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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ059xm4UvVB
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5P2q5zkpK
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6s5char4g
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOviCrq5ai
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcgknYija3
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3vtmQQQFW
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3FIz4tBYz
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZem4EvUhYj
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjERMTDqN7h
”Yes, I know…” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7ZWxNZyiw
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymM31UyCXh
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMi5ko6ipB7
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuRYkyGoTg
”What? I’m late to work!” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLufpegpjks
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZPj4UaaKZ
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sMRRdGdhN
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcf4EzEtiw
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHulbaCdXm
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc23FsupvhK
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7ImZPzzwL
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… 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx7jcH5DNj
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVidNVe1YUt
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBbN20rqLP
“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?” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdho9LQ0kT8
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrfODu79Jn
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJbScxkzEi
“It doesn’t matter” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMDftM97Cv
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbqN94WIbM
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbKKvUXnDI
“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!” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMC4XLfsnSn
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBxWnETNxJ
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgcE4FFUqn
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tw6D0AhA0
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYD2ot9Va8c
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2cCkR4i4J
“I know”. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNzH3lciLW
“You do?” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2uT3rz6YI
“Yes” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhDYy0Xiwf
Silence. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡog3H1EXkpO
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPpqfBzGcw
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirdf8zDX5k
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnMCfkpzyg
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ap8m1OLFv
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQlIPsHW5S
“I can understand that, of course” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHw20wpKjMY
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. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8mowEp7ts
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrkvgWQWMv
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcYD0HyiDu
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpg4x5IyMvv
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJayicRzJr
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LWq5qbdfV
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlapgvLbPpb
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! 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPEH13xt2X
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY08ezjWqVb
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.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaS4OQeT07
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaBxgPoEGH
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3Z3OP57Xx
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV83orMqZd
The oracles went silent.423Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C1mxOlWkZ
