Sunday, 20th March 1453
A small grey mouse came up close to my foot and mentioned those words to me. Ever since I could understand what the animals were talking to me, I would normally keep it as a secret. These rodents were able to keep an eye on others and gathering information, while I performed some deed for them, especially during food shortages where a palm-sized hard cheese would be good for one person for one meal, but to these rodents, it could be shared with several of their extended families for several days…!
"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeakkkkkk…"
"Kristobel, take the key from Matron's neck. There are two small wooden chests under her bed. That's where she kept all the shiny, round, and flat things that she counted every night when everyone is asleep. Take care and be safe. We will meet again, someday, I hope."
With that, the small grey mouse held up its tail and nibbled it from one end to the other end as if it was like a piece of corn on a cob. After it had done grooming, it scurried away to the sides of the wall before squeezing itself through one of the crevices in the walls.
"HEY GUYS… STOP IT ALREADY…!!! THEY ARE ALREADY DEAD…!!! There's no point for you to put those bodies in such a compromising way. Let the bodies as it is. Let nature takes its course. Go… Quick…! Run away if you like…! Never look back and never come back here…!!!" I called out to those conspirators and they scrambled out of the dining room with their bloodied cudgels and billies in their hands, leaving smeared footprints all over the hallway.
The blood that pooled on the floor was coagulating and it was slippery. I tried not to step on the blood but instead, I step on the bodies to prevent myself from slipping. It was after the group of conspirators had left when the heavy and thick metallic smell of blood invaded my nostrils as it seeped slowly into my brain…!
"BLUEK, BLUEK, BLLUUEEKK…!!!" I was trying to control myself but in the end, I was going to vomit as the build-up of sourish bile began to surface from the depths of my stomach. It was threatening me to be like a water fountain that continually spouts water but instead, it is going to be vomit…!!! The brain mass of light pinkish colour could be seen clearly as day, as it wiggled out of the opening in the Matron's head when I removed the key that was hanging around the neck. THE SIGHT OF THE BRAIN IS GOING TO HAUNT ME…!!!
Instead of removing the chain, I tugged and pulled the chain with my two hands to break it. It was made from a low quality steel chain and it snapped from just a simple tug. I removed the key and quickly got out of the room before I closed it behind me.
The Matron's bedroom was fairly large. There was a four-poster bed and it had a king-sized mattress and quilt over it. N-O…! That's not it. I am not here to give you intricate details of how the Matron's bedroom was and how expensive the decoration and all the other knick-knacks that were inside the bedroom. I am here just for the wooden chests that were said to be under the bed. I peered underneath the bed and VOILA…! Two wooden chests were sitting there waiting for me to embrace them to my chest…!
One was unlocked and when I opened up the lid, I was filled with joy…! This must be the shillings that the children had been collecting all these years and had been changed into other forms of denomination such as silvers or even gold which I had not seen before.
The other chest was locked so I inserted the key that I had gotten from Matron's neck and twisted it open.
*C R R E E A A K K*
Lo and behold…!!! The other locked chest was full of coins too…!!! There were silver and gold even, and when I held a piece of gold coin in my hand, it felt heavier compared to the rest of the other coins. No wonder the Matron was turning innocent residents like us to become thieves and perform these heinous crimes for her sake of collecting this kind of loot.
I looked around and found something that I was looking for. It was a leather sling bag and I was about to empty the contents of the silver and gold coins into it when I stopped. It would be better for me to carry the gold coins and shillings since it would be some time before I place everything inside the bank. I need someone to help me out since I do not know how to count and spell my name and I need someone as trustworthy as myself…! I would leave the silver coins to the rest of the children here that would have nowhere to go right after the Matron's demise. I was wondering if there is another Orphanage that would take them in though.
The only thing I knew about was the coins; for 50 shillings makes a silver coin and 20 silvers make a gold coin. I do not know how many shillings and silvers I have right now with me but I have to dispose of them as quickly as possible and would not be made as an accessory for murder…! Seeing the two chests filled with coins had suddenly set me back thinking about what I should do with the coins since I knew that the best thing is to let it go. And let it go I shall…! Maybe this is the reason why having too much wealth or no wealth at all would make one sink into despair…!
I grasped the leather sling bag and the two chests and headed down to the dormitory where the children were sleeping. They were oblivious to the happenings that had happened in the dining room where the bodies of Matron and her aides were lying in a thick pool of coagulating blood. It was still early and I could hear the hush whisperings of the children when I entered their dormitory.
"Children…! Wake up…! Who is the smartest of all here…? Come forward, I want to talk to you…" I spoke in hushed tones at first like how I used to do before but remembered that the Matron and her goons were dead. The conspirators had fled just as I had indicated to them without a single loot and only based on their street-wise knowledge.
One of the children pointed to a sleepy-eyed girl around the age of 8 and was told that she was one of the smartest. "Hey, do you know how to count?" I asked and the 8-year-old nodded her head and replied, "I can count my fingers right to the digits as well. What do you want me to count Big Sister, fingers?" This 8 years old really thought that it was a game to her until I poured out a bunch of coins that I had grabbed from the cheats that had a key sticking out of the keyhole.
Suddenly the dormitory was bursting with joys and surprises as the children thought that I was the real Santa that had brought them little presents even though Christmas had already passed 3 months ago…! I showed them a silver coin and ask them how much can this coin last as for meals and they replied that a silver coin could last about 2 weeks worth of food.
It would be cheaper if they were to cook the food themselves rather than buying gruel if it was available for sale during that time. They could buy a pound of bread that could last a whole day for a home person, and that costs only 4 shillings. Besides, a home person does not involve hard labour and the pound of bread would be good enough with tea for the whole day, I suppose. This price had been enforced to be sold at that price since one of the merchants had direct dealings with Gracehaven City…!
"Look here, we have enough coins to distribute to everyone here and there would be no worries of Big Mama or his goons anymore, you hear? They are…uhhm…left England for good and going to another country to look for more children and open another Orphanage like this. Are you in favour of Big Mama or what? Do you wish Big Mama to be here and torture you to be a cripple or maybe beat up your arms or legs until it becomes red, swollen, then purplish with yellowish pus coming out from the wounds? Tell me, is it better to be with Big Mama or without?"
Some of the children started to sob since they heard that Big Mama had gone overseas without saying goodbye to them and then leave Big Sister here to inform them about getting beat up and having legs and arms that cannot function normally et cetera. The children do not know the difference between right or wrong and they thought that what Big Mama and the rest of the goons were doing was part of being in the Orphanage. As long as the children had a shelter and food to eat at the start and end of the day, they have no complains even if they were being forced to work the fields from dawn to dusk…!
Seeing some of the children that started to wail, I too was affected emotionally and started to cry with them. We were the lost sheep and the shepherd, no matter how cruel she was, was not coming back to provide for them anymore.