1 The Beginning

Anna in tears and pain knocked on the sturdy wooden door with as much strength as she could offer at the moment.

The door of the orphanage swung open and a kind old woman with greying hair and a sweet smile was immediately startled at the sight before her.

Blood staining her threadbare dress, curly strands of brown hair hanging out of the sides of her frayed head covering, belly swollen and rounded Anna stood weakly, supporting herself by resting against the door.

"Oh my! Come in before you give birth right here child." said the old woman known as Martha.

Anna gratefully entered the orphanage and aided by Martha and another young woman climbed up the stairs.

Martha opened the very first room they passed and the barely twenty year old Anna was lain on the bed ready to give birth to her first child.

Or should I say children?

The night passed in tired almost helpless cries and the morning gave way to the sweet cries of two baby girls.

Martha having cleaned the baby and mother up placed a child in Anna's arms.

"What is your name young woman?" she asked Anna.

Anna took the child and whispered.

"Anna, my name is Anna and she shall be Leanne, while the other in your hand shall be Luanne."

Martha nodded. "Alright."

She carefully placed the second girl in Anna's arms as per her request and silently admired the comely children.

The young mother clearly exhausted slowly shut her eyes, but unwilling to deprive her of holding her children longer Martha let them be in her delicate arms.

Shutting the door behind her the older woman wondered to herself. Why had this young woman sought to give birth in an orphanage of all places?

Martha at a loss for an answer continued her walk down the old rickety stairs to prepare a warm meal for the likely starving Anna.

Yet when she came back upstairs with a tray of food, tragedy had already struck.

There Anna lay, lifeless and pale as she cradled her two calm babies -it was a surprise they hadn't fallen down by now.

Martha quickly dropped the tray on the wooden table near the entrance and dashed to the babes' aid.

Carefully setting them down on the bed she silently mourned the now dead mother and maybe orphan girls?

What did it matter if the father was dead or living anyways? Anna was probably abandoned by him if he had not come with her here -there could be an explanation, but what excuse would really suffice? And what means of contact would he have to know of his baby girls even if he was willing to take them under his care?

Anna never mentioned her surname or anything else about herself except her name, who knows from where she had come?

Nonetheless at least for the fact that two babies were in an orphanage and not out in the streets to die she praised the Living God and went about welcoming her new additions who would by Jehovah's grace have a home.

Here, or by a stranger who would be willing to adopt them.

But truly they could only stay so long in this orphanage before they would have to leave.

..

The girls though young grew together.

Until they were three years old and a rich man made an appearance at the orphanage.

He was short and fairly round in shape, called himself Mr. Hensley. This gentleman was in search of a comely child that would be young enough to see his barren wife as her mother.

On sighting Leanne he quickly became attached to her bright smile and shy composure. Certain Mrs. Hensley will be pleased to have the child he requested for the blonde and quiet Leanne.

Luanne however was found too loud with her bubbly personality and easy laughter. So he demanded for only one of the twins and with a generous 'donation' the young lady who worked at the desk thought it better to give the child up to the rich man.

In a week or two Martha came to the orphanage after a visit up North -all through the summer at her son's country cottage- to find, with the departure of summer had also departed Leanne.

Much worse, Ava her incompetent assistant had misplaced the documentation of the rich man whose name she did not remember.

Martha eventually let Ava go after finding out about her theft and dishonesty.

Though she acquired a new assistant for her orphanage she was unable to trace Leanne thereafter.

Luanne still young and with time forgot she even had a sister, talk less of a twin.

By the third autumn since Leanne's departure a middle class farmer and his wife took up Luanne, and the five year old grew up happily in her new home by the countryside of Hampshire.

While Leanne, not too far away but far enough in the more reserved and polished area of Hampshire in a beautiful mansion grew to be a fine lady of high caliber.

With no reason to come near the other's dwelling and in different circles it wasn't so surprising that they never reunited. Till one peculiar day that was soon to come in God's perfect timing.