Tale of a Sidekick

A story from long ago.

There was an old lady living in Cukan Abbey. A lady that had been staying there since the early fall nearly 20 years ago. She was a lady with wrinkled skin and thin gray hair hanging over her shoulders. Once upon a time she may have been a very nice looking lady but age and hardships had turned her body weak and unhappy. She'd come to the abbey many years ago already then with graying hair and shaking bones. Feeling pity for the poor woman and knowing she wouldn't have many years to live they let her stay and as thank you she helped them with herbs and sometimes cooking. Mostly she'd wander alone in the garden with crooked back and wrapped up in an old cloak with a walking stick in her hand. She'd sing old songs that none of the nuns knew and mutter names and words that made little sense. Her favorite name was Jordian. This was a name she'd say several times of day but she never explained what it was. It couldn't have been her husband. She'd told them about his husband several times. It was a tall muscular man by the name Rotchu who she spoke very fondly of. She spoke of him a lot as well but usually she'd never finish her stories and ended up sad and thoughtful. A lot of things made her sad. The sound of a flute and some herbs in the garden. Sometimes she'd refuse to eat all together, claiming the food had been poisoned. Other times she'd sit in her chair, giggling to herself as though remembering something and saying silly old sayings that didn't make any sense. All of it had become  habit and routine for the nuns and so when no giggles were to be heard and no herbs were tended to one morning worry spread across the abbey and they all searched for her well into the afternoon. At last they found her in front of the cold fire-place in the library with her coat wrapped tightly around her. 

"My dear girls." she said tiredly when they found her. "I do believe my time has come." there weren't any sadness in her voice just a hint of relief. 

"Oh, dear Sofia don't say that, think of all the things left to see.." pleaded Annie, a short but kind nun. Sofia chuckled gently and looked up with misty eyes upon one of the shelves.

 "I suppose I was a bit taller when I hid them." she said with a sigh. 

"I can't seem to reach them any longer." Kate, a pale and usually quiet girl, sad down in front of her.

" What were you trying to reach Sofia?" she asked gently however it wasn't hard to guess. Her gaze was locked upon several green books stood on the highest shelf and which had been knocked about slightly, probably with a stick. Sandra, who was the tallest could just barely wrap her fingers around the first book if she stood on her toes. 

"Those are my old diaries." Sofia said softly. 

"I hid them there when I first came here but it seems I'd forgotten about them."

"Would you like us to read some for you?" Ursula asked. She had always been the most logical of the four girls and sensed that perhaps Sofia need some kind of closure. 

"I suppose someone should know the truth." she said softly. "It might as well be you. Please read." 

Ursula nodded. Quickly she sat down and opened a random page of the book and started to read.

 "Dear Diary, the poison worked just as expected but I'm afraid we're facing a bigger problem. We've lost the body…" Ursula gasped in shock amongst the other girls. 

"Sofia! You don't mean to tell me that you killed someone did you!" she said in complete horror. Sofia giggled a little as though remembering the event. "Please if you start from the beginning perhaps things will clear out a bit." Ursula gave her a skeptical look but switched to the first page all the same.