Chapter Four - Wool Orphanage!

Amidst the reverberating animosity of the high streets, in a corner and deep in the narrow streets of London was the Wool Orphanage. Handled and managed by a woman of upright character, who loved and cared for the children, it was said in the area, which was devoid of all reality.

Mrs. Cole was not patient, kind, or sweet, she was the epitome of the word hypocrisy. She professed to be a Catholic, devoted to God and her neighbour. Her favourite commandment was "Love thy neighbour as thyself". Anything to be respected and admired in today's society.

Married women in this circle included those devout to the church, but of course, not all, unmarried women over 25 and widows were not included and were even branded as a stain on the high society. Prostitutes were a separate issue. As for women like Mrs. Coleman, they were well-regarded for the service they provided in society, but they were not accepted at all and were criticized at the edges of society.

Which was not very discreet given the fact that everything reached her ears, and she grew more and more bitter every year. Already a greedy woman and coveting the love and acceptance of society, the only thing she achieved in all these years of service was to grow older, sour, and surly in character.

Many doubted upon seeing her again whether this was the young woman who once came with dreams and hopes from a distant village. With sweet features and a correct walk. Only a bitter woman was left, consumed by the years. The big city had not suited her as well as everyone would think.

However, the story doesn't end there, inside the Wool Orphanage resides a boy of about 4 years old. This child was somewhat special, he could do things that other children could not. And abnormal and fairytale-like things were happening around him.

They weren't big things, or at least not things that would bother any adult. But to Mrs. Cole, they were aberrations made by Satan himself. From levitating objects to changing the colour of the walls or just the growth of plants.

On the first occasion, a book had floated off the shelf into the hands of the aforementioned. From which he got a light sentence, she said. There were 100 spankings at her hands with a correctional paddle or, as the children called it, the never-ending rule. Each blow was harder than the first and if you didn't accept your sins, the blows continued until you repented in the deepest part of your being.

Fortunately this was not the case with Tom, he was a clever boy and knew instinctively that any complaint or protest would only increase the punishment, but unfortunately for him, the unordinarily events kept happening all around him. Thus making him the object of the woman's punishment. It didn't take long for the boy to become isolated from the groups of other children and become an outcast. Shunned and ignored by all, a sad beginning for a little wizard.

But it wasn't all sadness and sorrow in Tom's life, he soon discovered a gift, that he just had something special that made him even more special than the other children. And that was the ability to communicate with snakes. They were not entirely kind and many were reluctant to talk to him, but it was either that or go crazy with Mrs. Cole's shouting, the complaints of the caregivers, and the not-so-discreet stares of the surrounding children.

They judged him, he knew, and he didn't mind being pushed away or pushed away from the group because he was in Mrs. Cole's sights. He understood it because he would do the same. But things didn't stop there, as the months went by, his manifestations of magic were on a larger scale and therefore also became more visible, which led to more punishments.

It all got worse once, he received a public punishment in front of all the other children, a slap in the face from Mrs. Cole, so that he finally dropped the hose in the garden. He just wanted to prove that the ability he showed was useful, that it wasn't dangerous, and that he was in control of it and not himself.

However, it was all in vain, his treatment by the other children was more hostile, from the hurdles they put on him as he passed or even put bedbugs in his shoes. Throwing water out of the window as he passed. Tom's days had become hell. The surrounding changes not only affected his way of thinking but also his treatment of others.

Soon he became close to the snakes that passed through the garden of the orphanage. And little by little he acquired their mannerisms and character. It was not an ideal model for a 4-year-old boy, but it was the only thing he had. At least they didn't hurt him.

Discord: https://discord.gg/vrsXHN6f

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/330274616-𝚁𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗-𝚒𝚗-𝙼𝚢𝚛𝚝𝚕𝚎-𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗

A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54680491/chapters/138575338

Scribble Hub: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/927235/reincarnation-in-myrtle-warren/