would you like to destroy the ones who humiliated you, the ones who destroyed everything?”

She turned to the man, he was masked too. The mask he wore was black with a white flashy trim. She then turned her head back to the pentagram. She nodded then ran out of the woman’s arms and into the middle of the pentagram. The others surrounded the girl; the women in the group began to remove her clothes, the men began to chant. The man who spoke to her held a metal rod with a symbol that was heated, and walked up to her. The women suddenly held her down and the man placed the heated end on the girl’s side. The girl began to scream and struggle, the man smile, “Please settle down so we can help you.” She opened one eye to look at him, and then nodded.

They finally finished forcing her to take on pain, but it wasn’t over yet. The women moved away. She was still lying on the ground, “What’s…next?” She panted.

The men and women began to chant a new chant, one that sounded demonic. The man that spoke to her walked away. He stood on the edge of the pentagram and was chanting as well. The girl couldn’t move! She closed her eyes and began to feel a burning sensation on her back. The women rushed to her and covered her with a cloth, then ran to the edge of the pentagram.

The girl opened her eyes and saw black and white feathers everywhere but began to hear a voice in this empty room. It was vague though she felt as if someone was with her. “Would you like to make a deal with a demon?” The voice offered; it was female.

The girl didn’t move, “Yes.” She didn’t seem fazed in the very least.

“What are your demands,” the voice asked.

“I want to destroy all who humiliated me and the ones who made me suffer,” She said, “I want to make them suffer as I have suffered.”

“Yes, my lady, but my demands are simpler.” The voice began. “All I want is your very soul.”

“Yes, you can have it.”

“Next Demand what is the name shall you give to me?”

“Name,” The girl asked.

“Yes, you will be my new mistress so I need a name.”

A name, what shall your name be The girl pondered. She never thought any of it would ever happen to her, especially this. She laid there for minutes in silence then it hit her, “Catherine Danielle Ellis, but I shall call you ‘Cat’ for short.”

“Yes mistress.” The voice said. Then everything turned black. The voice disappeared and the girl was consumed in a dark shadow. She still didn’t feel scared. She still never moved from her spot. The girl closed her eyes.

The girl opened her eyes and saw blood and fire all around her. She rose up quickly but the pain in her side was too great, so she held on to it. She saw a woman with very light blonde hair walk up to her in a maid outfit. She looked into the woman’s eyes they glowed red, “Mistress, may I ask your name?”

The girl was finally terrified; she didn’t say one word to the woman. The woman then smiled and did a curtsy, “Who…who are you?”

“I’m Catherine Danielle Ellis, but you said you’d call me ‘Cat’ for short.”

The girl stared at her, Cat stretched out her left arm, and her red eyes turned dark blue. The girl took a deep breath then let it out slowly, “Marilyn Howl. That is my name,” she said.

“I’m sure ill be happy to work with you. How about we go find you a new home, then patch up your neck.”

“My neck, what’s wrong with it?” Marilyn brought her hand up to her neck and rubbed it. She took it away then saw blood all over it. She felt sick; memories of that fire filled her mind. She took Cat’s hand and stood up, the pain she had in her side came back. She hunched over and Cat held her long, blonde hair back. Marilyn started to puke blood. Cat seemed concerned. As she finished Cat picked her up and took her away from the dead bodies and burning field.