"Tell us about the others," I ask. "Why are they all playing along with her, why is no one telling her she has gone too far?"
"She has a very quick way of dealing with anyone who does not agree with her. The only exception is Morcefres and the wizard."
"Who's the wizard?"
"I don't know if he has a name. He's the one dealing with anything electronic. Mainly the phones of those who are taken. I don't know how that works; I didn't have anything like that."
How long has it been since she was taken, that she doesn't even know what a phone is?
"The barber, he failed the final exam as a hairdresser. He is another one whom the Lady has recruited. He came here as a bitter man and also seemed to enjoy humiliating the theows. The poor man he had in his bedroom was kept up all night doing one thing after another."
The bedrooms. I need to ask about that part.
"What happens in the bedrooms?"
"Nothing like what you imagine. The Lady is serious when she says that anything sexual is forbidden. And they are listening for sounds for that. If a visitor ever tries to take advantage of you in that matter, scream, or moan loudly and they will come. The only ones allowed to hurt us are the Lady and Morcefres."
That was a little reassuring, but I still don't look forward to it. I hope I won't be asked to do that job. Though if I am to be in charge of the animals, it's unlikely anyone will want me. Who wants a theow that reeks of animals in their bedroom? I can already smell it on my clothes, though none of the others smell much better.
"How come no one misses the people the Lady takes?" another one of the theows asks. "I mean, I know no one misses me, but most people have a family to go back to."
"That is where the questionnaire comes in," Leann replies. "Remember the very extensive document you needed to fill in to even be allowed to come as a visitor? They know a lot about you, before you even get here. The Lady knows what she's doing. She only takes those who will not be missed. Did you think the game of the stretch-necks is random? It is not. It is a test for whoever the Lady has considered to keep, to see if they will be willing to submit. The few who are caught breaking the rules are the exception. Depending on what they saw, they are either just slightly punished like any other visitor or kept back despite the Lady not choosing them. They are usually the people who take the longest time learning how to survive here."
Kaneez looked away as Leann explained. Maybe she is finally starting to realize that it is her own fault that she ended up here. Leann seems to think that she has said enough about that, as she looks out of the small opening that gives the only light in the train car.
"These travel days are actually one of the best times. It is the only time when we can only sit and relax. Sometimes, it even feels a little boring. No work, no punishment. Unless you are like the man caught stealing, who refuses to give in. What was he thinking, stealing from the Lady? Either way, I have seen some of what she does to those that resist as long as he does. He won't survive long."
I silently agree but don't say it out loud. I don't want to think about what the Lady might be doing to the thief in her own train car. I still struggle with the guilt from getting him into this situation. If I had known that the reaction would be that severe, I wouldn't have said anything.
"I usually sit here and try to remember who I was before all of this. I remember less and less each time. It's like it was a dream I had, long ago. I don't even know how long I've been here. What year is it outside?"
It is Kaneez that replies first. "It's 2003. What year were you taken?"
"2003?! We've passed the millennium. I don't remember the exact year, but it was after 1975, probably at least 3 years later. Time became meaningless after my husband died."
1975? She had been here as a theow longer than I had been alive! No wonder she's so used to it! But why am I agreeing with her? Have I adapted that quickly? If I had the chance, would I run away now? The answer should be a clear "yes", but I hesitate. What is there for me in the world outside?
"Has the Lady given you a name yet?" Leann suddenly asks me.
"I got to keep my name. Audrey means servant. It was as if this was where I was destined to be all along."
"That's what they say, though I don't know what to believe. If this is what I was meant to be all along, why do my brain fight against it so much?" one of the others says.
"Humans don't like change. I'm sure we will get used to it sooner or later." I reply.
"I hope it's sooner. I don't want to continue being whipped every day." The other theow says. I agree, though I also think about what Ædven said. That they didn't punish those who didn't deserve it. If that was so, it really doesn't take much for them to think you deserve it.
I don't have much time to dwell on it, as the train slowly grinds to a halt. Soon there is activity on the outside of the train. It seems we have arrived at our next destination. As the doors slowly open, a churl comes with fresh water for us. Then he tells us that we've arrived, and that the Lady wants us to help with the construction of the new burh. And just like that, we're all back in our roles. Audrey the theow is back.
It takes no time at all for all of us to go back to the roles we always have. As soon as we step foot on the prairie like surface where we will have our next base, we stop being the intimate group from the train, we were just theows again. They tie our hands like they did when they took us to the train, and we start walking. It is a bit of a walk, and we need several breaks during the very long day, but we get there in time to see the final touches of the burh being built. The churls in the trucks had built most of it before we arrived, at least the crew area.
The thief was carried off the train in the same sack he was in when he was placed there. I thought he was dead at first, but then I saw that he was still trying to resist, still fighting, despite being tied up like a pig. He is certainly persistent, yet I wonder how long he will survive. It must be hard to breathe, tied up like that.
By the time we come to the place where we are to spend the next part of our lives, and have the burh fully constructed, I have forgotten most of what had happened on the train. Only the stories remain in my mind, both Ædven's and Leann's. I have always liked stories.