Amélia stood at the riverbank’s edge, made her wish, and tossed the gold coin into the water.
“Please, please grant me my wish. I’m not sure how much longer I can go on,” said the girl.
Amélia turned and climbed the steps back to the road, where her stepmother met her.
“What were you doing down there?” asked the woman.
“I was seeing if it would be worth fishing. I heard at the mill that some men had caught large carp under the bridge,” replied Amélia.
“Carp, garbage food, I’ll have none of it in my house, do you hear me?” the woman said.
“Yes, Mother, as you wish,” said Amélia.
“Now, get home and prepare my dinner. Don’t forget to clean the dishes, or there’ll be no supper for you tonight,” said Amélia’s stepmother.
Amélia rushed off before she could get into any more trouble. It had been this way since her father died two years ago. Before that, her stepmother dared not mistreat Amélia in front of her father.
“Rise before dawn, make breakfast, then work at the mill all day. Then home to cook and clean, and for what? Dry bread and half-rotten mutton,” said Amélia.
Amélia had found the gold coin while cleaning the guest room and kept it hidden, meaning to spend it on food. Everyone was afraid of her stepmother and would have told her about the coin.
“At least she won’t find out about my wish unless the fish tells her,” said Amélia.
That night, Amélia lay awake thinking about her wish. It was a simple one. Get away from her stepmother by any means.
“Perhaps a circus will come, and I can steal away with them,” thought the girl. Exhausted, Amélia slipped into a troubled sleep like most nights.
The following morning, Amélia cooked breakfast, then headed for her father’s mill.
“After my father’s death, the mill should have gone to me. That wicked woman tricked me out of it,” said Amélia.
Amélia took her place at the spinning line like all the other poor girls in town. Her stepmother liked to ridicule her in front of the entire factory.
“The daughter of the founder can’t even make a bobbin straight. It’s good that I run the factory, or you would all be out of work,” she would say.
Amélia kept thinking of her wish all morning long. When her stepmother saw she was not working fast enough, she grabbed a bobbin and hit Amélia over the head.
“I should fire you and let you live like a street rat. Unfortunately, I need a maid and something to clean my shoes on,” said the woman, wiping her feet on Amélia’s clothing.
As she turned to go, her mink stole got caught by the loom’s shuttle. In one swift motion, Mrs. Clara Von Braun was decapitated.
Amélia stood and watched as the foreman rushed to the woman’s side. As there was nothing anyone could do, the body was removed to avoid upsetting the workers.
That evening, Amélia sat in the parlor with the solicitor. Control of Von Braun Company Limited was finally given to its rightful owner.
The following morning, Amélia met with the board and fired them. She fired most of the male staff and replaced them with mothers, widows, and orphan girls.
You’ll be happy to know that the mill is doing very well. Von Braun Company Limited has bought several failing mills and turned them around.
Amélia still works the floor to ensure she knows every inch of her factory. The town is generally much happier now, and the folks like it that way.
For More Fun:
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