Danny

A Story by Iggykilla

First Chapter

Sister Michelle sat alone in her room on a dark green armchair. It was an old chair, but still quite comfortable. The temperature inside was perfect. Cold, but not cold enough for the heater. All she needed, was nothing more than the cup of the tea in her hand to keep herself warm. Closing her eyes she brought the cup closer to her face and took a deep breath - Ginger Lemon her favourite. The sweet and spicy aroma invaded her nose, and found its way down to her lungs, filling them with the nice warm air. With a long paused exhale she released the air through her mouth, and took a gentle sip. Outside the November rain poured relentlessly over the silent buildings. Staring out the window as the rain (cleanse/punished) the remains of the autumn that still hanged to some of the trees, she melt down on her comfy armchair thinking on what a pleasant Sunday evening it was turning out to be. She loved to watch the rain. She loved how it seem to wash over the buildings, purifying the city. For her, there was a melancholic beauty in such an ordinary thing, like water falling from the sky that she found mesmerizing. The rain was so intense that day she could barely see the buildings across the garden. She was happily lost in her thoughts, when something caught her attention.

Not far from where she sat, rested on the garden the biggest and oldest tree in the Convent. And in one of its bulky branches a leaf by now the sole survivor on the otherwise bare naked tree hung stubbornly. And no matter how hard it the wind blew or strong the rain fell she stood there on the tree - enduring. It is amazing how sometimes even at the hardest trails by it is possible to prevail at the end. Marveled she watched the leaf, for minutes smiling at this fantastic and yet simple reminder of the power of will. And without taking her eyes from the leaf she took another sip. Her tea was already cold when the rain started to ease and the wind dropped its intensity. She couldn’t tell how long she had been there sitting on the dark green armchair, hypnotized by the rain, but it had been a while. And the leaf endured it all, making her company. Taking a look a her cup she found it was almost empty. ‘I could use some more’ she thought. Half way up, she took another look at the leaf, as if she was going to say to her she would be right back. The rain had finally stopped but then on a unexpected last gasp of wind the leaf broke free and flew across the garden all the way to the street. She chuckled thinking the leaf finally decided to let go, she had proved her point. And she follow her drift magnificently to the floor, noticing the little boy wholly naked slowly wandering on the street.

Was it possible she had being so absorbed by this leaf that she missed him. Yet, there he was walking with his head down and arms hanging lifelessly by his side, looking hopeless. She stood by the window looking down the street. There was no one else there, not a single person. Everyone had sheltered themselves from the rain. Staring a him in awe, not sure of what to do The questions keep juggling around her mind "Why is he naked?" "What is he doing on the street like that?" "Why is he all alone?" There was something wrong with the boy. Feeling uneasy she ran to him leaving the comfort of her room behind. She grabbed a blanket on her way out, reaching the boy as he reached the Convent gates. She covered the boy with the blankets, and he fell under their weight. As she put her arms around him to lift him she noticed he was burning with fever. His whole body shivered. She wondered astonished how had he been able to walk all along, and without any more hesitation took him inside. She ran through the hallways carrying the boy back to her room, from where she'd so comfortably watched the rain minutes before, and laid the boy on the bed. The boy wouldn't stop shivering. She checked his temperature."The fever is too high." The boy murmured something she couldn't understand. "Don't worry sweetie you're at St. James Convent, I'll help you find your parents later but you need to get some rest now." Said Sister Michelle caressing his forehead. Unsettled on the couch he wouldn't stop moving. She tried calming him down, repeating that he was under shelter now and that he would be all right. The sound of her voice seemed to agitate him more. He tried to get up and out of the blanket and kept murmuring on a weak voice. Gently pushing him back down, he grabbed her by the arm getting closer to her ear and on a trembling voice fill with pain he said "They're dead, they're all dead, I couldn't stop him. He killed them. Don't let him catch you." He said collapsing on the couch unconscious.