Carlita Serinato

It has been ten years till the day of the murders. The pain stings with every ray of sunshine and drops of rain that falls. She is working at a shrine that promotes reverence to and shares information about the stones. She hides the stone her mother gave her. It is still too painful to recall the night she was bestowed with this burden. She asks all the time, why me? Why not one of my other family members alive to do something? When she would pause for a moment of painful reflection, a maiden yells, “SERINATO GET BACK TO CLEANING!” She rolls her eyes and obeys without fail. She sometimes imagines strangling Celina’s, which is the name of the maidens, neck. It is her 3 day on the job but no one knows the pain she feels inside. As she spent5 hours cleaning and selling fake imitations of the stones these stones have the power “to protect innocent from anything bad.” What they don’t know that these powerful stones mean you need to make a choice, they don’t know what they can do. These stones aren’t real and they carry no weight. Carlita Serinato would keep these words under lock and key. She lives in a humble situation. One bed with a small window, there is very little room to walk around, but Carlita doesn’t mind. It isn’t much but it is home to her. She has a job and a place to lay her head at night. She tries not to sleep as much because she often dreams about the past. She is alone most of time and feels like she doesn’t deserve anything from anybody. Some girls tried to get close to her but she would not let anyone in. Now she works diligently wanting to do the same as her sister, become invisible. It seems like a never ending cycle when the letter catches her eye. The letter from her sister takes her back to the place and time she has been trying to forget. She picks it up and reads it again.
Dear Carlita,
I am sorry that I abandoned you. I just couldn’t believe that it happened like that. Our father told us to always be strong but how can anyone be strong when ones you love die? Anyway I am doing well, but I know you must feel alone. The murder still replays in my head, every night when I sleep and every time I see a family.
That traitor Vanor promised that everyone would be alive and well. He was the one who showed the soldiers where everything was. Dad could have turned back from his conquest but no. He led our family to ruin without caring what happened. Why can’t we be a family? Why are we reduced to hiding or fighting to survive? I don’t understand any of it. If these stones are powerful then why did we have to pay? Are we not the ones who are innocent? What is the point of the stones?
I am sorry to be so apart from you but I will write whenever I can. Please stay safe you are the only family I have left.
Love, Erina
Carlita lays in her bed with the 3 month old letter going over every question. Tears sneak out of her eyes as she drifts to a semi restful sleep and starts the same routine. She wakes up, eats a portioned meal, cleans the shrine, sells imitation charms and amulets she creates, only eats a little for dinner, read the letter and sleep. This is her life, predictable and safe.