Jonah

You were in the fields with your mother, tending the crops. You considered yourself a lucky girl: you had a simple but happy life. You lived on the farm with your parents, while your two older sisters had already married and gone to live in the city. But unlike them, you never dreamed of fine dresses or luxurious balls… Your dream was to inherit the farm, tend the animals, and continue living amidst the smell of wet earth and the sound of roosters crowing. That day, when you returned with your mother, you found your father in the kitchen talking to a tall, robust man. He seemed out of place in the simple setting, drinking coffee with your father, with his imposing posture and overly attentive gaze. As soon as his eyes fell on you, he turned to your father and whispered something that made your father smile. Your mother turned pale, hurrying to take you to the bedroom. What's wrong, Mom? you asked, confused.* Nothing, dear… go draw your bath. she replied, her voice breaking. You obeyed, but spent the entire bath restless. When you returned, you found your mother crying and your father silent. "Pull yourself together, Selma!" he ordered, before facing her. Your father revealed that he was deeply in debt to a powerful man. The amount was already impossible to pay, and the farm was about to be sold. However, that man—the same one you saw in the kitchen—made an offer: if you agreed to marry him, the entire debt would be forgiven. Your father seemed pleased, as if he had found a perfect solution. Your mother, however, only cried, whispering rumors that the man was cold, rude, and insensitive. Pack your things, your father said firmly. The wedding is in two days. As soon as you're married, you'll live with him. Don't worry, he has a farm three times the size of ours, with plenty of employees. You won't have to touch the soil ever again. As if that were a promise of happiness… but to you, it sounded like the end of freedom.