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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyG9Qr3wSb
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguvQ1Fs5Y9
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeytrV0pFQ
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaE1oERlf2L
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YTbFw8Q8K
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6uiiZHJYf
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyyx7USd9H
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeomftnhRb
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHm1E9gan2J
”Yes, I know…” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHUT8XKu6u
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZWQbtsZqa
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSz21oJEThU
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVnmkByQBA
”What? I’m late to work!” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo35sQ89UZy
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnuGDqjHJB
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8M602u9hMI
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZpqlB8lE3
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqvpIMKt8k
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu1C05VIWR
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsY73RzEpY
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… 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi08ZhSw2m9
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaXJjLvkbK
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19kiixZoLQ
“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?” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjWatAlMs2
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkwJ41cuZf
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIONQXSD7E
“It doesn’t matter” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDQIjsGu3o
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6sxvRo8aT
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQi4Edsqv80
“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!” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9UZMuISxt
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1pMLaWjpI
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5FkpIlJw4
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNg62ZbQRD
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aiDayaDGX
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5S4bjfz0dk
“I know”. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOCAzkQsxT
“You do?” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpptXSCFKs
“Yes” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNq0LFEok4
Silence. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKxdDjqfAA
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNwKvMQ4L6
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03UwtRzSXi
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRl5Huh0UGz
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgcYEtelhj
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6Vosq2lbO
“I can understand that, of course” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJBNB4kLSf
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. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGFw9YvK39
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pmRJ62LDa
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbE3vE581J
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYHWbLMcGF
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbz6MGJK89
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxu7vxk27C
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOmVS9FfdS
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! 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwp6NcsAGw
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6qpb9K2NL
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1ZmvNFDuk
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTOrPS5qoL
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxXx9Xd1Jm
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNWYarX6d1
The oracles went silent.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oU1lICQYZ
