2 Bittersweet <2>

I remember waking up in cold sweat, my body covered by a heavy blanket. I looked around, not recognizing where I was for a few seconds - the orphanage infirmary. When it dawned on me, I immediately panicked, that woman being the only thing on my mind.

I escaped from under the blanket and shuffled to the window, undoing the curtains. The sun flooded in, the scenery outside unraveling before my eyes. The sun bounced off of the tiny droplets of water on the blades of grass outside, creating an ethereal shimmer which blinded me. Truly beautiful.

Remnants of yesterday's storm were present in the form of tiny lakes in the fields out the back of the orphanage. It was so quiet. Even the birds were resting.

I got dressed and headed down the rickety staircase, my stomach grumbling. A delicious aroma drifted through the air. I found the Matron standing over the white gas stove in the kitchen, keeping her eye on a mixture bubbling in a pot, letting out a soft hiss.

''Ah, you're finally awake, Nishio! I was worried about you when, erm, someone suddenly left you on the doorstep, soaking wet,'' the Matron exclaimed.

''Someone… Left me here? Was it her?! The girl?'' I shouted, showing too much enthusiasm.

I blushed a little when I realized, and the Matron looked at me questionably, shaking her head a little before letting out a weary sigh. ''You should eat up,'' the Matron said, pouring the hot liquid into a bowl and placing it on the table in front of me, together with a spoon.

Vegetable stew.

I dug into the thick, steamy stew, savouring the taste of vegetables mixed together, leaving a somewhat spicy aftertaste. Ground pepper?

The Matron sat down in front of me, watching me eat. She was a middle-aged woman, around 40 or so, one that certainly didn't look her age. She still got attention from the village pretty boys, despite her age.

''Ah! Where is Miyabi?'' I asked her. Miyabi was one of the few orphans that lived at the orphanage back then, and she used to be a close friend of mine.

''She left earlier to go shopping with Nao, so she won't be back 'till later. She was worried about you, y'know, when I found you… What happened, exactly?'' the Matron inquired, her voice seeping with motherly love.

''Er, I got lost when I went for a walk in the forest, and then it started pouring,'' I replied. It wasn't a lie.

She shook her head again. ''What am I going to do with you, Nishio? What am I going to do...''

''So? Who was it that brought me here? Was it her?'' I asked again.

She thought about it for a while before finally giving me an answer. ''I don't know who 'her' is, but it was indeed a woman that brought you here.''

I jerked up suddenly, nearly spilling my meal. ''W-What did she look like?''

The Matron stared at me in disbelief, before smirking a little. ''She had long black hair and was wearing a long white dress, if that helps.''

I was filled with both excitement and anxiety. Questions like 'did she really kill that person' and 'if so, why did she let me live' drifted through my head. In the first place, I wasn't sure if it was a person or not - I just saw a dead body, I shouldn't jump to conclusions, I thought…

But even back then, I knew deep inside that it wasn't an animal carcass.