Sister Floriana

The Detective

Pacifica, Floriana, Eulalia and Diana sat side by side on the bench next to the small train platform, waiting for the tell-tale signs of steam in the distance. Pacifica couldn't keep still at all, toying with the toy frog she'd made and with Sancho the frog in turn.

Sancho didn't mind. 

He was a frog.

Pacifica had been waiting for this day for two whole weeks now, the day she'd finally get to see her brother again. She hadn't even known he'd joined the Nationalist cause before he got wounded and captured. She shuddered to think of what it must have been like. Did they torture him for information? If so, had he given it to them? At the very least, she couldn't see him being allowed to hold mass in the camp, with the chaplains. 

But now he was coming home at last, on that train in the distance they could now see was fast approaching.

Pacifica and the others stood up as it came to a halt and the passengers descended. There weren't very many of them, so Pacifica recognized her brother and her parents right away. He looked quite distinct with the crutches and the massive bandage around his leg. 

"Leo!"

He turned to her, grinning as she flung herself into his arms and held him tightly. Her parents got in on the hug too, and Floriana began to tear up.

Eulalia smiled.

"Good to see the Reds didn't get him. Or rather, they couldn't keep him."

Diana walked up to them, with her trademark cold cordiality. 

"Welcome back to Fornelos de Gende. I'm Sister Diana. They sent me to keep an eye on these three."

"Nice to meet you," said Pacifica's mother. "We've heard about you!"

"You have?" said Diana, surprised.

"You're the one who gave Pacifica the ostrich!"

"Oh right, that was my father."

"She also said you liked romance novels, so we thought we'd get you one from our shop," said Pacifica's father.

"Oh, um-"

He pulled one out of his bag, and handed it to her. 

"A brand new copy!" he said, proudly. "Sadly it's printed in English, but I'm sure you can have someone read it in Spanish to you."

"Oh no, I speak the language! We practiced it when Mr. Shenton came over." 

She had not, but she was not about to have anyone else peek into her private life like that.

"We've actually brought books for all of you," said Leo. "We couldn't find a better occasion!"

"Let's have them back at the monastery," said Eulalia. "If we'd known you were on crutches we could've gotten you a motorcar!"

"It's no problem," said Leo. "I kept my arms in shape even though my leg got shot. I can make it no problem."

He actually led the way all the way back to the monastery, keeping a running conversation with his sister the whole time.

No, he was not tortured. No, he was not tied to a post constantly. In fact, most of his time was spent working. It was part of the Republicans' "Popular Justice." Because the Nationalists controlled the vast majority of the farmland from the beginning of the war, they were extremely short on farmers and fieldworkers. He was made to go out on his crutches and harvest what little grain they had for the soldiers. While they did give him an extra ration for his injuries in the camp itself, he received no sympathy for this out in the fields alongside his fellow prisoners.