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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WAlDQkMzd
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2V2bvveC1
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxEuqnORhp
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowo2r5ovX1
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmjX02nptC
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYnqE6N6UN
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCWyz0wics
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaofiepLGO
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeL1QHz3H4X
”Yes, I know…” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4WSNT4ojP
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4LbbZQZoq
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVM3LIJXkP
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWteeFLwLIn
”What? I’m late to work!” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzx6VYsiByA
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51V36kkV7A
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6Xy2q22Ik
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3VfkWaREb
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6rXXGT9fQ
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rJ7nvSV33
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6emhYKcoHE
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… 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ikWqAhxwj
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYl3BAM5Yd
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPYlv1LMeQ
“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?” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Jq7NkOMiK
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2lMysEOT4
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmE0W4cB5t
“It doesn’t matter” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2X4gMLsSjT
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcETCWoj9c3
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhunV8OiyV
“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!” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBk8X19T2cg
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTS1it6Jty
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9FrX8vTuw
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzVrbImWDy
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXhv8VL6yF
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhDnXsU6cB
“I know”. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0T6CUvYsaw
“You do?” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3B8gAPwmJ1
“Yes” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHG1KF2ANX
Silence. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHZRgB1ahc
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1O4mzDXGT
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpbEGrze9F
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj90TqqfWa1
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQVWOImXQn
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAY18B3lhD7
“I can understand that, of course” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnIMe0fBhF
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. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94dukLuXFM
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1BKw7xfNh
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJiUeQls8K
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghyOgW93Gq
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo34XGNDHeT
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUjUaDcKMR
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOhGt77DYL
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! 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMC4AhqCixW
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgPYOJgFFe
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.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDbI477Kxl
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAje9dNGILD
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4jgn9dNUE
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcb6H6h6tg
The oracles went silent.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvFfPFafFH
