Nana stood in front of them,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqf6CHAbdv
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oUQmvEFI2
a time when she was even younger than she was now,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IEKx3po9c
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCB7M4JScii
a place where winters felt endlessly long30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbKhZCKPKW
and colds were always going around.
In that place,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkPrX0gPX1
older children—especially girls—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgUCCyu0qx
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxY4JiPcdy
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfoAl0MKqG
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAj4AENGYm2
The nuns were overwhelmed—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqiTZ22dQI
coughing echoed through the halls,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXofW9weGw6
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciHzca78VK
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqUGiOX1LR
she remembered it clearly:30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOJYYjdhJI
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UKer5iNqS
Even the nun had said,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMwNEOhAlm
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3PCeD1q0e
She stared at her paper,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXFc6qjvEd
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpbErqU6ye
Then the second.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2g7cUzQT3n
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBOG9H07gg
all five were crying at once,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNXkOn4Srl
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn6xPH9Lka
She picked them up one by one, checked them—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmlYfJ51wQ
No fever.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgcjeevvRq
No wet diapers.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQPPxcEZm1
No spit-up.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1RkDH4B67
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTcB7ovPzC
She patted them.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZnnZ9QP2m
She rocked them.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgudNuSW0y
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GJqWA7P9I
a deep, pounding pressure30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGhsAbIlyg
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcbJNP4Q1I
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMx7G9m1tS
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjc32Z3V6Ph
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTL2EcrFHm1
It felt like something was being torn30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfD1BEcZoO
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fL95j7NFU
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJNreN1A5W
almost on instinct—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwmqYrP2s3
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UiUgY0ies
Very soft.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXteZT33hq
Barely more than breath—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UY4JtN67a
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOUrDXoMjt
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GwpFRdRcR
stopped.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbHXzdeZbW
Not asleep—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bL0wZsC1k
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5X76YMYTl7
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVA181jYeF
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmdjH0eS5L
But its mouth—
Shut.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGW6suuc3oj
Tightly shut,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN39dpzhfuv
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXitTPgvUn
The third.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SEc4CXkIr
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqBZyOXiIR
Her legs gave out.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjzQ1GtjIb
She collapsed to the floor, trembling.
Her throat began to burn.
It felt like a red-hot metal rod was being dragged across her vocal cords.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4gK5ZxQrh
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFf2R000hn
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIbGRNVwyk
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50IObakncI
His brow deeply furrowed,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMujhu1tNf
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9I8s0IuSAm
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUvLCTcRwG
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxUNfsNv0x
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2KY0v6Or5
Not just voice strain.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEMKtvLUSZ
It was something else.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHqvlcETwL
A power.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTiciKoOvu
Internal.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAdPBH2Rqu
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HsAsw0zLw
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyk7EueiVPr
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYr5hhHjkCe
He didn’t speak.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiiiWuqtZn
But his presence30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4WgHpuEVF
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtXoNOlcuL
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsX6JH0Vs1N
Grounded.
Nana paused—30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8BkwYIW3t
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFFdmfp0ql
A vow.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke5BScHqO7
A message that said,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbjMrrlgX6
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QT4vdKPrJ
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcrWxJFibN
she wouldn’t be afraid.
30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkvvI3arv0
