On my silent walk in a forest nearby, I saw something dark green and soft between two bushes. It had been trapped there, dirty, filthy, and alone, tangled in the small sharp branches. I thought it was just thrown away so I couldn’t resist opening it. The content of the backpack, because it was a green backpack, left me speechless. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfzNZjMeYj
It was a pair of scissors, razor blades, a rope, and, what I thought looked like sleeping pills, or maybe painkillers. I wasn’t sure. It also contained endless plastic bags, which I assumed would be used mixed with the other harmful supplements. Maybe they would then be tied over the poor creature’s head while taking their own life. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3hmdI0UDj
I took the backpack with me, concerned that an animal or perhaps a child would hurt themselves by mistake if I just left it to whomever to explore the gears in there. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jQqRsL3TT
I was going, slowly and quietly, and without seeing where I was placing my feet. I just continued thinking about the whimsical, peculiar, green bag. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsI7fXajhOp
Suddenly, I was walking into something that was hanging in the tree right in front of me. I screamed so loud I was damn sure I had made myself deaf forever. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACPfsE1vgO
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhQb3rhskY
Ellie sat beside the table in the dining room. She was peeking at her mom who was sitting right next to her. She decided to ask her. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gUt6xq8EY
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdyQ8t1kgz
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLa9L2xb7T
”Yes, I know…” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡba93s7uV7w
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuvRLlz8co
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUzzUKtk2l
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzkRiarp5F
”What? I’m late to work!” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMiG6ODN7e
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07uGgT7DgH
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtF5wCzPO4
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHFikfilbg
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7z0Y4UOlj
Ingrid laughed and started her walk again. It wasn’t fair. Ingrid was an adult woman and was behaving like a bully against a girl who was just starting high school. Ellie turned around and ran all the remaining way to school with a big and nasty lump in her throat. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcjXn3khkT
She couldn’t really focus on the school that day. Ellie was sweating and tears were dropping on the quiz paper. Her vision started to become blurry. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but still couldn’t see properly. What if she too was going mad? Could madness be contagious? She hopes not. She doesn’t want to end up like her brother. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdkNCNeurb
Even if some part of her mind thought that he actually deserved it after what he did to her at that time. Of course, he did apologize. But it happened again, and again… 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk45FUmwCbV
After school, Ellie went home. She needed a new pair of shoes and was going to ask her mother. She didn’t look forward to it. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7DqtR9oum
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloDdLXKryW
“What now, Ellie?” her mother replied with an annoyed voice. “Can’t you just go to your room and finish your homework instead of always bothering me and talking about disturbing your poor brother?” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvbgmoMr4o
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIL0NmezUY
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwLOd7t7qj
“It doesn’t matter” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7CC1t8o6L
Ellie turned her back to her mother and walked with slow and sad steps toward the stairs, hoping that her mother would follow her and become nice again. But she didn’t and as much as it was expected, Ellie just couldn’t help to feel disappointment. Ingrid saw Aline outside of the music store and hastened to open the door from the inside. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKc17zIYpN
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLZfpK8XNz
“Of course, sis, you’re always welcome here! Do you want some coffee? I can put some on in the staff’s room. I have lunch break now anyway!” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSt7x5O6FEl
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMFORSGb91
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWmWDE4mfW
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgbiCwfi4z
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8rlGgy5Rm
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy75KKriWxD
“I know”. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaEH2R79Vt
“You do?” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEvDb2ZQol
“Yes” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjS98O6RAE
Silence. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3byrbgHkZ
Both girls looked at each other and then started to stare at the floor. They both remembered. Ingrid was still holding the coffee pot in her right hand, prepared to pour some into the mug she was holding in her left hand. Aline placed herself in a chair beside the small and quite old-looking table. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkErixwmpSh
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xjC0KERWP
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXIf2YZ6WN
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoSOc7cHzm
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnI4Cks9KE
“I can understand that, of course” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyltOevxl7s
The girls looked at each other again, both with a sign of repulse on their faces. They were drinking their coffee in silence when Conrad stacked into the office. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNznepo7q0w
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKmjDeq1JR
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnktQsYBi4
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28FJkLqryG
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJ52laR9q7
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCXnGHK8Zz
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjGAGMH7AM
Ingrid and Aline went out to the store. One customer was to be found. Conrad was yelling as if it would have been a hundred! 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuvNQ3smMv
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpVjJvvkrE
Cassidy nodded but felt extremely bored. The oracles were arguing again and wanted her opinion on some small simple task they were doing. She was tired too, and her eyes started to close themselves. All of a sudden she was hearing a sound from the crystal ball in the room behind her. She just heard the sound of someone whispering something. Yet she didn’t think about how she was able to even hear the sound with a stone wall in the middle.437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmQiLyGy1T
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKn0wAnrXt4
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaEwBAOOzk
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXRa1o3Xma
The oracles went silent.437Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp87quh6XmT
