บท 6: Moonlight mildew
The boys sat in the pews with their heads down and their faces solemn as Sister Becca sang . She had an incredible voice , which was one of the few things to her merit .
All the children had gathered at the chapel , a very holy part of the orphanage on the second floor . It was a large rectangular space , with three red carpets lining it's sides , it took half a block . Pews , lined orderly , for the children and the Sisters were made of solid wood .
A Sister or two sat in each pew , making sure all children behaved accordingly . An organ sat on the front right corner next to the podium , where a man was playing to accompany Sister Becca .
The man was dressed in a grey suit and from his profile , he looked quite distinguished . He played methodically and slowly on the keys , and with Sister Becca's voice , it was a sight and a sound to be behold .
" Thank you Sister Becca ." the man said when they finished .
Sister Becca bowed her head humbly and turned to her seat . The man rose from his seat by the organ . He folded his lapel and walked up to the podium .
This man was Reverend father Agner , the present overseer of Pearl orphanage .
" Everyone , " he said in a voice that echoed across the walls ," This week will be dedicated to the Saints . For as we all know , all Saints day is nearly upon us . I would like each of you , Sisters and children alike , to take this week in choosing moments of reflection and deep meditation . At the end of our week , we will celebrate the day with a dedication to the almighty and the Virgin . Arise now , with a parting prayer ."
The Sisters rose first and then the children . They bowed their heads and father Agner gave a parting prayer for them all . When he finished , all the sisters led the children in their pews out of the chapel , until they reached their individual rooms and each child went inside to bed .
....
Henric sighed heavily on his bed , he had been tossing and turning around for nearly an hour but sleep alluded him like the plague . After five minutes more , he finally sat up and looked at his second nightstand drawer .
He knew the reason he couldn't sleep , it was the same as last night's reason ; he was beyond curious about what Sister Cali had given him .
Although it had been two days since her departure , he still had not opened the cloth covered object . He could have provided various excuses for this but none were satisfactory .
Maybe a part of him dreaded it being something sad like a picture of Sister Cali . He didn't want a Momento of her , nothing he would look at with sadness forever . If it was a picture in the cloth , he'd want to throw it away but wouldn't have the nerve to do it .
Well , he thought , I might as well know what it is before I know if I'll hate looking at it for as long as I'll live . He reached over and opened the drawer , moving the two books aside ( the ones Sister Cali had given him , they were of importance in their own right ) and took out the cloth covered object .
He felt it's shape ; round with a long bulge at the bottom . His mind tried to form an idea of what was underneath but his imagination had never been that grand , so it meant all he thought of was a round circle with a bulge .
I better open it , he decided . He slowly removed the creased cloth and uncovered the last thing Sister Cali had given him . What he saw , in the thin moonlight from his window, made him frown in confusion .
The object was moonlit silver , with a shade of blue on its back . It was shaped like a round oval and had a long handle in the intricate shape of a water drop . In the front it had a reflective surface and behind it was flat , except for a shiny blue gem .
It was a hand mirror .
Henric looked at it slowly and carefully , touching it's curves and the gem on its back . He had never seen a hand mirror before , all boys used the restroom mirrors or bedroom windows to see their reflection.
It was a light thing , barely giving any weight and he tilted it around. Unfortunately the mirror only reflected a dark shadow and he moved towards the window to try and gain some light .
Finally he saw himself in moonlight . His hair was ruffled , his eyes slightly droopy and his cheeks were sharp from hard work . He wore no shirt , his body feeling hot despite the wind outside . His chest was lean from a strict diet and laboursome lifestyle . Hard muscles lay beneath his frame .
Why did you give me this , Sister ? ,he thought and put it on his bed . He sighed again , this was disappointing to say the least and for a moment he actually wished it had been a picture .
Atleast with that , he could give a bit of emotional attachment but this was just a piece of glass , however beautiful it's design . He didn't see the reason Sister Cali would give him something like this , he didn't need it and would most likely never use it . She should have kept it with her , he thought and gave a yawn . He reached over and took the mirror again .
He looked at his face , ruffled and sleepy . He gave a small smile trying to edge some mirth in his reflection but it didn't work . His face was too drawn , too trying on pretentious happiness that he quickly dropped the smile .
Instead he looked into the reflection and gave it a forlorn look , as if wishing he could talk to him about something . It was bitter feelings manifested back at him and he quickly gave up his mirror game . He looked at it one last time before packing it away , out of sight .
Strangely enough his body finally found the urge to sleep and he welcomed it . His mind gave him faint images , the wisps of memories of recent times . He saw the chapel , a slice of bread , a rooster frowning at him with disdain and the last thing he saw was the fountain statue , but instead of a downcast countenance , he saw it looking up and weeping at him .
....
" The woods all moist , barely any fire worthy pieces ." A boy with a chubby face said and there were sounds of agreement from several other boys .
They were out in the back of the orphanage , where behind it was dense wood . The boys were chopping logs of wood into usable pieces for the kitchen and it took nearly ten of them because they were cutting whole trunks of fallen trees . When one boy got tired , another would take his place and so on until they cut enough .
The sky was cloudy that day , the sun shining behind broken clouds like the breaths of smoke in air . The ground they were standing on was hard earth littered with dead leaves , brown and red , a low chill wind blew around them but the hard work kept them feeling too much of the chill . Atleast some of them felt that way but not all .
" It'll take months to dry , and we've waited months already ." Another boy spoke up ," We felled these ourselves and that was nearly two seasons ago . "
" Well , one benefit is that they are easier to chop when moist ." A boy with loose brown hair said and he took the axe from the chubby boy who tired faster than all of them and began to cut the wood .
" But we need dry wood . " Link said crossly ," This wet pieces of timber will have the Sisters sending us back here . We need to find a dry tree . "
" Well , point away Mr smart ." Christan said , " Look around and choose a dry one for us . "
Christan was talking about a pile of tree trunks that were gathered near them . This was a triangular shaped pile of stacked logs and because of this , the boys could only pick the log on top and not on the bottom or they would risk an avalanche of wood .
" A suggestion , not a smart quote . " Link said glaring at Christan .
" Alright enough , we don't need a fight ontop of everything else ." Henric said looking at them both ," But Christan, Link is right . We need a dry tree or we'll be here indefinitely . "
" But we can only choose the ones on top , you know that ." Christan said and Henric nodded his head .
He then turned to the pile of wood . Even with his eyes , he could tell that the next three trees were moist . At this rate , they would be cutting well into the evening .
He looked at the pile , hoping for a sign of a dry tree , somewhere close to the top . He at first saw nothing but then something caught his eye . A lod edged close to the base , he saw something on its side . He walked up to it and leaned down to see , it was a black and green substance , soft to the touch and with a tough scent . He scrapped some off and smelled mildew , very out of season .
" Brothers , do you believe this tree is dry ? It has grown some mildew on its side and I think I see a deep rot ." he said .
It was a typical form of address that all the boys called each other brothers . And when Henric spoke two boys went to see what he had found out .
The trunk had a line of rot showing in the bark and they thought he could be right . But there was one problem ; " It's at the base . " one boy said ," If we move it , all the logs above will fall on us or whorever is underneath ."
" We could move them off one by one until we reach it . " Christan said but the boys shook their heads .
" It takes three of us to move one log and there are atleast several ontop of that one ." Link said ," We'll still end up back in the evening if we do . "
" So what are we going to do ? " One boy asked and Henric considered this . They couldn't pull the log or everything would topple and hurt someone . That left ...
" What if - " Link started but Henric cut him off .
" Push the logs off and let them topple , then we can pick the one at the bottom ." he said and everyone gaped at him .
" You out off your mind ? " The chubby boy asked ," Sure we'll not suffer if we do that at a good place , but then who's going to pick up the fallen logs ? Us ? "
" I can handle it . I'll cut up the ones fallen over ." Henric said and the chubby boy scoffed ," You all wish to return faster don't you ? "
" Here we go ," Link said folding his arms ," Chivalrous Henric , always ready to take the cross for everyone . Bloody Saint to be ."
" Would you rather be out here hacking this wood till the moon rises ? " Henric asked him and continued before he could answer ," I'm just offering a solution . You're all free to take it or leave it . "
" I'll take it . " The chubby boy said instantly rubbing his hands ," I hate this cold and cutting the wood ain't warming me an ounce. I just want to be out of here . "
" What about Henric , we can't just have him burdened with this task , he'll be here till the end of winter ." Christan said but Henric shrugged his shoulders .
Nobody could discourage him though and eventually they toppled the pile of wood . " You'll have a golden seat in heaven , I'm telling you ." A boy said as he cut the dry log .
They had pulled the wood out of the pile and were almost done cutting it . " Yes and a golden chalice aswell ." Link added but Henric gave no comments .
" So , you'll be telling the Sisters it was your idea ? " Christan asked with a frown next to him .
" It was and I will . " he said and Christan shook his head in disbelief .
" We've grown up in this orphanage our whole lives yet you always have surprised me with the things you do . " he said and looked at Henric ," You're almost perfect , the almighty pardon , yet I wish I knew one thing you had that could offend . "
" Are you wishing to judge me ? " Henric asked him .
" No , I'm just wishing to know if you're human . " he answered ," Humans have faults and so far , if it could be counted as one , your self-sacrifice is your biggest fault ."
" I merely do what's to be expected Christan . Help , assist and give yourself to those who need you ." Henric answered and looked up at the sky .
The clouds were thickening and the sun was like an Arabic woman being covered for a social outing , little more than beams of light could be seen on the landscape and the chill wind rose up .
" We best hurry and bring them in . I feel the weather is turning for the worst ." he said .
" Again ." the chubby boy said from one of the fallen logs .
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NixelLazuli
NixelLazuli Do you like my writing style ? It's much improved from my other novels , even i have the humility to admit that .
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Any way , let's continue
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