The Leaning Tower Of Sisa
Over a thousand years ago, a lady of great wealth was known throughout the vast region of Lechia. She is a lover of fish and donor of veils for young, adult female worshippers and dwellers of an old church.
She frequents a big, old church where women, young and old, pray and stay for many years. The dwellers of this church are all single and forbidden to marry because of some odd, old beliefs of their progenitors of unknown origin. Some females are adopted by the church to protect them from slavery and exploitation.
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One reason Sisa decided to join the church is to socialize with more common people, but not to blind herself with enormous wealth. And of course, to praise God and never be tempted to do anything wicked, unfair or unjust against anybody. That's why she mingles with every single person inside the said old church. She shares food and distributes hundreds of pieces of clean plain cotton sheets for these people to sew, decorate and use as veils from dusts wherever they go.
Not so long, earthquakes became prevalent in many continents. Volcanic eruptions also occur in many places and people never knew of any volcanoes' history. And because education then was not for everybody of any race or nationality, many people are not advanced in learning new things. Teachers and scholars are also limited to teach or share their knowledge to everyone because even housing and other basic services are not accessed by all.
There were no known established governments everywhere in the world except for those countries and people exposed to law and order and real basic education and proper training.
Sisa, being raised by a wealthy family, wanted to stay single forever after all her family members and relatives were robbed and massacred in different occasions. She was the only surviving heir to acquire all properties and rights from all businesses that her clan strongly built for almost two centuries.
One day, her attention was caught by a young man who arrived in Lechia. The man is a total stranger and was asked by many ladies and women about his purpose of visit in their place. The man said that he came from the eastern part of the globe, educated inside a church and adopted by a priest since he was three years old. He was raised not knowing his biological parents.
Sisa was informed by many about the background of the young man and felt more curious of knowing him in person.
One morning, they met each other at the front door of the church. The man asked Sisa if he can enter the church, but he was not allowed.
Day after day that Sisa visits the church, the young man waited for her. The man's offer of friendship to Sisa was always rejected until one stormy day when heavy rains poured on the ground and flooded the entire community where the church stands.
There is a single adamantine tower behind the church columns and attached to the old church. A hidden spiral stairway from the back of the church is the only entry going to the top of the tower. Inside this tower is a room with small bed and three wooden chairs surrounded by small windows of the tower for ventilation. The said room of the tower was occupied before by a preacher for two decades until the tower was closed following the preacher's death from sickness.
Sisa and the young man became closed friends. Sisa was reminded by the female residents of the church (dwelling in the first floor) to renew her vows not to marry. She was frustrated and said that she is in control of her life. The old church, she told everybody, is also part of her inheritance because the church was built and funded under the name of her family. The dwellers were shocked and begged for mercy to continue staying in the old church. And for the sake of the old and young women who do charity for the community, Sisa granted their request.
"It is only now I realized that life is not all about sacrifices. You need to love yourself too. Whatever your belief or religion is, so long as you do good things for others, celibacy or solitude is not the only answer to a happy and peaceful life. Learn to love more and be loved!... Do not blind yourself with any creed or belief that love is not for everyone!"
Sisa and the young man loved each other and stayed in the tower for a decade even without having children.
One night, a strong earthquake struck the church. The man and husband of Sisa left her in the tower for a while and rushed down to the church to check all the women there. Suddenly the whole church collapsed, killing everybody inside the church. Only the tower was left standing, leaning and undamaged. Sisa was the only person to survive after the night of devastation.
In the succeeding years after the tragedy, Sisa never loved a man again. She stayed in the tower until her last breath.
Before Sisa died inside the tower, she painted two words on the wall: "Great welonin." She was referring to the Polish word "welon," meaning "veil" (or face cloth) and/or "fish" (or goldfish) that she, for a long time since childhood, was fond of.
If you are to scramble and rearrange the said painted words or phrase, you will unlock the words "leaning tower."
The historical and romantic site where the old tower stood a thousand years ago has been destroyed by wars and forgotten by time... once known as the "Leaning Tower Of Sisa."
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