"We regret to inform you that your financial aid has been canceled due to current unforeseen economic realities."
My heart sank as I read through the brutally direct email from my university's bursar. After three years of hard work, I had no way of paying tuition for the final year. My vision of a wonderful and productive future seemed to collapse to dust in front of my mind's eye. How could they do this to me? Didn't they understand that a human was on the other end of the line?
No. I wouldn't accept this. There had to be a way to cobble together my tuition money. I had worked far too hard to give up here. Someday I would remember this as a minor bump in the road and laugh. All I needed to do was work hard. There had to be a way!
I donned my heavy winter jacket and marched straight from my dorm to the student union. The cold winter air felt almost refreshing as I walked briskly as my thin nearly-starving legs would take me. The university was eerily quiet around me, and I wondered just how many poor students had received that same email. They were likely wallowing in their misery, but I was going to do something about my fate.
I strutted into the union halls and marched straight toward the bulletin board. In the past I had ignored the various odd jobs and studies posted here, but not today. Unfortunately, my heart sank as I approached the board. While plenty of jobs were posted, virtually all of the little slips with the contact phone numbers and emails had been claimed. It turns out I wasn't the only one with this idea.
Desperately, I scanned the board. Most advertisements were crumpled and damaged in the mad rush to find work. One, however, stood out from the rest. It was fresh. Untouched. Pristine.
"House servant needed. Long hours. High pay. Discretion advised."
On any other day, I would have ignored this one. Who actually had servants in this day and age? What did they mean by discretion? No phone number or email was listed; instead, an address was printed on the posting. The location was surprisingly nearby, at least.
Deliberately ignoring the red flags, I noted down the address and sped out of the student union. I had to beat any other applicants there, this was my only chance. My legs ached and my stomach growled as I marched the three long blocks towards the destination. This was going to be my salvation.
As I turned one last corner on my way to my destination, a large colonial manor loomed before me. Old iron-wrought fences surrounded the grounds, but the main gate was left suspiciously open. I took a deep breath and walked through, doing my best not to contemplate who would live in such a place.
The old manor loomed large as I climbed the steps towards its large, wooden door. Not wanting to give myself a moment to lose my nerve, I knocked without a second thought. I nearly jumped back, startled, by the echoing roar of the knocker on the old wood. Still, despite all the noise, nobody came to answer. Was I too late? Part of me began to feel almost relieved when the door suddenly creaked open.
Light poured into the dark yard as the gap in the door widened. Moments later, a thin, meek woman stepped onto the porch. My eyes widened as I took in her absurd outfit. She couldn't have been more than 110lbs, and she was dressed in an old serving maid's uniform, frills and all. Her heels were absurdly high, and I could see her tiny feet quivering in them as she struggled to stand upright.
"Good evening," she spoke. "I am one of Lady Nichole's house servants. Might I inquire as to why you're disturbing her repose at such a late hour?"
The poor woman's voice quivered as she attempted to sound dignified while speaking in such an absurd manner.
"Y-yes," I answered. "I'm so sorry! I saw the ad in the union, and..."
The serving woman's eyes went dark, and she seemed to almost be trying to send me a message to flee wordlessly. I was too foolish to notice at the moment and ignored her. Seeing that I wasn't going to be discouraged, she spoke again.
"Very well, please come this way."
The servant bowed and gestured for me to enter. As I did, the door slammed shut ominously. There was no turning back now. As I considered my situation, the serving woman quickly and silently scurried in front of me.
"Follow me," she ordered. "Please do not enter any rooms without permission."
I nodded, wondering what could be hidden in this old house. As we made our way out of the foyer and into the main hallway, I couldn't help but be impressed. The old manor had a somewhat stuffy feel to it, but it was the domain of someone quite wealthy. Various paintings, sculptures, and antiques adorned every corner of this magnificent building.
The Brazilian hardwood floors creaked beneath us as we made our way down the hall and around a corner. Before long, we finally arrived in a cozy-feeling study. The servant quickly bowed as we entered, and with her right hand pressed on my shoulder and forced me to do the same. Before I could lift my head, a woman spoke.
"It's late, Sarah," the voice boomed. "Why are you disturbing me."
Sarah quivered as she spoke. "My deepest apologies Lady Nichole, but this...boy has come in response to your advertisement. I thought it necessary to bring him to you posthaste, given the urgency of your need."
The woman, Lady Nichole, laughed.
"Fair enough, although we'll have to discuss consequences for this intrusion later," Lady Nichole ordered.
The serving girl, Sarah, trembled but remained silent. Lady Nichole seemed unphased and turned her gaze to me. I looked up at her, finally daring to take a good look. She was a massive woman, probably over 350lbs. Her nighttime robe clung to her round form, revealing milky white pale skin that contrasted heavily with her dark brown, long, straight hair. Her blue eyes were powerful, and she commanded a piercing gaze.
Nichole rose as I examined her, an annoyed look on her face. Her massive stomach flopped down as she stood, and her wide thighs wobbled.
"So, you've come for the job, have you?" she asked. "Do you understand what it entails?"
Of course, I knew nothing. The ad was not exactly thorough.
"N-no, my Lady," I responded. "But I'll do whatever you ask. I need the money to graduate."
Nichole laughed. "Oh, that makes sense. My family withdrew some support for the university recently to stimulate the local economy. Looks like it's working!"
My face flushed red. Was this woman responsible for my situation? Still, there was little I could do now. She had a lot of power over the school and, indirectly, me. Instead, I nodded and waited in meek silence. As I remained there, Lady Nichole stepped closer and wrapped her hand around my chin.
"This one will do for now," she mused. "Prepare him, and make sure he can't leave the premises."
My eyes widened.
"Wait, what do you mean?" I exclaimed. "This is just a part-time job, I didn't agree to live here!"
Lady Nichole rolled her eyes.
"I don't care," she responded. "If you want, I'd be happy to call up the school and tell them to drop you."
She didn't wait for my response. Instead, she snapped her fingers and the serving girl immediately rose from her bow. Moments later, a metal ring was clasped around my neck with a small golden bell hanging off the front loop. The servant then stepped in front of me.
"Like me, you're now the property of Lady Nichole," Sarah explained. "You'll receive your weekly paycheck automatically. Any attempt to leave the house will trigger the shock device around your neck. Additionally, the Lady requests that you refrain from ever declining any requests. Doing so will result in severe corrective action."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. What had just happened? I reached up to grab the collar around my neck, but it wouldn't budge.
"Now then, if you'd follow me to your quarters," Sarah continued. "Please note that failing to do so is considered to be disobeying Lady Nichole's wishes, so I do not recommend it."
I looked over at Nichole, and then at Sarah. I wanted nothing more than to run away screaming, but knew I had no choice. I instead hung my head in shame and began to follow Sarah as she awkwardly led me out of the room in those ridiculous heels of hers.
We made our way through the manor, but I could not bring myself to focus on my surroundings. All I could think about was the nightmare I had just lived through, and what I could do to get myself out of this mess. Nothing came to mind, and the cool steel of the collar served as a painful reminder of my new state of being.
My ruminations were soon interrupted by Sarah suddenly stopping. I snapped out of it and looked around. The hallway was dimly lit and peppered with heavy steel doors along the two long walls. Sarah had stopped in front of one of them and had swung it open. She then beckoned for me to enter.
I reluctantly walked through the doorway. The room inside was tiny, barely a closet. On the floor was a cheap-looking stiff cot, and above it was a single buzzing lightbulb. As my eyes made their way past the cot and onto the back wall, my heart sank. Along the small wall was a small, grimy sink next to a simple metal toilet. This wasn't a closet, it was a cell.
Just as I made the realization, I heard the door slam shut and lock. I ran up to it, but the handle wouldn't budge. It must have locked from the outside. A small window slid open, and I could hear Sarah's voice on the other side.
"This is your home from now on," she explained. "You are confined here when not in use. Please get some rest, as you will need it."
The tiny window slammed shut, and the light above me turned off. This room truly was the work of a sadist, stripping control even of the most basic functions from the inhabitant. I let out a long sigh and sat down on the cot. It was hard and cold, and there wasn't even a blanket. Still, it had been a long day and I could feel the exhaustion sweeping over me as I began to lie down. Before long, sleep took hold as I drifted off.
