Dangerous Truancy

 

That day I woke up at six in the morning. I sat on my bed, rubbing my eyes. Back to school again, but this time only to leave my backpack, because my seven friends and I were skipping school. This was the first time I was going to something my parents had advised me against; I hadn't done it before, knowing I'd be falling behind. But there was one time I could have skipped it. My friends were going to borrow some notebooks from a friend, and he explained to her that we were going to wander around during class. Even the girl said it was a bad idea. After a while, I got dressed and packed my backpack. I ate a hearty breakfast and left the apartment. On the way to the stairwell, I met the old man who had recently moved into our building. He stopped beside me and said,

"You'd better go to class, because skipping school could end badly." This pissed me off.

"What do you care what I plan to do?" "I asked, giving the man a hostile look. "That's none of your business!" I said, descending the stairs.

The old man remained upstairs. I left the building and hurried to school. After a while, I arrived at school. My friends were waiting there: Zosia, Aśka, Marta, Marysia, Paweł, Jarek, and Marek. They smiled when they saw me...

"Hi, Monika, ready for her first truancy?" Jarek asked with a laugh.

"Sure," I said. "But first, let's get rid of our backpacks. Oh, it's such a shame we're already in our last year of middle school. I hate these school changes. Everyone at home has been annoying me lately; even my neighbor was getting on my nerves today.

" "And the teachers are annoying me," Jarek said. "Let's go to the locker and lock our backpacks."

We entered the school. In the hallway outside the classrooms, we put our backpacks in our lockers, then we slammed the lockers shut and went outside for some fresh air. We sat on the swings near the school for a while, wondering where to hang out while we were skipping school. Finally, we decided to wander aimlessly.

"We'll take a walk around town, and when class ends, we'll go get our backpacks," Jarek said.

"I agree," I said, smiling lightheartedly.

"Then it's all settled," Paweł exclaimed. "Let's get out of here before Romańska catches us.

" We walked around town, talking about various cheerful topics unrelated to school. We were discussing that old man who had been giving me warnings about skipping school. Aśka, Marta, and Marysia laughed off his warnings, calling out in a low voice, "If you skip school, it will be the last thing you ever do." We all laughed lightheartedly at that.

However, we would soon regret not heeding this warning. Suddenly, we saw a dense, dark forest. We had never seen this forest before. After a brief discussion, we entered. It was eerily quiet. I had the feeling we were being watched. We walked uncertainly through the forest, fearful of this wilderness for some unknown reason. Suddenly, we heard the clatter of hooves, most likely a horse.

"I hear the sound of a horse. Someone's approaching," whispered Marta.

"So we're in," whispered Aśka. "

From the moment we entered, some indescribable fear has been building up in me," I said quietly.

"Maybe we can get out of here," groaned Marek. "Let's try it while we still have a chance."

We all nodded. But we didn't manage to take a single step. Ten figures on horseback stood before us. They surrounded us, cutting off any escape route. We didn't understand why they surrounded us like that, leaving us no chance to escape the forest. "Do they have any ill intentions towards us?" I thought grimly, feeling uneasy under their gaze. I looked at them carefully. Nine of them were dressed in black, their faces concealed by hoods. The tenth was also wrapped in a black cloak, but I could see his face. It was repulsive. This unknown man terrified me. He sat on a black, disgusting horse. My friends and I stood still, unsure whether to flee or stay put and find out who we were dealing with. Finally, one of them spoke in a cold, inarticulate voice:

"What are all these little guys doing alone in the dark forest?" This infuriated Jarek.

"What do you care, you clown?" Jarek exclaimed angrily. "It's our business what we do here and when we leave. Besides, we're not little." We're fourteen or sixteen years old.

His words were out of place; the stranger dismounted and stood menacingly in front of Jarek. A little nervous, I said,

"If you want to know who we are, we won't tell you anything. We don't talk to strangers, and besides, we're leaving now," I uttered these words nervously.

The stranger flinched at these words and laughed mockingly.

"I guess we're not on first-name terms!" he said sharply. "You're not going anywhere. We've received clear orders: to capture anyone who wanders into this forest. You can't leave. You'll never leave this forest again. You are now our prisoners. Forever," he turned to his companions. "Take them!"

We were unaware that we were dealing with the Nazgûl, the Ringwraiths, and the Mouth of Sauron, his trusted servant. Seven dark figures approached us and grabbed our arms tightly. We tried to resist, but they were bigger and stronger than us, so they easily put us on their horses. We didn't know what they intended to do with us. We were unlawfully deprived of our freedom, with no chance of rescue.

"You have no right!" Aśka screamed, trying to dismount.

The man laughed mockingly at these words and shouted to his companions,

"Hold them! They can't escape us now. Now let's ride!"

He spurred his horse and galloped off. The nine others followed. During the ride, we tried to communicate with each other, but the man always rode up to his companions holding us and nudged any of us who tried to speak to another. The journey dragged on endlessly. Irritated, Marta mocked the man, claiming she was violating our personal integrity. The stranger rode up to the Black Rider carrying the girl and struck her in the face. Marta sat for a moment with her head bowed, stunned by the man's brutality. After a few minutes of silence, I asked the man the question that had been nagging at me ever since they'd accosted us:

"Can we at least know who you are?"

The man turned to me and laughed mockingly.

"The next one has spoken!" he said in a mocking tone. "But if you want to know, I'll be happy to introduce myself. I am the Mouth of Sauron, and we're taking you to him. And these nine are the Nazgûl, the Ringwraiths, loyal servants of Sauron and Melkor. Don't worry! My lord will give you a good home until this hospitality slips away.

We were utterly terrified, for we already knew who we were dealing with. We decided not to speak to each other, fearing to anger Sauron's cruel servant. My mind, however, was racing. I resolved to do everything I could to avoid facing Sauron and Morgoth. It occurred to me that the Nazgûl, apart from their Leader, were afraid of water. I had a half-liter bottle of water in my jacket, so I decided to use it. I pulled the bottle with difficulty from my jacket pocket, unscrewed the cap, and turned to face the Nazgûl. Although I was cold from the Black Breath engulfing me, I didn't yield to this blow, which would have been fatal to other creatures.

"Drink, you scoundrel!" I drawled, pouring the water over the Nazgûl.

The Nazgûl screamed in a terrifying voice, stopping abruptly. Then I slipped off my horse and began to run.

"Khamul, you idiot!" – I heard the angry voice of the Mouth of Sauron.

I fled blindly, but suddenly I heard the clatter of hooves behind me. I was being pursued. After a moment, I turned my head and realized I was being chased by another Nazgûl. This wasn't just any Nazgûl, but the Witch-king of Angmar himself, a master of dark magic. I quickened my pace as best I could. I knew I wouldn't outrun them on horseback, but I decided to run as long as I could.

"Don't let them catch you, Monika!" cried Aśka.

The enemy, hearing these words, fell into thought. Then he said:

"Silence, or I might forget that I have to keep you alive!" hissed Sauron's servant, and Aśka fell silent, terrified.

My friends were held in the arms of the Nazgûl, in case one of them tried to repeat my feat. The enemies paused for a moment to wait for the Witch-king of Angmar to return from his pursuit. Meanwhile, I ran through the forest. Beads of sweat rolled down my skin. The enemy pursued me relentlessly, knowing I would soon exhaust myself. With a final push, I ran even faster, unwilling to give up so quickly and be captured by the Nazgûl again. Suddenly, the clatter of hooves stopped. I turned my head, eager to spot the enemy. I saw the Nazgûl's horse standing, with the Ringwraith himself riding. I saw him raise his black-gloved hand, pointing it at me, then clench it into a fist. In that instant, I was gripped by a pain unlike any I'd ever felt in my life. My legs gave way. I felt very weak, even though I'd been in good shape a moment ago. I collapsed to the ground and lay there half-conscious. I was utterly exhausted. Despair gripped me, realizing the enemy had me in their grasp. With the last of my strength, I tried to rise from the ground, but it was a futile effort. The spell the Nazgûl had cast on me had drained me so much that I could only crawl. "I can't stand, I'm completely helpless," I thought, feeling the bitterness of defeat in my heart. The Ringwraith spurred his mount and slowly rode toward me. He stopped a few centimeters from me, lying helpless on the ground. The Nazgûl approached me with a clawed hand to grab me and pull me onto his horse.

"Go away!" I screamed. "Leave me alone."

The Nazgûl's words didn't move him. He grabbed my arm tightly and forcibly pulled me onto the horse. I leaned my head against the horse's back, too weak to contemplate any escape. The Nazgûl followed me back to where I had fled. After a while, the Nazgûl stopped before the Mouth of Sauron, who was enraged by my audacity in attempting to escape. He now stared at me with a mixture of rage, contempt, satisfaction, and astonishment. He grabbed my chin roughly and hissed at me in a low voice,

"I will not punish you for this misdeed, but my lord will. He will pay you for all your tricks. You will learn such a lesson on the spot that you will never want to play such foolish tricks again."

I spent the rest of the journey on the back of the Witch-king's mount, the only Nazgûl not afraid of water. I couldn't pull the same trick on him as I had with the other Nazgûl. Besides, I was very weak after that escape attempt. My friends were distraught; we couldn't speak to each other, as our cruel captors silenced us at every attempt. In that dark hour, we began to regret not having gone to the lesson as we should have. I finally fell asleep from exhaustion. Two hours later, I awoke to find a large and forbidding fortress. That's where we were being taken. Feeling fully recovered, I decided to try to escape again.

The Nazgûl wasn't holding me, after all. I was hanging loosely on his mount's back. No ropes were used against us. I pondered for a moment.

Could it be possible to slip off a galloping horse without harming myself? I decided to try it, and I slipped off the horse. I stepped wrong and fell onto the grass. I twisted my ankle badly. I spotted some bushes and quickly hid in them. The enemies rode into the stronghold. I saw the pain in Aśka's eyes before she disappeared deeper into the stronghold. I emerged from the bushes and, with a heavy heart, ran in the direction we had come from. I hadn't noticed I was running down the middle of the path leading to the stronghold. I heard the clatter of hooves and felt a rope wrapped around my body. A violent tug knocked me off my feet. I felt myself being dragged along the ground. The enemy who had caught me rode into the stronghold. The stronghold I found myself in was terrifyingly dark. I was now in terrible pain as I was being dragged brutally along the ground. Only candles burned in that dark corridor. I paled with fear at the sight of Sauron's enraged servant. He finally cut the rope that bound me. He grabbed me roughly by the jacket and lifted me off the ground. He hissed at me in a low voice,

"Your punishment will be far harsher than before that stupid stunt. I assure you, but for now, the guard will lock you in a cell. He's on his way."

He threw me roughly to the ground, and I hit my head on the stone floor. I felt dizzy for a moment, then finally saw my friends. They were as terrified as I was. They were hugging each other. I stood up and ran to them, and we all huddled together, trembling with fear. Sauron's Mouth laughed mockingly at the sight. Suddenly, a hideous orc approached us and began to scrutinize us, then screamed.

"And who are these rag-men?!

" "And what are you? A rag-men?" Jarek asked angrily.

The orc grabbed his jacket and tried to stab him with a dagger, but Sauron's Mouth stopped him.

"Throw them into the dungeon," ordered Sauron's servant. "I must speak with our master now."

The orc nodded and roughly nudged me between the shoulder blades, ordering us to follow him. We obediently followed the orc deeper into the fortress. For a few minutes, we descended the stairs leading to the dungeon. After a while, we were locked in a rather large cell. We were trapped. I sat helplessly on the ground. The old man was probably right that these truancies would end badly.

"The old man was right about these truancies," I said quietly. "He knew Sauron's servants would catch us. I don't even know what they'll do to us now. They're locked us in here.

" "Don't worry, Monika," Paweł whispered, trying to reassure me, but I could see he was also afraid.

"The most important thing is that we're together," Aśka whispered. "Morgoth hasn't separated us yet, and perhaps we'll somehow survive this together.

We can admire you, Monika; you had the courage to try to escape them twice. I wouldn't have had such..."

She didn't finish the sentence. The door of our prison opened, and I saw the Mouth of Sauron. He had just finished his conversation with Morgoth and now came to us to lead us before him.

"The Lord of this fortress wishes to see you," the Mouth of Sauron announced with a sneer.

We didn't even move. We hadn't had time to devise any strategy for speaking with Morgoth Bauglir, to have any chance of resisting his will. We begged, so the enemy would grant us at least a moment to deliberate our tactics, but we didn't call it that. The enemy laughed mockingly and grabbed my arm roughly, then dragged me from the cell...

"And you, move, for I can still arrange your punishment with my master," Sauron's servant hissed furiously.

My friends obediently followed the Mouth of Sauron. After a moment, the enemy allowed me to go alone, tired of being dragged along. On the way to the hall where Morgoth was, my friends and I conferred with each other. We had already planned our tactics for speaking with the enemy. We couldn't allow ourselves to be provoked. That would have ended worse than a painful death.

"And remember, we must not allow ourselves to be provoked by Morgoth," I kept whispering to my friends.

I felt a brutal nudge between my shoulder blades and hissed in pain.

"Don't speak to each other, or you will regret it," Sauron's servant shouted.

We spoke no more. We followed the enemy with lowered heads. Finally, we were led into a chamber. The Mouth of Sauron smiled mockingly at us and left. Terrified, we huddled together; we feared this place as much as the entire fortress. We heard someone's cold, merciless, mocking laughter. It came from somewhere at the end of the chamber. A moment later, we saw a black throne set before us, upon which sat a being. Such power emanated from it that even the mere thought brought us to our knees. Its face was marked with wounds inflicted by some bird of prey. Its gaze was icy, full of power and hatred. We were paralyzed with fear, for for the first time in our lives, we had experienced such a sinister gaze as this. This sinister stranger watched our faces intently. It was worse than physical torture; we felt as if this being wanted to penetrate our thoughts with its gaze. My friends stared at the floor as if something there interested them. Only I looked the cruel stranger squarely in the eye. We finally understood who we were dealing with.

"Melkor!" I whispered softly.

"Melkor!?" the stranger repeated with a laugh. "In the past, people preferred to call me 'Morgoth.' So, little ones, how do you like my dungeons?

" "Your dungeons are the worst place we've ever seen," I said, gaining a bit of confidence. "I'm afraid we won't be here long. Why do you keep us here? What do you need us for?"

The Dark Lord laughed mockingly, making my friends cower in fear.

"I only want to know why you entered this forest, and then I'll release you," Morgoth said, almost amiably.

"Liar!" I shouted, forgetting caution. "You won't free us even if we told you everything you want to know about us." First you will learn what you wanted to know, and then you will break your word, and only a painful death will remain for us. You will never learn anything from our lips.

Morgoth stopped laughing and glared at me. He hadn't expected such bold words from a sixteen-year-old girl. He thought he would strike such fear in us that we would tell him everything he wanted to know about us. However, he succeeded in striking fear in my friends, for he saw them trembling with fear. Only I stood proudly before Morgoth, looking him straight in the eye. Finally, the enemy made his decision. He summoned the orcs.

"A stay in my dungeons will surely break you," Morgoth said softly.

"We shall see!" I cried, feeling the iron grip of the orcs. "We will find a way to escape, and then you will regret ever having met us. You will never break us!

" "We shall see!! Now get out of my sight," Morgoth said sharply. - Take them away!

The orcs forcibly led us out of the chamber. We walked with our heads down. After a while, the orcs brutally threw us into a cell, and then locked us up, with at least four locks. We huddled together, shivering with fear and cold. We were desperate, and all hope of ever seeing the light of day was slowly fading. We decided to escape them somehow.

"We have to try to get out of this cell," I said quietly. "I think a picklock like a hairpin will be enough to open this cell.

" "I have a hairpin," Marta replied, satisfied, letting her hair down.

"Great," Jarek said happily. "We'll escape from here faster than Morgoth thought.

" "Don't be happy," Aśka whispered. "After what Monika told him, he'll post a guard at the main gate. We won't slip through!

" "We'll see," I replied quietly. "We won't stay here willingly." None of us will make slaves illegally…

My friends nodded. After a while, we heard the door creak open. Martha managed to open the cell with a hairpin. We carefully exited the cell and headed towards the main gate. We climbed several dozen steps and then walked a straight path to the main gate. We tried to move very quietly, but each cautious step echoed on the floor. We also feared being caught by orcs or worse. Finally, we stopped before the gate; we saw no guards posted there. We were happy to know that once we crossed the threshold of this fortress, we would be free. We ran quickly to the gate, eager to leave this place as quickly as possible. Suddenly, we bumped into someone and collapsed to the ground.

“Where are you all going in such a hurry?!” we heard a cold, low voice, even more merciless than Morgoth’s.

We raised our heads in fear and saw a tall, flame-wreathed figure. It was armed with a long sword. We stood abruptly and tried to sneak toward the exit. This individual, however, wasn't as stupid as we had anticipated. He grabbed each of us by the jackets and lifted us off the ground like a cat.

"Fugitives always face punishment," the stranger said quietly.

"What a price, you clown!" Jarek said angrily. "It was probably you who illegally imprisoned us here. We escaped to regain our freedom. You have no right to keep us here.

" "Shut up, or I'll have you flogged," he hissed, and Jarek fell silent. "I am Sauron the Great!" the stranger said triumphantly.

Then we realized we were dealing with Sauron, Morgoth's greatest servant. Sauron moved toward the stairs, still held in his strong grip. The enemy only released us in Morgoth's chamber. We fell to our knees before Morgoth's throne, feeling as if some powerful force was preventing us from rising. We felt ridiculed, even humiliated, in this position. Morgoth began to laugh softly, coldly, and mockingly. We cowered, terrified by Morgoth's cruel laughter. Sauron, too, began to laugh at us. We thought it would end with only a search of our pockets and being thrown back into the dungeon. But it was worse than we expected.

"I must admit, I didn't take you seriously. I thought you wouldn't escape. If it weren't for my faithful servant, you would have been long gone from this stronghold. I have just found a way to break you. I wonder how long you will endure this separation before you finally give up all resistance." One of you will surely surrender first, for my servant will impose a punishment doubled for three escape attempts. She will suffer for several hours…

"I tried to escape twice, when that bastard dragged us here against our will," I said, hatred for Morgoth burning in my heart. "Don't think any of us will submit to your will. I will choose death rather than succumb to such a brute and son of a bitch as…"

The end of the sentence was drowned in a scream filled with pain and suffering beyond my endurance. I writhed in excruciating agony.

Finally, the pain passed. For a moment, I lay on the ground, panting heavily. Meanwhile, Morgoth summoned the orcs. I rose from the ground, and we all huddled together, trembling with fear. "I hope Morgoth will not part us," Martha said quietly, addressing us. Finally, Morgoth gave the order to the orcs, and we thought they would lock us back in the dungeons, but it was worse. Worse than we expected from Morgoth.

"Lock each of them in a separate cell," he said quietly. "Lock one of them in a special cell in my chamber," he pointed to the black brass door.

At these words, we clung even tighter to each other, not wanting to be separated so easily by our enemies. The orcs approached us, grabbing each of our arms and slowly began to pull us apart. At the last moment, Aśka and I grabbed each other's arms with all our strength. The orcs were now having serious trouble separating us.

"No! I beg you, don't separate us," Marta pleaded with Morgoth before disappearing through the door.

Aśka and I held each other tightly. We were afraid of what would happen if they separated us last. Finally, Sauron decided to help the orcs separate the two of us, who were still trying to resist, even though they would separate us anyway. This was Morgoth's plan for us; he wanted to break us, to show him that we were still small and weak children. Sauron pulled a whip from his belt and lashed us across the hands. We let go in pain, and the orcs slowly pulled us apart. Aśka was dragged with difficulty from the chamber. I was locked in that special cell in Morgoth's chamber. I sat helplessly in the darkest corner of the cell and huddled there, shivering with fear and cold. I heard Sauron talking to Morgoth about me...

"Your servant told me that this girl we locked here gave him the most trouble," Morgoth said quietly, turning to Sauron. "He told me that you were to punish that impudent girl. That's why I locked her up here, so she wouldn't play any foolish tricks.

" "By that, my lord, I mean, my servant didn't feel like punishing his prisoner," Sauron said mockingly. "I will teach this little one a lesson that will teach her no more foolish tricks."

I shuddered with fear at these words. I had no way to escape, and now I felt alone, helpless, and defenseless. Sauron and Morgoth continued their conversation.

"And tomorrow I will force these three boys to work beyond their strength," Morgoth said quietly. "When will you begin?

" "Now," Sauron said with a laugh.

I shuddered with terror at these words. Suddenly, the orcs entered and brutally dragged me from the dark corner. They tied me to a post in the cell, then left.

I was terrified, realizing that Sauron would soon torture me for those two escape attempts. I knelt on the cold stone floor, my hands bound tightly. The bonds practically cut into my skin. I leaned my forehead against the post I was tied to, closing my eyes. I heard the creak of the door opening, but I didn't react. I pretended to be asleep to fool Sauron into giving me a moment of peace. I felt a terrible pain throughout my body, the likes of which I had never known in my life. I screamed in agony. After a moment, I opened my eyes and looked bravely at Sauron. My enemy smiled mockingly, coldly, and mockingly. He held a whip in his hand. I trembled in terror at the sight of the whip Sauron wielded. Yet I humbly awaited the torment; it had been a mistake to try to escape his servant. Now Sauron would pay for this deed. I tensed every muscle, waiting for the blow. I felt the powerful lash of the whip. I winced in pain, but made no sound, betraying the pain I was in at that moment. I felt something warm and sticky trickle down my back. I heard Sauron's icy laughter.

"This will take a long time," Sauron said in my ear, his voice venomous. "Now I will show you what true suffering is."

He struck me with redoubled force, and I squealed in pain. The blows continued. They were incredibly painful, the whip ripping my clothes and cutting my skin. I tried to expose my head to the painful blows only to lose consciousness; fainting was simply a relief from the suffering. Sauron, seeing me faint, brutally awoke me, and the painful blows began to rain down on me again. I no longer had the strength to resist my enemies. The agony was beyond my endurance, so after a scream of pain and suffering, I lost consciousness for an unspecified period. I awoke aching, exhausted, and drenched in sweat. When I sat down on the ground, I realized my clothes were sticky. At first, I thought it was from sweat, but when I touched my back, I felt long, deep wounds. I looked at my hand and saw blood. Part of Morgoth's plan for us had succeeded. I was exhausted and unable to resist. I was at the mercy of the enemy. My friends, imprisoned in other cells in the dungeons, had a way to escape. And I was trapped in a cell in Morgoth's chamber, determined to break me first of my pack. Occasionally, a sharp, searing pain from the wounds Sauron had inflicted on me would shoot through my back. I lay on the ground, breathing heavily. I had no chance of getting out. After a while, sleep overtook me, momentarily relieving me of the pain. I woke several hours later, cold. My clothes clung uncomfortably to my body. The searing pain from the wounds on my back tormented me even more intensely.

I hissed in pain as I sat down on the ground. It was already night outside. If I understood Morgoth and Sauron's conversation correctly, tomorrow they would force the boys to work really hard. For several minutes, I couldn't close my eyes because of the cold and the searing pain in my back. It wasn't pleasant lying on the cold, hard stone floor. I kept tossing and turning. Morgoth doesn't even know what pleasure death will give me at that moment. And even if he did, he still wouldn't kill me. He longs to see me kneeling at his feet, begging for mercy. Eventually, I fell asleep again. When I woke up again, I no longer felt the pain from those wounds. They healed quickly enough. It was already daylight, and I lay curled up on the ground with my eyes closed. I heard my cell door slowly open. Someone entered and placed a plate beside me, then left my cell. After a moment, I opened my eyes and saw dry bread and water. There was only one slice of bread and water, and I knew that would have to last me the whole day. I greedily ate the stale bread and drank some water.