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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCpUhoIFQt
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecBEpEz4TU
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoRbEEK4Vu
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0zb2bYZfB
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc60Z8JYDaH
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrkeoxqIvl
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fOYN0IU7e
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjI65uiCQE
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCOjzrot3u
”Yes, I know…” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZvTgdiZ3D
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQXuszEjJP
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgQOQNp3vq
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1R2Jw1Rf8
”What? I’m late to work!” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7lmVOxmiD
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxAxbTU3eD
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLrGbU5tnF
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKT1h1HZry
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaKzGOXB30
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4sqvnvM1S
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnso7JTmNV
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… 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAqf4HaaQ0
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRh2OMry2bD
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUbo7wuQOr
“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?” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaZHtYbYpz
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYI5YthgaB
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBQVHr4W9f
“It doesn’t matter” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCOdZYRUYG
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkKOJi6WMu
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRymSESavc
“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!” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdHF3mnqgd
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsq3lBoUUS8
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2AKPliauS
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlY4NFCamnr
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTaSfC8B0d
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGporrQHqgZ
“I know”. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucSpS8eYaX
“You do?” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcDqkQpTTZ
“Yes” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwn84jMiiR
Silence. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0jlSreGXL
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeXrhtDHuF
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLiRGmLbYg
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhB5a0sdbL
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejVx4pnsz8
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuBLlOV0iW
“I can understand that, of course” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcqe56sNuA
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. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6JnaXQ12x
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXM4cMr0F5
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7wyPmk3sn
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWEFpVROu4
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZoNuq8kBj
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvCd84TeUR
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡec9RsFLfNL
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! 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PB6rvjXgW
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OFk5GkdfZ
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.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrgfDyMY5q
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEPCSnnK2I
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQztLRewgUY
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyMqEfA7e8
The oracles went silent.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG65ldc5ABB
