Grandma had been sick for years. Recently, she moved into hospice care, so that she could receive round the clock care. She missed her family, but there were many advantages here, such as the sprawling gardens where she could go for strolls in her wheelchair. Plus, her grandchildren visited often. Her granddaughter in particular was fond of sitting beside her in the shade of an old maple tree and reading stories to her.
Mina’s latest story was a tangled mess of magic and adventure, set in a fantasy medieval world of some sort. There was the usual hero prince, a poor but kindhearted heroine, a monster a week themed around exploring dungeons. What really captured Grandma’s attention was one of the villains, a girl who shared her granddaughter’s name. In the story, the villainess Mina was sacrificed to summon some kind of monster, which took over her body even though her mind was still intact, so that the girl was forced to watch helplessly as the monster used her status and her abilities to wreak havoc upon the world.
“Isn’t that awful?” her granddaughter Mina cried. “I wish I could save her from that horrible fate.”
Grandma smiled and patted Mina’s hand. “You’re a kind girl, Mina.”
“Mina!” A man’s voice called from behind the flower bed.
“Daddy!” Mina jumped up.
A man emerged from around the corner, black hair tousled with stray bits of grass sticking out. “Hello Mother,” he said with a warm smile. “I hope Mina hasn’t been wearing you out.”
“Not at all, dear. Mina has been telling me stories.” Grandma reached out a hand, and the man took it gently. “It’s good to see you, Ian.”
“Do we really have to go now?” Mina pouted.
“I’m afraid so, dear.” Ian released Grandma’s hand. “We’ll come back tomorrow at the usual time.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
Mina and Ian took turns giving Grandma hugs before waving goodbye. As they left, Grandma stared after them, a smile playing on her lips. They were good kids, though Ian wasn’t a child anymore, and she was proud of her family. She wished she could have more time with them, but her body was old and weary. With a sigh, Grandma turned her chair and slowly rolled herself back to her room for a nap.
“Wake up!”
Grandma jerked awake sputtering as a bucket of cold water drenched her from head to toe. Before she could draw breath to curse, a hand gripped her wrist and yanked hard, dragging her out of bed and onto her knees on the splintery wooden floor.
“How long do you plan to pretend to be sick?” A snide, vicious voice sneered from overhead. “Get back to work!”
Grandma gasped for breath as the maid stomped out. She looked around. A small bare room, sparse, rickety furniture, a cracked and warped mirror in one corner. This was definitely not her room at the hospice! I’m too old for transmigration nonsense, she thought to herself, even as she climbed to her feet. On the other hand, being able to walk again sure is handy.
Stumbling to the mirror, Grandma swore. Ice blue eyes stared back at her from a youthful face, framed by ocean blue hair that fell in gentle waves. Even though she was wet and disheveled, Grandma thought she looked quite cute. The girl in the mirror looked like she was maybe ten years old, scrawny under a tattered nightgown that ended at her knobby knees.
[Excuse me! I’m twelve!] A voice range in Grandma’s head.
“What?” Grandma blurted out loud.
[I’m twelve years old! Not ten!]
“Okay?” Grandma dragged the word out, uncertain. “And who are you exactly?” She looked around. The room was much too small for anyone to hide in, and she wasn’t surprised to see that she was completely alone.
[I’m Mina! Who are you? And what are you doing in my body?] The voice sounded outraged, but underneath, there was a deep current of fear.
“I really am too old for this nonsense,” Grandma muttered, dropping her head into her hands. “Uh, well, I guess you can call me Grandma. That’s what my Mina back home calls me, anyway.”
[Your Mina?] Curiosity now, alongside the fear and anger.
“Yes, my granddaughter.” Grandma closed her eyes and thought of the girl, her straight black hair in a tidy braid down her back, her school uniform that was starting to become too small as she hit another growth spurt, her gentle hands and sweet voice as she read out loud. “I miss her.”
[Oh,] the voice murmured. [I’m sorry to hear that.]
“Mm? Yes, well. It’s no matter. We are here, so let’s make the best of it.” Grandma shucked off her wet nightgown. The rude maid had left a bucket, presumably the one she brought the water with, by the door. Grandma wrung out the gown and draped it over the back of the single chair to dry. “Do we have any towels?”
[That would be nice,] the voice responded sarcastically.
Grandma heaved a sigh. She roughly dried herself on her scant bedsheet, then hauled open the rickety wardrobe door. A few sad dresses hung there, threadbare and worn with age. “Wow, you have more than one outfit. What luxury.”
[They’re going to come back and yell at you if you don’t hurry,] Mina groused.
“What do you care? I’m the one who has to deal with it.” Grandma plucked a dress at random and shrugged it on.
[Just because you’re in control doesn’t mean I can’t see, hear, or feel anything!]
“Oho?” Grandma experimentally kicked the wall with her bare foot.
[Ow! What was that for?!]
“Oh, just testing things out.” Grandma chuckled. “I don’t know how I got here, or what’s going on, so it’s only natural to experiment, don’t you think? We have a saying for that where I come from, but it’s not very kid friendly.”
[Whatever, just get going,] the girl inside Grandma’s head grumbled.
[So can you hear me like this too?] Grandma asked experimentally, thinking the question in her head.
[Yes.]
[Okay, that’s good. Tell me what I need to do next?] Grandma dragged a broken comb through her hair and bundled it up into a messy bun. There was a leather cord on the desk, so she used it to tie her hair in place. Good enough for now.
[I have to help wash the floors. Take the bucket and the rags and go get some water.] Mina sounded tired and resigned.
[What if we just… didn’t do that?] Grandma asked as she followed Mina’s directions. Outside her tiny closet of a room, the hallway extended in either direction, with numerous doors on both sides of the hall. Servants quarters, according to Mina.
[Then the head maid would report us to Father, and Father would beat us.] Mina shared a mental image of this “Father” person. [You saw how the other servant treated us just now.]
[Oh, is that Duke Avery of Westhill?] Grandma slipped down the hall on silent feet, padding soundlessly down the stairs with the bucket tucked under her arms.
[How do you know that?] Mina asked, stunned.
[I heard about it from my Mina,] Grandma replied vaguely. The servants’ back corridors became busier as she reached the kitchen, and Grandma could hear shouting, the banging of pots and pans, the clatter of dishes. A rich, savory smell wafted through the air and her stomach growled in sudden hunger. [I’m guessing they’re not going to feed us. Let’s steal some food and run away.]
[You–!] Mina didn’t have time to finish.
Keeping her head down, Grandma slipped into the chaos of the kitchen. Servants rushed by with ingredients, dirty dishes, and serving trays piled with food. A basket of bread made for an easy target, and Grandma’s hands flashed out to snatch a loaf as she slid by. Miraculously, no one seemed to notice her antics as she shoved the bread into her bucket and covered it with a rag.
[Can you ride a horse?] Grandma asked.
[When would I have ever had the chance to learn?] Mina shot back in astonishment.
[Never mind, I’ll do the riding anyway. Let’s find some pants and boots.]
Grandma exited the kitchen and headed toward the stables, still following Mina’s directions. Along the way, she stopped by the laundry room and, under the pretense of washing the lord’s dirty clothes, sorted through the pile until she found what she was looking for.
According to the story, Mina had two brothers, legitimate sons of the Duke who were coddled and about as nice as their father. Stealing their pants won’t hurt them. Grandma rather doubted if they’d even notice. Boots were harder to find though, and in the end, Grandma settled for a pair of sandals with worn straps and cracked soles.
[This is good enough for now,] Grandma thought. [Let’s visit the horses.]
[Wait, wait, stop, are you serious?] Mina panicked.
[Yes, dead serious. Nothing good will come of staying here, so we might as well leave.] Grandma surreptitiously tore a chunk of bread and stuffed it into her face.
[But we don’t know what’s out there! How will we survive?]
Ah, right. The Duke had been abusing this girl for her whole life, threatening her with abandonment and death in an unkind world outside the estate. [It’s not as scary out there as the Duke has been telling you,] Grandma said gently. [Besides, you have me now. I won’t let you die.]
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