Girls

The Holy Mother opened her arms and hugged Gaion. And he hugged her back. "It has been too long" said Gaion and he has tears in his eyes. "But now you are here" said Holy Mother and looked at him very pleased. "Come in my son, come in" "No Mother, there is somebody else with me" he said and walked to the bush in which he had hid the girl. He lifted the girl in his arms and walked to the gate and to the Holy Mother. The cat and the raven followed him.

"I found this girl in the woods, she was as she is now, and my knowledge cannot help her." explained Gaion. "Oh, a girl again" sighed the litle nun in front of him. "Again?" asked Gaion. "What do you mean, again?" "We do have already six girls here in the monastary, all unconscious" said the nun. "And we could not have waked them up. All we can do is make them swallow a litle water, so they are not drying away."

"But who are these girls, what has happened to them..." "Stop asking and bring her in! We must examine her, if we can find out something..." The Holy Mother walked through the gates of the cloister and Gaion followed her carrying the girl in hes arms. The cat and the raven came with him. Behind them the big gates slammed close.

Gaion walked across the front lawn to the infirmary, into the big room where was beds side by side and nuns were walking among them. "Put he there" said the Holy Mother, "Sister Marian can you take care of this poor girl. Try to find out what has happened to her. Maybe it is something usual, she might have fell down in the forest or something...." "Yes Mother" said sister Marian and bend over the girl.

"Come with me Gaion" said the Holy Mother "We have to talk" "Yes, Mother, we really have to talk" said Gaion and followed the Mother to her study. They sat down and watched to eachother. "What has happened here Mother? When I came the gates were closed and now you say that there are unconscious girls her." "Yes Gaion, we do keep our gates closed nowadays, because one of these girls is one of us. And we don't know what has happened to her. We found her in her own bed. She was the first girl as far as we know. Then a fisherman brought her daugher here to get her well. And then the healer of the city of Citadel came with her daughter, he could not help her and that's why he came to us. Then a noblemand daughter, a traders daughter, and a mountaineer's daughter. And this girl you brought in was dressed like a farmers daughter."

A knock on a door interrupted Holy Mothers talk. "Come in" she said. There was sister Marian and she looked worried.