We were playing a game of hide and seek, it was all of us and the dog against the sisters and the knights.     Almost after all the chores, we ran straight outside the compound and away from it to meet with Gabriel and Boy. We had to sneak out, of course. But sometimes, we had to stay in, and the stable was the only place available, for no one could pass through a barricade of aged sisters. Even me.     But Gabriel could. I still had no i

The next morning, I decided to change Michael’s bondage and also to reapply a fresh poultice. But the storage had no hint of any bloodied knight. It was as if he was not there, and Hana and I too.     So, during breakfast, I searched for Hana to asked her about what had happened, but instead, I found Michael.     He was sitted at the far end of the dining table designated for the knights, with two other boy that looked his age. He s

The world was cruel. I grew up knowing this for I was one of the unlucky ones who experienced its unfairness. All along I thought that my life had its fair share of pain and sorrow, that it was enough reason for me to shout and throw hatred at it, but I did not know that the world can be even crueler.       The winter air woke me up of my slumber. I expected needles and pines as my bed and the melodious singing of the song birds to continue, but the moment I opened my eyes, I was back at my own stuffy quarter. I was back on my own personal cage.

The convent was not a home without Hana.     All of us were trying to get used of Hana’s predicament. It was odd that no one was around to reprimand us whenever we were doing something silly. No stop that, and you should do this. I miss her. It was really true that you would only miss something after it was gone.     She was not really gone though. She was just a few miles away from us, living alone on that aged farmhouse.

I did not need the clattering silver pans of Martha to wake up early now.      With Martha’s blessing I was allowed to be at the cookery whenever I wanted, but unfortunately, I still could not cook a proper dish alone. My soup tasted experimental like medicine, my loaves were either overly burnt or under baked, and the worst was my excessively sweetened hot chocolate.     After clothing myself, I went to the other side of the s