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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1VBmVWxNg
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXInJ0TYf2
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7v7GTzmo31
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dw1a2fWpq
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGd00KsIjl
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡny7z3s15Kg
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoadFsuYu5n
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDvMnZ1T6A
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKa2JJWdXpe
”Yes, I know…” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkt29EoldCB
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzqDd1OoMi
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ayMDE35o3
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGaEUkConk
”What? I’m late to work!” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvGbIZidsO
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLggJ3qUbW
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibEpUhvfpu
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUqDuAzoIz
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNsVTtfBBK
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgocibg6PX9
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAAlvfT7TP
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… 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxtJAuNFOQ
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNq8KNHgR6
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdg8yRXRtmk
“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?” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHJ506Yplg
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppKgyywiDr
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvpo6p6a7d
“It doesn’t matter” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxpL9XnBZI
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPweWvAn9w
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2Q3mH7j0V
“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!” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ80V8X1xA8
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL88gfgkkLf
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLXnN4UVgq
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYA3CQw82F
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFz0bQQ8CW4
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5iAnqrjn8
“I know”. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZ38Ls5y0j
“You do?” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPNFuCTs91
“Yes” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWx5k2C3H1
Silence. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIWW0dDAS8
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4YvAtcTL2
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPC8843Sfu8
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVN50oPxkJ
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxtZh4nE4f
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbaL5rOb4H
“I can understand that, of course” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jWCvWT9AD
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. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMW61b5Hil2
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pj1WJQu7i
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmvhQslZmX
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZw4jtCL60l
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMI8rB0koo
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGwzEFYlnx
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6WNsVyN9k
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! 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvzqrMVpIi
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOM9DMxqLhr
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.334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvmTxSz8fh
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT12jTxq4j9
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0A7lcYMp8v
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQZnmFw0Ih
The oracles went silent.334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qP8gnbjDL
