ELEVEN YEARS AGO IN SOUTHRAIN
"Will you go with me?", Dylan asked for the umpteenth time.
"I have said yes a million times already. Just pray that your mum never finds out about this visit" Pete said.
"She won't. Let's wear our hats and cover half our faces. Here, use this scarf. No one should be able to recognise us.", Dylan spoke as they got closer to the car that had come to pick them up.
"I hate wearing a scarf and now you're making me do just that! Oh! I never thought I would go this far for the sake of friendship", Pete complained.
"Well I too don't like wearing this, but then no-one should see us, Pete."
"Sir Dylan. Sir Pete", the driver immediately came out of the car and opened the door.
"Is sir Pete coming with us today?" the driver inquired.
"Yes" Dylan nodded.
Once seated in the car, Dylan calmly instructed the driver to take them to the Olga Children's Home.
"The orphanage? I thought the de Milos had long stopped sending any donations there."
"Yes, we just want to pass through there." Dylan said.
The driver did not say anything more but simply changed the direction to head towards the children's home. He remained in the parking area, as per the instruction from Dylan and Pete. The two boys walked towards the buildings, passing through the many classrooms which were unusually quiet. One or two little children ran around, but generally, the life that the children's home used to hold was no longer there. Dylan's heart felt a deep pierce as he looked at the almost deserted place.
They walked all the way to the hall; the hall where they always came on the first Thursday of each month. They proceeded towards the reception area.
"Good day, how may I help you", a lady smiled at them. She was carrying two boxes in her arms.
"Is…is it true that the children's home is now closed? For real?" Dylan stammered.
"We're in the process of closing up everything. We've failed to run the place, mainly because our main donor, the de Milos, are unable to continue assisting us."
"Why?" Dylan asked.
"I understand they are building a new hospital, the Roderick Eye Centre. Thus they have channeled all their resources to that project." She seemed to be in deep thought then she went on, "this has been quite a big blow to the children here."
"Don't you have other people giving you help?" Pete asked.
"Ummm, not really. Our main donor has been the de Milos; for many years! Their withdrawal really affected us. Do you know that even for all the children's sicknesses and vaccinations, we used to get all that for free at their hospitals?"
"Really?", Dylan himself was also not aware of that.
"They were really good; that family. It's a pity that they can't help us anymore", the woman shook her head slightly, and placed the two boxes on the reception counter.
"Where are all the children?", Dylan asked.
"Oh, some of them have been sent to other orphanages around Lakeworld. Some of them have been taken up for adoption, and some are in foster homes. We have a few who are still here. The orphanage is really failing to hold up. Soon there will be no child here. It will be just a memory", she smiled sadly.
"Sorry about that"
"The sad thing," the lady went on. "The sad thing is that we were like a family here. So it's like we have been torn apart. We were so used to staying together. Now some of the children have been taken to other orphanages in Yellowleaf, in Pamuti and in other cities. Oh this is bad" she sighed.
"W…what happened…." Dylan wanted to ask a question, but he stopped.
"Sorry? What did you say?" the lady asked politely.
" I mean w…what...what….."
"We want to know what happened to Anisha Meyerton", Pete spoke out, for he already knew what his friend wanted to ask.
The lady's face brightened up at the mention of Anisha's name. "Oh that girl! You know her? What a sweet angel! She is….ummm, now I am not too sure! I have been away for the last two days. She must have been taken in a foster home for a while. Ms Meyerton would know for certain where she is, but now she isn't well. Anisha had always been Ms Meyerton' favorite", she whispered the last sentence.
"Where can we find Ms Meyerton?" Pete asked again.
"For now she is not too well. She failed to handle the closure of the children's home, she stroked, and her family took her back."
"What do you mean by her family took her back?"
"Oh, she's not originally from here. She's from Hallowcave. She had only come here for better living conditions, since Hallowcave is still an underdeveloped country."
"Oh!" Pete said in a low voice.
"Is the closure permanent?" one could hear the pain in Dylan's voice.
"Not really. We will get help to re-open, but for now we are failing dismally to sustain it. The little ones have no diapers, and we have no milk for them. For the good of the children, we had to temporarily close it." She sighed.
"So you have no idea where Anisha is? Which home has taken her in as a foster child?" Pete went on.
"Umm, I will have to find out. Why don't you come back next week Wednesday. I will be here and I will have all the information."
"Thank you for your time."
"You are welcome"
ON THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY
"Are you coming with me today?"
"Of course! You and I always go places together, don't we?" Pete answered.
"Did you bring your scarf and hat?"
"Oh the scarf again!! I forgot it!" Pete threw his arms in the air in frustration.
"I brought an extra one, because I knew you would forget." Dylan chuckled and pulled out a scarf.
"OK let's go then!"
The driver followed their instruction and took them to the children's home. The gate at the home was closed. There was total silence. No child running in the yard. No sounds of a child crying. A security guard walked over and greeted them.
"How can I help you?", he scrutinized the very posh car from which the boys had come out of.
"We need to see a lady…oh no! the last time we came here and spoke to her, we totally forgot to ask her name." Pete responded.
The guard stared at them and said, "what is it about?"
"Oh, how about Ms Meyerton? Maybe she can help." Pete avoided the security guard's question.
"Ms Meyerton is not well, and she is now in Hallowcave. She suffered a stroke".
"So there is no-one?" Dylan asked with a choking voice.
"Except for me, there is no-one else. The place is officially closed."
"But…but the lady we …we spoke to last week asked us to come back today…." Dylan stammered.
"We all thought the place was going to remain open for a fortnight longer, but it failed to hold on. Sorry. What is it about?"
The boys did not respond, but merely expressed their gratitude and turned to leave the place.
AT THE CLEAR OPAL MANOR
The driver, in a low voice and while checking around to see that no one was hearing them, informed Iris that twice, he had driven Dylan and Pete to the children's home.
"What? Why?" Iris was shocked.
"I have no idea. The first time they went in and spent quite some time. Then the second time they spoke to a security guard. I couldn't hear what they spoke about."
"You didn't think of listening in? Do you know you can lose your job if ma'am gets to know about this?"
"Please Iris, keep this between us," the driver begged.
"Next time it happens you have to report to me immediately!"
"Yes Iris, I will do just that! but I doubt there will be a next time"
"Why is that?" Iris asked with a frown.
"Because the orphanage is closed already."
"Oh? It's already closed? So soon? Those poor kids!" Iris looked away so that the driver could not see the pain in her eyes.
"Ok Iris, may I go now?"
"Yes you may, but remember that if sir Dylan ever makes a weird request again, you must come to report to me immediately! Do you get that!?"
"I get it, Iris."
"You may go. Why are you still standing there?"
"I need your word, please Iris. Promise me that you won't tell ma'am about this?"
"Of course I won't. It will do more harm than good." Iris turned to walk towards the entrance of the front hall.