Little Footsteps

Epilogue 2:

The newspapers:

Daiana returned to her house, at a fast pace and without looking back. She had the feeling that someone was following her closely, breathing into her ear. Upon reaching the town she regained her lost confidence, the noise scared away her fears. Behind her there was no one, of course. She entered her house, cooked a light meal for her mother and, when she saw her asleep again, she left her home again. She didn't want to waste time. The arrival of the darkness of the night scared her quite a bit for some strange reason that she couldn't explain. She had never been afraid of the dark, not even when she was a child. Perhaps, she thought, she didn't want to meet the boy again, in the dark of the room.

She headed towards the church that was not far from where she resided. The street seemed quiet and she didn't see anyone in her path. When he got to her, her building seemed empty and, although she knew that it would be closed at that time, she still insisted on the door of the address where she knew her new manager was. She didn't live there but she hoped to find her at that time.... However, no one responded.

Frustrated, she was about to retrace her steps but she changed her mind at the last moment. She began to circle the tall building and, stopping to look at it, she remembered a small garden that was almost at the bottom and headed towards it. Looking over her shoulder in case anyone was watching her. When she found him, crouching in the bushes, she slipped inside her. Her heart was pounding, if someone found out she would be in serious trouble. But it was more important to find what she was looking for.

Through a small door, which was unlocked, she entered the interior of the church. The corridors were dark and deserted. There were no voices and it gave the feeling of being uninhabited. But Daiana, she knew that Father Raúl had lived there for a few months. A man of short stature, serious and strict, that if she saw her in those places, he would surely get angry.

She walked down a long corridor that ended in a small hall where there were four doors, she knew that one led to the father's office and the one next to it was where the new manager worked. She tried not to make a sound and walked over to them. Since she didn't hear anything, she opened another of the doors that led her down a long corridor to the nuns' rooms where the little old woman used to sleep.

The place of worship was silent and semi-dark. Daiana knew which room was where her sister Marta had spent the last years of her life. She still remembered in detail when she and Paula were in that place. She so far, she headed. The feeling that she once felt of peace had now turned into one of restlessness. It seemed as if time had stopped the moment she entered.

The door of the room was closed... Daiana cursed her bad luck, however, she did not give up. She hadn't gotten this far at all. She removed an invisible from her hair and began to pick the lock. It had been years since she had done something like this and she lacked practice. But she finally gave in. Unfortunately, the door creaked when it opened. The young woman shuddered, she looked everywhere. The church seemed to be sleeping, so she entered the room.

The room smelled strange, like humidity and... something that Daiana couldn't specify. A sweet smell, like flowers, but it wasn't flowery. There was nothing there. The iron bed was perfectly made, the night table neatly cleaned, the wardrobe contained a single tunic and a pair of shoes. She was empty.

She began to open the drawers that the old piece of furniture had but she did not find anything. But she... Her hand brushed against the black robe and noted that it had a strange bulge. Daiana reached into her inside pocket and pulled out a number of papers written in small, tight handwriting. Some had taken on a yellowish color and looked old. The girl couldn't tell what they said, the handwriting looked like a black glob.

Suddenly she opened the door of the room. Daiana, terrified, jumped into the closet and came to close it... It was the new manager. Miraculously the woman didn't see her because she was distracted. In her hand was a thick notebook with black covers that she deposited in the drawer of the nightstand. She then left, while she commented aloud to herself: "Didn't I close this door?" "I would have to go for the key."