Chapter One

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Once upon a very, very confusing time, far off on a very, very logically inclined planet known as Normal Earth, lay the land called... What's it now... Germany.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

And in this country, there was a black clock that constantly reminded anyone sitting in that abbey’s white hall what so little time precious was left.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

But more importantly, sitting underneath this very clock, curled up in a ball, was an orphan girl.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

A teenaged girl whose only desire in life was to become a Catholic sister just like the loving sister who raised her.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

She never really, eh, bothered with finding her real family. Her multiple, failed, foster families disillusioned her from such a silly dream.

Tick. Tick.

Besides, the sister who mentored her was all the family she ever needed.

Tick.

She ever needed.

Tick.

She ever knew.

Tick.

"Elisabeth?"

Elisabeth raised her head. Her short, platinum hair fell on her face, but she quickly took off her black hairband and with it pulled back her long bangs. She looked up with wide, reddened, lilac eyes, her bottom lip tucked underneath her front teeth.

"Sister Agneth, she's—“ said Sister Gudrun, teary-eyed, herself. "She's asking for you."

Elisabeth rose from the floor. The floor that looked like every other floor. She drifted down the white hall. The hall that looked like every other hall. She entered the dreary bedroom. The bedroom that looked like every other bedroom. However, on that bed was an elderly woman who did not look like the other women dressed in black in that room. Not Sister Agneth. And even if Sister Agneth was in her clerical attire instead of that drab gown, she still would not look like any other Sister. Yet the elderly woman on this bed, moaning out her last croaks, did not look like the Sister Agneth who raised Elisabeth.

The Sister Agneth Elisabeth knew had brown skin dotted with sun spots, like broetchen fresh from the oven. This woman was pale, and her wrinkles more defined, like a dried fig. Where once were eyes smiling as big as her smile itself were now just worn, leaking wineskins. Her hoarse belly laughs rusted to wheezed breaths for air that wasn't there despite the tube in her nostrils.

The moment Elisabeth walked into the room, all eyes were on her. Sisters and community workers were either silent with tears or whispering into each others' ears while watching Elisabeth cautiously.

"Elisabeth." The girl no longer cared for the others in the room but ran to Sister Agneth’s side. She hugged Sister Agneth despite the elder's groans then sat by her bedside.

An elder in the room, wisely reading the situation, shooed everyone out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Sister Agneth studied Elisabeth. She spoke in her human tongue.

"Gottes Segen… what a beautiful… young woman you… grew up to be," she breathed, which touched Elisabeth more than any other person or creature could ever understand at that moment.

Sister Agneth unwound the rosary previously wrapped around her hands. Together, they said a few phrases of the Hail Mary. After many grunts and wheezy moans, the sister held the old orange-stone cross in between her shaking fingers and reached out for Elisabeth's hand.

She placed the rosary in Elisabeth's palm and curled her hands shut. Elisabeth tried to protest but Sister Agneth shushed her.

"I'm sorry... to miss your birthday," said Sister Agneth.

Orbs of water collected above Elisabeth’s cheek. She wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn’t find the breath to speak.

Sister Agneth then said something that would toss around in Elisabeth mind for a long, long time.

"Remember why… the woman lights the candle… for the missing silver…" Sister Agneth tried to finish her sentence but couldn't seem to get any more out. Elisabeth inhaled sharply.

"No," Elisabeth said, startled. "No no no. Please don’t. Please don’t go. I can’t do this without you, Sister Agneth." Elisabeth clenched onto Agneth's hand. "Sister Agneth?"

…

Elisabeth laid her head down on the corpse.

On the other side of the bed

The abysmal eyes of D̷͈̯̙̠̪̘̳̑̿̈ͅe̵̟̰̠̙̯̮̱͆á̵̜͕͍̤̮̍͜t̷͇̤͒h̴̜̱̼͚̐̌̃̐͛̏͊̂̚̕ stared at EliElisabeth beth bethbethbethkksshsss̴ss̶s̸s̷s̴s̷s̴s̸h̸h̵h̵h̴_̴̨͓͘͠&̶̡̗̾@̵̘̓D̶͕̳͑)̸̳̜̿̎m̵̬̂.̶̳̋.̴̮̓͝^̸̘̩̎̓6̵̣̊,̷̦͛̋,̶͇̅,̸͙̑͐,̶̯̩͂E̶̟͔̅̕:̸̧͗7̶͊͊ͅA̶̩͋ȧ̷̫A̷̧͒̉Ḁ̷͕̐A̴̱͝ͅÃ̵̎͜3̷̗̖̆7̶͔̲͂*̶̬͌͠ͅ6̷̺͓̽̍&̴͓͑͑(̷̘͈̉(̷̧̠͒̿)̴͎͖͗T̷̠̈́̅^̴͉̓,̶̻̿_̸͈̗̂H̴͚̅́$̵̲̹͌̿(̶̱̋&̵̺̳̄̌(̷̦̠͒̓P̴͚͌͘%̸̥̻̓͑)̷̦̯͛̚W̴͎̔͂&̴̨͚̊(̵͕̭͑^̴͇͖̄̒@̴͙̮͂̈*̷̼̏$̶̘̇̿}̶̹͖̐6̶̛̲̠õ̵̜̃a̷͖͓̝͇̬̳̻̞̼̣͈̰̤̳̽̌̈́͂̀̎̐͛͂̽̽̀̊̈́̒̃͛̽̂͂͘̚͝ͅȃ̴̡̢̨̖͇͉͚̱̦͙̞̹͚͓̹̳̟͚̱̤̞̜͙͌̃͆̀̃̿̾̈́̑͆̉͂͜͜͝ͅà̷̡̪͖̠̩̐̏̈́̃͋́̋̈́̉̈́́̓͝͝ͅͅã̷̝̠͍̦̼̱̲̯̬̙͎̘͇̳̗̳̜̙̰͇͈̳̣̱͙̤̜͂͒̀̀̏͗͒̒͘ǎ̷̬͎͕̩͔̜͍͕̦͖̲͚͓̝̖̑́̽̏̓̋̇̀̋̋̀̽̾͠ͅͅȂ̶̧̢̨̦̹̝̤̩̰͎A̴̛̖͚̥̟͇̗̣̻͕͙̰̰͗͊̾̿̀̃̊̍̇͋͌͐̄̓͆̓̉̂̐͊̉͋̀̏̿̕͘A̴̧̨͖̮̣͈̙̱͈̗͚̰̙͕̣̳̬̘͚̪̺͌̏͌͌̀͑̊̎͛́̿͑͝A̵̛̛̼͇̙͑͒̈́̄̋̓́̋͋̋̈̿͒̾̀́̈̽̅͒͠͠À̶̢̡̢̛̛̦̟̼͍͎̠̤̠̬̩͍̭̩̅̀͗̾͑̑͐̐̀̿̂͋͝A̷̛̰͇͍͓̖̲̔̓̓̐͋́̈̽̓̈͂̿̐͌̀̔͐́͝Ȧ̷̡̨̨̧̡̭̞͕̦̱̱̜̹͎͔̝̜̘̱̼̝̬̘̟̅̒̂̅̀͂̈́̇͑̎͐͊ͅ

What a beautiful German sunset! Not a cloud drifted in the sky, aromatic wildflowers danced in the breeze, birds sang their happy little songs, humans waved at each other—wow! The day closed up so g--damn perfectly!

And thus, Elisabeth dashed out of the cathedral in her funeral clothes.