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•────⋅☾Even a Mouse ☽⋅────•
•─⋅☾たとえねずみであっても☽⋅─•
The road leading down from the orphanage was rocky and rutted. In the dim evening light, Lily kept stumbling. She could have stayed with them, but that would have put a strain on their already overcrowded building. There was no way she could inconvenience them like that.
A sigh escaped her. She had planned to stay at an inn and warm herself at the fireside, but the orphans' needs had been too great, so she gave the manager all her money. She would find a barn somewhere down in the valley to sleep in. No one would refuse a nun a place to rest, especially not tonight.
A voice called to her: "Alms. Alms for a poor blind man."
In the gathering gloom, she saw an emaciated figure with bandages wrapped around his eyes.
Another sigh threatened to escape her. "I don't have any money, but here’s the food I have."
Lilly handed him a small bundle containing a hunk of hard rye bread and a sliver of cheese. The orphanage manager had given it to her as she left. Lilly had hesitated at the offer. The orphans surely needed the food more than her, but merit was gained through giving, and she wouldn't be inconsiderate enough to deny the woman that.
The man felt the gift with his fingers and spat. "No doubt you want thanks, *kind* woman." He spat again and turned away, and tottered into the trees, grumbling.
The nun watched him go, saying nothing. Instead, she quietly blessed him and turned, starting back down the road.
It was cold, so she pulled her cloak tight and put her hands in her pockets.
"Goddess be praised!" she muttered. In a pocket, she found a crust of bread that had escaped prior detection.
"Squeak."
The sound caused her to look up. Beside the road was a mouse, its paws raised as if begging.
This time, she let a sigh escape and threw the crust to the creature, which ran off with it.
Alone again, she faced the dark, cold road ahead. The wind picked up, so she hurried along as fast as the rutted road would allow. Trees pressed in on either side, blocking the dim moonlight. It was the kind of night when ghosts and phantoms emerged.
•───⋅☾By the Grace of the Goddess☽⋅────•
•─────⋅☾女神の御加護により☽⋅──────•
At first, she didn’t notice the sound carried on the wind: bamboo pipes, bells, and stringed instruments. It was a sweet, spectral sound, as haunting as it was alluring.
As she rounded a bend in the road, the darkness receded. Ahead, the path was illuminated by trees adorned with gold and silver tinsel, red berry garlands, and candles. There were so many tapers that they lit the road with a glorious brilliance. The music surged giving office to the Goddess, reaching a climax. Then it subsided to a soft, melodic refrain.
In the middle of the clearing stood a table laden with fine fare: roasted pheasant, greens sautéed with chestnuts and almonds, holly-garlanded pudding, and a steaming bowl of wassail. Pickled wild vegetables, teapots, and all manner of side dishes were arranged around these.
Lilly hurried forward, her footsteps firmer, to meet the man standing next to the table.
"Welcome, Lilly," said the man to whom she had given her dinner. The age had fallen away from him, and he was plump and healthy. But when he lifted his face, it was that of the Goddess. "You gave the last of your money to my children, forgave my rudeness, and shared the last of your food with my friend."
At this, a mouse's head popped up out of a teapot on the table.
"You carry a guilt that is not yours," the Goddess continued, in a woman's voice. "Lay it down for the night. Enjoy."
For a heartbeat, Lilly could only stare. Warmth pressed gently against her chest.
“I… I don’t deserve this,” she whispered.
The Goddess smiled with the same softness Lilly had tried so hard to show others. “No one earns mercy, child. It is given.”
She looked down for just a second, and when she looked up, the Goddess was gone.
The table still waited; the orphanage children looked at her from their seats. They hadn't been there before, but Lilly felt no surprise. The mouse was already nibbling a chestnut.
She sat down, feeling warmth spread through her. A child handed her a plate full of food. Music rose again among the tinsel-bright branches, gentle and bright as starlight through frosted glass.
On that lonely winter road, Lilly allowed herself:
a meal taken without guilt,
a night spent without penance,
a moment of peace granted by the Goddess herself.
Tomorrow, she would continue her wandering.
•───⋅☾Story by Nara Moore☽⋅───•
Bluesky: @naramoore
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WordPress: Josei Yuri and Paranormal Romance