Vow of Isolation

Her stagnant pond's eyes staring at the murky sky above. Dark cloud was hanging and storm about to fall over the overcrowded city of Jakarta. The streets walkers were moving faster than before. They were trying to escape for the raining mayhem which about to come. But Salma, an eight years old girl stood still near by the traffic light. Waiting for the nice commuters and trafficers to drop some coins on her skinny palms.

Her ugly surrounding was no longer stranger. She had no where to go and no one to cry on as she was orphaned since the age of four. If the richs people ever knew, they would be surprise when they knew her actual feeling. She never felt that her life was suck. Although many time she has seen kids of her ages sitting comfortably in their parents car while there were playing nice toys, there was no feeling of enviness. She only wondered, why do they gave her disgusted and cynical looked.

Finally, the rain was pouring and she walking toward the shop near by when suddenly a lady inside a black mercedes called her from the window. Salma looked at the lady in bewilderment. There was a beautiful lady, with fair skin complexion who was waving her hand and asked, "Come in here, don't walk on the rain darling..."
Salma hesistantly went inside the car and then the lady drove off under the heavy rain. She was wondering where that stranger going to take her, but she believed 'there was no life harder than living on the street'

The gate was open to welcome the lady who was inside the vechicle, sitting next to Salma. After the lady parked her car in the garage, she led Salma into the house. Her torn clothes and dirty pale's face did not belong to such big and luxury house. But that was not for long, soon the lady asked to get shower and dressed her with most expensive and ravishing dress she had never dream of.

"What is your name darling?" the lady asked as she guided her to the sofa in the living room.
"My name is Salma" replied Salma.
"Mmm... such nice name. You can call me Ruby, I'm sure you wonder why did I take you with me. Don't worry darling, I just want to share a life with you. Make it this your own home"
"You are very kind, Miss Ruby. I owe you my life"
"Don't say that, darling"
The the door bell was ringing.
"You stay here, that must be Lara" said Ruby and she walked toward the door.

Ruby came back to the living room with a beautiful lady about her own ages, name Lara. They were holding each other hands and often they made passionate and touchy gesture in front of Salma. She felt strange but didn't dare to give second look to them. Then, Ruby introduced Salma to Lara.
"Lara, this is Salma, our a new friend. She is beautiful, isn't she?"
"Hi Miss Lara, I'm Salma. Nice meeting you"
"Nice meeting you too, dear Salma"
Salma was sitting between those two ladies. While they wer looking at her and sometime giving seductive smiles. Underneath Salma's pale and weak appearance there was lied a beauty, the beauty which mixed with pain that shown an enigmatic longing for people who understood the real of sexual belonging. Ruby and Lara began to kiss her lips and feel her flat chest.
"Noooo!!! What are you doing ladies?!!" Salma screamed and ran toward the door but it was lock.
"Hey you little beggar!! Who do you think you are. How dare you disobeyed us!!" Ruby dragged her back to the living room and pushed her to the sofa. Salma was screaming and begging so that they would release her but her efforts was of no avail. The more she screamed the more they forced her.
"Listen Salma, what is so hard just to obey us and do what I tell you to do? In this world nothing is free, don't you know that?" Ruby speak sardonically and pointed finger to her teary eyes.

Salma closed her eyes and looked back to her yesterday life. She understood, the food that she would eat, the nice clothes that she would wear in that house would come with very heavy prices. For her there is no life harder than life sleeping on the street, her skinny little body struggled them. Ruby and Lara were infuriated and couldn't control their anger. They gaged Salma with a kitchen cloth and dragged her to the car . Then, that night they drove off to the city's border and threw her near by the canal.

In the next morning, Salma found herself surrounded by nuns inside the church. There were beautiful and peaceful looking faces but she didn't feel the solace that most of the reasons why they were there. She needed a shelter and salvation from the murky sky and the storms out there.But, somehow, she was not ready for "Vow of Isolation". She looked back at the nuns but their smiles have became terrifying ghosts.

By Hayati