Edelweiss groggily rubbed her eyes as she stood in front of the hospital. She took a job to entertain sick children, which was something Edelweiss wasn't used to doing, but she was willing to try out something new. She inhaled deeply and opened the door, taking a small step inside. Immediately she was greeted with warms smiles and excited gasps. They had been expecting her, hadn't they?
A nurse approached Edel and bowed her head down politely, "Are you the one that's going to entertain the children today?" She asked.
"Hm?" Edelweiss was slow to reply. "Yes..." She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes once more, letting out a long yawn. The girl was still tired from this morning and it appeared to upset the nurse, but the nurse let it slide and went onwards. She gestured Edel to follow and the two began walking. "Well, the children are very excited to see you! They rarely get visitors. I hope you've brought something along to present to the children, because they are dying to blah blah blah blah..." Edelweiss had stopped listening to the nurse awhile back and was now just dozing. Quickly, the nurse turned around and smiled. "So, are you ready?" She said. Oh no... Edelweiss was just going to have to wing it, wasn't she?
"Childreeen~" The nurse sang, "Miss Edelweiss is here to show you lots of fun stuff!" She nudged Edel and walked off, leaving the petite girl to entertain the children. One by one, sick children began to get out of their beds and walk towards Edelweiss, curious as to what she had brought with her or what she had to say. They all sat down on the floor in front of her and waited patiently. "..." Edel coughed awkwardly and sat down with them.
They stared at her, and she stared back. It was as if it were a game to them both, but soon the supposed game ended when Edelweiss began to drift to sleep.
"No fair!" They yelled, "You're so boring!"
A child with a broken arm flung himself at Edel and began to flail with his one good arm. "Do something! Do something!" He angrily yelled. Luckily, his yelling woke Edelweiss right back up.
What was she doing again? Right... The kids.
"Okay okay. Sit down." She cleared her throat. Was she going to tell a story? The children settled down and sat in anticipation. Edelweiss began to tell a tale from a book she had read as a child. "Long, long ago, in a distant land... A beautiful woman and a young man lived happily together. The woman was a kind and cheerful girl. The young man was not very intelligent, but he always tried pleasing the woman and the two loved each other very much. This story belongs to them..." Edelweiss closed her eyes as she began to tale. "They lived in a world with an ongoing war. The woman gathered orphans from various lands that had been destroyed by the war. She cared for them as if they were her own children, since she herself never had the love a mother. Her lover, the young man, supported her efforts and helped her however he could." Already, the children appeared to enjoy this story. "One day, the woman decided to take the orphans to a picnic, so they traveled to a city. But the soldiers in the city were brought under a curse. The two lovers reluctantly fought their way through to the crypts, where the children had been hiding under the care of soldiers assigned by the young man. But they too were under the curse. Sadly, the lovers had to fight those soldiers as well. Edelweiss paused and placed a hand on her forehead. If the story ended badly, the children would get upset. She went onward with the story. "When they arrived, they find a monster who had absorbed all the children. After vanquishing the monster, the woman was never the same again. In the aftermath of the battle, the young woman's heart was irrevocably broken. The fragments of her broken heart felt into the depths of darkness and they would never return again. What's important and what isn't important. What must not be broken, what can be broken...Who exactly is it that decides this? This is the story of two lovers. This is a story about the mistakes of two very foolish people. This is the story of... Two broken people..." By the end of the story, the children were sobbing. They placed their hands over their eyes and wept loudly, grabbing the attention of the nurses.
"It's so sad!" One child cried as they messily wiped their nose with their arm. "I feel so bad for her!" They didn't appear to hate the story thankfully, they just pitied the characters. Edelweiss took this as a good sign a stood up.
"I hope you did nothing too brash..." A nurse placed a hand on Edel's shoulder and uncomfortably laughed. "Thank you for coming, Miss Edelweiss. You are welcomed here another time... If you have another story... But please, no unhappy endings. The children don't appear to like that." The nurse nudged Edelweiss out of the hospital and closed the door. Edelweiss could hear her trying to calm the children down from the other side. With that, she left.
A nurse approached Edel and bowed her head down politely, "Are you the one that's going to entertain the children today?" She asked.
"Hm?" Edelweiss was slow to reply. "Yes..." She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes once more, letting out a long yawn. The girl was still tired from this morning and it appeared to upset the nurse, but the nurse let it slide and went onwards. She gestured Edel to follow and the two began walking. "Well, the children are very excited to see you! They rarely get visitors. I hope you've brought something along to present to the children, because they are dying to blah blah blah blah..." Edelweiss had stopped listening to the nurse awhile back and was now just dozing. Quickly, the nurse turned around and smiled. "So, are you ready?" She said. Oh no... Edelweiss was just going to have to wing it, wasn't she?
"Childreeen~" The nurse sang, "Miss Edelweiss is here to show you lots of fun stuff!" She nudged Edel and walked off, leaving the petite girl to entertain the children. One by one, sick children began to get out of their beds and walk towards Edelweiss, curious as to what she had brought with her or what she had to say. They all sat down on the floor in front of her and waited patiently. "..." Edel coughed awkwardly and sat down with them.
They stared at her, and she stared back. It was as if it were a game to them both, but soon the supposed game ended when Edelweiss began to drift to sleep.
"No fair!" They yelled, "You're so boring!"
A child with a broken arm flung himself at Edel and began to flail with his one good arm. "Do something! Do something!" He angrily yelled. Luckily, his yelling woke Edelweiss right back up.
What was she doing again? Right... The kids.
"Okay okay. Sit down." She cleared her throat. Was she going to tell a story? The children settled down and sat in anticipation. Edelweiss began to tell a tale from a book she had read as a child. "Long, long ago, in a distant land... A beautiful woman and a young man lived happily together. The woman was a kind and cheerful girl. The young man was not very intelligent, but he always tried pleasing the woman and the two loved each other very much. This story belongs to them..." Edelweiss closed her eyes as she began to tale. "They lived in a world with an ongoing war. The woman gathered orphans from various lands that had been destroyed by the war. She cared for them as if they were her own children, since she herself never had the love a mother. Her lover, the young man, supported her efforts and helped her however he could." Already, the children appeared to enjoy this story. "One day, the woman decided to take the orphans to a picnic, so they traveled to a city. But the soldiers in the city were brought under a curse. The two lovers reluctantly fought their way through to the crypts, where the children had been hiding under the care of soldiers assigned by the young man. But they too were under the curse. Sadly, the lovers had to fight those soldiers as well. Edelweiss paused and placed a hand on her forehead. If the story ended badly, the children would get upset. She went onward with the story. "When they arrived, they find a monster who had absorbed all the children. After vanquishing the monster, the woman was never the same again. In the aftermath of the battle, the young woman's heart was irrevocably broken. The fragments of her broken heart felt into the depths of darkness and they would never return again. What's important and what isn't important. What must not be broken, what can be broken...Who exactly is it that decides this? This is the story of two lovers. This is a story about the mistakes of two very foolish people. This is the story of... Two broken people..." By the end of the story, the children were sobbing. They placed their hands over their eyes and wept loudly, grabbing the attention of the nurses.
"It's so sad!" One child cried as they messily wiped their nose with their arm. "I feel so bad for her!" They didn't appear to hate the story thankfully, they just pitied the characters. Edelweiss took this as a good sign a stood up.
"I hope you did nothing too brash..." A nurse placed a hand on Edel's shoulder and uncomfortably laughed. "Thank you for coming, Miss Edelweiss. You are welcomed here another time... If you have another story... But please, no unhappy endings. The children don't appear to like that." The nurse nudged Edelweiss out of the hospital and closed the door. Edelweiss could hear her trying to calm the children down from the other side. With that, she left.
