The next day, Miranda was still in that state, staring off into space. It was her mother who woke first and with a hangover could not believe what she was seeing.
She went to the washroom and washed her face to satisfy herself that she was seeing right.She came into the room again and still saw her daughter sprawled on the floor, blood and semen on her thighs, her eyes focusing only in one direction. She was motionless and at first Mira thought that she was dead.Mira went to her and felt her heartbeat. It was very slow as though she was gradually moving away from this world.She looked listless and stoned like a statue, as though she had lost the will to live.Mira needed no fortune teller to tell her what had happened to her daughter.She wept. She knew who had done this. She had suspected this for a long time but had hoped that Ken would overcome his perverse desire for her daughter.Even the other day, when Miranda had complained to her, she had not totally disbelieved her but she had also thought that exposing him that way would get Ken's mind off her daughter and put him straight. That had been the reason she had decided to speak with some of the people Miranda worked for to see if she could live there with them. That way, she would be out of Ken's reach.She had also tried to keep away from alcohol to better protect her child but how had she got herself drunk last night that she had not heard her daughter screaming for help or fighting to protect her dignity.Ken did not even have the courtesy to close her legs and cover her up, making her look decent. He just left her exposed that way.Mira cried. She cried and cried as she washed her daughter up after ascertaining that she was still alive.She dressed her up and took her to a doctor that she could afford to pay but when she looked into the bag where she kept her mother and especially the one she was paid the previous day, she found it gone and knew that Ken had taken the money with him.How could this man be as heartless as this?She looked in other clothes of hers and saw a few pennies and with that she went with a Miranda who could not speak but kept following her like a robot to the doctor's.'Miranda my love, I am so sorry. I should have listened to you but how could I know that Ken was as devilish as this? I feel hurt. So hurt and angry, I could murder him. But did I really not hear you scream?' Mira asked her daughter, not believing that she could have been so out that she hadn't heard her daughter's scream for help.Miranda who had been staring off into space since Mira woke and cleaned her up, looked at her mother and then looked away into space again.Mira was really scared. Had the experience affected her daughter psychologically?'Mirabel, I am sorry. Please forgive me. But could you be more responsive? You are scaring me to death. Give me a sign so that I know that my daughter is really there and not just a shell or shadow of what she was'.But Miranda kept staring off into space.They arrived at the doctors and the amount, he asked for was not available.'Treat her. I shall get the money for you by this evening's, Mira pleaded.'This is not a charity organization. I have been philanthropic enough. People now take my kindness for granted and never bring back what they owe. I shall not go back on my policy. The money for the treatment or you get away from here with your daughter.'But you are a doctor and should save lives, please save my daughter'. she pleaded.'I shall once you get the money'.'Okay with the little with me, could you just give her any medicine that could help her?' she asked.The doctor took pity on the woman. He saw these cases almost all the time. It was mainly the fault of the girls. Tempting the men without knowing that there was a limit to a man's endurance. They always asked for it and when they got more than what they bargained for, they started looking for treatment but this particular girl was different. She did not look like she drove the man who had raped her to it but then appearance could be deceptive.He gave her some drugs and advice on how to take it and collected the money from Mira and they were on their way back home, with Mirabel still staring off into space.They got home and Mirabel still staring off into space sat when her mother asked her to.Mira quickly opened the pot and was glad that her daughter had prepared something last night. Else she did not know where she would have got the money to cook something. She quickly heated it and dished a little for Mirabel who could not eat it herself and Mira had to feed her. Mirabel's eyes did not stop staring at something only her seemed to be seeing.The doctor had told Mira that Mirabel was staring off into space because she was still in shock but that she would be okay. She should keep her warm and massage her feet and hands,to give her warmth and the drugs would ease the pain she might be feeling in her body. That was the much he could do for them.Mira gave Mirabel the drugs as the doctor had instructed and she led her to sleep in the flat bed which was the only one they had in the room.She massaged her feet and palms,trying to generate heat into her body.Mirabel gradually came back to herself and as she remembered all that happened the previous night, tears poured down her cheeks.Her mother saw this and was glad that she had at least started recognizing her surroundings once again.She was sad though because Mirabel's tears made her imagine the ordeal she must have passed through.Ken must have raped her repeatedly.She knew that she was late for work and she would have loved to stay home with her daughter to care for her but she remembered that there was no more money in the house and they had to eat.She had already been paid but she could speak to her boss and tell him about her daughter's health and hope that he would either give her some money on charity or as salary advancement.She spoke gently to Mirabel explaining all these to her. Mirabel made no comment and Mira covered her up well and dashed off,believing that she would be back before Mirabel missed her.Mirabel had not wanted her mother to leave but she understood that she had to and had made no comment. She was afraid of staying in the house alone but she could not go anywhere because the pain in her thighs and vagina was excruciating.Now that she was getting over her shock,her body was no longer numb, she had started feeling the pain and knew that she could not possibly walk well without everyone guessing what must have happened to her and she didn't want to be a laughing stock.If only her mother had agreed and they had left,this would never have happened. She was still pondering on all this with tears streaming down her cheek, when Ken came into the room.Her heart skipped a beat, once she head his heavy footsteps. She had assume that he won't be back till night of that he had become remorseful and had run off.Mirabel could see that she was sadly mistaken.'Oh, darling,you have had your bath? That's good. You did not go to work but stayed home to wait for me? You enjoyed the ex
'You beast! You monster! You took advantage of my poor innocent daughter last night and left her to die. If I had not woken when I did and taken her to the clinic where I could not even pay for her treatment because you stole my hard earned cash and yet you have the heart to still do this to her? She was supposed to be your daughter. You were supposed to be a father to her, not her rapist'.'Her father? Are you delusional? Was I the person who made you pregnant before you gave birth to her? How are we then related? Daughter indeed.Did she tell you that she did not enjoy every moment of it? Do you know how hard she screamed with pleasure last night? But no, how could you? You were drunk and had passed out and could not hear your daughter's scream. Someother you are.And today, she did not even svream because she had hot used to it. Go to her, she is merely pretending because she heard your voice.She delibrately stayed home so that we could be alone and continue what we did last night
Mirabel slumped on the floor from the exertion of stabbing Ken with all her might.It was such a brutal attack that the whole of the dagger was buried inside of him.She did not regret what she had done. Ken, that beast had had it coming for a long time now. If she had not killed him, he would have ended up killing her and her mother. Though she did not feel that she had done anything bad ridding the world of such a beast as Ken, she knew there were consequences.Her mother ran to her and wrapped her arms round her as though to protect her from the sight.It is already too late for that mum, Mirabel thought to herself. You should have been more protective of me by paying more attention to me but you trusted your dear husband more than your daughter. This is the outcome. Now, I have lost my childhood and have become an adult overnight. An adult with a criminal record. Not just any record but a record of murder. Will I ever be the same again?'It is okay, my daughter. You do not have t
Mirabel started living with the MacDonalds. She was in charge of the housekeeping. She did the laundry, the scrubbing and general cleaning.She made sure to do her job without complaints because she did not want to be found wanting.That MacDonald s were happy with her, especially the wife. She loved the fact that she was hardworking and was not prone to stealing like other people they had employed did.Mrs Emily Macdonald had set alot of traps for her but in each of those cases, Mirabel had come to her with the supposedly missing items which were either jewelries or money.'Ma'am, I suppose this jewelry belongs to you?'The first time Emily had been shocked be ause coming from the poorest and filthiest part of Soho, Miranda was supposed to have taken the jewelry and found a way to pawn it for money or something but she was here returning the jewelry to her.'Eh, yes. Yes it is mine. Where did you find it?' Emily asked.'As I was s rubbing the house just now, I found it under the bed.
Since she had to go back to work the next day, she got her mother ready and they went to the doctor's.Looking at the woman, the doctor already had a fairly good idea what the problem was but she did not want to alarm them unnecessarily. Other ailments had been known to exhibit same symptoms though she was almost 90% that the woman was suffering from a heart disease.She took samples from her fir the test and asked them to come back the following day for the results.'Doc. could you not get the results ready today even if it is by evening, so that we can start her treatment immediately?''It does not work that way Miss Cole. Getting the results by midday tomorrow is fast enough but I shall advise that you allow your mother to rest more. She should not be allowed to put herself through undue stress. Anything that would give her shock should be avoided. She should be surrounded with things that bring her happy memories. I would have prescribed some drugs but since the results will be o
Mira went to see her daughter. The Macdonalds were not home but that was just as well.Mira needed time to convince her daughter of her bubbling health without someone interfering.'Mum, good day, you are here. Where is the result? What the doctor say? I have been restless since morning'.Mira laughed merrily and stopped as soon as she felt like crying because she knew she was about to lie to her daughter and that she might be leaving her soon, all alone in this cruel world.'You worry too much about everything.The doctor said that there was nothing to worry about. She said the weight loss I'd genetic. Come to think of it, I remember my mother losing weight consistently' at this age but she never fell ill and she continued to be healthy though I must tell you that it bothered us at the time but there was really nothing to worry about".'But mum, I thought you said that your mother died of a heart disease'.'Yes but that was later when she started taking some substance she was not sup
Mira took in gulps of air, her chest heaving.Mirabel did not know what to do, she s reamed.'Mother what is it?'She could not leave to call the doctor now, she had to stay with her mother to stabilize her in any way possible.Mira's chest kept heaving in her attempt to get more air into her lungs so that she could spend more time with her daughter. She still had alot to tell her.Suddenly, she stopped heaving and fell flat on the bed, her eyes rolled upwards of, a drop of tear rolled down her cheek.Mirabel could not believe the evidence before her. She bent down to check her heartbeat and felt nothing. She placed her hands in her nostrils but felt no air.'No, no no, this cannot be happening. Mother cannot leave me this way'.Mirabel screamed. Then went numb.'Of course, she is just sleeping. She will wake soon and ask me for something or the other', she told herself.She started cleaning up and arranging things. She covered her mother up very well and lay her right on the bed.As
Mirabel conti used with her work at the MacDonalds. The madam who had already been impressed with her work and honesty became even closer to her and more generous because of her status as an orphan. She recalled how she had felt when she lost her father and then she still had her mother with her. She could well imagine how this poor orphan girl must be feeling now that she had neither of her parents.Mirabel on her own side was grateful to the MacDonalds for their help in burning her mother. She did not know if she could have done it alone or as well as they had made it.She worked harder to show her appreciation.The children, two boys and a girl had taken to Mirabel like an elder sister.Mirabel had started thinking herself close to being a member of the family.She still had her mother's vision for her in mind though.She was growing into a tall beautiful girl.She may look too thin but it was as a result of the loss she had suffered.The Macdonalds were very generous to her and she
Jonas woke her as they got home and she was so sleepy,that she did not see the person standing by the door, welcoming them with a smile.She had almost passed him by when he grabbed her hands thinking that she had intentionally ignored him.She looked up to find Joel there. She was shocked. She had not expected to see him, then she recalled that he had not come to court. He could stay at home bit not come to court. It could only mean that he was ashamed of her and didn't want to be identified with her. Jonas had left them tactfully and gone inside.Mirabel tried to snatch her hands away but Joel held on tightly.'You make a wonderful speech. I did not know you could beat that lawyer at his own game', he said laughing.Mirabel was surprised. How did he know? They had just got home and Jonas had not had the time to speak to him, except of course if he had actually been there. But how could he be there and at home at the same time? He must have followed it either on TV or newspaper but i
'The accused lived with us after her mother's death and since she was going to be working full time with us and living in, I put her through alot if tests and she passed them all'.'Sorry, ma'am what kind of tests are we talking about here?' Chapman asked warming up to his cross-examination.'To determine her honesty, I would leave wades of currency, jewelries and other valuables, that someone coming from a humble background such as hers would have taken advantage of and hidden but she always brought them back to me thinking that I had misplaced them unintentionally. This caused me to come to trust her and I took her as my sister and treated her as such but little did I know what was going on under my nose'.Everyone in court knew what was coming next. The woman was going to say how Mirabel seduced her husband for money.'I did not know that the husband whom I had done so much for and loved dearly and trusted with all my heart was not only cheating me outside our home but disrespectin
Mr. Taylor had let her question sink in and have the desired effect before asking Mr. Chapman to cross examine Mirabel. He had not expected her to ask the question but was glad that she had done that and in a very cool detached tone that was very effective.Mr. Chapman himself had not known that the girl was as intelligent as that and was determined to throw her, though he did not know how to get about it except of course trying to get her angry so that she could lose that very chilling confidence she had.' Miss Cole, is it not true that you had secretly desired each one of your friends?''What do you think? That a girl could like all five or six of her friends romantically at the same time even if she were a nymph?''I was coming to that. You are a nymph, Miss Cole are you not?'Mirabel was getting impatient with this prosecutor but she refused to give him the satisfaction of showing her annoyance and impatience with him. She was going to throw him, defeat him by being patience pers
'Is it not true that since you share a daughter - father relationship with Miss Cole, she will have confided in you what her plans were?' Chapman asked.'She told me that she would teach them a le....''... a little lesson, bla bla bla like you have told the court in great detail. it being as close as you are with her, could this not be the excuse you both came up with, a plot to mislead the court?''Objection, my lord'.'Sustained. Prosecutor, limit yourself to questioning the witness and not forcing your assumptions on him'.'Mr. Jonas, how is it possible that a girl who claim to have adopted as your daughter would be gang raped and you do not feel inclined to report to the authorities to ensure that they are punished?''I respected my daughter's wishes and you we'll know how women who have been ravished are looked on as spoilt goods. All these made me reconsider'.'Is it not possible that you planned all these with your daughter to escape justice? Being gang raped indeed!''Do yo
Two regular customers of Mirabel were called to the stand and both of the testified that she did not behaved abnormally and that she was very cheerful and respectful. She treated her customers with courtesy and even when they were rude and hard to please, she still devised meNs to satisfy them and keep them happy and coming. That was why the patronage of her eatery kept growing which would have been otherwise if she had had any mental problems.'That is not a kind of problem you hid for long'. One of them said.Chapman had no questions for them and then Taylor calked Dr. Rutherford to the stand.'Welcome doctor, may we meet you?' Taylor said, this was to establish the authencity of the man.'I am Dr. Peter Rutherford. I work at the General hospital here in London as a consultant and a specialist in the field of psychiatric and neurology'.'Please doctor, have you under any circumstances examined the accused Miss Cole?''Yes I have'.'What was the basis of the examination?''Well to de
Chapman was almost gloating and Taylor could not blame him at all. 'Your witness, Taylor', he said knowing that any question Taylor threw at Liam would only implicate his client further and aggravate the already angry spectators.'No questions!' Taylor said looking straight at Liam.Wise! Chapman thought.'Well I have one other person to call to the witness stand, Your Honour'.The judge nodded though praying that it was not another witness with a slashed penis. The case against the innocent looking girl was becoming very gruesome and he just wanted to be done with it.'I call Curtis to the witness box'.Curtis walked confidently to the stand, sparing Mirabel a glance that seem to say, you will have what is coming to you today as we take our revenge on you.'Curtis, could you tell us what your full name is?''Curtis Trowler'.'How did you meet the accused?''She came to my mother's shop to buy some groceries and it was much and I happened to be going the same way as she and I helped
The court was adjourned till the next day and Taylor was determined to get some witnesses to testify on their own behalf.He had made a call to a doctor he knew and asked that they met, and taken Mirabel to him for an examination and asked that the paper work be ready. He was sure that the doctor would be pleased to come to court to attest to the fact that Mirabel was not mentally unbalanced as the testimony against her seem to indicate.Mirabel was not very happy that Joel had not been attending the proceedings with them. His presence no matter how disapproving he might be would have given her more moral support.Jonas as though reading her mind had assured her that Joel was following the proceedings as he records and sends to him due to the demands of his job that had hindered him from coming personally.Mirabel knew that he was just saying that to console her. If she really meant anything to him, he would allow by gones be bygones and would have been there to lend his emotional sup
Adam Taylor, Mirabel's lawyer was impressed at the way the boys gave their testimony. It was evident to him that they had had enough coaching and from the best as well. He was almost convinced himself but he was going to fight back now that he had seen that they were fighting dirty.Chapman, the plaintiff lawyer called the next witness to the stand and this was James Abrams.It was evident to all present that James was indeed a very handsome boy but there was this scar on his face that belied his good looks as you looked at it but out of sight, you would love to keep looking at him.'You are James. James what?' Chapman asked.'James Abrams'.His voice was as sweet as his face was handsome. The deep timbre of his voice caused all eye to be fixed on him, it was hypnotizing.'I want to know if you know Miss Cole?''Yes, I do. We are acquinted'.'Oh, you are not really friends but acquinted?''Yes. I had met her when she parked newly into the neighborhood. She had looked so lost without
Mirabel had wanted to shout at the top of her lungs that Adam was lying through his teeth during his testimony but looking at Jonas in shock, he had gestured for her to calm down, telling her there would be time for her to state her own case and then people will have no option but to sympathize with her. He said this to convince not just Mirabel but himself as well because though he did not want to lose faith, it was not looking promising at all as their lawyer had foreseen.Mr. Chapman decided to call another witness to the stand. The quicker they were done with the heating, the better. He was sure that they had no witnesses and it was going to be difficult for people to take the testimony of a girl whose reputation was in doubt over five young boys who had injuries yo show for their efforts. She could get off with a less sentence of being mentally ill to inflict the boys with such injuries and would have to be taken to a mental clinic which was not a little sentence st all.'I wish