Cheryl freezes when someone behind her clicks on the light. She hears a gasp and then, “You are running away.”

Cheryl whirls around to face the brunette. For a desperate moment, Cheryl reaches towards a nearby frying pan. Then she stops. “I can’t hurt you. You are the only one who has been nice to me.” <pause> “Aren’t you going to scream or something?”

“No.”

“Then come with me! We can run away together.”

“I can’t.”

“Sure you...Oh”

“I tried to run away once, but he caught me. He has added that to his standard commands now, so none of us can run away.”

“How did he catch you?”

“Opening any of the doors makes an alarm beep in his bedroom. How did you know to use a window?”

“My husband told me to.”

“I wish I could meet your husband. Never mind, just go before someone else decides to have a midnight snack.”

“At least tell me your name. I have never heard anyone use your name.”

<quiet sobbing> “I don’t know. I know that I tried to run away because I wanted to go back to someone. Maybe someone like your husband. When Master caught me, he ordered me to never run away. Then he said ‘forget everything about your past life.’ I know that I must have grown up and gone to school because I can read. I must have had a family, and a name! But in my mind, my life begins the moment I first walked into this house. Even pets have names.”

Cheryl steps closer to the crying woman and touches her arm. “Oh, I am so sorry. I wish I could...wait, do you know how someone gets a name?”

“Huh? No.”

“Someone who loves them gives them a name. I am going to give you a name. In fact, I am going to give you my name.”

“What, you can’t give away your name.”

“I don’t actually need it anymore. In my mind, I am now always ‘the maid’. I’m not sure that I would even answer to ‘Cheryl’ anymore. So, your name is now Cheryl.”

<Incredulously> “I’m Cheryl.”

“Now, go back upstairs to bed Cheryl. I don’t want you getting in trouble for me running away.”

“Don’t worry. No one else knows I am down here. If I can’t run away with you then I at least want to see you get out of here.”

The maid opens the window and starts slithering out, feet first. Halfway out, she stops and her head jerks up. “The honesty command. You’ll have to tell him everything when he realizes I am gone. Oh my God, what will he do to you?”

“You shouldn’t have asked, but since you did you get an honest answer. I saw his ultimate punishment once. He ordered her to feel PAIN and then locked her in the basement until she died of thirst 3 days later. The screaming was horrible until her throat got too dry to make noise. After she died, he had the other two of us bury her body in the floor of the unfinished basement. He went out the next day and got a new blond slave; the one who hates you. He always keeps 3 slaves.”

“.......”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan to escape any punishments. Really, I do.”

“I know that has to be true, but I can’t understand how you will...”

“Just go! Go now.”

After sliding to the ground and closing the window, the maid begins jogging down the long drive. Two thirds of the way to the main road, she suddenly stops and looks back towards the house. It is dark and hard to see. ‘Why am I always so slow to understand?’ She blows a kiss towards the house. ‘Good by Cheryl. I’ll always remember this. I don’t know if I could have done as much for you.’ She turns away from the house and trudges slowly to the waiting minivan. When she gets close, Mark hops out and runs around to open the passenger door for her.

“Cheryl! I’m so glad to see you!”

“Please, don’t call me that. Just call me your maid.”

“What? Why?”

“I can’t deal with explaining right now, please let me tell you later.”

“OK...here, let me help you into the car.”

Mark is quiet until they are driving on the main road. “You took longer than I expected. I was getting worried. Did you have any problems?”

“I had to say good bye to Cheryl, the women who is sacrificing everything for me.” All of the emotions held inside by the Good Maid finally break loose and she weeps on his shoulder until long after he has carried her into their house.

Meanwhile, silent feet glide up the stairs towards the Master’s bedroom. ‘Cheryl. I have a name. I am Cheryl. My name is Cheryl.’ She tiptoes past the end of Master’s bed and into the master bathroom. After easing the door shut, she sits on the counter. She quietly fills a cup with water and then lifts it like a toast. She whispers, “To freedom”. Then she quickly starts swallowing every pill she can find in the medicine cabinet. Her last thought is, ‘Master will have to add something about no suicide to his standard commands.’