PrologueA Chapter by Mikael Malmberg The Jackson Manor Orphanage prepares for the storm.
A rolling wave of pitch-black clouds streaked across the sky, advancing slowly over the darkened fields. Hailey watched as the horizon was slowly consumed by darkness. They were cut off from the rest of the world. And the orphanage was right in the way of those damned clouds, there wasn't a way around it. The building could as well sail over the Atlantic than weather a storm. It was homely enough, sure, though stranded nonetheless. Once there'd been many villages nearby; not anymore. Nowadays they just sent the 'worst cases' here. To be taken care of.
The staff members present were not many; the work was hard and the pay small, so most people would come there only for a short time. Those who came to stay would have her sympathies. To name a few: Hailey, the leader. Arthur, a volunteer who apparently arrived to hide from his social anxiety - he'd never told where he was from. Though he was great with children. Henry, their cook, was one of the people who'd been there with her for almost the entire time. He'd arrived decades ago, she remembered, bloody and with a broken rib, a teen of sixteen. Back then she'd been very young, only one of the many caretakers. James, another volunteer, this one from Brooklyn, as he liked to boast right after arriving. Then there was Anna. She'd been a priest once, for a small while, before the locals drove her out: she had never told why. Henry had once said to her that once you come down to it, it didn't matter what one was; what it truly came down to was the personality. It was true, mostly. Or about to come true, at least. The storm would rip everyone apart mentally, if not physically. Then they would see the strength of their characters unravel before the others. Their animals had been left without them for quite some time now. Hailey had, with the help of Henry, brought inside their small pony and a few old hens. The pony was being cared for by the little girls, and she supposed the hens were as well, although that should've been the boys' duty; Hailey never saw them do anything else than play or laugh or run into a wall, so to see them feed a hen, well, it wasn't that likely. So she usually had to do it herself. Hailey wondered. The lot of them would have to retreat into the cellar. She'd been there several times when she was younger, although rarely venturing further than the first few hallways, and never past the first crossroad: the light would become too shallow in those parts, too dark for you to see anything. Literally anything could be lying in that endless-seeming darkness, forgotten there by its former owner. But the cellar was simply too big for a full inventory. A shame: what treasures could've been lying down there, they were now missing out on it. Who knows what wealth those things could've brought to the orphanage. Maybe enough to move the business elsewhere. Sadly, what torches there had been inside had rotten away a long time ago. They didn't have enough of their own either. Hailey Jackson turned away from the window. She had seen enough clouds and bad weather for today. Positive thoughts would be too much to ask for, but at least there was company to be had in the house. Yet as she was about to open the door of her room, step out, and find the others, it was opened inwards. Anna stepped in, wearing a combination of a black tunic and breeches, a golden cross hanging from her neck. She gave a cry and took a step backwards, as if to catch her balance, and laughed. "I am so sorry," said Anna, "I was looking for more matches. For the trip below." "Oh, I've already taken them away. They're in the kitchen, Henry's there right now. Packing up all that we need." They were silent awhile, standing awkwardly by either side of the doorway. "The kids will have a hard time down there." Anna finally said. "They've seen worse. I doubt a bit of darkness will frighten them, after what they've gone through." "Yes, but... are you sure if it's safe down there? The catacombs are pretty big." "Oh, playing on their inner curiosity, are we? We will not let them out of our sight, don't worry about that. And why would they choose to go any further than the safe-room in any case? We'll keep the door locked in any case." "You make it sound like a stroll in the park," Anna muttered under her breath. Defiantly. "Though I suppose if we keep it locked the whole time, they'll be fine." She managed a smile. Hailey grinned widely in return and stepped aside to offer her entrance, but Anna refused it politely. "I have the matches to fetch. Can't trust Henry with those." She laughed and flashed a parting smile towards Hailey, and vanished around the corner with a few swift strides. A bit of a character, that woman, Hailey told herself, and not for the first time. A moment later, she made up her mind to follow Anna into the kitchens. As it was, she found herself wanting a cup of coffee to settle her mind. But then something bumped in her legs, and she gave a small cry. When Hailey turned to look, she saw Kenny - one of the orphans - standing confused by the doorway, dazed from the collision. "Oh. It's just you, Kenny. Are you hurt? Come in!" Her voice was kind but tired. She really needed some coffee, as horrible as it tasted. Kenny looked up. His voice had an ominous tremor to it - as though he had been on the verge of tears, but regained control of himself - that woke a sense of danger in Hailey, though she didn't know why. "Mr. Arthur 'n Mr. James, they're shouting at each other. Can you please tell them to stop?" That gave her pause - Arthur and James, having an argument? They usually got along so well. She smiled reassuringly at Kenny. "It's alright, Kenny. I'll go take care of it. Go gather your toys, will you." "Thanks, Ma'am. Yes, Ma'am." Kenny hurried out of the room, shoulders slumped. Hailey suddenly felt very tired, as if everybody's worries were piled on her shoulders. They say duty is heavy. She sighed, marching out towards the living room. She had to see what was going on. © 2014 Mikael MalmbergAuthor's Note
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Mikael MalmbergHelsinki, Helsinki, FinlandAboutI write on-and-off, but writing is a permanent interest for me. There's never going to be a time when I won't be interested in the art of writing, the arrangement of words, their style and rhythm and .. more..Writing
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