Young Writers Society

(Part 1): The Breakout

Trying to escape from the orphanage could turn out to be deadly, but staying there was just as bad. And if he was ever given so much as a slight chance to get her out of there, he would risk it.

Therefore, when the opportunity came, he grasped it without hesitation; it was now or never.

Packing the little he owned along with the letters in a shopping bag, he snuck out to the girl’s dormitories. Once there, he shook his little sister gently to wake her up.

“Brother?” asked the preschooler in a drowsy voice.

Putting his index on his mouth, he told her silently not to make noise. Then, with a tender smile and in a quiet whisper, he spoke.

“Grab Mr. Cuddles while I put your clothes in the bag. We’re going to Miss Nora’s”

At the mention of the woman’s name, the girl’s eyes lit up.

“Brother buy bread fo’ Amy?” pleaded with puppy eyes, the little brunette.

Defeated by sheer cuteness, he could only sigh.

“Yes, yes I’ll buy you bread. Now go grab Mr. Cuddles while I pack your clothes,”

Nodding, the girl took the old teddy bear with one hand, and held her brother’s with the other. She knew well to never let go of his hand when going outside.

***

Whatever clothes he could find were his sister's were inside the bag, and she had Mr. Cuddles clutched tightly against her chest. They were as ready as they’d ever be, and it was now time to go.

Suddenly, the realness of it all just sunk in. He could feel his heart beating faster, and all the worst possible outcomes made their way into his mind, welcoming the nerves to catch up to him. What if they failed, and Amy was stuck in this place for years to come? As similar thoughts raced through his mind, his breathing became ragged. What if everything went wrong? What if-

A tiny hand squeezing his own broke his train of thoughts. He turned to look at his little sister.

“Amy?” He asked softly.

“I wove you Lion, plea’ buy bread fo’ me,” she pleaded again, with the same puppy eyes and a toothy smile, and it was all it took to get him back on track.

There was no point in pondering over bad outcomes. Whatever it took, he’d do it, if only it meant that Amy would be allowed to keep her smile. So he pushed back the anxiety that was slowly creeping its way into his mind, and breathed deeply. He then focused his attention on his little sister.

“I love you too -he smiled fondly-, and I’ll buy you bread, so no need to plead,” came his answer, followed by a quiet chuckle. It was a relief, really, that in the midst of such a situation, her biggest concern was bread.

The little girl’s eyes beamed at that: Miss Nora’s bread was the best.

***

They sneaked through the orphanage’s hallways quickly and quietly. They were escaping: getting caught was not an option.

Amy clutched his hand tightly. The current situation was obviously strange to her. Why were they going to buy bread at night? Why did he put their stuff in that bag? Visibly unsettled, she clung to her brother and to the promise of bread fiercely.

Some minutes had passed by when they arrived at the door the boy had chosen to make their escape by. He let go of his sister’s hand to grab something from the bag, and she clung to his leg. Whenever they went outside, the little girl never let go of him. Now that everything was so strange, she held onto him even more.

The boy found what he was looking for: the key to the door in front of them. He’d stolen it last week, when the madam had looked away. Now it was going to let them break free from this horrible place. He smiled at the thought, and unlocked the door. It squeaked as he pushed it open, and he mentally prayed no one had heard it.

He turned to his sister, and held the door open for her.

“Go on Amy,” he said with a fond smile.

The little girl returned the gesture, but did not let go of her brother’s leg; alone, stepping outside was scary.

“Amy, I can’t step outside if you’re clinging to my leg,”

The little girl looked at him with puppy eyes, he sighed softly and spoke to her once more.

“Look at those steps Amy, if I try going down those with you clinging to my leg, we’re both going to fall,” he said as he looked her in the eye, soft expression, but firmer tone.

The girl stared at him for two more seconds, and then at the stairs. Finally, she must have realized that what her brother said was true, and let his leg go. Still, she did not step outside, that place was still scary without her pillar to assure her safety.

“Amy, it’s only for two seconds, I’ll be with you in no time. I just need to close the door,” his speech was faster but his tone stayed the same.

He looked back at the orphanage’s dark, empty hallway nervously; he didn’t want to unsettle her, but they couldn’t afford to risk staying in the same position any longer.

“Amy, go on, or the bakery will be closed when we get there,” he tried convincing her, even though, at this hour, the bakery was certainly already closed.

“No bread fo’ Amy?”

“If we don’t hurry up, no,”

The little girl made a small grimace at the statement, and hesitantly walked towards the steps. Once she found herself right in front of the descending stairwell, she glanced at her brother, who was holding the door open for her.

“I’m right here Amy, now be brave, and go down the stairs, alright? We have to hurry to get to the bakery,” he told her with a nervous smile; time was ticking, and wouldn’t wait for them.

The little girl gave her brother a little pout before looking at the steps in front of her. Soon enough, she’d sluggishly begun to go down the stairs. At every step, she glanced backwards, making sure her brother was watching over her, and every time, he gave her an encouraging smile.

Thanks to both her brother’s reassuring presence, and her enthusiasm for bread, she’d made it down the stairs.

A sigh of relief escaped the boy’s mouth.

“Very good Amy,” he said tenderly.

He could finally go down the stairs himself. Still holding the door open, he put both his feet down the first step, and as carefully as he could, he closed the heavy metal door. It squeaked again, a little louder this time. He cringed, and once again prayed to whatever gods there were, that no one had heard it.

“Alright, we’re off to the bakery,” he whispered nervously.

Even though he'd mostly said it to reassure himself, his sister beamed at the words.

(Part 2): A Taste of Happiness

Now that they had left the orphanage, the first part of the plan was complete. If everything went well, the rest would run smoothly, and Amy’s future would at last stop looking so bleak.

The boy sighed in relief, and smiled at his sister walking next to him. The little one giggled, and continued her march, oblivious to the risky situation they were presently in.

Currently, they were on ‘safe’ ground. The people from the orphanage were nowhere to be seen, and while the everyday dangers of two kids walking on the streets at night were still present, it didn’t pose much threat to the two escapees. In fact, the yelling of their names by a certain old nun would’ve been way more terrifying than any other hypothetical hazard.

He gazed at the roads ahead, then at his little sister, and a sense of accomplishment washed over him. Things weren’t certain, but there was finally some hope at the end of the tunnel. He squeezed the little hand in his lightly, and straightened his posture. After all, he now had a reason to hold his head high.

***

In all the years he had been planning their escape, he had never allowed himself to fantasize about the future. Since everything had always looked so bleak, it would’ve been all too easy to get lost in a beautiful daydream of what lay ahead.

Now though, it seemed okay. He felt as if he could allow himself to indulge a little, and daydream of a better future than the one the orphanage had always guaranteed them. The passing days didn’t look so bleak anymore, and confidence was giving him courage. Thus, for once in his life, he let himself look forward to something as he turned to his sister and spoke cheerfully,

“I found two coins this time, Amy,”

Too young to grasp the meaning behind those words, the young girl only tilted her head in confusion. To this, her brother responded with a tender chuckle.

“It means we can buy even more delicious bread this time, we can even get the cookie you’ve always wanted,” he explained.

“Weally?” she asked with an expectant smile.

“Yep, and it’ll be the most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted!” he proclaimed happily.

Upon hearing that, a broad smile appeared on the little girl’s face; she’d always wanted that cookie, and now she was so happy!

“Yay!” she shouted in a way only excited kids can, and beside her, her brother smiled.

It was an exclamation of joy, something neither sibling had felt in a long time, and although it was beautiful, it had been dangerous; they were still fleeing, and being loud was unwise.

Suddenly brought back to reality by the unpleasant thought that his sister’s excitement could put them in danger, the boy clenched his fist around the handle of the bag he was holding. Regrettably, he had to warn her that they had to be quiet, since unfortunately, they were in no position to act otherwise.

“I’m glad you’re happy Amy, but no shouting, okay? We don’t want to get caught before reaching the bakery, right?” he asked her in his typical, gentle, but weary voice; it was much too early to indulge in the niceties of looking forward to a better future. Considering how uncertainty still roamed above them, it was better to focus on the present, and make sure the plan ran smoothly.

As they continued their walk, the boy wore only a feeble smile; his cheerfulness was slowly fading, and caution along with determination were taking its place. Although it had been pleasant to indulge a bit, the boy had to stay aware of their reality to make this work, since only success guaranteed Amy a better life.

Inwardly, he prayed that it hadn’t been too late when he’d come back to his senses, and that his sister’s shout hadn’t alerted anyone.

(Part 3): To Protect Her Smile

It had been too much to ask, or maybe prayers were just useless, because someone had heard his sister shout. And it just had to be the same person who’d been awoken by the sounds of a screeching door not too long ago.

They were in serious trouble.

One of the nuns had heard them sneak out, and while luckily she was too old to chase after them, she had no doubt already apprised all the others of their breakout. At the moment, they found themselves with little time to think of a way to get to their destination without the woman noticing the direction in which they had fled.

Hence, the boy was despairing; they were so close to the bakery, and yet this had to happen. Currently, they were hidden from the nun’s sight behind a building, but they couldn’t move, because giving out their location would risk a lot more than just getting chased by a granny. It would reveal to her where they were headed, and that was the last thing he wanted.

If they ran towards where the bakery was, the nun would call the madam to inform her that they were heading there. She would’ve undoubtedly known that that was where they were headed, because Miss Nora was the only nice person the orphanage kids knew that lived in town.

So now, Leon was afraid, really afraid, because his entire plan was crumbling in front of him, and there was nothing he could think of that could repair it. As a result of it, anxiety was making its way into his mind once again, and hopelessness had begun to plague him. With the way things were playing out, Amy would be robbed of her future smiles, since happiness was impossible inside that accursed orphanage.

His breathing had become ragged, and he’d lost any awareness of his surroundings, the only thing he could focus on was the extreme fear of failing his sister. He loved her so much, and he’d always wished she’d be granted the life she deserved, but now…

“Lion?”

Still very much afraid, he turned to her, and what he saw broke his heart: her sister’s gaze was tainted by uncharacteristic sadness. His cheerful little sister was sad, because her brother was afraid. He felt so bad, but he couldn’t comfort her, not with the anxiety that was haunting him, barely letting him breathe.

“Lion? Ca’ we till’ go get cookie?” she asked hesitantly.

And that did it, because his sister was still looking forward to the cookie he had promised her. In spite of all that was happening, his sister still had hope she would taste the cookie she’d been wanting since forever. Leon could imagine her bright smile as she ate it, and he knew he had to get her to the bakery no matter what.

Even if that meant he wouldn’t make it.

Terrified, but determined, he kneeled down shakenly to talk to his sister at eye level.

“Amy, you have to listen to me, okay?” he told her, his voice just as unstable as his emotions felt.

The little girl only looked at him with confusion, but nodded slightly anyway.

“You’re going to go buy your cookie and be happy, but-,” he paused as his voice broke, and tears started rolling down his cheeks.

The little girl looked at him worriedly, but also anxiously. She wondered: “but what?”.

“But this time, I can’t go with you,” he finally said.

Amy looked at her brother, and while she did not really get the words he’d just spoken, she somehow understood their meaning.

Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

“No, I wan’ Lion to come wi’ me,” she spoke in between sobs.

It’d felt as if he’d been stabbed in the heart when she’d started crying and she’d said that, but nevertheless, it had to be done.

“Amy, listen carefully, alright?” he asked her with a broken smile, as he put his hands on her tiny shoulders.

Reluctantly, the little girl listened, but continued crying.

“You have to get to Miss Nora’s, but because I can’t-,” he stopped as a lump of emotions formed itself in his throat, but forced himself to continue.

“-I can’t go with you, so you need to put Mr. Cuddles in the bag, and carry the bag yourself, alright? It’s a bit heavy, but I know you’re a strong little girl, so you’ll be fine,” he paused to smile at her.

Even though she was paying attention, the girl could only continue crying, because she’d understood that no matter how much she didn’t want it, this was goodbye. So even with tears in her eyes, she nodded to her brother, who answered with a tender smile.

“Then you just walk straight ahead, and you’ll find your bakery, when you do, knock at the door loudly, and wait until Miss Nora opens it,”

Amy looked at her brother, silently pleading for him to come with her, but he just shook his head slightly, and gave her another one of those broken smiles she’d just discovered, but had already learned to hate.

“When Miss Nora opens the door, give her the bag. There’s a letter there and some papers I prepared for her. It's really important that you give them to her, alright?” he asked her, unable to hide the desperation in his tone.

The little girl sobbed. She wanted him to go with her, and then he could give Miss Nora the letters, but she knew from the look in his eyes that that would not be the case. She nodded to tell him she understood.

“And finally, take this,” he smiled fondly, even though he had tears in his eyes, and reached for something in his pocket.

He took out two coins, and put them in his sister's hand.

“Buy a cookie with them,” he told her, and she couldn’t control the sobs that came with that.

“I wan’ Lion to buy cookie fo’ me,” aware that that would not happen, she cried harder.

Her brother only clenched her little hand to make sure she wouldn’t drop the coins before putting his arms around her in a tight hug.

“I love you Amy, I love you so much, and no matter what happens, I want you to know that, okay?”

Amy cried, and squeezed her little arms around her brother before answering amidst sobs,

“I wove you Lion,”

Her brother pulled away, and gave her one last fond smile.

“Always smile Amy, I want you to be happy,”

He kissed her forehead, and dropped the bag with the clothes and the papers on the ground. Right after, he started running in the opposite direction from his sister, purposely making a ruckus so that the nun would notice him, and only him.

Some meters into his run, he looked backwards.

His sister was smiling at him. She’d given him her biggest smile as she waved goodbye to him. Despite the tears on her cheeks, the sight still warmed his heart.

He knew he’d made the right decision.

Snivelling, and his heart aching, he ran off without regrets, knowing that his desperate actions had allowed him to protect his sister’s smile.

(Part 4): To Be Brave

Amy watched as her brother disappeared in the distance. She was frozen in place, and apart from the little sobs that shook her occasionally, she was as still as a mannequin. She knew what she had to do, she’d listened to her brother well, but she was scared.

She squeezed Mr Cuddles in her arms, and it offered her some comfort, but it was far from enough to get her going. She was still so terrified, and oh so clueless on what to do now. Her brother wanted her to be happy, but how could she do it without him?

She put her plushie in the bag that sat in front of her, only to bring her hands to her face. She wanted to hide somewhere, and cry, and above all, she wanted her brother to be with her again. Painfully, that was not possible.

As she hid her face in her tiny hands to cry, she unclenched her fists, and soon, the sound of two coins falling to the ground startled her out of her desperate, grief-stricken state.

She looked at the coins on the ground, and she remembered what ‘Lion’ had told her,

“Buy a cookie with them,”

She sobbed, “I don’ wan’ a cookie! -she cried angrily- I wan’ Lion!”

“I want you to be happy”

She sobbed again; Leon wasn’t coming back. Still, she had to find a way to be happy, because that’s what he wanted. That’s why he wasn’t coming back.

With her petite and trembling hands, she picked up the second coin. Then, she looked at the money in her hands, and whispered sadly,

“I’ll buy bread fo’ Amy, Lion, I pomise’ I’ll be happy.”

She clenched the coins in her little fists before putting them in the bag, and then grabbed the latter before commencing her walk towards the bakery.

***

The bag was too heavy for her to carry, and so she’d resorted to dragging it on the ground all the way to the bakery.

The walk to Miss Nora’s place was not very long, but for the girl’s tiny legs, and exhausted mind, it felt like eternity. She’d had to stop many times. Sometimes to cry, and hug her plushie, and others to rest because she was too tired from dragging along the bag.

When she finally found herself on the bakery’s porch, she let go of the bag, and fell down from exhaustion and relief. She reached for her plushie, and squeezed it as she let herself cry in a mix of emotions, whispering her brother’s nickname again and again for some sort of reassurance,

“Lion... Lion…,” she cried softly, but woefully.

After some time, with tears still streaming down her cheeks, she knocked on the door, weakly at first, until she remembered her brother’s words, and knocked loudly. She looked almost as desperate as she felt, making a ruckus while in tears, it was as if she was running from a monster. And she was, she called it, ‘orphanage’, and it had taken away her most precious person from her.

She felt the tears fall faster at the memories of her brother leaving, but just as she was about to break down in sobs, the front door of the bakery was opened.

A young woman appeared, she seemed startled, as well as worried, but when she spoke to the little girl, she was warm and kind,

“Amy? Are you alright sweetie? Where is Leon?”

At the mention of her brother’s name from the woman in front of her, something inside the child snapped. She let go of the bag and hurried towards the lady to wrap her arms around her legs, and wept.

She was so sad, tired, and terrified. She had never had to be this brave by herself, and it was just as terrifying as it was tiring.

“Mi’ Nora!” she cried, and the woman worried.

“Lion… Lion no come back…” she whispered in a broken tone before loudly continuing to cry.

The woman nodded, seemingly getting the gist of the situation, and then simply hugged the little girl until she felt better, calmer.

“Mi’ Nora?” she asked.

“Yes?” answered the woman kindly.

“Lion… he said there’ letter in the bag fo’ you,” said the little brunette in a sad whisper.

Miss Nora nodded, and pulled herself away from the hug to go look at the contents of the bag. Amy did the same, just that she had gone to retrieve the coins, and not the letter, nor the papers.

The woman looked through the papers, and read the letters while the little girl searched for her two coins that had found themselves at the bottom of the bag. She was still hiccuping a little because of her cries, and tears still fell from her eyes, but she seemed to have calmed down a bit.

When she finally found the money, she took it and headed towards the bread showcase inside the bakery. Miss Nora did not notice her, as she was too appalled by the contents of the letter, which more than anything, seemed like a testimony of all the abuse that happened at the orphanage, written down by Leon. There were also some legal forms, and the kids’ birth certificates, that somehow the boy had managed to steal.

Miss Nora understood what the boy wanted, he wanted to ask her if she would agree to become their guardian , possibly even adopt them. The young woman was starting to tear up, because the boy who had written all these letters was nowhere to be seen; he’d sacrificed his future to ensure that at least his little sister would get a chance at a better one.

At least at that he’d succeeded, because there was no way Miss Nora was letting little Amy suffer in that place any longer. She would agree to the boy’s request, and become the little girl’s guardian. She’d do all in her power to ensure she leads a happy life, to honour her brother’s efforts, and sacrifice…

The woman was pulled out from her reverie by a little hand clutching at her dress.

“Amy?”

“I wanna buy bread fo’ Amy,” proclaimed the little girl as she showed the miss her two coins.

Miss Nora was startled, she hadn’t expected that the little girl would ask to buy bread in this chaotic situation. However, seeing her determined, but sad expression, she could only comply with her.

“Ah, which one do you want? With two coins you can buy that cookie you always wanted,” proposed the adult in a kind tone.

“No, I don’ wan’ a cookie. I wan’ that!” cried the little girl as she pointed to a very simple baguette.

It was the one her brother always bought for her when they came, and maybe it wasn’t as sweet or delicious as the cookie, but right now, there was no other bread she could want.

Her brother wanted her to be happy, so she would buy the cheap baguette, and remember all the happy memories she had with him in the bakery. She would smile despite her tears as she ate it, and would try her best to be happy. And hopefully, somewhere out there, her brother could feel how her life was better.

END

Epilogue

Miss Nora watched as the little girl ate her cheap baguette, and although she was weeping loudly, and her face was wet with salty tears, she adorned a grand smile to honour her dear ‘Lion’.

“Amy miss you Lion, but I pomise’ Amy will be happy.”