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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpafFtUi1vI
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCA6v2cR6qc
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwnECWhu8h
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykIirMc4ek
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepLKSV5Tw6
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6N24SFkna
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5Jz8OGBED
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssRW992Z7y
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVM0Qzxi27
”Yes, I know…” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbOtvOyHeC
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pSPWMgIsn
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVQOUVehhA
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLs0kAMZgG
”What? I’m late to work!” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApxSXR6ztW
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciMPOwVDxe
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRglcwKPHJ5
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgxU2vWPOR
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKziRytxpSD
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ582BEjFBIw
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENCDrr0tHF
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… 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIImJj8tXqt
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1yrqwimeE
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGyyDDk9kh
“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?” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75iMJvDuNA
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlkBIieZdE
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIPTR7RTSd
“It doesn’t matter” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPLGEsoqV3
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOjG6xbWoG
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEc8hKfGkA
“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!” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4lISjAseI
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTg7QqMv9PJ
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuuvtBNk95
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4fg1PlDUA
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9uN0aST2Q
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqlfbWnsGq
“I know”. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BaEWltCpo
“You do?” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGhcIM883R
“Yes” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XVzvkMCL6
Silence. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKmYyiA50n
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8php0a5pfE
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkTtYDA8Nv
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa61X3KYu3K
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrn3d7SjaxV
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zljFPsXAF
“I can understand that, of course” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvxQFK9Ack
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. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIBdrWC6WR
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNspLQ511OK
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbeG2i9Vl1
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Qe1L6Wmon
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk1B57vY0G
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQpBEyZkdo
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjf4EEmVDSM
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! 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRvd9H1SRc
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEDco7m6vO
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.250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbt7Vqp2Jr
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRVDnb66u2
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYQjdh9Enm
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1BB4Pls7n
The oracles went silent.250Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpM2mi9eiwE
