Candle on the Water

Summary: *1905 alternate universe. A child slave named Sofia runs away from her abusive family, only to find love and kindness from the town drunk Cedric.

Chapter One

Sofia ran with her only possession: a worn copy of Mother Goose under her arm, ducking under a tree before running again in the hopes that her abusive family wouldn't catch up.

She had no idea how old she was until remembering Mister Douglass' so called birthday spankings from the day before.

Ma'am Greturde had only watched with a smile as their children James and Alice (who were spoiled and fatter than the pigs on the farm) giggled happily at the once pale bottom turning pink as Sofia tried to hold back tears.

She was five according to each smack but she didn't feel that way. Her vocabulary was very limited. Almost in the state of a little toddler.

And Sofia hated it. Mister Douglass and Ma'am Greturde never let her speak much so she had to be creative.

A whine sound for getting tired. A whimper if she had to do her business. Whatever she could make come out of her mouth, it was her own language.

Sofia wished she could make one of her sounds at the moment as the morning spring air gave her a chill but she couldn't.

She didn't want to get caught, running into she bumped into a man she didn't know.

"Are you alright child?"

The man's voice was kind, an emotion Sofia wasn't used to as she stared at him. His hair was black as night, his nose pointy like a witch, and his body was taller than her.

"No," Sofia mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"What's your name child?" The man wondered, lifting up her dirt soaked chin.

Sofia opened the worn copy of Mother Goose she had stolen from Alice and claimed as her own, staring at the words she had written.

"Sew-flea-ha."

"Sofia. What a pretty name," The man smiled as Sofia tried not to gag at his breath.

It smelled of alcohol, a beverage she knew Mister Douglass would drink before he would beat her. But the man seemed nice, letting her smile a little.

"Thank you Mister," Sofia muttered softly, reluctantly taking his hand.

She made a whine sound and as if the man knew what she wanted, picked her up and laid her head on his shoulder before Sofia felt her eyes close, hoping that being in the man's arms wasn't just a dream.

…

"What the dickens did whoever they are do to this child?" Cedric asked himself as he walked two miles with the sleeping little girl on his shoulder.

The poor thing looked hungry, tired, and just skinny to the core. She wasn't wearing shoes so he hoped to the lord that she wasn't hurt in anyway.

Sofia, such a unusual name, was quiet along the way, not stirring once until Cedric had put her down once they had arrived at his house.

There she had walked away from him and urinated on Cordelia's recently placed flower bushes.

Cedric hoped that the next time his sister would visit him, she wouldn't notice the missing flower bushes.

"Kitty!" Sofia shouted, wanting the book in his hands.

"It's not a kitty," Cedric gently explained, patting her head. "And you just can't do your business on flower brushes. Kids your age don't do that."

"No?"

"No."

Cedric frowned at the lack of vocabulary she had at what he guessed to be around five years old.

Children her age spoke a lot more. Sometimes for their own good. But her?

She was terribly lacking and he couldn't blame her for it.

He noticed that she was looking down at her feet, whimpering softly as if she expected punishment for something she didn't know not to do.

Sofia didn't deserve punishment. She didn't know that flower brushes weren't something to relive yourself on.

"I'm not mad," Cedric explained softly, the whimpering getting to him. "You didn't know better. I'm blaming your past for that."

"Mister?" Sofia asked, looking ready to cry.

"I am not mad at you Sofia. You've been hurt long enough for me to get mad."

…

Sofia smiled at the man, hugging him softly as she looked around his home before staring wide eyed at a house down the street.

It had a well.

"Come on you ragamuffin!" Alice shouted, shoving Sofia up the hill.

"Don't make us pour the water on you again," James added with a smirk. "Father will get out his whip and smack that pale little bottom of yours until it's as bright as a juicy apple!"

"No!" Sofia screamed, dropping to her knees and began to sob quietly.

The man gently wrapped his arms around her as the sobs turned into hiccups, carrying her away from the well.

The man seemed to be wealthy or at least that's what Sofia thought, hearing a growl as she hid behind the man.

"Easy Wormwood. Sofia's had enough trouble without you growling at her!" The man scolded at the dog in front of him.

A dog. Sofia relaxed a little.

She liked dogs.

Jack, the family's sheepdog, was her best friend. Sometimes stealing food off Mister Douglass or James' plate and gave it to her.

Sofia started to giggle at the memory as Wormwood, big, furry, and black, sniffed her.

"Kitty," Sofia smiled, petting him gently.

"No no. He's Wormwood, not a kitty," The man explained with the gentle voice that she liked.

"W-Wormy."

"Yes. You can call him that if you want."

"Thank you Mister," Sofia smiled, hugging Wormwood close.

"My name is Cedric sweetie," The man smiled, stroking her hair.

"No Mister."

"No Cedric."

Sofia couldn't help but giggle at his name. It was something she hadn't heard before.

Cedric. She finally knew what the man's name was and just in time as she began to crave for her treasured storybook.

But Cedric wouldn't let her, explaining that they had to have breakfast first then she could read what little words she knew.

Sofia frowned. The family NEVER allowed her to eat with them and if they did, James was the one to lead her into a trap and Alice would follow with a bucket of water and some leftover food.

The bucket she would have to drown herself with after trying to eat the stale food she had been given but that unfortunately would lead to her wetting herself because of the children never giving her a break when she needed it.

Mister Douglass and Ma'am Gertrude usually did much to her relief as Sofia came to reality.

She didn't notice Cedric looking at her worriedly, whispering into someone else's ear.

A maid's ear she realized, frowning again.

"Sofia, this is Jessie. She's one of the servants I have in my home," Cedric introduced as Jessie curtsied.

"How do you do Miss?" Jessie asked with a smile as soft as Ma'am Greturde's silk dresses.

Sofia blinked, not knowing what to say.

What could she say? Yes wasn't an answer to how she was feeling.

"She says she's okay," Cedric answered for her. "Poor thing is rather skinny for her age. Just minutes ago she had a crying fit over the neighbor's water wall."

"I'm sure she's been through a lot sir."

"Indeed she has. Whoever had her before me probably poured water on her for fun."

Cedric wasn't wrong.

Alice and James did pour the water she would get for them from the well on her for fun if she was slow.

Soaking wet and cold, Sofia would start crying before Alice would slap her, yelling at her to stop acting like a baby.

Sofia tried to rub away the dirt from her cheek, trying to look presentable as she spotted Hawkins, one of Cedric's chefs, put down her meal.

"Just a few bites young lady," Hawkins encouraged, seeing her puzzled face. "Cedric's niece Calista hasn't turn down any of my meals so I doubt that you will too."

Sofia blinked at the elderly man, taking a bite of the fruit as if it was her last food on earth.

What was a Calista? What was a niece?

Furthermore, if Cedric was a uncle, he had a family. Would his family love a ragamuffin like her?

Would they call her Sofia?

Would they have books for her to read?

There were so many questions unanswered in her mind that Sofia hadn't realized that she was devouring the food in front of her.

And it was fresh, earning Hawkins a small, shy smile on her reddened face.

"Just like your ten-year-old niece," Jessie smiled before noticing a dry cut on Sofia's forehead. "Sir where did she get that cut from?"

"Probably the same people who've made her traumatized over a water well," Cedric grumbled, seeing Sofia's plate nearly empty. "But she is devouring her meal even faster than Calista."

"You know how Miss Cordelia is."

"Believe me I know. She's what they call a suffrage. Parading herself with other women and wanting to vote. She loves the changes this time has brought us. Including her husband's noisy automobile. Mother and her never get along because of it."

Sofia blinked at Cedric's words, understanding confused before making a grunt sound.

She wanted her storybook. She didn't understand adults when they talked too much.

"Right. Your Mother Goose book," Cedric realized, seeing her look of frustration as he got out of his chair.

Sofia got up and followed him, making sounds along the way. She knew that he had placed it on a table before they had eaten together, hoping that nothing happened to it.

She sighed in relief at seeing it not damaged or thrown away as Cedric gave it to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I had placed a handkerchief on it so none of the maids would accidentally burn it or throw it away," Cedric whispered into her ear as she hugged him.

He back away in alarm at seeing tears down her cheeks before realizing that they were happy tears.

He showed her kindness by keeping her only possession safe.

"Thank you Mister," Sofia hiccuped, taking the handkerchief off the book. "I-I k-keep?"

Cedric smiled softly, rubbing her back gently to assure Sofia that she was safe.

"Yes. You can keep the handkerchief."

Sofia beamed, hugging his legs as Cedric noticed her dress.

It was tattered in places and somewhat large on the child whose hair was nothing but a tangled mess.

But he couldn't get furious with her over it.

All Sofia needed was love and he would try to give it to her no matter what.