On a night of a particularly bright moon, a great and sudden crash sounded in the orphanage of Miss Matilda. It was so loud that the cat which was trying to sneak in through the outer railing got spooked and ran off to sleep in some other house for the night.

Inside, Miss Matilda rose on her bed and cricked her nose. As a mistress of a house full of children, she wasn’t too much surprised to hear such noses—even in unorthodox hours—but she was quite disappointed and a tad bit annoyed. Much more than the freeloader cat.

Since she used to be a child and an orphan herself, she didn’t the quick anger of judgement. She was raised in the same orphanage by the kind Father Martin from whom she had learned about love for God, a duty to charity, and especially adherence to discipline. Now, a pious woman of a healthy twenty-seven years of age and inheritor of the household, she wished to enrich others upon the same values she had been bred.

Presently and apparently, somebody was yet to heed her words.

She got up from her bed, put on the slippers and taking a lantern from the bed stand, went straight to the kitchen where she was sure she had heard the clamor.

Her suspicion proved right on the mark for on the otherwise clean-titled floor was laid the shards from a broken jar of biscuits with the lid resting some paces away, face down and forlorn. She had bought the biscuits two days ago in the marketplace at a bargain and hidden them atop a shelf.

Somebody had seen her in the act. Somebodies to be exact. She didn’t know anybody who could reach the shelf themselves, except for Sister Diana and Brother Hansen, and imagining any one of them sneaking in the middle of the night to steal cookies was absurd. Still, Miss Matilda giggled in her palm at the thought of Brother Hansen balancing Sister Diana on his shoulders to reach the bottle, even though they both could do it without needing the other’s help.

She picked up the biscuits from the mess and put them in another jar. She took a broom from the kitchen door and swept up the glass shards and remaining crumbs into the dustbin. Before she poured them in, she noticed a blotch of red on of the shard. Immediately, her face fell.

She closed the bin and went to a cabinet. She took out a small roll of gauze and tincture, and picking up with her lantern from the table, went to the bedrooms. Inside, there arranged beds: a row of them on the left and a row on the right. As she walked in, the wooden floor creaked and a bed shifted and a head full of disheveled long hair peeked out.

“Miss Matilda?” the little girl said groggily, looking at the woman with the lantern at the doorway.

“Yes, Katherine?” Miss Matilda said with a smile.

“Is it morning?”

“No, dear, there are a lot of hours left. Go back to sleep now.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Katherine gave a nod, put her head back on her pillow and was soon fast asleep.

She kept her steps light and her light dim as she passed by each one until she stopped on two particular beds on the left where the blankets were drawn over the faces.

She put her lantern on the bedpost and sat on the empty corner of the bed. The furniture shook a little and sagged but the body didn’t move even an inch.

“Joshua,” she said. “Get up.”

For a while, the sleeping body didn’t move. Miss Matilda didn’t budge either. She stayed staring at the figure, until, slowly, the blankets were drawn down away and a boy with short hair popped out with his finger in his mouth. He sat up, looked at her, and quickly looked away and settled them towards his lap.

“Why are you sucking your finger, Joshua?”

“I hurt it,” he said.

“Give it here.”

Joshua took the finger out of his mouth. Miss Matilda could see a small cut on his index finger, and blood started to come out of the wound. She cleaned it and put the tincture on the wound. Joshua winched in pain but didn’t say anything. After that, she bound the gauze around the finger and made a small, tight knot. The boy muttered a thank you to her.

“There,” Miss Matilda said. “Now tell me where you got this wound?”

“In the kitchen,” Joshua said.

“How?”

“I am sorry, Miss Matilda,” Joshua said.

“Joshua, haven’t I told you and everybody that stealing is wrong?”

“Yes, Miss Matilda,” Joshua said, and the shame made him teary-eyed.

“Then, why did you do it?”

“I-it wasn’t his fault, Miss Matilda?” a voice came from the bed beside her. She looked at the bed, acting surprised. “Dear Goodness, Fredrick, were you not asleep?”

The little boy looked meekly at her. “I was never asleep, Miss Matilda. I was the one who told Joshua about the biscuits.”

“How did you know about them?”

“I saw you putting them up the shelf.”

“Indeed you did, and instead of rather asking for it, you devised this plan, did you not?”

“I am sorry, Miss Matilda.”

“Are you hurt, Fredrick?”

“No, Miss Matilda.”

“Good,” she said, standing up.

“I won’t do it never, Miss Matilda,” Joshua said, grabbing the hem of her skirt. “Please don’t be cross with me. Please do not dislike me.”

“Yes, yes, Miss Matilda,” Fredrick said and sniffled. “Please do not hate us. I love you, and I won’t do it ever again.”

Miss Matilda gazed at the two boys. She was very strict with the children but hating them never crossed her mind. Never. But she needed to make sure they didn’t commit such dangerous acts again too.

“I do not dislike you, dears,” she said and sighed. “But I am very much disappointed in you, Joshua, Fredrick.”

“We are sorry, Miss Matilda,” they said.

“However, if you want to make up for it, tomorrow is the weekend. I want you to help me clean up the kitchen, bathroom, and the bedrooms, and then you shall be forgiven.”

Both nodded.

“Yes, Miss Matilda, we will do it.”

“Leave it to us. We will do it ourselves. You won’t have to raise a finger.”

Miss Matilda gave a secret smile. She put both of them back to bed and kissed their foreheads. Taking the lantern, she crept out of the room.

“Miss Matilda?” Joshua whispered.

“Yes, dear?”

“You, you won’t hate us… right?”

“No, I won’t. Never.”

“You won’t leave us, will you?” This time it was Fredrick.

“I am not leaving you boys ever. Think of the mess you will cause. You are stuck here with me forever,” she joked and went out.

A great weight off their shoulders, the boys closed their eyes and went to sleep. Miss Matilda too went back to bed. ‘Silly brats,” she said to herself, shaking her head. “But of course, Father Martin, I was quite the brat myself. I know now how much of trouble I put you in. Forgive stupid, little Matilda.”

She too went off to sleep, and for the rest of the night, everybody in the orphanage slept in warmth and without care.

Except for the cat.