Maybe she misheard?
"I already asked the merchants. They say noblemen often flock around the market at noon, so we have to leave before that time. Like that, you will be sold for a good price…" The more she heard the words coming out of her father's mouth, the more confused Meredith became.
"The slave market?" Tears gathered in her eyes as realization slowly dawned upon her. "I will be sold?"
The gentle pats on her hair stopped, and her mother's hands fell on her shoulders. "There is no other way, Meredith. We can't continue living like this." Her mother's tears fell, and so did Meredith's.
"Your father and I put much thought into this, and it's better this way. We will live better lives if you get sold tomorrow. Don't you want that, Meredith?"
Her heart broke at her mother's tears, and even more at their reasoning. She did not want to be sold as a slave. She understood their desperation—she was desperate too—but surely there were other ways to make more money. Meredith just had to find more work.
"No, Mother. I won't be sold. I will not be a slave!" She pushed the hands off her shoulders and moved out of her mother's reach. "I just have to find more work. Mr. Willinks promised me better pay tomorrow. I will make sure to come back home with at least two silvers tomorrow." Meredith rambled on, her voice choked with sobs, willing her parents to see reason and take back their decision.
Her mother reached for her again, and Meredith avoided her touch until her back was pressed against the cold wall. If only she knew, she would have remained out until she got some money. If only she knew, she would have rejected that bowl of porridge.
"Ungrateful child!" her father spat. "We have done everything for you! If my wife had not picked you up from the gutters and brought you here in those sullied swaddling clothes, you would have been worse off!"
Meredith broke into the most deplorable cry. Her small shoulders shook as she struggled to calm herself, but it only worsened.
"We had nothing, but we raised you. We gave you a roof over your head and clothed you. Now, you won't even do us this little favour? Would you rather we perish?"
There was a tightness in her chest. She suddenly found it hard to breathe.
The last thing she was was ungrateful. She did everything to make sure that her parents were comfortable. She worked hard every day and night to make sure that they slept with full bellies. Her recent days being unfortunate did not mean that she wasn't trying.
She felt the warmth of her mother's body as she was pulled into a hug, and the pats on her back resumed, but they were anything but comforting.
"Do this for us, Meredith. Just this once," said her mother. "Your father and I will find a way, and we will get you back. You won't have to be there long. A few weeks does it." Meredith did not know if those words were meant to be comforting and assuring. Be it a few hours or a few days, she did not want to be sold as a slave.
"Trust us, Meredith."
She looked into the eyes of her mother, warm and assuring, and Meredith faltered. Trust. She just had to trust her mother. Compared to her father, Meredith loved and trusted her mother. Her dear mother had only done what was best for her, so she just had to trust her.
She wiped the tears off her face, although her shoulders still shook. From the corner of her eyes, she saw her father disappear into the bedroom, and that was the last she saw of him that day.
Her mother was by her side as she slept. She was still with Meredith while she ate breakfast the next morning. She was still with Meredith as she changed into better clothes that would make her look pleasant for the slave auction that noon. And she took Meredith's hands as they walked into the innermost part of the market where the auction took place, offering warm smiles.
Everything passed in a blur, and before Meredith knew it, she was on the stage with other people, ready to be sold into slavery. Some of them trembled, some cried, but Meredith was unfazed on that stage. She was scared, and the uncertainty of what awaited her made her stomach turn, but she trusted. Her parents would get her back.
From where she stood, she saw her mother at a corner away from the trade site, and beside her was her husband, whom Meredith was seeing for the first time that day. The man had a smile on his face, but unlike her mother's, his smile wasn't assuring. He looked like a hunter watching a deer walk straight into the trap he had set for it.
Meredith shook the thought away. She was going to return. Even if her father did nothing, her mother would get her back. She just had to do them this favour.
The slave merchant soon took the stage. He was a big man—tall, fat, and intimidating—and as he walked on the wooden stage, the vibrations could be felt by all who stood there with him. "Good afternoon, gentlemen and ladies!" the slave merchant spoke loudly enough for the whole market to hear. He had taken the stage and was already addressing his buyers. "Today, we bring to you special goods never before seen! The young men and women on this stage are ready to be sold, and as you can see, they are not your regular goods. These ones are better, and you won't be disappointed if you get one for yourself today!"
The merchant sounded so confident that a bustle arose, and people began to gather around. Those who had come to buy were even more interested, while those who had come to watch started clutching their purses, ready to throw out their gold coins.
"Let's start with this girl. Her name is Esther. Look at her closely—she is not only easy on the eyes but can do all sorts of things. Your wildest imaginations will be brought to reality with this girl here. Take a look at her." Esther was made to turn around so her potential buyers could see what they would be paying for. It wasn't long before the sound of coins hitting each other filled the area, and the buyers began to murmur.
Seeing that he had gotten their attention, the slave merchant wore a big smile on his fat face. "Now, let's start with twenty gold coins."