Nana stood in front of them,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0As5YmEmaw
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1K5i9qaw1
a time when she was even younger than she was now,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jhyN2Lc0c
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCBThgoSgV
a place where winters felt endlessly long285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2itgs0CsQ
and colds were always going around.
In that place,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQElNx9kXS8
older children—especially girls—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xYlqQOgri
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqntkjoRgK
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPlB5Q0QJP
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHViHVkUsO
The nuns were overwhelmed—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1R34HDHySx
coughing echoed through the halls,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RSvb2o53z
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDrfgJjx1K
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLc6Pes8wi
she remembered it clearly:285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVE4RdEIgh
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseAFYpWViS
Even the nun had said,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnlT4LWXF1
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOrs9T67ya
She stared at her paper,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBohO8bEXSr
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnoTqH12nY
Then the second.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr50PfRZkNM
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRDFbcBIP5
all five were crying at once,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGi3kZYcnec
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnUDg5xP0M
She picked them up one by one, checked them—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqr3eTOnmd
No fever.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqFQlxenNv
No wet diapers.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVxBoP1Kxv
No spit-up.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhg6jehfbTM
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLa5nYR8dJ
She patted them.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZLx17PA7U
She rocked them.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pqc5c8PjL
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGJqSll2zP
a deep, pounding pressure285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpp1b8lN9x
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7riMeF0vt
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2M9voF7oF
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7w67hEI1N0
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGymD26NHS
It felt like something was being torn285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswiNTFqCDB
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4muIXICjTA
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sg0pwmKOp
almost on instinct—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooTIxFuG5b
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aEfQUXszZ
Very soft.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthV0tpRzLC
Barely more than breath—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MbxT4agIK
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QINtNzd1C
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKF7hQdUsBh
stopped.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWbtvPUH0o
Not asleep—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwFXOiPA2q
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWLSyD2lge
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0tG4tRnKX
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8rzNHrUyJ
But its mouth—
Shut.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69SvElN2fY
Tightly shut,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDiSkjLh5y
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1crwiOkzn
The third.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wob0k9eiT
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0Jeq3APv8
Her legs gave out.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPVSKGY5o8
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.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysHDhk7c5i
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNXo7P5GQL
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRgnnZwkPh
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghc1EKN9in
His brow deeply furrowed,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPEor8Nseo
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyn0fNRZoa
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZub4EIN7J
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV17iauW5Gy
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xcVbm4RST
Not just voice strain.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzeKlzeolLM
It was something else.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9bJC7XsNm
A power.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3SnxVsElH
Internal.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxw2vvvGUB
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLt6q9A8gq
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNitxLSyey
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbupyWhDxgM
He didn’t speak.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGOLlYBlIR
But his presence285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpZDoMcNT7
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49wfrQX2XS
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8UV9dDYWK
Grounded.
Nana paused—285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnYajsETRV
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEALLHFldQ
A vow.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeI3DJO10Sp
A message that said,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOb6q47oxeL
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YgWY7WmCw
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufBMJnRVh8
she wouldn’t be afraid.
285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB49moXYWVD
and then Add to home screen.