Mary Josepha receives help

Mary Josepha looked around in consternation. There was no sign of her fellow sisters far and wide. The distinctive black and white convent dress should have stood out from the colorful crowd of carneys and fairground visitors like magpies from a flock of canaries. But the nuns seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth.

She felt a gentle tug on her dress and looked down. There stood the little girl with the candy floss, looking at her sympathetically.

"Can't you find your mom and dad either?"

Maria Josepha swallowed. How **** did she appear when even a child felt sorry for her?

Then help arrived from an unexpected direction. Mr. Trapp marched straight up to the mismatched couple and stood in front of them with his fists pumped into his sides as if he were a two-metre-tall giant.

"You two don't look like you're enjoying yourselves. As the operator of this fair and a host committed only to your welfare, I can never allow that. So, what can I do to make you two beauties happy again?"

The novice mistress didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this performance. The situation was so absurd that she began to doubt whether it was all real or the product of a grotesque dream.

The girl, on the other hand, accepted things as they were, looked hopefully at the little man, who was barely taller than she was, and trustingly took his hand.

Mary Josepha regained some of her self-confidence and cleared her throat.

"Erm, it seems that my fellow sisters and I have lost sight of each other for a moment. There's no need to worry. We'll find each other again."

"Oh, if that's what's worrying you, then I have a wonderful idea how to make you happy again. We have a public address system in the park for announcements. Official directive in the unlikely event of an emergency, you understand. Not that such a thing could ever happen," he added with a wink, "but it's easy for me to let your sisters know when and where to meet up so that you can find each other again. Just tell me the time and place of the meeting. I will take care of everything else conscientiously. You can rely on me completely."

He put on his most winning smile and exuded absolute confidence.

The nun, who was almost twice his height, suddenly felt tiny and insignificant. She blinked in quick succession. For some unknown reason, she found it strangely difficult to think clearly. The heat was probably to blame. The dark, heavy, high-necked habit was certainly not made for standing in the blazing heat of the sun. Sweat trickled down her temples and down her back. Seeking relief, she hooked a finger into her tight collar and pulled it open a little.

Mr. Trapp noticed her distress. Dutifully, he conjured a soda can from a hidden pocket in his robe. It shone seductively silver and gold. Drops of condensed liquid ran promisingly down its smooth outer surface, hinting at its chilled contents. The nun swallowed involuntarily and ran her tongue over her lips, which suddenly felt dry and chapped.

"You must be thirsty," Trapp remarked and held the can out to her helpfully.

Mary Josepha gratefully accepted the gift and opened it immediately. A small cloud of vapor wafted out with a promising hiss. She sniffed it curiously.

"What's in it?"

"Only natural ingredients, fruit, herbs. Prepared according to my great-grandfather's secret recipe, passed down from generation to generation under the seal of secrecy."