Nana stood in front of them,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22knhsT1Gn
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbxDUBxFzZ
a time when she was even younger than she was now,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAY1OUnNHe
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4I8lCfZ7e
a place where winters felt endlessly long33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSXWmuRSOa
and colds were always going around.
In that place,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeOwp1m0FE
older children—especially girls—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSxgZE7FmI
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXFCuPEYKG
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BrKVe5qL5
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsLMurxZ6q
The nuns were overwhelmed—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia4j1kevun
coughing echoed through the halls,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nFt1UALUH
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWnowdGh0A
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAasm164HD
she remembered it clearly:33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYu8ZYIqWTH
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyKVb0iE3q
Even the nun had said,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFHT73Slk2
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSuGnwLkCm
She stared at her paper,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPC2VuqIqbi
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzp0jxc04z
Then the second.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIqpa6mnNB
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCqNBG3CrM
all five were crying at once,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDcEU0Mn7k
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4amHEOGji
She picked them up one by one, checked them—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYi4Pi6Wq3E
No fever.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IT2jqfrxO
No wet diapers.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnH5yNYKSx
No spit-up.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUJUcQ6dAz
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIt8lQRrHkN
She patted them.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqREUbCF8cj
She rocked them.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5bxD02R5l
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHi0ATPGGqQ
a deep, pounding pressure33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyml6R58FA
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FT4rzr0PS
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0Wivoxuv8
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuMfoh3FEn
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSW93lSI6OP
It felt like something was being torn33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZI7UwEYodJ
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfNuHleBEs
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4mLnPW65G
almost on instinct—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnPWDNk4x9
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhljAMsmPHs
Very soft.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtw5qcHNZv1
Barely more than breath—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJc3cJn2up
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHJJPzgSJA
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhkMzJlu0p
stopped.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQ0vUAdNLc
Not asleep—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidcpPmjcWN
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjg5taU7n8c
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWa7VMmR1cD
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDdAydy0CD
But its mouth—
Shut.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRSHcg7rYI
Tightly shut,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3JnCckNwJ
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ojfjqjmqy
The third.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkXOh18gPk
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRld3bUtgWq
Her legs gave out.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXebj9B6nF
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SEDKHX6YN
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqL6WaGO75P
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4H17ic6HHx
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoq1xF4WNs
His brow deeply furrowed,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVrSCbgkRV
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8gJ9oqt8z
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyr71UBOWt0
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB18cwKnPjw
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSn8T33Cp8
Not just voice strain.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4091yMAtuz
It was something else.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdh3PWt3kB
A power.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJSHRGJzDa
Internal.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6c0bJmBGDX
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGhNtaRotC
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpsKh56nDu
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVEIfbR43V
He didn’t speak.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2S8txikoXQ
But his presence33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DHC03ZoKy
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbx3ikWEpJL
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LJSsc4G4N
Grounded.
Nana paused—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCTBQyKO9L
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7x55Hhlka
A vow.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovl13roeiH
A message that said,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfM9Q7bS0W
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ROVzc5Hty
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz8KOHQ5ak
she wouldn’t be afraid.
33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHiLg9ZmIU
and then Add to home screen.