Chapter 1- Pray to the Gods

It was a grim night. 

Great, fat droplets of rain were splattering mercilessly onto the cobbled streets of Eresus. This could only mean one thing: Autumn was coming. 

I trudged back from the market, my arms empty of all supplies and my empty pouch slapping against my thigh. It had not been a good day. Not only was I soaked through with the rain, but I also had nothing on me after a day's worth of begging. No food, no water, no clothes, how were my family going to get through this Autumn?

Enviously, I turned my gaze to look over at the homes I passed by. If I peeped in through their windows, I could see coal roaring in the fireplaces, bread cooking on the stoves and children holding newly knit jumpers and stockings. They all looked like they had everything. The grinning beams on their faces were unmissable. They were happy. 

My home looked nothing like that. It was perched on the edge of Eresus, with broken windows and shutters that did not work. The wooden door was even chipping away. It was something that we couldn't afford to replace at the current moment. To sum it up, our house was not a pretty sight.

Coal these days was pure luxury. I shuddered when I realized that I couldn't even recall when I had last been properly warm and toasty beside a blazing fire. It must've been before father had fallen ill.

I turned the corner and miserably walked up to where I slept each night. Our shabby-looking 'house.' I wouldn't exactly even call it a house. More like a dishevelled, abandoned hut that most people avoided if they could. 

The front door groaned open as I lightly pushed it open. I shivered in relief, glad to be out of the treacherous downpour. Just as I was pulling off my leather sandals, I heard my aunt, Iris's, voice softly call out from the kitchen. 

"Heliodora, is that you?" 

"Yes, Aunt Iris," I replied, unable to keep the exhaustion out of my voice, "I am back from the Agora." 

Aunt Iris emerged from the kitchen with her hair left loose over her shoulders. She wore a brown leather tunic that was patchy and frayed and was far too big for her. There were dark, purple circles under both of her eyes, making her look like she hadn't slept in days. 

"My sweet girl, do you come of good news?" She asked me. A flicker of optimism flashed across her eyelids.

I couldn't bring myself to speak. The words acted as if they were stuck at the back of my throat, attempting to choke me. The last thing I wanted to do was continue to stress and burden my Aunt Iris with more ill fortune. 

However, I must have shown it in my eyes as I saw her shoulders slump with despair. She walked over to my pouch and shook it lightly, listening out for the merry jingle of gold coins rattling. But nothing sounded. 

A small sob escaped from the corners of my mouth. This meant very bad news for my family. We were in desperate need of money, not only to feed us but for my father's sake. He was fearfully sick and was unable to do anything by himself without Aunt Iris's help. 

"Will we starve?" I whimpered, letting the empty bags on my back fall to the ground in a heap, "What will we do, Aunt Iris?" 

I could see her looking over at me with a gaze full of uncertainty. 

"Fear not, my dear child," She reassured me, feebly, "We must pray to the gods. They will answer our prayers. Everything will be alright soon." 

As if to prove her point, she clasped both of her hands together and shut her eyes, muttering incohesive words under her breath. Desperately, I joined her too, whispering words up to anybody who was there to hear them.

I just wanted all of this poverty to end. 

We pulled apart from our prayer at the same time. Her eyelashes were damp with tears, making me feel like even more of a failure. I had one simple job to do, earn enough cash to ensure we had food in our stomachs, and I couldn't even do that. 

"Come through, Heliodora," She spoke softly and gently to me, as if I were some kind of out-of-control animal, "You're a growing girl. You must eat what little food we have."

I followed her through to the kitchen reluctantly. Although it would be a relief to cure the growling hunger beast in my stomach, I knew that I didn't deserve any food. I was handed a bowl of rather sodden-looking potato peels and all other feelings of goodwill vanished. I was starving. 

It wasn't the most appetizing meal, but I wolfed it down in seconds. The second the food entered my mouth, the growling beast in my stomach ceased. I wasn't fooled, though. It would be back within an hour or so. 

"Heliodora, I must go rest," my Aunt Iris told me, "I fear that I may be going down with a headache." 

I put the bowl down and quickly pulled her into a hug. 

"Then we must pray for you," I offered, placing a hand on her head, "We must pray to Asclepius, the god of medicine, that you and father shall get better." 

She smiled. 

"Rest well, my dear child." 

I watched her gracefully glide out of the room to her cramped bedroom. I bit my lip. We had been praying to Asclepius for just over a year and my father's condition had not changed one bit. I just crossed my fingers and hoped that Asclepius believed that Aunt Iris's headache was worth healing.

I wasn't in the mood to stay up. My legs ached from walking all day, my eyes were drooping and I felt shattered. I needed sleep.

Before I could even tuck myself into bed, my utmost priority was to ensure that my father was comfortable. I went over to his room and gently pushed the door open, taking a deep breath. I always felt upset seeing my father in such a critical state.

He lay on the rickety, wooden bed, his eyes opening and closing with no emotion. His body lay paralysed and immobile, paying no attention to the outside world. 

"Father, I return from the Agora," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I fear that this Autumn is going to be difficult for all of us." 

No response. He lay there, acting as if I hadn't spoken. He didn't acknowledge me at all.

"I saw juicy, coloured fruit today and freshly baked bread for sale," I continued, "One day, I will have enough money to buy all of that. Then we could eat whatever we wanted all day long. Imagine that!"

Still nothing. I gently reached out to touch his hand to see if there was any reaction at all. But as usual, I got the same glossy, mindless stare up at the ceiling. The mere sight of him felt like my heart was breaking into two. 

"Perhaps the Agora isn't the best way to beg for money. Tomorrow, I shall ensure that we have enough money to put food on our table. Maybe I ought to try the palace."

Although I knew that my father couldn't hear, I was rambling for my own sake. It comforted me, knowing that there was always tomorrow. The pressure mounted on me was high, though. We needed money now more than ever. 

"Father, I must go and rest now," I told him, "I shall be back in the morning. Rest well." 

I then kissed him lightly on the forehead, my eyes swimming with tears. This wasn't fair. My father, who used to be full of jokes and smiles, shouldn't be in this state. What did he do in life that made him deserve a fate as cruel as this? 

I tiptoed out of his room and closed the door firmly. That's when the tears hit me. I doubled over with sobs, crumpling onto the floor in a curled ball. I tried muffling all of the whimperings with my fists, but it wasn't very effective. Either way, I was too emotional and upset to care at that point. 

I just wanted him to be okay, to hear his laugh again and to have him back. It didn't seem like too much to ask.

After a few minutes of sat there on the floor, I dried my eyes and pulled myself to my feet. I couldn't fall apart. I needed to keep my head high and fight for my family. 

"I pray to you, Plutus," I begged in a quiet voice, "Bring us riches, wealth and good fortune." 

If he didn't answer my prayer, my family would completely unravel. We could only live for long on potato peels and even that was of short supply. 

I headed off to bed, grabbing a fist full of miry straw as I went. I scattered it onto the floor of the kitchen over the perimeter of where I sleep. Lying down, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. 

What did we do to live in such poor conditions?