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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQg6OMZc0m
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHR8MkNy3pV
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRIOnwA7sq
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRlkDtE6wW
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjcQYJglrq
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5g1SOREBy6
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQTfQJkzQg
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5DsFojfAH
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTsfI9roie
”Yes, I know…” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZLAR5adYd
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXFSIUS1Lc
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5PPc19yQ8
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjT8fIunDK
”What? I’m late to work!” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3xYH5IrpW
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxve3n8J9O
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZdehXaYXi
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqtE6u2ksp
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiK2wexIMRu
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDygMPlxuq7
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15EybOgJU6
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… 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWy46CPaj8
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmhp7nIrtc
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡla2oI3TsJM
“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?” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEvbq24ake
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9V4hnLtNn
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxytPNOUpK5
“It doesn’t matter” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FenIBfeAd
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKj9IZeFVSf
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsisZ0eeu0l
“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!” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lhURPRz46
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ878NrL0okO
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyam86HFl5
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF7VlEOg82
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsEoIJpmkX
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKCAwr3O12
“I know”. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIGh4VMCzq
“You do?” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYY0wOb5ikh
“Yes” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fvD1fIMJs
Silence. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLAinbWSp5
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajBMrMvFDG
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksTgrQlwK8
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2fEgVhlBk
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5AKKmDnl7
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTZAV2GFa8
“I can understand that, of course” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnkA3dfzOF
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. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAmJkSbXg2
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0B8PbJWeH
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGaaQ5DyaH
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8wk49exM8
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsB1dG8DIY
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3mQmsE4Dd
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzcUBGdNUQ
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! 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ey8SyRggP
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVC3lnNa1I
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.331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa96VnqJwVe
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcU8eEWPFA4
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RYcfu5p1T
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYIJ5I4gzo
The oracles went silent.331Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3IIAirvdv
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