It was a cold autumn day and a cold wind swept through London. Nora lay in her hospital bed and gloomily stared at the white ceiling of her hospital room. The 14 year old had been in the intensive care unit of the hospital for 2 weeks. She was worn down, which made her look almost like a skeleton. Due to her terminal black skin cancer, she had lost all her pretty red hair, which allowed a view of her bony skull. She could hardly move because of extreme nausea and inflammation all over her body.
"Well, how are you, dear?", said the old nurse "Beth".
With great effort, Nora turned her head and saw Beth at the door with a book. Lately she had been coming to Nora every afternoon to read to her.
Nora thought it was a bit childish, but she didn't want to offend the warm-hearted old nurse.
The 14 year old was too weak to answer so she just nodded at Beth. The 68 year old seemed satisfied with that and sat down on a stool next to Nora's bed. Nora could now recognize today's book, it was "The Nibelungen Legends". an old Germanic saga book. Beth was English/German and just like Nora had a passion for sagas and fantasy books. She smiled at Nora one last time and began to read.
The story revolved around the young "Siegfried" who slew a dragon, bathed himself in its blood and thus became immortal. Nora was immediately captivated. And despite her terrible fate and condition, she could forget her own suffering for a moment. She was going to die soon and she knew it, and that's why she was so grateful for Beth's presence. She had no family, no friends and generally no one who would take care of her. The only person who was with her was this whimsical positive old woman.
It was already evening when Beth read the last sentence and then closed the book. She stroked the 14-year-old's hair and then walked out of the dark room, leaving Nora behind. No wonder she had her own life, Nora thought and managed to smile briefly. Then she closed her eyes and fell into a sleep from which she should never wake up again.