Chapter 3: Chance
Location: Stirling, Scotland
Date: 31st October 2009
The church had stood on that hill for centuries, its weathered stone and stained glass a relic of old faiths and forgotten prayers. Tonight, beneath a heavy quilt of gray clouds, it came alive with laughter and movement. Inside, nuns bustled through candlelit halls, their arms full of decorations, costumes, and sweet-smelling boxes. Junior priests followed suit, struggling to keep up with the pace of preparations.
It was Halloween, but for this small congregation, it was more than just a holiday. It was the day two boys who had no families were first welcomed into their fold—exactly ten years ago.
Creak.
The main door groaned open, the wind slipping in like a ghost. An elderly man stepped inside, his white cassock flaring with each step. His presence quieted the room for a moment. Despite the cold outside, his warm, weathered face brought an ease to everyone around him.
"Mrs. Dorothy," he said, voice gentle but laced with unease. "Where are Raphael and Leon?"
The old nun squinted at her phone, adjusting her glasses. "On their way," she muttered, tapping the screen. "I told them not to take the coastal road in this weather..."
Meanwhile...
Waves exploded against jagged cliffs as a motorcycle roared down a winding seaside path. Rain battered the riders like shards of glass, and the headlight beam flickered in the growing storm. Clouds churned overhead like something alive.
"Ralph! Check your phone!" Leon yelled, his voice nearly lost to the storm. His arms wrapped tightly around the gift box he'd sworn to protect—cheap wrapping paper now soggy and torn.