Zainab:

I looked in all directions and still could not find him, so I hope I do not cross paths with him ever again. What an angry, old bird he sounded like!

******
I was incredibly anxious, breathing heavily, and my heart was pounding rapidly in my chest. What happens if I meet someone? It was not like I could just stand there like it was my own home; my legs moved on their own accord.

I am having a lot of trouble in this house even on my first day here.

Before someone gets mad at me, I really need to get started on the work. According to what my parents had told me, this house was home to about six people, but no one was home.

My mother's brother, his wife, and their two children—a girl who was about my age, or about 22—and a guy who was a little older than me—were the purported occupants of the mansion. If my memory serves me correctly, they also mentioned my grandmother and my mother's father, who moved to the mansion with their son in the past while we stayed behind.

"Where is everybody?" I wondered. Were they ill, or were they safe? Were they alive? Yes, Allah, my curiosity grew as I thought more! This house was full of mysteries, and I could not help but feel bothered by its enigmatic aura.

It was nearly 9:30 A.M.; maybe the family was still asleep.

When I finally got inside, the kitchen was twice as big as my room back home. This kitchen was truly amazing. Everything was kept separate and well-organized. Magnificent marble counters flanked the kitchen, and glass jars filled with nearly flawless ingredients adorned the counters. Fresh fruit, including pears, apples, and oranges, were arranged in a pretty golden bowl. 

Two chefs greeted me, one of whom I had already met.

"I assume you are new here, my love?" He handed me a glass of water and asked me quietly.

I glanced here and there, hoping no one saw me talking to the chef. Some people, I have heard, do not like maids interfering with different types of work, so I explained to him in a low voice, "Yes, I just arrived this morning and I was already told to start work but I hardly know what my work is, let alone my way around this giant house." 

"There used to be five maids, but there are currently only four. She had one for cleaning this enormous mansion, but she abruptly left because of an emergency. As of right now, you work with three other maids; they take care of the garden, the guest house, the kitchen, and laundry. I assume you will now be handling the house, where you will be expected to clean every room. You will be given a reason for this, ma'am." After he finished, I just wondered and hoped that this house had far fewer rooms than it appeared to have.

********

There was nobody in the dining room, so I went in and one of the other maids cleared away the breakfast. 

My next task was to mop the floor after I had finished sweeping the dining room. They still had a lot of rooms left, and I was already tired.

As I dragged myself out of the dining room, I was about to knock on a room's door when I heard a somber, stern voice behind me. 

After turning to face the speaker and glancing in my direction, I realized it was her because, while cleaning the sitting room, I had noticed her picture on one of the framed portraits.

The woman who claimed to be my aunt—my uncle's wife—stared at me and said, "So you have come," as though I were a burden to them. She did not wear a headscarf and was dressed modern. Her appearance was stunning, but her disposition was harsh and evil. It was not on her head.

I started talking to her after arriving this morning, but I was abruptly cut off.

She abruptly stopped me, "I did not ask for your explanations," and I already did not like her. When she spoke to me, she had a devilish smile on her face, as though she hated me and my family completely. 

"My husband has already left for work, so let us get started cleaning our room. She added, "Also, please make sure you do not enter the rooms when my family is in them. She twirled her unveiled hair. Her attire left me wondering if she was a model or my aunt.

I just nodded, saying nothing. Aghhh! How awful I felt about this aunt of mine! How did my uncle get enamored with her? She may have genuinely hated us, or perhaps she had a change of heart after marrying my uncle. 

As if she did not trust me in her room by herself, she opened the door, went inside, and sat on the bed. Though she was aware of everything I did, she began to paint her nails. 

As I straightened my room and replaced the linens, I muttered to myself, "I detest nail polish."

"How unfortunate that she could not even change her own bed linens," I grinned to myself as I worked.

A dressing table full of high-end brand perfumes caught my eye. Because I was afraid of her negative reaction, I did not touch any. My task was to thoroughly clean her room, including the windows, fan, table, and everything else.

"When did she last tidy her room?"I wondered to myself.

Finally, I was done. I could barely walk because my legs hurt so much and I had beads of sweat forming on my forehead, hands that hurt, and weakness in my legs.

"Are you done? She gestured to the jug next to her bed and said, "Now bring me water; it is over there."

a wicked, slothful woman. She appeared to be without legs.

Since I had to visit several rooms to clean them, I was in a rush as I carried a jug of water back to her room. It would have been better to clean before her spoiled daughter came out, from what I would heard.

I crashed against a hard wall because I was hurrying and did not know where I was going. It was not a wall, as was later discovered. I thought I had run into my uncle, but it turns out he was at work, so maybe he was working from home. Whoa, what a bad day.

"Watch where you are going." An unfamiliar, deep, and irritated voice snapped at me. I apologized in hushed tones and dashed away, not even looking back at the person. Most likely, it was the same old grumpy man.

"Who was he?" I asked myself. It does not concern me.

"What makes everyone in this house so rude?"I wondered. Perhaps that is just who they are. With a shrug, I hurried to give the evil lady her jug of water before she could yell at me.