Sister Ethel was diligently preparing Mother Anna's morning repast within the abbey's living quarters. Upon a wooden tray, she carefully arranged a loaf of bread and tea, adhering to routine. It was at this moment that Ethel took note of the distant echoes of war reaping through the abbey's tranquility. Apprehension gripped her, particularly considering Mother Anna; whose days were seemingly near their twilight.
Ascending the abbey's time-worn stairs, Ethel's hands trembled, causing the contents on the tray to softly clink. With care, she gently pushed open the door upon reaching Mother Anna's chamber, advising as usual, "Await with patience the tea, for it is piping hot."
As the tray found its resting place upon the bedside table, Ethel's discerning eyes persceived a change in the unresponsive Mother. A gasp escaped her lips as a sudden sorrow engulfed her. Sinking to her side, she instinctively reached for the Lorraine adorning the Mother's neck. Cool to the touch, Ethel closed her eyes, bowing in prayer. "May GOD care for you now.."
"Though punished you shall be for your wrongs, that I know," she murmured at last, gently veiling her own hollowed eye.