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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5jJzh5KMJ
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqNUdFaIGf
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUVSQxRecF
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67FXpl4dNX
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVqaKS8Mkn
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6eHJTMf5W
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KuRUUiPi6
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK665mgOAln
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfXMtUiVZc
”Yes, I know…” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtmPtIRup4
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrKkbGXjOW
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarETb0c9ve
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9NhGmzGtv
”What? I’m late to work!” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyMyF2ovS1
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElMtSDnG9A
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32NV7U9BEj
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatiBGdsILM
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkvP5eHL8x
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZN8l7yH9n
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKgIHveZne
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… 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXPXzNbvgt
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJo35a7zVr
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBRvC5TGOe
“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?” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg453OFqtRW
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFWaqQcigf
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtbwPXeiaM
“It doesn’t matter” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzvkuLBApD
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQze08y1eR6
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZ2gKKueBN
“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!” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfNufCECqg
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJ3D3zKaWS
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsY0Klg6Wv
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vOihGz3SO
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqaAhcXswb
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyqxxe6MlZ
“I know”. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFvjCA1iTo
“You do?” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXti3A4uUMK
“Yes” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkBZ0MxBW6
Silence. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqdeidHAhI
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuovLoUzsnA
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWe3dmvz0w
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ422zdW4bYk
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdW54oGEyKS
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnZLN0mDCl
“I can understand that, of course” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtefDlfBRW
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. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5D9J20tnU
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2JH36TSM9
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpy2xDKDGIw
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbJIZob4PL
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJv8DfDIUr
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlLoPRSPg5
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6XJYsNn5J
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! 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpj9a4VTB7
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIutmn2OzJl
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNraLq9NM9
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAFUVNGzQs
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUJdV7RmWc
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBgr4LrJuL
The oracles went silent.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsIDHv8gjC
