She took refuge from a sudden thunderstorm in an old, disused barn. It was barely standing upright, leaning as it was all over the place, but surprisingly dry and warm inside. When her eyes had grown accustomed to the dim light inside, she saw it was full of hay. She curled up in it and feeling warm and secure from the bad weather outside, she immediately fell asleep.
She was awakened some time later, by someone coming in to the barn. She could see it was an older man, leaning heavily as he was on a wooden staff.
“I know someone’s in here! I can hear you breathe! Come here and let me have a look at you!†he called out, in a creaky voice. She crept out from the hay and walked over to him. When she got near, she could see he was almost blind and was using the staff as kind of a guide.
“Well, now. Who do we have here, then?†he asked, in a friendly voice.
“My name is Sarah,†she introduced herself. “I went in here to get away from the storm. I’m sorry if I trespassed, in any way.â€
“Well, hello Sarah. My name is Oscar and no, I don’t think you, or I for that matter, is trespassing. This barn seems to have been standing here since... oh, I don’t really know when. Whoever built it must be long gone, by now.â€
The man sounded friendly enough, but Sarah didn’t quite trust him, so she said: “The storm’s dying out, so I best be getting on my way.â€
Oscar (if that was his real name) stood silently listening for a while, and then said: “It seems to me, like it’s getting stronger by the minute! Let’s wait it out in here, where it’s warm and dry.†he said and cleared a space for them to sit. He, somehow, found some old planks, which he gathered and piled up. Then he got out a box of matches and lit one of them, setting the pile on fire. Sarah came and sat down next to him.
After having sat silent for a couple of minutes, staring into the fire, Oscar said: “Where you serious about leaving?â€
She looked at him and said she had been and that she would be leaving, just as soon as the storm had passed. “Of course you are! In fact, we both are. And we’re leaving together, as a matter of fact.†From somewhere, he took out a long piece of rope and quickly tied her hands together in front of her. He did it so her palms were facing each other; “That way, I don’t have to feed you,†he muttered. She was so stunned by what happened she didn’t really put up a fight. She tested her tether, but found it to be too secure to get free of on her own. The other end of the rope, he tied around his left wrist; “So you don’t go do anything silly, like try leaving me again.†From somewhere else, he got out a sausage, bread and cheese. He put the sausage on a stick and put it over the fire. When it was cooked, he took it off the stick, broke it in half, along with the bread and cheese, and offered it to her. She was so hungry she ate it all without thinking.
The night came, and still the storm raged on. Oscar led Sarah to a post, and tied her hands behind it. He wound a second rope around her chest (“So you don’t go falling sideways and hurt yourself, when you’re sleepingâ€, he said). Lastly, he wound a rope from her ankles to her knees, tying it off, just under the kneecaps.
“I hope you’re not thinking of shoutin’ for help all night, ‘cause there aint none to be had out here. You just sit quiet and try getting some sleep, and we’ll be on our way tomorrow morning.â€
Needless to say; she didn’t have a very good night’s sleep, if any, whereas Oscar slept like a baby.
The next morning, the storm had gone away. Oscar untied her hands, and gave her a piece of bread for breakfast. As soon as they had eaten, he released her from the post, but tied her hands in front of her again and, like the day before he tied the other end of the rope around one of his wrists. When they came out of the barn, and she could see him better, she first thought he looked like Father Christmas, with his long white beard, and all. But the Father Christmas she knew, didn’t go around tying people up, or kidnap them!
He led her to an old house. It was so small it only consisted of one room. He took her inside and said: “This will be your home for the time being.†He went over to a cupboard and took out four cuffs and two heavy-looking chains. He placed two of the cuffs on her wrists, and the rest on her ankles. He connected the handcuffs with one chain, but instead of using padlocks to lock them in place, he just held his hands around them. Sarah felt a short burst of heat, and the cuffs seemed to have been fused together with the chain. He did the same with the cuffs on her ankles.
He saw her bewildered look and said:â€Aye, lass, I’m a sorcerer. And don’t you forget it! I don’t want to turn you into something disgusting, like a toad or something. And before you ask, no, those cuffs won’t chafe. Not ever. Not much, at least, I don’t think.â€
From then on, Sarah’s days were filled with chores, from early morning till late night. If she wasn’t filling buckets of water, she swept floors, made their meals, or any of the many things Oscar wanted her to do. She eventually got so used to having chains around her hands and feet all the time, the memory of not having them faded away more and more, until it was no more than a (bad?) dream.
At night, Oscar would magically fasten the handcuffs to the headboard of the bed, and she soon learned how to sleep that way.
When he had to go on one of his rare trips into town, he would fasten the handcuffs to a pole in the middle of the room before he left, tie a rope around her waist, and leave her standing there until he got back, usually late at night.
One day, just after he had left, she heard what sounded like a horse outside. The door opened and a lady (there’s no other word to describe her) walked in. She was tall, dark and slender. When she saw Sarah, she let out a sigh:â€The old man’s been at it again, I see! How long have you been here, child?â€
Sarah, though resenting being called ‘child’ answered humbly:â€I don’t really know, ma’m. A couple of weeks, I guess.â€
The woman snorted, and went over to her. “I’m Ambla by the way, and Oscar’s my father.†She said. “He has done this many times before, you know. But don’t worry; I’ll have you out of here in no time!â€
“I’m Sarah. If Oscar’s your father, that means you’re a sorceress, doesn’t it?†Sarah said in a trembling voice.
Ambla thought about it for a while and then said:â€I suppose you could call me that, if you like. I’ve been called worse things in my time.†The smile she gave Sarah could turn a bonfire to ice in an instant. “Now, let’s get you out of those shackles, shall we? Let me have a look at them.†She held them in her hands, just as Oscar had done. “Oh? The old man’s improved over the years, I see.†Ambla sounded quite impressed at the discovery. “But as usual, he’s no match for me! There we are! You’re free now. I suggest you run home as quickly as possible. I’ll deal with the old man, when he decides to come home.â€
As soon as she was free of the shackles, Sarah gave Ambla a quick curtsy and quickly went for the door. She opened it, stepped out, felt the world spin around her... and woke up in her own bed!
When she was fully awake, she let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad it was only a dream!†she thought. “I sure hope it never comes back!â€