"Extra! Extra! A 35-Year-old man takes his own life after losing his family!!" He yelled, waving a folded newspaper in the air. A woman took a newspaper and handed a coin to the boy. She read the newspaper carefully. "Winifred Mandin dies of a heart attack on November 11th, 1829. The day after the funeral, Elija Mandin puts his children, Angela and Charlie Mandin, up for adoption and takes his life a week later, on November 18th, 1829. Elija laid on the ground of his home. A pistol was on the floor and a hole punctured the center of his face. Jade Andrews found Elija when she came to check on him after his wife's death."

The man sat there silently. He thought about taking them back, but he couldn't. He nodded, stood up, and headed for the door. He looked at her and his son. He gave his daughter a tight, warm hug. The man hugged his son as well before grabbing two bracelets out of his pocket. He put them on his children's wrists and spoke. "These will remind you of our family. Keep these safe, and you will always remember me. Look out for each other." "Where are you going?" Angela asked. "I'm going home. You will stay here." "When are you coming back?" "If you wish to see me, you'll visit me when you're older. It'll be alright." The man said, putting a hand on his daughter's cheek. The man stood up straight, said goodbye, and left. Both Angela and Charlie felt a hand on their shoulders. A maid pushed them down a hallway. A week later, an older boy who looked to be about fifteen stood on the sidewalks of the city.

"Are you dropping off or picking up?" "Dropping off." The man said, fiddling with his hands under the desk. "How many?" The woman asked as she wrote down everything he said. "Two. A boy and a girl." "Ages?" "The boy is four, and the girl is six." "Names?" "Angela and Charlie" "When they're older, do you want them back, or do you want me to tell them that you're dead?" The man didn't say anything for a moment. "Neither... If they want to find me later, then they will. If not, they won't. Simple enough." The woman wrote everything down. "I will not have them live a terrible life here. They will not go to help any family. They will not be taken in by anyone except those who want to take them in as children." "That won't be your decision. Once you give children away, the children are in our hands."

That morning the man woke up with the sun shining in his eyes like usual. He got dressed in new clothes, combed his hair, and washed his face. He went into his daughter's room and woke her up softly. He did the same with his son. He served them a simple breakfast and got them into the carriage. It took about 30 minutes to arrive at the large, gloomy building. By the building's appearance, the man started getting second thoughts. He shook his head and got his children out. They entered the lobby sitting down in a few empty chairs. "Next." A woman called from an office. The man stood up and told his children to wait there. He sat down in front of a desk where an older woman sat.

"MRS.VELVET'S ORPHANAGE Here your children will be safe from harm. They will have a warm bed, nice clothes, and three meals a day!" The first words read. As the man continued to read, his mind spun. He reread the paper over and over. It seemed like a nice enough place for his children. He loved them more than words could express, but he didn't believe in himself enough to take care of them. Without his wife, he would be hopeless. The man separated the advertisement from the other papers. He stacked them all together and put the orphanage advertisement on top of the stack. He set them on the table and headed upstairs. He didn't bother to change clothes or get ready for bed. He lay in his bed, pondering about his children. It took hours for him to stop thinking and for him to fall asleep.