The Story of Sister Abigail
A long time ago, there was a nun named Sister Abigail Wyatt. She was a wise woman in her 30s: kind, gentle, pious, smart, and generous. She lived in a religious orphanage with the other nuns and priests to raise children who were abandoned or have lost their families. One rainy night, while falling asleep in her bedroom after a long day's work, she heard a noise. Someone was crying. Sister Abigail was slightly spooked, but she wondered where the sound was coming from. Curious, she took her flashlight and went down the hallway, hoping not to wake the children up. As she got closer to the entrance, she heard the crying again. Sister Abigail opened the door and she gasped in surprise. She saw a newborn cradled in a basket with a note that read, "Please take care of him." Unsure of where the parents were, she decided to take the baby under her care and named him Bray. Sister Abigail became the boy's adoptive mother.
As Bray grew into childhood, Sister Abigail noticed that her son was "different" from the other children. When the children loved dogs and cats, Bray preferred crocodiles and spiders. While thunderstorms scared the kids, Bray seemed unafraid. When girls saw their dolls as pretty, Bray saw them as voodoo dolls. While boys never dared to play with fire, Bray puts his hand over a candle frame and it never got burned. Because of his strange behavior, Bray got bullied a lot by his peers. And one day, a group of young boys decided to test Bray by chasing him to the mud pits for a fight. Bray refused because Sister Abigail was nearby watching, sitting on her rocking chair. He didn't want to hurt her feelings and told the boys he didn't want to play rough. The boys ignored his plea and began to throw mud on him. But before Sister Abigail can interfere, three older boys from the orphanage came in and fought the three bullies. The bullies, in pain from their beatings, retreated to the orphanage. Bray thanked the older boys - Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, and Braun Strowman - for saving his life and owed them his friendship. For the first time, Bray had friends…and big brothers of his own. Sister Abigail tended to the young Bray on his injuries and promised him that she will always be there for him no matter what the circumstances faced him.
Bray and his new "brothers" went on numerous adventures together. They will look for animals in the forest while Sister Abigail follows behind. She is happy that her son has some friends to be with. One shining example of Bray's growth as a child was when he and the trio participated in a play about a lonely black sheep. Numerous children - including Luke, Erick, and Braun - wore white sheep masks and Bray wore the black sheep mask. From Sister Abigail's perspective, she saw the story of the black sheep reminded her of Bray's loneliness: an outcast, a disgrace, a broken soul, a lost cause…..
At a small chapel near the orphanage, Sister Abigail taught Bray how to read and found his greatest strength: words. She gave his son the opportunity to participate in church activities such as joining choir or reciting lectures. By the time Bray was 14, he was already a talented orator and his rousing speeches impressed his peers. He was so good in fact that he was asked to appear in weddings, funerals, and special occasions in the church. Sister Abigail was proud of Bray and knew that her son was going to be a great man someday. She was always going to be there for him…or so she thought. Next thing she knows, Bray turned 18 and it was time for him to leave the orphanage. Luckily, Bray was going to visit Luke, Erick, and Braun at their house in the countryside. Sister Abigail watched as her son left the door, tears running down her face.
Year after year, she waits for Bray's return. The seasons come and go and with each passing day, she sees the children being picked up by families, leaving the orphanage when they're 18, or stayed to become nuns and priests in training. Only was Sister Abigail in her early 70s that Bray finally came back to the orphanage to meet her. Bray told her that he missed her every day and invited her to his home. Sister Abigail, along with Bray, came to the house and Bray made sure she felt comfortable, giving her food, clothing, and shelter. Sister Abigail had her own bedroom and she stayed with Bray and his three friends for a couple of months. Sadly, fate took her by surprise: illness struck Sister Abigail and Bray watched her as she lay dying on her deathbed. Seeing her son cry in front of her, Sister Abigail remembered the day she first met him cradled in a basket. In her last breath she tells Bray, "Please….take care of me". She dies peacefully.
Bray was devastated and cried all night. The next morning, he lay in his bed emotionless and silent. Tears were still fresh in his eyes. Luke, Erick, and Braun tried to cheer him up, but to no avail: Bray was depressed. He slightly ate anything and barely got any sleep. But one day, a mysterious letter appeared near his door. Bray opened the letter and learned that it was an posthumous letter from his mother, who died a few years ago. He learns that his mom left him at the orphanage…because of his dad. His father was a strange but intimidating man: he was a preacher and believed in the supernatural. He formed a dangerous cult because of it, reciting dark incantations and summoning nature to do his bidding. Bray's dad calls himself ridiculously as a "messiah", a "king", an "emperor", or even worse…a god. Fearing her husband's drunkenness for power and control, Bray's mom escaped the house and took a bus to the orphanage so she can drop Bray off to be properly taken care of. She further blames herself for not telling Bray earlier or convincing her husband to clean up his act and become a better father for Bray, but she is happy that her son is living somewhere where he can be safe from harm. The letter touched Bray's heart and he suddenly realized that he needed to do one thing…
Bray went back to the orphanage and told one of the nuns to escort him to Sister Abigail's room. He found his adoptive mother's room empty and clean…all except one item that stood out. Sister Abigail's rocking chair. Bray remembered how his mom sat him on her lap and she would tell him stories about anything. She was on that chair when she fed him, she was on that chair when she rocked him to sleep, and she was on that chair when she watched his first steps. The chair was not just a part of her…it was also a part of his. Bray took the chair with him back home. He decided to bury Sister Abigail outside his house and built a small shack over it as a tomb. And every day of every year, Bray would visit her resting place and pray. Sometimes, he brings her chair with him and rocks back and forth in peace, assuring himself that Sister Abigail and also his biological mother are always in his heart and in his presence. But as the more protective he became of Sister Abigail, the more demented he became like his father. His brotherhood grew and Luke, Erick, and Braun became his family. Bray Wyatt was no longer the outcast he once was…he now feels completely accepted.