Nana stood in front of them,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42ni6lZrp7
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92RDbJznd3
a time when she was even younger than she was now,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIu0xZsXHS
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxJgRbc8M6
a place where winters felt endlessly long31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1KmDBpRyV
and colds were always going around.
In that place,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GRsco0BzP
older children—especially girls—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CTJwL2cRh
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSeO1zIowZ
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SqmgY6gSc
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2C4SkZVne9
The nuns were overwhelmed—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5U4h6xIFg3
coughing echoed through the halls,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZbGHJl1OV
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTkabL7arl
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsJGbeRjNl
she remembered it clearly:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoOoRFURkX
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7A7n60kjou
Even the nun had said,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS44L2f3SKm
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUVeB7gFiS
She stared at her paper,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Oitn5adWz
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTg4Y6yRFbJ
Then the second.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbafPmI7Aa
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINpnanmXHi
all five were crying at once,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfX8i9htol
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQH0SwUI0m
She picked them up one by one, checked them—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlUXFQPaYj
No fever.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ600d3IjctF
No wet diapers.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTiLs2Nfy8
No spit-up.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3QEOOYmNo
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0g9Q923gB
She patted them.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi8bv6AaI3
She rocked them.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1Ly3CanR9
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBiSagaVti
a deep, pounding pressure31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJajZbsjkP
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjw6VprH5K
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx5AzWJC86
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPg4amiluyw
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXogUQSIktD
It felt like something was being torn31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZB5CcBYOFB
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdcTbKEgpa
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUJDR1l1o2
almost on instinct—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvflshlNXGU
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN77V4goOaq
Very soft.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SPYbHqUgq
Barely more than breath—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHkzMJOysS
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMqST5fOp0
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKf9lnvyehs
stopped.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzy09CXmyQV
Not asleep—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeQ5NDAR0K
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSs5VF0uKt0
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDEdZPXYEK
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxCG2BdRPv
But its mouth—
Shut.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mtTd8lILj
Tightly shut,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvIoC5S4n1
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsODFSObjGZ
The third.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVqMSOcxub
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjr8KxrVUjb
Her legs gave out.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYldUMEhlsS
She collapsed to the floor, trembling.
Her throat began to burn.
It felt like a red-hot metal rod was being dragged across her vocal cords.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zYQn8QXoy
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJyuXn2iTj
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejdkhB4kou
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9N7mOwkLmS
His brow deeply furrowed,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpy8DWzYeB
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbv58fJq3f
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvnbsRF7vm
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqop33XP68k
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8r6f09KwL
Not just voice strain.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYvUPAwbXe
It was something else.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEdmDJIizH
A power.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7kIZhEVAK
Internal.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjBv0x0QsM
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BMHbPZMTg
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnpRTw9z1Q
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZaTwffGzQ
He didn’t speak.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EpNSizKPc
But his presence31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBNMsk2nU9
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Ez5pLr6Vk
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5sjASZEm4
Grounded.
Nana paused—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdWiDA9YoE
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3fwMFO6rp
A vow.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4f0PgVqyf
A message that said,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlMb5tj2Vb
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvXWqhsilJ
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9a2dOp806b
she wouldn’t be afraid.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXO6ymmZkS0
and then Add to home screen.