Nana stood in front of them,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMraAPRa2t
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIF3NliUTi4
a time when she was even younger than she was now,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HSa3BTj3f
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJElGW52x9
a place where winters felt endlessly long7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpxVdeX4sD
and colds were always going around.
In that place,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGLbotmRcS
older children—especially girls—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7IGqdbmKQ
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOKQxLd85Y
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKupxOpODX
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tLRb5hIMl
The nuns were overwhelmed—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1U2Rou81y
coughing echoed through the halls,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuwEWMBYkA
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHDSs3JSKT
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNbyqYtmHV
she remembered it clearly:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMjTWGDsvy
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4KkkXuUiE
Even the nun had said,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2NeH7c9Xg
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHF2JPEgdvX
She stared at her paper,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCw36mtBv0g
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbf1Wv3vu8
Then the second.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNy2Xm8oypO
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljeGE4jBe8
all five were crying at once,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zzqKKKi27
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHg9hF6bqn
She picked them up one by one, checked them—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaR80fZiMl
No fever.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmpqqIddBr
No wet diapers.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiW2no9dFIh
No spit-up.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbsbTXnpZh
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzp0rsNCvjW
She patted them.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJe8nsTAvc
She rocked them.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEfWeKERlM
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvo0aXgvoE
a deep, pounding pressure7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9OSh0nlUT
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozEaJQ93i4
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwiD2nGZdo
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2at6AePIJU
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdemgTbT8oa
It felt like something was being torn7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKewQYcV5xn
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9D9xPGywLI
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQPSQNL5Iv
almost on instinct—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15rxaqOLtm
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbtYeT3bw5
Very soft.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUyHTwFiz6
Barely more than breath—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozI1PebiFc
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02uywN9Gla
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Jy78VZRi6
stopped.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7t3b2w4cQs
Not asleep—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mYGrTgXjW
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGg8e3qedk
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsWxL9gB0r
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJRG2jGBUI
But its mouth—
Shut.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrL2du5upz
Tightly shut,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkFujXLtJJ
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhMX21mQjx
The third.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrCwlhcxaz
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBHxuh8e3t
Her legs gave out.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8COmhZXko
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76xcM0dhS8
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAq0fNnlbW
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbIylVxcLZ
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgIRS3brW1
His brow deeply furrowed,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVOYoplKWa
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjEvmrCfka
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6f2xx6e32
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatjNxQNdg4
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzreM2VJ11C
Not just voice strain.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAth0l8BEB
It was something else.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6buigni2rE
A power.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6q3UpNIVu
Internal.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgLGPN6tEY
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xXhuH06BQ
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3RdM208q6
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eU3yv5Djs
He didn’t speak.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5I3QeOosG0
But his presence7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWeHHYye9I
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhh19Gangnj
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlHZultTn3
Grounded.
Nana paused—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2ZbxFfpiF
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW1jZRqtBv
A vow.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aX6N7xyGX
A message that said,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCxVPuqugE
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHabv3Y2aY3
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20xiPfiC3n
she wouldn’t be afraid.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDj3fQ51uWe
