White eyes

"Oh, Jesus! It's snowing!" the nun greeted them, confidently entering the classroom. She smiled cheekily and said calmly, as always,

"I invite everyone to pray together."

Chairs scraped. Twenty pairs of legs rose ponderously from their blessed stools. Immediately afterward, voices began to form a long "Our Father."

"Please, let's sit down." Everyone collapsed onto the wooden chairs, mentally thanking God that Sister had told them to say another "Hail Mary..."

The last lesson. Time passed slowly, as if suspended in a vacuum. The light from the windows desperately tried to penetrate the classroom. However, huge patches of snow prevented it. A strange silence reigned, interrupted occasionally by the gasps of tired students.

"Why are you so insatiable?" the sister smiled and opened her journal. An ironic smile appeared on Matilda's face. Every muscle in her body gave out, her blue eyes managed to focus only on the catechist's wrinkled face, her head resting on the desk.

She knew one thing – this was no ordinary day. She repeated in her mind: "extraordinary, extraordinary..." Her mind was churning more and more. The words reached her:

"So, to the answers... Oh, Holy Mother! It's so hard for me today, I think it's a change in the weather or something... And who's not getting a grade on their answers? Oh! It's Kotecka. Well, look. How did you get away from me, sweetie?"

Matylda realized after a moment that the words were directed at her. She narrowed her eyes and, with the last of her strength, stood up.

"I... I don't know," she replied phlegmatically.

"Then come to the table!

" "What a white world..." flashed through her mind as she shuffled to the teacher's desk. Everyone followed her with sleepy eyes and wondered languidly: what this sister would do to her...

"Tell me about sects, how to recognize them, the first symptoms, and... and yesterday's entire topic."

Silence. A pervasive silence fell. Matilda wasn't in the classroom. She was sailing through the air.

"Matilda! We're listening!" a cry escaped the nun's lips. It acted like an alarm clock on the class.

But not on the girl at the table. She suddenly... fell. She collapsed to the ground.

***

Graves, graves, graves. Marble graves everywhere. And red lamps, smoldering in the frost. The world was enveloped in the whiteness of snow. Music. Somewhere far away, a mysterious orchestra played, seemingly dreamlike, yet like an awakening. Pain. It was pain. She felt it completely insignificantly. But in the depths of her mind. Perhaps it was the music?... No... This something white as snow, approaching her now, suddenly, it was the one calling, singing, and dancing simultaneously. It was from it that these sounds flowed. Suddenly, the pain ceased. Now eternity descended upon her heart. "Where did this come from?" another question rose from her brain. But she didn't answer. She couldn't. Wrapped in whiteness and someone else's presence. In these circumstances, the ability to reason properly abandoned her. There was only SOMETHING and her. Graves, graves, graves...

The music stopped. The silence was terribly piercing. She heard a strangled scream. And with surprise, she realized the scream was coming from her own mouth. She possessed great strength. She was able to stand and walk. She rose. But she had no legs. She also had no arms. She disappeared. "I'm not here," she realized. Her thoughts were dimmer than ever. She rose, though she had no body. Yet she felt herself moving. And she encountered that SOMETHING. She felt cold. The last thing she saw were eyes. White. Calm. Kind. Frosty.

***

"Oh God! Matylda, my dear," she heard a scream. It was still in the distance. She was still floating on a wave of strange sounds. BOOM. She is herself. She feels. She slowly opens her eyelids.

"Alive!" Two faces leaned over her. A nun and the school nurse. In the distance, she heard a commotion.

"Break..." she whispered weakly. The corners of her mouth twitched. She smiled.

"Jesus, you scared us, girl," the nurse uttered. "Are you feeling all right?" What happened to you?" There was a hint of resentment in her voice, but also concern. Matilda shook her head mutely.

"Now, now, calm down. Just lie there and maybe someone will walk you home. Sister," she said to the nun, "please call someone over here and have Matilda walk with me, she lives nearby." The catechist left hurriedly, and the hygienist smiled automatically at the stunned girl.

"Where were you?" she asked mockingly. She didn't know how this question had shaken Matilda. A memory. It was returning quickly to her mind, finding its place among the others. Blinds, graves. White. She didn't answer. She closed her eyes and sighed. The silence was broken by her sister, entering the office. She wasn't alone.

"Well! He'll take her there, he was so eager," she winked at the nurse and gave her a smile. Matylda rose to her feet. He was standing in the doorway. Krzysiek. The new one, who had been staring at her forever, sitting in the last row. But Matylda wasn't so surprised by his appearance as by his... eyes. Which she noticed only now. "Eyes!" a thought flashed through her mind. A shiver ran down her spine.