Chapter Text
Every morning you woke up to the rays of the sun, always grateful for a new day.
Ready and presentable, you left the room to join the sisters. Whenever I could, I helped them set the table, serve the food, and start thanking them for the food.
The morning breakfasts were almost always full of conversations, small gossip, comments or important announcements for the convent. You didn't always participate in the talks, you preferred to listen and observe everyone carefully, it was one of the few things that kept you entertained.
After breakfast, most of the sisters got ready to do their homework and another part helped with cleaning in the kitchen. You almost always stayed to help, even if it was not your turn since the place had a schedule where the sisters shared their tasks. , but this was no obstacle to helping when the opportunity arose.
After finishing your morning tasks, you prepare to leave the convent and visit your favorite club. The orphanage, why? Well, maybe it's just the fact that coming from there is nostalgic. And by caring for other children like someone once did for you, it's comforting to know that you are helping them in one way or another, whether by caring for them, talking to them, playing with them, or just keeping them company. with which those children can interact...
It lets you know that you have some purpose besides serving and worshiping a God.
Like any other day, you prepare to pick them up and take a quiet walk around the city and then take them to the same building and play outside of it. As always, the day passes quickly and soon it's time for lunch, when you say goodbye promising to come back, as you always do.
Walking calmly through the city you could swear that you have the slight impression of being watched, it doesn't happen often but that slight sensation has taken over your body in the last four months, it is more than punctual arriving three days before the end. . Of the month. Why did you take note of this? You don't even know, you just quickened your pace hoping that feeling would be lost on the way back to the convent.
And so it was, feeling safe between the four walls in which you lived for a few years is more than enough to forget the bad moment. Lunch continues as usual, omitting the fact of your displeasure at being watched... Naturally you should go talk to a friend about it, isn't that what you do when you're in trouble? Yes, you should. Although nothing has happened yet that can be considered a problem, after all, people tend to watch others from the comfort of their balcony, when they have nothing better to do.
Assume... that's what you do and it's the best you know how to do. And that's what you should do.
The words resonate in your brain, like a slight pulsation... that with the passing of each second becomes a frantic blow eager to pierce your hollow head and reach the bottom of that flaccid flesh.
You just stop, put the cutlery aside, and look at the plate you were eating off of.
Deep and without any emptiness, it's the only thing you can see in your bowl of soup, maybe you should quicken your pace and go with those kids.
That is why it is located outside the orphanage headquarters, with its sights set on a couple of children's games outside the place, so that children can enjoy a more outdoor environment. You remember playing those same games growing up. But it is not the only thing that your eyes manage to capture since your vision deviates a little, further on among the bushes a color stands out, among the bushes a strange light blue appears, foreign to the panorama.
You are sure your legs are moving in his direction, but when you direct your gaze your eyes meet the large door of the orphanage. You don't analyze hard enough to see your hand going towards the door and it only takes a couple of knocks on the door to make you feel like the ground is shaking and the doors are flying open and a large group of children are thrown out. Excited for your return.
You would be surprised if it weren't for the fact that you live it almost every day.
When you see them arrive in the games, you have the luxury of continuing doing what you were initially doing, and although you try to visualize that strange light blue color in the bushes again, there is no progress, it is as if it has simply disappeared... from image.
Or maybe you just dreamed it, things can't just disappear from one moment to the next, right?
No?
A tug on your skirt brings you out of your thoughts and you instantly look in the direction of the person responsible.
A somewhat thin and small boy in the group pulls on the hems of your skirt to get your attention, his reaction is nervous when he finally gets what he wants, while he tries to express what he wants he keeps crumpling the fabric.
"Uh... uhm... miss, I... I was wondering... if you would like to accompany me uh... to play in the sand..."
Your eyes scan his face, which he quickly hides by lowering his head slightly. Insecurity and nervousness is the first thing you notice in her small figure. You only need a moment to react, to realize what the child is looking for, your acceptance and as always you do not refuse at all.
The child's head rises little by little and a small smile spreads across his cheeks, the smile is contagious and soon you will find yourself smiling too, this makes the child even happier who quickly expresses his gratitude. In the middle of this small moment, your gaze falls on a boy who slowly approaches and seems to want to say something, it doesn't take long for him to throw your skirt at you and say what he wants.
"Miss, can I also play on the swings with you?" You nod calmly at his request.
Then a girl comes running up to you and pulls on the hems of your dress. "Miss! Mirtha wants to play with you too!" You have no choice but to accept his proposal and nod again.
A few minutes later another boy approaches and then a girl next to a boy and then another and another and another! And there comes a time when you can't count them correctly. Their requests along with their strident voices resonate in your ears like a strident and deafening choir but at the same time they complement each other, to the misfortune of your own ears.
Curiously, you feel surrounded by a mini army, but you can't blame them... Maybe you also acted like this during your stay at the orphanage, but you don't remember it. So you do your best to calm the group of children around you.
"Miss, please!"
"Miss, my group and I wish to play with you!"
"Let's go quickly to the swings!"
"Miss, please, it's going to be late!"
"This way, miss!"
These are some of the phrases your sore ears can process. While you do your best to calm this group of excited children, your attempts are beyond futile. You can barely hear your own voice compared to the children's voices that are getting louder, maybe you should do the same too.
You just repeat the words to yourself a couple of times until you think you can do it. And that's when you take a big breath and just blow it out to cheer yourself up.
"Stop pushing each other, everyone will have their turn!"
You are surprised how children seem to remain silent the moment they hear the words, but you are even more surprised when the words you hear are not yours.
"Barbara..."
For a moment you stop paying attention to the children and focus on the figure that stands a few meters away from you, with his arms placed on either side of his hips, his body leaning slightly forward, his eyebrows slightly wrinkled, but his expression doesn't even reach the point of annoyance... yet the children pay attention to him and his frown softens.
That's when he takes you out and takes you to a nearby bench. You feel like you can finally breathe.
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"And how were you supposed to deal with all that commotion, all by yourself?" Barbara crossed her arms as she sat on the bench for the fifth time.
"For you, you can't even be bothered by a fly, even if it lands in the wrong place."
Only a sigh left your lips, you weren't going to deny it... Although you felt like he exaggerated it a little. But the thing about the fly made you smile... you remember how you left a generous portion of food just for them, because one kept flying on your plate at dinner, the next day you will never forget how one of the sisters at the church almost fainted seeing how the pot they used to prepare all the food in the place was full of flies and larvae. A few hours later they found the person responsible. You didn't feel guilty at all and that seemed to be the worst. You just explained your reasoning to them and they understood… sure, yes, that includes taking out the trash for a whole month and not letting you spend much time in the kitchen. It could have been worse, you suppose.
"Barbara... it's not about flies and maggots, it's just the time that doesn't seem to want to wait for me." He concludes, and you are not entirely wrong when you think about it once again, you realize that this is not the first time that time 'takes hold of you', there have been a couple of countless occasions when you have been through the the same, so simply reaffirm your thought with a smug sigh.
Although your benchmate doesn't seem to think the same, his raised eyebrow and his mouth half open as if he wanted to express something distracted you for a moment... yes, maybe you should think a little more.
"Anyway... I'll get to the point. I stopped by... Because I was looking for you to deliver a certain message, more like a letter." The white paper he takes out of one of his pockets arouses your curiosity, he doesn't unfold it, he simply hands it to you.
Once you have it in your possession, it doesn't take you long to unfold the paper and read the contents, the curiosity plastered on your face soon replaced by a frown, as you lean forward, crumpling the paper.
Barbara's laugh only makes you snort, directing your attention to her.
"Okay, what's supposed to be funny now?"
"Nothing... it's just that I also had the same reaction when reading that paper."
"So...this isn't some kind of joke on your part, is it?" You already had your suspicions when you started reading the contents, although you doubt that Barbara has such ugly handwriting unless she wrote it intentionally.
"No! Why do you think that? I'm offended that you think it's my handwriting." His common tone of indignation clarifies your doubts, making you look at the newspaper again, so who wrote this?
"So...who is this coming from?"
"I'm glad you asked, you see I was leaving the chapel when... a young stranger approached me and told me that it was very important that you read the letter..." Barbara crossed her arms "Curiosity got the best of me and ended up reading the content... I didn't want it, I swear!"
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"Are you sure your idea will work?" Sitting on one of the benches in the debauched city, a slender figure stood out from the crowd with his worried expression.
"Oh, I guess so! My dear Chongyun... don't ever doubt my abilities to create the most beautiful poem!"
"What's more! You're talking to a great writer, so rest assured that your loved one will be more than moved."
Standing on the other side of the bench was a young man dressed in noble clothes, who couldn't stop bragging about his writing skills.