Fragments of Souls - English Version

The Sinner

The island of Oslay,

Today.

"Come here, Pixie. Try this bonnet on, it's lovely."

They had arrived just under an hour ago, and although their luggage had been collected by a hardworking 'Alfred' - as she had nicknamed him - with the promise that they had nothing to worry about while he fetched the car, Margot continued to act as if they were on holiday.

"Come on, Pixie, wipe that frown off your face, it doesn't suit you."

George was the other side effect they had carried around with them, as well as the cause of the greatest ills that plagued them, including the horrible nickname he had decided to give her ten years earlier when he first sold her like an animal at a fair.

There were rumors that he was fucking Margot outside working hours, and judging by the smirks they exchanged, there was little doubt that this was indeed the case. It wasn't that he found the idea of them breaking the rules of the system scandalous, it was more the fact that their relationship was a fucking pain in the ass. Every time Margot complained, George put her off and vice versa.

Travelling with them at all was cruel. Not that Ivy had much of a chance to defend herself.

Margot put her straw hat back on the rack, under the insistent gaze of the salesman, who gave her a matter-of-fact smile and an eloquent look that translated into something like, "You know how these young people are.

"Stop it, you should be grateful. This is..."

"An important occasion for me?" she concluded in her seat before approaching the shelf to brush against the woven straw patterns. "I believe you've already told me that."

Margot and George exchanged one of those eloquent looks that people without problems often tend to give each other, as if their comfort entitles them to feel superior in the face of others' difficulties.

"Pixie, it's only for a year, after that..."

"After that?" she murmured before withdrawing her hand. He watched George's expression change in the reflection of the sunglasses on the shelf next to the hats, and enjoyed it. "Exactly." She allowed herself one last smile before the call of "Alfred's" car horn forced them to move.

The island of Oslay, according to the flyer "Alfred" had given her, was defined as a "must-see destination for Gothic lovers," and the Cathedral of the Sea Sisters was the hub around which almost all local tourism revolved.

"The ferries arrived every Friday and stayed in the roadstead until Sunday, when they left. The merchant ships, on the other hand, would arrive between Monday and Wednesday with supplies and goods. Of course, the Black Peak works the weekends with tourists, unless bad sea conditions prevent the ships from leaving on time," Alfred explained.

"The Black Peak?" Margot leaned forward, clutching the back of the passenger seat where George had been sitting.

"Oh yes, I forgot you're not from around here."

Ivy rolled her eyes. All that was missing was a joking "Alfred" to crown the cruelty of the moment.

"That's what we locals call the convent of the Sea Sisters. Nothing earth-shattering, mind you," he hastened to add after catching Margot's astonished look in the rearview mirror. "Thanks to the old fishermen who, returning from a night at sea, would turn their eyes to the cliff and wait for the sun to rise behind the monastery, which remained in shadow. Nothing very interesting, I'm afraid."