Nigel sipped his tea, it was bitter and had a musty taste to it as if the box he found had been sitting unused in the cabinet for years. “Let's break away from age for a bit. You mentioned you can't bear children. Does that bother you?”

“Like everything else, the answer is sometimes. I mean, the way I live isn't very healthy for family.” She picked at a corner of the blanket. “My physical state is recessive and wasn't meant to be passed on. More than likely any children I did have would have a normal lifespan, so I'd have to watch them age and die.”

The priest was busy refilling his mug with a fresh glass of the musty tea. Oddly, the more he drank the less the taste bothered him. “You've mentioned adopting from time to time.”

She winced. “If I were human I'd probably be a crazy cat lady. If a child needs help I try to help them. Sometimes what they need is a parent. I do my best to try and get them in the hands of someone who can give them a normal upbringing, but there've been occasions where I was all there was.”

“And what did you do?”

Her ears drooped. “I did my best. You have to remember I could vanish at any moment, never to return. It's happened before and it isn't fair to any child under my care for that to happen. So I still try to have someone else there to help me and carry on. It... well, it just seems selfish to want to care for them on my own.”

The priest blew across the top of his cup. “Tell me about some of your children.”

She bit her lip. “They're dead, or I'll never see them again. That's all that matters. Yes, I have memories, but those are between me and God. I'd like to keep it that way.”

“As you wish.”

---

Another part of the multi part story of Three getting quietly interviewed by her priest, Father Nigel Stevens, a poor young man fresh out of seminary who had no idea what the priesthood really meant until he met a very special person seeking answers about Christianity.

The image itself is of Three and her adopted son Piotyr, which I do plan to someday elaborate on the story of but not until I actually have the time to focus on it properly. The story of how she came to care for him is in my 24 hour comic 'Piotyr's Prologue' which can be purchased for $5 at https://www.little-tales.com (Look for the paypal button under the comic)