The Last Laugh novel Chapter 9

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I'd turned into a servant in that house. Weeks passed by and things got worse.

Aunt Christina had fired all the employees that uncle Ken had employed and replaced them with people that were loyal to her. All the former employees I could depend on that were my friends were fired.

Aunt Christina would starve me and beat me up often. I was dirty, pale and hungry. I looked more like a slave than anything else. Nobody wanted to touch me, approach me or even speak to me. The new employees tossed me around as much as they wanted to. I'd gone from the little boy with a satisfying lifestyle to the dirty ranch boy. I didn't even have the right to see Heather. I hardly did. I was always outside working. And whenever I cleaned the house, she was always at school.

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One day, I was starving in the stable and I began sobbing to myself. I prayed to God to help me. I prayed for my dad or uncle Ken to help me. I was hopeless.

Someone came into the stable. I looked up. It was Sawyer.

"S– Sawyer, please. Can you bring me something to eat??" I begged weakly through my tears.

She didn't move but just stared at me.

"Please..."

"And why should I do that?" she asked coldly, folding her arms.

"Please," I cried, "I– I haven't eaten since the day before yesterday."

"That's cuz mom punished you. It isn't my fault if you didn't do the laundry properly. My clothes weren't properly washed."

How could a nine year old be so wicked?

"Sawyer, please." I crawled to her feet weakly. I managed to grab her ankle.

"Aaaah!!" she screamed all of a sudden, "LET ME GO! You're dirty!"

I didn't let her go. I was starving and I kept on begging. I was only 12 years old and I hadn't eaten for three days. I was desperate.

"Please..." I cried weakly.

"MOOM!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Fear took over me and I let her go.

Too late. Aunt Christina appeared angrily with a leather belt in her hand. Sawyer reported everything. Aunt Christina turned to me, as furious as ever.

"Why you dirty little bastard! How dare you???" she growled raising the belt high above her head.

"Noo! Please!" I begged but the belt came down hard on me, hitting across my face and head. I screamed at the unbearable pain.

"Pleeaase!!" I cried painfully. She didn't stop. She started flogging me with the hard leather belt, on every part of my body. Everywhere. I couldn't open my eyes or see anything as she flogged me in total rage. I screamed and screamed for help. She didn't stop. Sawyer stood watching with a satisfied look.

"Aunt Christinaaa! PLEASE! STOP! HELP!"

"SHUT UP!" she growled angrily.

"Mom! Mommy, nooo!!" I heard Heather's voice beg. Aunt Christina stopped flogging me and turned to Heather.

I managed to open my eyes, though they were as swollen as the rest of my face. I saw Heather with a painful look in her eyes. She was sobbing as she looked at me, her hand covering her mouth in shock at my sight. She was only ten years old and had just seen what her own mother was capable of.

"M– mommy, what are you doing to him?!" she cried out.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in the house?? Didn't I?!" her mother asked angrily.

"Mommy, he doesn't look okay! What have you been doing to him?! The last time I saw him he was fine!" she screamed painfully.

"Heather, how dare you shout at me??"

"Mom, you are wicked!!" she cried. Aunt Christina's eyes widened in shock. Her daughter had called her wicked. Her favorite.

"Did you just call me wicked?? Heather did you?" Aunt Christina growled. Heather stepped back. "Because of this bastard?!"

"It's because she likes him, mommy!" Sawyer quickly reported, "They like each other!"

"Oh, I see." Aunt Christina turned to me, "So you've turned my daughter against me??"

I shook my head in fear.

"N– noo." I trembled.

"LIAR!" she screamed and the next thing I felt was the hard belt across my face again. I screamed in pain.

"Nooo!" Heather screamed and ran towards her mother, trying her best to pull her away from me. "Mommy! No!"

"Get out!" she pushed Heather aside, causing her to fall hard on the floor. And that was when Heather for the first time, had an asthma crisis. Aunt Christina panicked.

"Heather!" she dropped the belt and carried her daughter, "Follow me with the belt!" she told Sawyer as she quickly ran out of the barn with Heather in her arms.

I cried continuously. I was red, black and blue. She'd hit me so hard. My legs, arms and face had swollen. I lay on the hay crying in pain.

Sawyer picked up the belt and looked down at me. No remorse or pity in her expression. She only gave me a little smirk before running out of the stable. That's how I remained, crying till evening. My whole body on fire.

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