She was shivering from the cold, and her throat was dry with thirst. Heavy gray clouds threatened freezing rain. Just when her strength was nearly gone and she began to fear she had lost her way, she saw the monastery domes ahead. Reaching the iron gate, she pressed the call button with a trembling hand.
Inside, there was an eerie silence, as if the place had been abandoned. Only after a long ten minutes did she hear slow footsteps. “What do you want?” a thin elderly nun asked, cracking the gate open. “Please,” Emily said, breaking down. “I need help.” Her legs gave way and she sank into the mud.
“Come in, then,” the nun said briskly, looking her over with open curiosity. “What happened? Who are you hiding from?” Mother Mary asked later, after Emily had been brought to her office. The abbess had sharp, thoughtful eyes, the kind that seemed to read more than words ever could. Emily opened her mouth to explain, but her throat tightened and no sound came out.
She sat there shaking, trying to breathe. “All right,” Mother Mary said gently. “You’re exhausted. We can talk later.” She motioned for one of the sisters to take the girl away. Sister Agnes led Emily silently to a small outbuilding behind the service yard.
She pointed to a washbasin and tossed a clean robe onto a narrow cot. “Wash up. Someone will bring you hot soup. You can sleep until evening. After that, you’ll be called for service,” she said in a clipped tone before leaving. For a lively young woman like Emily, the bare little room felt severe and lonely.
The whole place carried an air of quiet grief and detachment. The women who lived there did not smile much and moved like shadows, which was the opposite of Emily’s natural temperament. But right then, this austere refuge was her only chance to survive. Nothing on earth could have made her go back to the outside world, where lies and greed waited at every turn.
“What do you plan to do now, Emily?” Mother Mary asked the next day after listening carefully to her story. “Am I right in understanding that you have no one at all who can protect you?” “That’s right,” Emily said bitterly. “There’s only my aunt, and she turned out to be worse than an enemy. I still can’t believe what people will do for money.”
“Then you may stay here for now,” Mother Mary said. “I want to take vows and remain here permanently,” Emily said at once. “There’s nothing for me outside those gates.” “Don’t rush,” the abbess replied with a faint smile. “People should not make decisions like that in the middle of fear and shock. That is a long road.”
About three months passed after Emily’s desperate escape. In that time, she adjusted to the monastery’s strict routine and became a novice. Mother Mary still refused to entertain talk of permanent vows. “That life is not a hiding place from worldly problems,” she told her. “You are young, healthy, and very beautiful. You came here out of fear, not because you heard a true calling.
We are not sending you away. Your heart is good. Work, pray, and let time show you the right path.” Emily’s daily duties included kitchen work, cleaning the dining hall, and helping gather supplies. At first, she was terrified to step outside the monastery walls, but eventually she realized no one in the nearby village was looking for her, and she began going to the local market without panic.
“Emily, we need to stock up on wild raspberries,” the monastery’s herbalist told her one morning. “Take the baskets, get Sister Agnes, and head into the woods.” “Sure,” Emily said, genuinely glad for a chance to breathe fresh air. “I could probably manage it myself.”
“No, you could not,” Agnes grumbled. “A young woman has no business wandering the woods alone.” Once among the tall pines, Emily drifted into melancholy. She remembered the carefree days when her grandfather had taught her how to gather mushrooms. He had patiently shown her how to tell the good ones from the dangerous ones and how to find north by the moss on the trees.
Back then, she had been truly happy. But those days were gone. In their place had come years of criticism and manipulation in her aunt’s house, followed by a marriage that had nearly destroyed her. Worn down by Agnes’s constant complaining, Emily quietly veered off to one side. She had always been good in the woods and wasn’t afraid of getting lost.
She found a clearing thick with berries and began filling her basket quickly. Then she heard branches crack behind her and smiled to herself. “That woman really can’t leave anyone alone,” she thought, assuming Agnes had followed her. “I figured she’d gone the other way.”
“Excuse me,” a hoarse male voice said suddenly, and Emily’s heart jumped into her throat. “Please don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.” She spun around and stared. A gaunt young man stood there, looking as though he had spent days—maybe longer—living in the woods.
“Please,” he said, his lips dry and cracked. “Do you have any water?” “Yes,” Emily said, startled, handing him her flask. “Are you lost?” The stranger grabbed it with shaking hands and drank deeply. After several long swallows, he lowered it and gave her an embarrassed look.
“Sorry. I think I nearly finished it. Here.” “Do you need medical help?” Emily asked. “There’s a monastery not far from here. I could take you there.” “I do need help,” the young man said darkly, “but being seen by people would be dangerous for me. You live at the monastery?”
“Yes,” Emily said quietly, now wondering whether he was unstable—or a fugitive. “I should go. I’m not out here alone. They’ll be looking for me soon,” she added, bluffing. “Did I scare you?” he asked. “Please don’t leave. You’re my only chance.”
“What’s your name?” she asked. “Sam.” “I’m Emily,” she replied, relaxing just a little. “Emily,” he said, “please don’t turn me down. Can you promise no one will hear about this?” “Yes,” she said firmly. “I can keep a secret.”
“I need clean clothes—anything, really. Sweatpants, jeans, a T-shirt,” Sam said. His own clothing was little more than rags. “And honestly,” he added with a tired, embarrassed smile, “I’d sell my soul for a sandwich right now.”
