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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JLRLiXAne
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhefIMoHBE
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2NtHpxJtO
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJkmJxP80Y
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORDvJrt9GA
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKdXhyx4S5
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnXCwnY5Ah
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhs1IpERGig
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSD2yWtuaEJ
”Yes, I know…” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojcyp7Pv4M
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vbV8q6XuS
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NGGOrdj9n
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYz08KNmx0W
”What? I’m late to work!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmkS86QJJ0
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzf57imWrv
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUc3jhaYISG
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4iiLDIipH
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCXYir3cCn
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLS8F53x8O
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9uf0Hxb5S
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… 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8yeLakeaU
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHyfX7QCIf
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QVEtNDqfk
“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?” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwMTbGM9be
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacf2OtdnKP
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QQdUcqqWU
“It doesn’t matter” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqGxUIGJ9F
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQEpesMDOF
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliWKVuOehR
“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!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTn26Cg3ctr
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeA3DYb1M7
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxbNhrNS5R
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMw8hL0RzB
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ116W4dbpt3
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSyysnH4PR
“I know”. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76jjO1INb2
“You do?” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TvyrTwHil
“Yes” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfJvSxFf90
Silence. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETz1a0Kc6R
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyXYnBFMjb
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriJwS9pwO0
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLDDa95ugQ
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYBWzb6FC6
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmChJuwZqd
“I can understand that, of course” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeTpwbJErh
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0qWkIcmnj
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwmCt0x3wu
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvCRcgkj1T
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGozWsa5ov
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzqHz7iQQb
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyVOVtoDAd
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOedbDKT6Dg
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! 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8KYo3QOzs
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRki546wFKY
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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevAcF7aN1o
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC19DWGnmOp
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8IoInNDtP
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54og3ynSj5
The oracles went silent.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYPlu5306j
