The nuns of Henbeg wake up early after the rooster crows. Just as the sun rises, and comes out of the valleys.
Henbeg Monastery is in a privileged place, in the center of Gloucester, England. A blessed city located far from almost any other town, and surrounded by mountain ranges, where the main type of economy is concentrated in manufacturing, family agriculture, and sheep farming.
Gloucester also has a king, and especially a queen, who live far from the city on a mountain a few miles away. Through the period of darkness, the city was less affected than others surrounding it, with the beings of darkness prevailing further east in dark and cold places for most of the year.
Even when so much time has passed, more or less 300 years, inhabitants hold on to the superstitions of those dark days. Told through legends, drawings, and passed down from generation to generation.
It is as if the night is the enemy of humans. Particularly when the blood moon appears, showing its splendor and bloody appearance.
There is also a large forest in this city, so large that it seems impossible to see the end of it with the naked eye. Its thick woods lead to other neighboring towns, far away from the county, and inside only brave men venture to hunt or explore without fear of the night, nor of the wild animals that reside there. But the air is good to breathe, and the days are good in Gloucester, away from all the lust and ambition that exists in London.
Returning to the Monastery, this is where good daughters that refuse to marry are sent. So too are orphans, very religious women, and girls who would like to learn etiquette to be good wives. Although the name sounds important, the place is small and holds no more than 20 girls between the ages of 14 and 30, along with 3 younger orphans. There is for the care of these girls a Mother Superior, a Mother Helper and three teachers with their respective assistants.
The classes are divided according to age. Underage girls, young women between 14 and 18, and women between 18 and 30. The destiny of each one can be chosen by themselves. Some, because they have no family to return to, will probably stay at the monastery until a good age, following a life of holiness. Others are sent out and after a period of etiquette return to their homes, then get engaged and finally get married.
But the fact is, that compared to other monasteries, the routine of the monastery is considered more pleasant and less pragmatic.
The nuns are kept busy until the evening, either in recreational activities or studying the Bible. They begin with the crowing of the rooster, as mentioned at the beginning.
But Monica, at 25, wakes up earlier than the others, being properly prepared at dawn. She has the task of instructing the young girls to their posts in the morning, taking them to the parish center to pray in silence for a total of 1 hour. After the prayer, she proceeds with the girls to have coffee, where low conversation in a soft tone is allowed. Monica takes care of serving the morning food as well, handing the smaller nuns over to another nun after that time.
However, on this day, the day after all those events, Monica had woken up two hours earlier than usual. She got out of bed and went straight to the small parish church, where she lay prostrate for an hour. The sun was still far from rising, and the beauty of the moon and the stars in the sky could be seen, and the nun fixed her gaze on them. To tell the truth, this had not really been a bad punishment, she thought, even if she had slept too little.
That quality time alone was good for some thinking.
The nun in question had grown up in the monastery at a young age, being sent there by a simple carriage from London during wartime. Her father and mother had died by mysterious circumstances, hypothesizing several theories for the fact:
" Maybe the freezing cold; some disease, the miserable starvation. Who knows? All orphans find themselves in a similar situation."
This is what she heard when she asked over the years where her parents were found. There is a saying, however, that you cannot miss what you can never get. Maybe that made a lot of sense. Monica grew up with no parents, no blood brothers and sisters, and no blood family, but she had her family of heart sisters. Although inside herself there was an emptiness, something that didn't fit all the time, once even though she had lived part of her life in that place she still tried to blend her obligations with some freedom.
After praying, Monica went to the kitchen, organizing seasonal fruit in small baskets made at the convent. As lunch would not be served until late in the morning, she left this task for later, and moved on towards the cupboards in the pantry.
When she arrived at the place, with a basket in hand, she pulled out two sheets and three older simple cloth sweaters that probably wouldn't be missed that much. Calmly she hid the clothes among the fruit, and underneath them, leaving the basket in a place under her quick view inside the pantry.
With a slight smile on her face, the nun took light steps outside, walking a short distance to a conglomeration of trees to make the bundle of branches she had promised. And so the day passed until lunch.
_
- Did you hear about yesterday? Once again Monica peeked out, this time from the forest of Dean! I guess I wouldn't be surprised if one day we find her unconscious among those trees. -
Whispered one of the young nuns to another nun of her same age with gossipy tenor, and the other nodded, going back to stuffing a spoonful of food into her mouth. - I wish you had my courage, to have a little more fun among the hills at sunset, Mady - . Monica snaked around the place in search of food and could not help but overhear the young girl's whimper. Behind her, the nun looked at both of them with mockery in her eyes and hands on her waist, finally putting a hand on Madeleine's shoulder, scaring her.
- MONICA, what are you anyway? A ghost? -. Mady after a slight tremble turned to the side, defending herself with her hands. - And you, by any chance, are a fox who likes to talk behind my back?" said Monica laughing, pinching the nose of the red-haired nun, who was still struggling to defend herself. - Seeing the commotion, other smaller nuns ran calmly to the other, pulling her by the arm, and Mady got up with them.
- For what I have just said, I say in your face. One day your lady will be taken by a large prey who loves the night and these forests," the little girl now looked at her dejectedly, and the other girls agreed, laughing silently at Mady. The tall nun seemed to have a snap, and then with an evil face turned away, making strange gestures and rolling her eyes, slipping her hand to belly.
- Mady, I don't think I'm feeling well. Come closer to help me.. -
The girls came closer together, already wondering what was happening so suddenly. - Did you eat any forest fruits yesterday? I knew this would happen, now we have to tell Madr-. Monica then came closer to Mady and stood up quickly, her eyes rolled back. She also looked at all the other nuns. Her hands were stretched out in a claw pose, and her neck was twisted to the side.
- I think I have already become one of them!
- AHHHHHHHH.
Monica ran after the girls with such a funny face. They were now screaming and giggling, while the nun grabbed each one, especially Mady, who was still giggling, even though she was angry. The backyard of the place seemed even greener and prettier when there were so many happy people in it.
- These new creatures of the night don't look very threatening, do they, girls? Judith had watched all the fun without interruption, enjoying herself internally at the sight of a big girl like Monica playing with the teenagers. Having noticed the presence of the larger nun, each girl stood next to the other, in a straight line.
- No, ma'am! Mady said promptly, while the others giggled softly at her sincerity.
- Very well, congratulations for your organizing - looking at each of them, she continued - "I'm sorry, I'll have to take they away from your presence, miss, because the weaving class starts at the next bell. While they are in class, I bet Monica will be busy working on something, won't she? -. said Mother provocatively.
Monica scratched her head slightly still ashamed nodding yes, her blue eyes were squeezed into straight lines. Waving back, each girl took her place in line and followed Mother to class.
____
Lunch had already gone, and by the middle of the day the nun was getting more nervous. Soon it would be time to distribute food in the streets. The plan would be put into practice with urgency.
The clothes and food were already hidden in the pantry, near the kitchen. Calculating the time to the place, Monica would have to leave for at most an hour and a half from here, to return safely before sunset.
And making sure that everything happened correctly, she had already fulfilled her tasks inside the church, especially cleaning and organizing. Pending only the task of brotherhood and charity for the streets of that village, with the distribution of fruit and leftovers from the day.
After 30 minutes the hour had come. Running cautiously away from everyone, the nun took two baskets with her, and one more hidden inside one of them. She decided with the other nuns the places in the streets where she would pass, saying that she would also pick up eggs to put in the pantry, because her punishment would last almost the whole day. With the approval of the others, who seemed not to suspect a thing, Monica finally left for the center of town while the others passed by the houses and narrower streets.
-Wow, hiding things is really suffocating. But now I can't do anything, I can only act."- A little bit electric, her thoughts diverged between asking for forgiveness and thinking that this was the right thing to do. And she looked forward. Straight ahead, in the direction of the center.
In that region some people lived alone in the alleys, leaning between the asphalt and the houses. Among them were several with illnesses, such as mutilations and blindness that made it impossible for them to see and also to perform work. When she got close to these men, Mônica insisted on handing them food, also giving them a quick prayer in a soft and tender voice, for the relief of everyone's heart. She saw there a similarity with her own life.
Giving the fruit into the hands of each person with great happiness, she started to walk to another alley, distractedly noticing the world around her. Women walked past her with their big puffy dresses and aberrant pink and white make-up. They looked malicious and pretentious, along with a lot of arrogance. The market stallholders were doing their sales pitch, with their imitations of clowns and court jesters, where they threw three apples at the same time in a poorly done juggling act. She laughed a little at both scenes, when she heard something that caught her attention and that of everyone else there.
Some prostrators were shouting at the top of their lungs, while chains were on their backs and imitation stakes in their hands. Their clothing looked ripped, and their hair and beards were huge. "THEY'RE COMING, THEY'VE NEVER GONE ANYWHERE! - GET READY FOR A NEW WAR, IT'S ABOUT TO BEGIN". With loud fanfare they screamed together.
As the drama dominated the place, with a skeptical and somewhat frightening tone, the people heard them passing by, whispering among themselves. Talking about it was not a good thing, Monica did not like the heaviness of the air. It gave her chills.
Creatures of the night are dead, and there they should stay forever.
Reminded of her duties, she finally left, muttering words of frustration for having wasted time. Monica quickly passed through the other remaining alleys in the city and successfully concluded her task. The nun now took the road to Dean, once again never looking back.
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