"Hey Aria, I was thinking a lot today... I mean, you told me you never learned anything, so you don't know any stories, do you?" Emily asks as we're sitting, just before bed.

"Stories?" my question answering hers.

"Yeah, when I was really little..." she hesitates slightly, but pushes forward anyway, "my mother told me stories before bed. I think... well, I think everyone's parents did, right?" She turns the question to the other girls, who sat up in bed a little when we started talking. After a delay, they all slowly nod to confirm, except Jannette, who's lying down with her blanket thrown over her like she isn't paying attention to the conversation.

"Yeah, I think everyone does. Everyone I knew anyway." Eve comments, followed by muttered agreement from the others.

"Mm, I thought so." Emily turns back to me.

"Umm," I cut in when I see how uncomfortable everyone is with this topic. "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to..."

She puts a hand up. "No, it's fine. Usually the big kids tell the little kids stories when they come here too young, but you're already seven, so..."

"So I should already know them," I finish for her, breaking eye contact. Yet another thing I should already know...

"Pretty much." She takes a deep breath before going on. "So, I thought it would be best if I told you stories before bed, is that alright?"

"Well..." I don't want to make her uncomfortable, but it sounds like she really wants to do this. "Alright, as long as it's fine with you," I answer. But then I turn to the other girls. "It won't bother you either, will it?" I ask uncertainly. Won't stories like this remind them of their parents? I still remember how sad and hurt Emily looked when she talked about them, will it really be ok?

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Eve assures me.

"Y-yeah," Mary chips in, "it's been a really long time since I've heard a bed time story."

"I wonder if the ones you know are the same ones I heard...?" Helen questions.

"See? Everyone's fine with it." Emily rubs my head with a grin, despite everyone's eyes shifting to Jannette's bed. But no one says anything. Maybe she's already asleep?

"Ok," I finally agree. "What sort of stories do you want to tell me anyway?"

"Mmm..." she hums, "that's a really good question. I was wondering about it all day, but I'm not really sure... There are all sorts of different stories. I guess I can start with a really basic one..." She thinks for a bit, but it's Mary who offers the first idea.

"The tale of Ginn?"

"I said something basic..." Emily grimaces. "Besides, isn't that one kind of..."

"Violent?" Eve finishes for her with a knowing grin.

"Yeah..." After Emily's reply, Mary sinks a bit.

"What about Lorelie?" Eve suggests.

"Doesn't she lose her voice?" Emily counters.

"Yeah... that one's pretty dark, actually," Eve thinks aloud.

"Little Billy?" Mary tries again.

"Doesn't he drown?" Helen asks from the side.

"No, Shana saves him." Mary looks her way, confused.

"Wasn't it Lila?" Eve chimes in. The three of them stare at each other for a few long moments, none of them understanding. Did they all hear different stories or something?

"Either way, that story's no good," Emily tells them with a pained look. The other girls think for a moment before grimacing and dropping it. "Any other ideas?" Emily prompts them to continue. After a few moments without another response, she says, "Like... My Little Kitty?"

"That's not even a story, Emily," Eve chuckles, "it's more of a nursery rhyme."

"Hmm..." They all sit and think for a while.

Eventually, Eve speaks up again. "Well, it's Aria's first story, right? What story did you all hear first?"

"My first story? That's a hard one..." Helen complains. "That far back is really vague... I mean, the first one I can really remember is Little Billy."

"Yeah, same," Mary agrees with a nod.

"Emily?" Eve turns to her.

"Ahh, I don't think you'd know it. It's called Fiona's Knife."

"Knife?" Mary repeats skeptically.

"It's not really about a knife or anything," Emily waves her hands a little. "It's about a Herat tricking a girl so she gets lost, it's a kind of weird story."

"Huh..."

The other girls don't have much to say, so Emily turns the question back. "Eve?"

"Ahh, well..." Eve looks to the side. It's hard to see in the dark, is she blushing? "It's the story of Eve," she says stiffly.

"Ohh..." The girls all sound like they understand... something?

"Wait, Eve? Like, it's a story about you?" I ask. Why would there be a story about her?

"No no," she laughs, sending the rest of them into fits of giggles, "I'm named after Eve from the story."

"A-ahh, so that's how it is." I blush too, realizing how silly my question was.

"Mm, that's not a bad first story, should I tell Aria that one?" Emily asks. Eve shakes her head immediately, her laughter disappearing.

"Please don't," she says quietly. "Not that one."

"Ahh, sorry," Emily apologizes stiffly. I'm not sure why, it takes a moment to put it together, before I get it.

Oh, her parents gave her that name, then told her that story when she was really young. Hearing the whole thing again, being reminded of them again, it would be really, really painful, wouldn't it? I try not to think about a lot of my past for the same sort of reason, so I can understand that one...

"No, it's fine, I'd just really rather not hear it, you know?" Everyone nods quietly, before moving on.

"Ahemm," Emily clears her throat. "So, any other ideas for stories? It's starting to get kind of late..."

"Mm, it's surprisingly hard. I wonder how our parents figured out which stories to tell us first...?" Helen asks quietly. Everyone has conflicted looks, and doesn't say anything back.

"Y-you know, you guys really don't have to..." I try stopping them. Seeing everyone all worked up, it's starting to feel really bad. I don't want them to keep going back over their painful memories just to tell me stories... But Emily just gives me a hard look.

"Aria," she scolds, "these stories are important. There's a lot you can learn from them."

"Alright..." I give in immediately to her stern look.

"I just have to come up with something else..." Emily mutters. "How about... Jay?"

"Are you sure about that one? Isn't it pretty-" Eve starts.

But Emily cuts in, quickly assuring her, "No, it'll be fine."

"Well, if you say so..." Eve doesn't look at all convinced. Is there some problem with this story?

"Alright, I'll tell the story now. Ready?" The other girls nod, then lie down, and Emily looks over at me.

"Yeah." I follow the other girls and lie down too, turning in bed a little to look at Emily.

She sits up straighter at the end of her bed, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths as she readies herself.

Then, she speaks.

"Long long ago, there was a boy named Jay,

who met a wise old fisher, over by the bay.

'Oi' called the man,

'Think, don't follow.

Heed these words, while you can:

Avoid the sick and the callow.'

With wisdom in his heart,

did young Jay part.

The day came when Jay aged six.

He met mean boys, who offered sticks

to prod a sick boy

awkward and coy.

'I will not take the stick,

I will not hit the sick,'

said Jay,

and went on his way.

At seven years old,

the boys offered a toad

to throw at the sick boy

without any joy.

'I will not take the toad,

the sick I will not goad,'

said Jay,

and went on his way.

Eight years aged,

the sick boy caged.

The mean boys with the key

offered to come see.

'I will not follow,'

said Jay.

'Not to the sick and the callow,'

and went on his way.

And so came age nine,

The boys were not fine.

Their parents came angrily

And they scolded them badly.

Jay returned to the bay

with kind words to say.

'Thanks to your warning,

I am not burning.

With your wisdom to start,

I have done my part.'

The old man laughed loud.

'Good and wise Jay,

never one of the blighted crowd,

go and find your own way.'"

Emily finishes her retelling of the story. I... don't know what to think, exactly. The whole thing was in a weird tone where each part of it had a similar sound to the last. When I ask about that, the girls all stare, but Emily explains.

"It's called rhyming, Aria. It's when two words have the same sound, like 'buy and 'fly.' It gives the story rhythm and makes it easier to remember.

"Huh..." I consider for a moment, then nod. "That was... a really interesting story..." I have to take some time to ask about the unfamiliar words like 'callow,' 'goad,' and 'coy,' so she'll explain them, before I think on the story a little more. "So... the old man was telling him to think for himself and avoid people who are sick and callow... like, young and immature," I replace the new word with Emily's definition as I try to wrap my head around the idea. Well, it worked out for him, by not doing the bad things the other boys wanted him to do, he didn't get in trouble in the end...

"Still," I wonder, "why didn't that one part rhyme right?"

"Huh, which part?" Emily asks.

"Uhh, I think it was the part with the parents. 'Angrily' and 'badly' don't exactly sound the same the way all the other parts do."

"Mmm..." Emily furrows her eyebrows for a few moments. She looks strangely nervous as she thinks about it, before shrugging her shoulders. "I guess it's just, uhh, like that?" She doesn't sound very confident though.

I glance to the other girls, wondering what they think of the story, but they're all... eyeing Emily with strange, worried expressions... Is something wrong? No one is saying anything though, so I eventually move on.

I smile widely and say, "Thanks for the story, I'm glad I got to hear it."

"Yeah, I'll tell you more from now on, alright?"

"Thanks a lot, Emily."

With that simple finish, she climbs into bed with me. The story rattles around in the back of my head for a little while as I drift off.

Why were the boys in the story so mean...?