The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 6
Silence filled the night as the moon rose over the sea to the east, its reflection washing the water’s surface in silver brilliance. Time continued in the darkness as the other side of life was awoken, rising from their daylight dormancy. A snowy white owl soared across the star speckled sky and landed on a high bough behind the Reed home. As midnight neared, the air stilled, the branches froze and the sea calmed as the moon reached its apex in the black sky.
Time stopped; an indistinguishable occurrence in the late hours of night. The owl alone withstood the brief suspension of time; its only noticeable movement was the blinking of its glowing golden eyes in the darkness.
The moon began to fade in the west as the sun ascended in its place. The pure white feathers of the owl ruffled in the wind when the magnificent bird spread its wings and took flight in the gleaming morning sunlight. It hooted once in farewell before disappearing over the treetops. The owl’s lonely call drifted down through the air and window into Prea’s bedroom, pulling her out of her dreaming state. She climbed out of bed, crossing to the window as she stared into the world waking outside. Prea watched as the sun rose, just as it did every day, as the animals and birds and wildlife stirred in greeting of a new day. The world did not stop, time did not stop, because her family had lost people they loved.
Without thinking, Prea’s body and feet moved the familiar path of her morning routine, ending in her usual spot on the precipice. She did as she always did, coming back inside only when the sun was fully above the horizon. That was the end of normality for the morning, as Alvie was not there greeting her as she returned. Prea climbed the stairs, looking for her siblings.
Outside Alvie’s bedroom door, Prea knocked and waited for an answer. Nothing. She opened the door slightly and stuck her face through. “Alvie? I was thinking of taking Carr to school today and maybe staying myself. It might be a good idea to go into the infirmary for a little bit. Get your mind thinking of something else.”
“I don’t know, Prea,” Alvie groaned beneath the covers. “I’ll think about it.”
“All right. Please do, think about it. You don’t need to go in for a full day. Just get out of the house some,” Prea said, stepping back and closing the door quietly. She moved down the hall towards her brother’s door, hesitated, then knocked.
“Cricket?” Silence. “Carr?” Prea asked softly, opening the door. Still there was nothing but silence. She slipped past the door and entered the room. Her brother’s back faced her, body under the covers, unmoving. Her heart beat faster as a jolt of panic shot through her; no stirring, no movement. Prea rushed to his bed, grabbed his arm and shook him.
“Carr?” Prea called anxiously. She pulled him towards her so he was lying on his back. His eyes did not open, his mouth did not move, his body remained fixed. She continued to shake him vigorously, desperate to rouse him.
“Alvie!” she screamed. Prea moved instinctively and put her ear to his face and listened; he was breathing, at the very least. Alvie ran into the room, the panic in Prea’s voice bringing fear into her own eyes. “He won’t wake,” Prea cried. “He’s breathing, but he won’t wake up.”
Alvie pushed her sister out of the way and began to examine Carr. She was all business and checked his pulse, his breathing, his temperature. Everything seemed normal, but he remained unconscious. “Prea, go get the doctor. Hurry,” Alvie ordered calmly.
An enormous feeling of déjà vu overcame Prea’s senses as she fled down the stairs and out of the house, running as fast as she could to the doctor’s door. Reaching the entry, she banged her fist against the solid wood.
“Doctor Locke? Doctor Locke?” Prea yelled just as she did eight years ago. “Doctor Locke, it’s Prea Reed. Please come, something’s wrong with Carr.”
The door opened suddenly, throwing Prea off balance and she almost fell into the good doctor. “What’s happened, Prea?” Doctor Locke inquired hastily, leading Prea into the street as they hurried back to her house.
“I don’t know. I went to wake him this morning and he wouldn’t open his eyes. He’s alive, but nothing wakes him.”
“I’ll have to examine him before I make any determinations about his condition,” Doctor Locke instructed as they crossed the threshold of their destination and rushed upstairs. Alvie leapt out of the way as the doctor arrived.
“I’ve checked everything Doctor Locke: his pulse and breathing are steady and normal, but his body is limp and he has no reactions or reflexes to stimulants,” Alvie advised.
Doctor Locke listened as he went to work, examining the small boy who lay still in his bed, blond curls a halo around his head. Alvie was positioned at the ready beside the doctor, prepared to help with anything he needed. Prea, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth in front of the door. Nothing changed; no matter what the doctor did, Carr did not move, did not wake.
Eventually the good doctor backed away from Carr and stood, pausing before turning to face the sisters. His grey eyes were bleak and perplexed and he looked at them as though they were small children. “I can’t find any explanation…any cause for his unconsciousness. He is a perfectly healthy eight-year-old, except for the fact that he won’t wake. We can try some herbs, poultices and such, but I’m not sure they will do much good. I’m sorry, girls, but we will just have to wait and see what happens,” he explained sadly, patting both Alvie and Prea on the shoulder before leaving them be.
* * *
A faint sound swelled to a shrill whistle, reverberating loudly within Prea’s ears, shocking her dull senses back to her sharp and present reality. The water was boiling in the kettle and Prea was gazing out through the kitchen window towards the forest but wasn’t seeing the trees; in fact, she wasn’t seeing anything. The window perfectly framed the blur of the natural world in her eyes.
Prea’s foggy mind was confused as she picked up the kettle and poured herself a cup of tea. When did I put the kettle on? How did I get in the kitchen? Prea asked herself, looking around the empty room for something to trigger her memory. This was happening more and more; she had no concrete memories of the past week, since her brother had slipped into unconsciousness. As her tea steeped, she racked her brain trying to summon anything from that time. Alvie had spent the days searching the infirmary for any information, herbs or potions, any cure for what ailed Carr.
There was a brief knock at the door, then Prea heard soft footsteps heading in her direction. Beda entered the kitchen, her red hair braided over her shoulder, concern shining in her eyes and a sad expression on her face. Beda simply walked over to her friend, her skirt swinging, and hugged Prea with all the love she possessed and Prea returned her hug with all the strength she could conjure. The old friends parted, still clasping each other’s arms as Beda scrutinized her friend’s face, searching for answers. “How are you doing, Prea?” Beda asked softly.
“I’m lost, Beda,” Prea confessed, looking away and out the window. “I don’t know what to do anymore. We’ve tried everything and nothing’s worked. He’s just lying up there, unmoving.” Tears welled in her eyes, but she willed them not to spill over. “He’s just a little boy.”
“I know, Prea, I know,” Beda whispered before dragging Prea and her tea over to the table where she slumped into a chair. Beda watched her friend closely, unsure of how to help or what to do. “Prea, you managed when your mother passed and Carr was practically still a baby, you’ll manage now. You’re stronger than anyone I know. You’ve raised that little boy and you’ve done an amazing job.”
“Really?” Prea argued quietly. “I’m pretty sure that, right now, I should be categorized as a failure.”
“You are not a failure,” Beda assured her. “You’ve done the best with what you’ve been given. You were a fifteen-year-old girl left with a crying three-year-old. Not to mention a depressed twelve-year-old. What do you think your parents would have done differently if they were still here?”
“I don’t know. But they were older, wiser, had more experience. I was a kid. Good heavens, I’m still a kid. Now I have the weight of the world on my shoulders and I’m afraid all I can do is sink. What if I can’t fix this?”
“Since when do you talk like this? This isn’t you. Doubt isn’t a part of your vocabulary.”
“How can I have faith after all that’s happened, Beda?”
“I don’t know, Prea. You’re the one who tells the rest of us to trust and have faith. That everything happens for reason.”
“What possible reason could be behind all of this?”
Beda sighed. “Only the heavens know that, apparently.”
“Well, I wish they’d share some of their plans with me.”
“Don’t we all,” Beda muttered sarcastically and Prea’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t give up. You will find something. You just have to keep looking.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” Prea murmured.
“What have you tried so far?” Beda wondered.
“I don’t really know, to be honest. Alvie’s been doing what she does best: herbs, potions, salves, anything she can think of. I’ve done a few of the healing rituals Mama used to do when we were younger.”
“Okay, that’s good. I have to go, but maybe you need to try things outside of the infirmary and medicinal books,” she suggested. “It’s just a thought. You’ve always been better with…‘other’. I’ll come by and check on you later, all right?” Beda rose, kissed Prea on the head and left.
Her mind started click, click, clicking. They had tried everything logical, everything related to health, medicine and the infirmary. Now it was time to look at the illogical. Prea jumped to her feet and hurried into the library. There were hundreds of books; the entire family loved to read. There were some that Prea could rule out as completely irrelevant, but there were more that held possibilities.
Her mind sharpened with the options as she sat down on the floor and cracked open the first book. The familiar scent of old paper and leather filled her nostrils as dust puffed up into her face, making her sneeze. As soon as the dust settled, she went to work, on a mission to find a cure for her brother.
