They were two girls in the orphanage. They’d both been there for so long that neither had any memory of life before the orphanage. The two were inseparable. They played together, read books together, laughed together, ate together, slept together. They were like sisters, the older one, Monica, taking the younger one, Nicole, under her wing. But they were only related to each other by their camaraderie.
One day Monica was out in the back behind the orphanage building reading to Nicole from her favorite book of fairytales. One of the staff members came to find the two girls. “I’ve been looking all over for the two of you,” the woman said. “I’ve got great news, Nicole. A lovely couple is adopting you. Aren’t you the fortunate one?”
Monica dropped the book. Nicole, tears flowing from her eyes, reached up and hugged Monica. “I’m not going,” she wailed. “Not without my sister!”
I’m sorry, sweetheart, but that’s not the way it works,” the woman said. “Besides, Monica is not your sister. Come along, girl.”
Monica, also crying, hugged Nicole one last time and said, “You go on. I’ll be all right and one day soon, we’ll find each other again.”
******
Nicole was adopted into a loving, caring family, and as the only child, her adoptive parents doted upon her. She was unable to contact Monica, but never forgot about her orphanage sister-friend. When she turned 21, Nicole was determined to find out about Monica, and she persuaded her father to hire an investigator to try and locate Monica.
Monica had run away from the orphanage about two years after Nicole was adopted, the investigator found out. She seemed to fall off the face of the earth until about ten years later, when the body of an eighteen year old girl was found in a shallow grave just outside of the city. The dead girl’s fingerprints matched those of Monica from the orphanage.
Nicole was heartbroken, and decided then and there to dedicate her life to helping abandoned young girls find loving families, just like the one that adopted her.
This sad tale was written for Sadje’s What Do You See prompt. Photo credit: Ben White @ Unsplash.
This, That, and The Other 
Captivating story, Fandango
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Thanks, Paula.
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Loved the story, hated the ending.
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Yeah, it was a bit of a downer, but at least Nicole was going to try to help out others.
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That’s a wow Fandango 😀
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Wow, what a moving story Fandango. Thanks for joining in
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Thanks, Sadje.
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You’re welcome
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So sad.
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Yes, I was hesitant to end it that way.
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Sad but well-written.
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Thanks. It was sad, but maybe something good came out of it.
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You are welcome. Yes, indeed.
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My heart aches for the girls 😦 Brilliantly written, Fandango.
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Thanks. I really appreciate it.
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You’re welcome! It was so realistic and pulled at the heart strings.
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Such a sad tale. I am sure it is someone’s real story.
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Too sad, couldn’t it have had a HEA?
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Sometimes life doesn’t give you a happy ending. 🤷🏻♂️
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Unfortunately, I know that better than most, but I love to read them…
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That really hurt 😔
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That was heartbreaking ☹️
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Yes, a sad tale.
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So sad Fandango.
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Sad one but the last lines makes up for this. Beautifully written. Very sensible ending.
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Thank you.
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Welcome.
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so sad! xo
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