3 Garden Fruits

With a pounding heart, Sister Sabina crept along the high stone wall that enclosed the convent garden and shielded it from the profane outside world. The garden was as much a source of fruit, herbs and vegetables that enriched the convent's diet as it was a haven of peace and contemplation for the members of the order. Secluded niches and winding hedges, which formed sheltered areas, offered many opportunities for quiet prayer and meditation.

But it was not the desire for solitude that had driven Sister Sabina out of her cool cell in the middle of the night. Although the sun had set hours ago, the memory of the heat of the day still lingered in the air, accompanied by the sweet scent of dry flowers and ripe fruit. Sabina avoided the crunching gravel of the finely strewn paths and hurried with her bare feet over the short-cut grass beside them. The longing chirp of the crickets and the occasional rustle of a small rodent in the bushes were the only sounds of living creatures in this place.

Her choir robe, which she had thrown on loosely, moved with every swift step and occasionally gave a hint that Sabina was not wearing the usual habit of a nun underneath. Naked skin flashed occasionally as she stepped out of the black shadows into the silvery starlight. Goosebumps raced down her spine as she imagined that she would have nothing to hide if she removed the simple cloak. She pressed her lips tightly together to stifle a moan. The idea of what would happen when she showed herself to him as God had created her, clouded her vision and she had to pause briefly to avoid stumbling.

She had only casually thrown her veil over her open, surprisingly long hair and several strands of hazel hair played around her round face, which was refreshed with a youthful blush. The many long years of strict, regulated life behind convent walls seemed to fall away from her at that moment and she felt as young and carefree again as she had as a newly blossomed girl when she had first felt the proverbial butterflies in her belly.

The handsome boy had immediately captivated her with his cheeky smile and brash demeanor. Naturally, she said yes when he asked her to dance. And the things he whispered in her ear as they spun around in circles to the music made her giggle nervously and look to the side in embarrassment. Nevertheless, naïve and inexperienced as she was at the time, she went along as he led her by the hand from the fairground to the barn and told her to climb up the ladder to the hayloft.

What happened there lifted her to seventh heaven. And then she was plunged into the deepest hell when she heard the rumors that her handsome gallant was bragging that she was just the latest conquest in a long line of beauties he had already seduced and ravished.

Naturally, her parents found out about it, too. It was the worst day of their lives. In an attempt to save at least some of the family's honor, Sabina was immediately sent to a distant convent without being allowed to have a say, where she spent the rest of her life in discipline, order and chastity. She had eventually stopped counting the years she had spent under the black veil.

And suddenly all those years seemed to be wiped away in one go when she met HIM. She felt young and alive and excited again, like an immature teenage girl. Her heart was pounding in her throat as she reached the narrow gate at the far end of the garden, half hidden under a large rose bush. She stood leaning against the wall for a few heartbeats until she had calmed down a little. Then she put her ear to the weathered wood of the old gate, listening intently to see if he was already waiting on the other side.