In the early morning, the sun had barely peeked through the curtains when Lena was jolted from her thoughts by the shrill voice of her Uncle's wife. "Lena! Get down here this instant!" The tone was filled with such anger and impatience that Lena's heart immediately began to race, pounding in her chest like a wild drum. She frantically tried to recall if she had made any mistakes that could have warranted such a furious summons. Mentally, she ticked off the tasks she had completed: she had washed the clothes with great care, fetched water from the well, scrubbed and cleaned the bathroom until it sparkled, mopped the floor to a shine, and was in the midst of preparing breakfast in the kitchen when the call came.
The suddenness of it all left her bewildered. Without a moment's hesitation, she dropped the spoon she was using to stir the pot of stew on the fire, the spoon clattering loudly as it hit the floor. Lena dashed out of the kitchen, her feet moving as fast as they could carry her. When she reached the spot where her Uncle's wife was standing, the sight that greeted her was truly horrifying. All the clothes she had just finished washing and hanging on the line were now strewn across the floor, wet and dirty. It was as if a malicious hand had deliberately yanked them from the rope and tossed them down, then stomped on them with cruel intent.
"What happened?" Lena asked, her voice trembling with shock as her hands instinctively flew to cover her mouth.
"Really? Are you the one that is supposed to be asking me that question or should I be the one asking you?" Her Uncle's wife retorted, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"But, I washed these clothes and hung them to dry just a few minutes ago before I went to the kitchen to make breakfast," Lena explained, her voice rising in desperation as she moved towards the clothes and started picking them up one by one, her hands shaking with disbelief and dismay. She was heartbroken. Just when she thought she was nearly done with her morning chores, someone had maliciously decided to ruin her efforts. She sniffled, struggling to hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.
Suddenly, a loud scream pierced the air. "Ahhhhhhhhh!" Lena recognized the voice instantly and looked up to see her cousin Lauren running towards her.
"You wrench!" Lauren cursed at her, her face contorted with rage. Before Lena could react, Lauren delivered a dirty slap across her face. The force of the slap was so strong that Lena staggered, struggling to maintain her balance. In the process, the clothes she had picked up fell back to the ground.
Lauren stooped down and snatched a white dress from the floor, holding it up for her mother to see. "Look mother, see what this useless wrench has done to my white dress that I was going to wear to the mating ceremony tomorrow!" she screamed hysterically.
"Ah, what have you done?!" Her Uncle's wife exclaimed, her voice filled with anger and disappointment.
Lena wasn't surprised by their immediate blame. She knew it wasn't her fault, as the rope was still intact and strong. Clearly, someone had deliberately removed the clothes and thrown them on the floor. "But it's not my fault, ma. This is the work of someone who hates me. Someone deliberately did this," Lena cried out, her voice breaking with emotion.
"You good for nothing child! I always knew you were jealous of my daughter, but I never knew it was to this extent. I will make sure to teach you a lesson today!" Her Uncle's wife seethed with fury.
"Please, ma, it was not intentional. I did not do it," Lena begged, falling to her knees in front of them.
"Shut up! You will be dealt with today, and nobody will be able to save you," Lauren sneered mockingly.
At that moment, Lena realized that Lauren was the one behind the fallen clothes. She had deliberately done it just to ensure Lena was punished. Lena stared at her with a mixture of anger and disdain.
"Lauren, go and get me a very good cane," Her Uncle's wife ordered.
"With all pleasure, mum," Lauren replied with a malicious grin and scurried off to find a cane.
Lena knew she was in deep trouble. There was no way her Aunt would let her off easily. She braced herself mentally for the impending punishment. Just as her Uncle's wife was approaching her with the cane in hand, the fire alarm in the kitchen blared loudly. They all looked up to see smoke billowing out from the kitchen window.
Damn! Lena cursed under her breath. In her haste to answer her Aunt's call, she had forgotten to lower the fire. And she had been so preoccupied with the fallen clothes that she had completely forgotten she was cooking.
Her Uncle's wife, whom Lena also called her Aunt, looked at her in astonishment and shock. Without a word, she rushed in
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