01

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."

"Madeline! I told you not to eat all of the cookies on the jar!"

Light yet loud footsteps sounded in the corridor. Blonde hair flowing in the wind, and a soft giggle sounding every now and then.

"Madeline! Madie!"

'Sister Mary Eunice! Oh no!'

The little girl, who was frantic from the call, ran and ran through the stairs of the orphanage, looking for a place to hide. It was like they were playing hide and seek all of a sudden!

Madie giggled while running, thinking that it was so much fun. She never thought eating cookies from the pretty jar would lead to playing.

She heard Sister Mary Eunice from her back and saw her running after me. She looked mad. And scary, too.

Madie stopped for a while, contemplating whether she should say sorry. Is it time to stop playing?

The girl frowned, wanting to play some more. It's been a long time since Sister Mary Eunice played with her. She was always so busy with the other kids and babies. She loved the babies deeply, but she also wanted Sister Mary Eunice to play with her.

'It was unfair! Madie needs love, too' she thought.

"Madie!" it was Sister! Right at her back. "Madie, get back here!"

She continued to giggle and run. They were playing tag, now. It was no problem. Madie was always a fast runner. She can outrun a cheetah if she wanted, too. Now, she hasn't done that yet, but maybe she will someday. 

It was her dream to run with a cheetah. Maybe she can have one as a pet, too.

She reached the front door, opened it and ran outside. It was raining a bit, but that won't stop the little girl from playing. Playing was so much fun.

Madie ran outside and turned to the road, certain Sister Mary Eunice would follow her. She was 'it' and she had to tag her so Madie could chase after her later.

The blonde girl reached the park and giggled. The rain was so cold but so fun. It was starting to rain a bit, but Sister Mary Eunice was still not here. What a slowpoke. She was always so slow, unlike Madie. 

'I was quick and fast since I was born!'

Eye wide, Madie looked at her right hand and expected Ellie to be there. Ellie was her stuffy and she was everything to her. Aside from Sister Mary Eunice, she was her only friend.

Not everybody liked Madie in the orphanage. They think she was weird and a freak. She wasn't. She really wasn't. Madie was a good girl.

She tried to recall where she last saw Ellie and remembered that she left her in kitchen, by the cookie jar. 

'Oh no. She'll get lonely without me. I should go back.'

But... she was still playing with Sister Mary Eunice. Madie was just waiting for her to pop out from the bushes in the park so she can tag her. She'll do that for her, since she was so slow.

She waited and waited in the park in the rain. 'Why was she taking so long? Did she trip? Or maybe she went back to get me an umbrella.'

It was slowly getting boring and cold here. Why was Sister taking so long? She was supposed to be here hours ago! Oh wait, she giggled. She hasn't even been here for fifteen minutes.

She was so silly sometimes.

More minutes passed, and she got bored after some time so Madie decided to walk back to the orphanage, slowly though. Maybe Sister got lost in the rain and lost her way. Did she see the way back home? She can be so forgetful sometimes.

Walking down the road, while the rain was slowly getting heavier. She didn't have an umbrella. She knew I wouldn't get sick though. I was un-sickable. She wasn't sure if that was a word. She didn't really care.

Madie giggled at her thoughts and continued to walk. She was wondering what was taking her so long to get home. It was only a ten-minute walk from the park.

Was she lost?

The now soaked girl shook her head. Of course not, Madie doesn't get lost. She was like an explorer; she doesn't get lost.

She still continued walking and walking, seeing no one on the road. But then she heard something by the alley she was about to pass through. She stopped, pondered before walking to the alleyway. Should she really?

'Of course, I should. I'm an explorer, and explorers explore. Duh.'

Madeline slowly peeked my head on the alleyway. There are no clowns here, are there? It's not Halloween. She waited a bit more for something to show up but there was none.

Was she imagining things?

She was such a creative girl. Good job, Madie.

But then she heard it again. It was like a bang on metal, something hitting something. Was someone there? An animal? A pet?

Madie heard the sound again, but this time louder. It was like someone was purposely hitting something. She walked closely, trying to see something in the dark. The rain didn't help. It was getting darker while she closed on to the end of the alley.

There was a shadow. Four, actually. The fourth one was sitting down on the floor. He shouldn't do that. The floor here was so dirty, they could catch germs.

She couldn't see their faces, or what they were wearing. But she could see that they were four man, and the other three was so rude for not helping the fourth one get up. Maybe they were drunk. Drunk people are so silly.

Then she saw the shadow of the first one, the one at the far left, pull out something. It looked like... a kitchen tool. It was black, too. Was it a peeler? A grater, maybe. It looked like one.

But graters or peelers couldn't shoot and make a 'bang' sound, can they?