TUS NUA - ch 29

TUS NUA – ch 29

New Beginnings – Mia and Midnight

(*)(*)(*)

Dara and Morena all but jumped out when the portal opened, beating Neil and his wagon by minutes. While Dara walked to the kitchen to prepare some hot soup, Morena hurried to the infirmary. Since she had no idea what she’d be facing, she collected what she thought she might need.

As she was finishing setting up her equipment, she heard the front door burst open and rushed feet heading in the direction of where she stood waiting.

It was Alistar who carried in the young children who desperately clung to each other.

Neil looked horrifically saddened. “I was out driving around and felt the pull, yet not knowing where I was going. Suddendly, I found myself outside of the old orphanage in Glasnevin.”

Tauri commented, “Neil, that place has been closed for decades!”

“Try more than a century, mo stor. It’s closed, abandoned and dark as night. Maybe darker. Anyway, still not knowing what pulled me there, I climbed down from the carriage seat and began walking around. Ever so quietly, I heard what sounded like the shuffle of dry leaves and soft whimpering. I followed the sound and only a few feet of the path, I found the two little ones huddled together under the massive oak just beyond the old front iron gates.

“The lasses were shivering, had their thumbs in their mouths. I knew this is what brought me to Glasnevin. I tried to pick one up to carry her to the wagon, but they held on tight to each other. I had no choice but to carry them both together. But I made it and here we are!”

“Neil! Why in in the world didn’t you summon me?” Quiered Alistar.

“Well, my friend, to be perfectly honest, I was too concerned about the little ones to even give you a second’s thought.”

“Ah, well, as you said, you’re here now and they’ll be well taken care of.”

Morena stepped out of the infirmary and approached Dara. “Dara, I need a huge favor.”

“Just name it and it’s done.”

“I need to get to my clinic in town and bring back some supplies. It’s either that or these babies end up in the hospital and then, they’ll go into the child abuse system. They might end up there anyway, but I would like to see their health a bit more stable before we make any decisions like that yet.”

“Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready.”

“How about now?”

Dara’s portal opened and swept them away but five minutes later, they were back with the equipment Morena needed plus Sophie, one of Morena’s medical assistants.

Ana helped Morena and Sophie carry in the items that came through the portal then asked if, since she wanted to study and eventually help the injured, could she observe. Everyone agreed it would be fine. It’s a good way to begin.

It didn’t take them long to set up the equipment. Morena heard Sophie mumble, “Poor little darlings. They’re so undernourished and so utterly terrified.”

As hard as the women tried, they couldn’t separate the little girls who clung to each other as if their lives depended on themselves.

Finola tried getting into their minds. “It’s no use. They’re locked away. And not by choice. It’s as though they’re too frightened to think.”

Ana studied the girls intensly. Something, some sort of memory was nagging at her. She finally said, “Maybe that’s not the entire issue. Finola, do you mind if I try something?”

“By all means. If we can help these children, do whatever you must.”

Ana slowly approached the girls, never taking her eyes off them. Something was nagging at her memory. Something .. ah, she thinks she remembers something. It was worth a try. Using her hands, she signed, “Hi. My name is Ana. Can you tell me yours?”

One of the girls who appeared to be slightly older than the other, signed back, “Carolina and this is my friend, Jennie.” Her eyes showed the tiniest bit of enthusiasm with understanding.

Everyone looked at Ana and then the girls and noticed the little ones begin to relax a bit.

“Fionola, Morena, Sophie. These little ones are deaf. You can talk to them until you’re blue in the face, but they can’t hear you.”

Finola smiled but said, “Ana, since when did you learn sign language?”

Ana shook her head and replied, “I have no idea. For some reason, it just came back to me.”

Ana took it upon herself to ask the children several questions and relay their answers to the group.

“Carolina says she’s seven and she thinks Jennie is six but she’s not sure. She has no idea where they lived. She only remembers a tall building with no doors. It was dirty and smelly. No grownups. Just a few kids until the, as she put it, “big men” came with sticks. She thinks because of the grimace on their faces, that they were screaming at the kids to leave. Those who couldn’t move fast enough, where hit or prodded with the stick. Looking at their injuries, I think it’s safe to say it was more like a club. I doubt a mere stick would do this much damage.”

“That explains the bruising,” Morena said.

“She has no memory of parents, or, except for the big men with sticks, any other adults. Only the God and Goddess know where her family is and how she survived all this time.”

Morena wanted to know who fed them and who gave them clothes?

After a few minutes, Ana said, “Carolina said that sometimes she’d sneak into town and take food from the bins. Guess she didn’t know they were trash bins but she would bring enough back for her and Jennie. Every now and then, one of the older kids brought some food for everyone. As for the clothes? Ask around. She said she’d raid backyard clotheslines. I’m sure people have missed items of clothing here and there.”

A portal opened and who should saunter from it was Luna!