The Story Of Outcasts

Gilbert ~ 30/03/1183

Gilbert started wailing again every day he woke up. That meant he was either no longer in shock of Antje's absense or he realized her death somewhere deep down and he wailed for her loss, or maybe for her to come back.

Sister Elke prayed to god that he would send Sister Antje as an angel to protect Gilbert, but mostly to shut him up. Was it wrong to wish a child would shut up? If so she would need to repent hourly.

She felt like his tiny pinkish eyes seemed annoyed by her, could he even be annoyed at such a young age? How had she been at his age? Surly not like this, at least her mother never mentioned it when she'd been alive.

She set Gilbert in his crib and he looked up at her silently for once. They locked eyes for a good few minutes before Gilbert made the most annoyed face she'd ever seen on an infant and he turned his head to look away from her.

"Oh, you brat," she hissed.

Later that same day one of the nuns in training discovered Gilbert was very amused by dangling objects, some interested him more than others. He could distinguish necklaces from useless strings and he preferred cross necklaces for some reason. Maybe because Antje had worn one. When Father Gerwig came to check up on Gilbert he cried until he was picked up and Father was flattered until it was obvious Gilbert only wanted to take the rosary again. He sighed and decided to carry Gilbert around with him as he worked that day. When it came time for him to leave the building it was much to cold for Gilbert to be outside and Gilbert was returned to a reluctant Sister Elke.

Sister Elke promised herself to watch him for Antje's sake and because he was the son of a knight, a knight from the same order that'd saved her life but at the time she wondered if she'd even wanted her life to be saved when she had no one left in it. Now she had Gilbert and she wasn't much happier.

Sister Amalia praised Sister Elke for her compassion, for the loud child, that only Antje had previously shown, but in truth Elke felt an unusually magnetic bond to the boy. She didn't like him much at all and a feeling of guilt or debt or not, that weird magnetic bond was there. Secretly she worried this was the bond he had with those before her, before they'd all died. Maybe his pink eyes really were a warning, if so then by remaining with him always she could protect everyone else but putting herself in harms way.

Gilbert's life would be drenched in blood and she knew it. Even if the pastor couldn't feel it, she could. And Gilbert scared her.