Unseen Worlds

Por Lorena Samano

A beautiful girl named Scarlett was abandoned in a mysterious orphanage and suffers from a tragic ailment—her skin is ultrasensitive to light. She spends much of her childhood indoors at the ancient castle, even as she longs to go outside to play with her friends.

Born with a unique gift that allows her to see what others cannot, her eyes open to the supernatural. She experiences visions of angels, shadowy demons, and other mysterious beings hidden from those around her.

Living in the castle, she notices strange figures, weird, monstrously shaped shadows, and disembodied voices, but she also sees enchanting things that makes her forget the shadows.

Along the way, Scarlett witnesses many battles between the forces of good and evil. Though she is tempted by darkness along the way, her pure heart always brings her back from the brink of losing her soul.

She tries to unravel the mystery of the noble family that lived many years ago in the castle and the secrets they hold.

As time passes, Scarlett discovers that her gift is not only to view the supernatural. It is more powerful than she imagines, but her true desire is to someday be a part of a family that loves her.

Does she really see the supernatural world, or is it all just in her imagination?

1065353216

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 24 ago 2020
• ISBN: 9781643341446

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Unseen Worlds

Lorena Flores

Copyright © 2020 Lorena Samano

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2020

ISBN 978-1-64334-145-3 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-64334-144-6 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Tabla de contenido

The Enchanted Orphanage

The Basement of Secrets

Secret Mirrors

Magical Christmas

Rich Ladies Visit

Snowy Day

Time Passes Under the Shade

Vision of the Past

The World of Eternal Fire

The Power of Prayers

The Forest’s Hidden Secrets

Haunted Mansion

The Spell

To my husband, Antonio, my children Tony and Kelly, and my mother, Velia, for their endless support and love from them. I love you all.

Chapter 1

The Enchanted Orphanage

In the cold night of winter, I was abandoned in a mysterious orphanage. I was born with an illness. The daylight turned my skin a crimson red, so I stayed in the shadows. I couldn’t go out in the day; my skin would hurt. When they found me at the door, my cheeks were flushed the color of scarlet—so Scarlett became my name.

I still remember that mysterious castle in the middle of so many hills. The orphanage looked ancient and abandoned, surrounded by an immense pine forest with a persistent breeze blowing through it. The sun seemed to be basking in its own rays as it hovered over the horizon, and bright fuchsia and apricot collided with the deep-blue sky. I could hear the movement of the pines and tree leaves and smell the scent of orange blossoms.

The orphanage was an old castle with large, deep-red French doors. As you stepped into the eerie castle, you could hear echoes. The floors were cold, hard marble, each tile chosen with a specific taste in mind, and beautiful paintings were displayed all around the room. There was a set of double staircases, one on the left and one on the right, their railings exquisitely engraved with flowers, not one alike. Six large, evenly spaced stone pillars kept the orphanage standing, each elegantly carved to accent the Renaissance feel of the castle.

A grand wooden door to the left led to a large library, and to the right was a great hall leading to a grand wooden door opening to the castle chapel, intended for prayer and used by all members of the castle household.

The chapel was two stories high, and the nave was divided horizontally with a painted rood screen and altar chest. From the window of the chapel, one had a view of the surrounding garden, with too many different kinds of plants to count.

There was a moderate-sized fountain which showered water gracefully. From the outside, the castle appeared to have been abandoned, but when one walked through those big red double doors, it was full of life. There were girls running and playing, and you could hear babies’ cries and laughter. People of all ages—nurses, religious sisters—were walking around, and they always looked very busy.

The room where I stayed was large with two big windows and a high ceiling with an antique chandelier. Two rows of beds were near the wall, spaced closely together. We all had to wear white dresses with a hemline below the knee and pink bows in our hair. At night, we donned our pajamas, and the sisters always wanted us to fall asleep quickly. After we prayed, they turned off the light, but in the darkness, sometimes I could hear girls crying, those who missed their families or wanted one of their own.

Back then, I didn’t understand why most girls and babies were orphaned and why we were there. In fact, there were many girls who had great qualities, some were very intelligent, others were very good at athletics. Some liked to sing and dance, and also seemed to value their solitude, a loneliness that I shared with them. These girls were very sweet and beautiful.

Why did our parents leave us here? I asked myself every day. We had been rejected and dumped by our loved ones for unknown reasons, and we all fell into the deep emotional distress and inconsolable pain.

Almost every night when I closed my eyes, I imagined my parents—what they were like, how they looked. I always imagined I was playing with them, and they smiled at me and loved me. I also imagined that if I had a brother or a sister, I’d take care of them too. I’d have so much fun with them, and if one day I could be with my family, I would love them so much.

But that was only in my imagination. I enjoyed fantasizing about a different life until I fell asleep. I always had them with me in my dreams.

I liked to look out the window, hoping that one day, my parents would come for me. If I saw a car approaching the orphanage with a couple stepping out of the car, I got excited and ran quickly toward them, hoping that they were my parents, but they never were. They were always just some strangers who wanted to adopt a girl. I was sad that my family had not come back for me.

* * *

The years passed, and now, I am five years old. Although I frequently stood at the window watching for them, I started to lose hope that my parents would come for me, even that I’d have a new family of my own.

One girl I remember was called Jessica, a freckled girl with red hair. She was about ten years old and hated being in the orphanage. That was why she liked to bother the younger children, always shouting at them to be quiet. If a child wouldn’t listen to her, she would get up from her bed angrily and put her hand over the offender’s mouth to shut her up. Almost all of them were afraid of her and her friends. Whenever she could, if no sisters or teachers were around, she took advantage of young girls and took away their food and toys, just for fun.

All the girls had to take classes, and we had different activities within the orphanage. Most of the time, I had to clean the floors, corridors, and stairways.

The nuns of the orphanage wore a veil and tunic, covered by a scapular and cowl. We had a sister named Caroline. She was very tall and thin and did not smile much. She also had a temper and was always holding a long ruler in her hand. If we didn’t obey, she hit us on the palm of each hand. Fear made us obey and respect her.

One day, a sweet girl named Leah arrived at the orphanage. She was about five years old, chubby, with medium-long black hair and white skin. Leah was also shy and always had a doll with her, which was pretty, but it looked old. One day, while we were in the playroom, Sister Caroline approached her.

What’s your name, dear? Sister Caroline asked kindly.

Leah, she answered with a soft smile.

Can I borrow your doll? Sister Caroline asked.

Leah, wide-eyed, looked doubtful and didn’t respond.

Sister Caroline snatched the doll out of Leah’s hands.

No! Her voice had an annoyed edge.

Sister Caroline’s face took on a mean sneer. Oh, no? she said, staring at the doll. How ugly your doll is! I can’t believe someone could hold her. She began to laugh.

Leah snatched the doll from Sister Caroline’s hands and ran to a corner of the room where she sank to the floor in tears. Sister Caroline was furious and took the doll again.

Get up and extend your hand, Sister Caroline ordered.

Leah’s hands were trembling as she obediently extended her arms. Sister Caroline hit her three times on each hand with a large ruler and scolded her. Then she cruelly threw down Leah’s doll.

The doll fell right next to me, and I picked it up. Leah grabbed the doll from my hands and ran to the corner of the room, crying, hugging her doll. She was only five years old. A tear slipped dawn my cheek.

After a while, I approached Leah, hoping to comfort her. Hi, I said. I was unsure what else to say.

She looked down and hugged her doll tighter.

Your doll has a nice dress and a beautiful smile, I said.

She didn’t answer.

Nothing can cheer her up, I thought sadly and began to