Healing the Broken

I walk through the old majestic cemetery. It was a beautiful place full of roses, lilies, and glorified statues. Most of the tombstones were made from quartz and jade stone. The constant gush of wind would spread the sweet pollen and scent through the cemetery. It felt more like a garden than a place where the deceased had been buried. I walked toward a shiny green tombstone. Danj’s name was engraved into it. I laid a small pot of flowers on the ground in front of it. They were purple flowers from the enchanted garden. I dug a small hole with a shovel, I had brought from home. I place the flowers in it. They were the only plants that didn’t die when they were out of the enchanted forest. I lied down and hummed the song Danj had liked.
Before I had begun traveling, I would come here often and let my mind unravel. Sometimes, I would think about how I could improve the remedies or about how grateful I was for my family. But mostly, I would think about Danj. I didn’t blame myself for her death, well I forced myself not to, Kye had told me not to. He told me she saved us and that was more important than anything for her. But sometimes, I couldn’t help but wonder what life would have been for Kye and Danj if she hadn’t died. I wondered if I would have been included in their lives.
I heard shuffling in the dense trees behind me and stood up. A boy of seven ran out from behind the trees and ran toward me. He threw his arms around me as he jumped on my back.
“Zey,” he cheered, as I spun him around. “I missed you. How come you didn’t visit?”
“Hey Taun,” I said. “I’m visiting now. How did you know I was at the cemetery?”
“Kye, told me,” he said and slid off my back. “I couldn’t wait, I had to see you.”
“I have a present for you,” I said. I picked up my backpack from the ground and opened it. Pulling out a bundle. Double swaddled up in fabric, I peel the layers off the shell.
“An egg,” Taun noted, amazed by its size when he realized it was larger than my hand.
“Yes,” I said. “it’s an ostrich egg. A farmer gave it to me as a present when I gave him a remedy.”
“Incredible,” He said excitedly. “but what’s an Ostrich.”
“They’re birds that grow larger than people. They also run faster than any other animal I’ve see. They can also be used as home guarders.”
“How do I keep it warm,” He looked worriedly at me
“These,” I gestured the cloth to him. I had made the cloth from some enchanted plants. They kept their heat and never cool down. “these will keep it warm.”
He threw his hands over me. “Thank-you Zey. You’re the Greatest.”
“Want to hold it?” I asked him.
He nodded his head eagerly.
I handed it to him. And he gently rub on it as if it was a genie lamp and stared at with astonishment.
“Can I carry it home?” he asked.
“It’s yours now. You’re its protector now.”
“What happen to its mother?” he asked, anxiously.
“The farmer was going to skin and eat her. I guess the farmer thought I was going to cook and eat the egg as well.”
He looked at me with sad eyes. “it’s okay little one,” he stared at the egg. “I’ll look over you now. And I promised I won’t let anyone eat you.”
I smiled. I knew he would keep his promise.
“I have a gift for you, too,” he said.
“Really? I’m excited,” I said.
I walked with Taun to his home. He cuddle the egg protectively under his arm. We walked through the front the door. Kye, Kashon, and Petily were all sitting at the table, chatting cheerfully. Three pies sat in the middle of the table.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hi dear,” pettily said, and gave me a hug. “I’m glad you made it back home safely.”
“It smells delicious,” Taun said.
“Yes,” said pettily. “hurry up and wash up so we all sit down and eat.”
He nodded his head.
“What is that in your hands,” she asked.
“An ostrich egg,” he said.
“A what?” she look at him confused.
He looked unsure of how to explain to her so I jumped in.
“It’s a large bird. Sorry, I gave it to him. Some people use them to guard their farms, I thought you would like one,” I said.
“Oh,” she said. “Sure. You know I don’t mind animals especially if it’s going to guard our home. The more, the merrier. I just never heard of an otich before.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. “An ostrich,” I corrected her.
“Speaking of animals,” she said. “Mrs. Melberry’s cow is dying from an illness. I couldn’t figure out the problem. Do you think you can help? I know you just got home, but I wouldn’t ask you if it weren’t an emergency.”
Petily had been a nurse working in the army units. That is where she met Kashon. She wasn’t much of a veterinarian, but she tried her best to treat ill animals, when the villagers asked for her help.
“Sure,” I said, “I’ll go, now.”
“Stay to eat pie, first,” she said pleadingly.
“Of course,” I said.
Taun finally returned from the washing room.
“Did you wash your hands with soap?” Petily asked.
He nodded his head.
Petily seem to be overly strict but the truth was she just wanted keep Taun from any germs of diseases.
As a new born, Taun had contracted a disease. Even as a nurse herself, Petily couldn’t cure the disease. No matter what doctor Kashon and Petily took Taun to, they couldn’t help him. He was sure to die. That is when I decided to go to the enchanted forest for first time since Danj’s death. I convinced Kye to come with me and we gathered the vixa and saved Taun’s life. At the time, I was only eight, but Taun’s soft sickly cough and cry had given me the courage to find the enchanted forest, again.

We all sat around the table and ate the delicious soft crust creamy strawberry pie. This was my family. We all had different features, because our lineages were from different lands, but we were closer than blood. Kye had an olive skin tone and dark black hair he let grow to his shoulders. He had a slim figure but still had muscular form. Kashon on the other hand was buff and very muscular and had blonde short hair. Petily had long brown hair and blue eyes. Taun had inherited his blonde hair from his father and his blue eyes from his mother. I had green eyes I had inherited from, Leer, my father but I could have inherited from mother but I couldn’t remember what she had look like. She had died when I was three. I had definitely gain my honey brown skin tone from her and my curly dark hair from her linage in south.
After we finished eating, I let Taun blind fold me as he led me to my surprise gift.
“On the count of three you can take it off,” he told me.
“1…2…3,” he counted.
I lifted off the cloth around my eyes and gasped in amazement
Sitting on a table outside were five astounding jars. They were all different sizes and shapes. They were all a vivid and vibrant blue. One of the jars was circular at the bottom but narrow at the stop. Another was in the shape of an hour glass about a foot long. My favorite reminded me of a ribbon as it spiraled in a “S” formation. Each jar had stone caps. They reminded me more of fancy perfume bottles.
“Do you like them,” Taun said when he noticed me just staring in silence.
“I loved them,” I kissed him on the cheek, and began to run my fingers over the jars. “they are beautiful.”
“I wanted you to have a place to put your remedy,” he said.
I forgotten how creative and artistic Taun was. When he was three he would play in the mud and make bowls and cups from mud. Starting at five, Kashon and Petily had him take molding lesson from elderly man who use to make jewelry.
“You’re miraculous little boy,” I smiled at him.
I carefully packed the jars up and Petily gave me pie to take to Mrs. Melberry.
“Thank-you,” Petily said as I walked out the door.
“Can I go with her,” Taun begged. “I promise to come back and wash up before the ceremony.”
Petily gazed at Taun, pondering if she should or should not let him go.
“Okay,” she sighed. “in one hour you better be back so you can wash up.”
He literally jumped up and cheered. Taun always had a lot of energy, but the real reason why he was excited is he had befriended Mrs. Melberry’s children and didn’t see them much since they were taught their studies at home
As we walked to Mrs. Melberry, Taun explained to me how he had gotten better at knocking mangos down. Kye had taught us how to spear and we had created a game out of it by trying to knock mangos down with a spear. We would reward ourselves by eating the sweet juicy fruit.
When we arrived at Melberry’s farm, we found the children were busy doing chores. Her little girl about Taun’s age was gathering eggs from the chicken coop. The oldest boy, older than Taun by two years, was tending the horses. And the youngest boy, a little younger than Taun, was trying force feed a bottle to a calf. The calf was struggling from his hold and trying to escape.
Part of the reason Melberry kept her children at home, is she needed their help at home. Her husband had die in unit. Although the army paid her for lost it wasn’t enough to make a living off of.
Once the children saw Taun, they rushed over to say hi.
Mrs. Melberry came out the house wipe her hands on a dish cloth and walked toward me.
“Hi Mrs. Melberry, “I heard you were having a problem with your cow.”
“Yes, thank-you for coming,” she greeted me with a hug. “She’s been very ill. Unfortunately for her calf, she hasn’t produce any milk. I’m afraid I will lose both of them.”
She showed me into the barn. The cow was lying on her side with her tongue hanging outside her mouth. Of course, I didn’t know what was wrong with her; I was not a veterinarian or a doctor but I could help her. I took out a bottle of remedy and pour three drops in the cow’s mouth. We both waited for the cow’s recovery.
The horrid foul smell hit me. My mind became blurry and began spinning. Mrs. Melberry dropped first. Then I felt myself fall over on my side. One of the children screamed but I couldn’t tell which one even my ears weren’t working properly. I barely had enough consciousness to figure out what was going and drank some of the remedy. Three people busted through the barn doors with metal gas masks on and completely dress in black attire. Even their hair was covered with black caps. My mind finally began to clear from the sip of remedy and I realized the voice of figures belong to women.
“Check to make sure there is no more children around,” said one of the woman.
Still light head, I lifted myself up, trying to pour some remedy in Melberry’s mouth but one of the women saw me.
“How is she still up,” she shouted furiously, walking toward me. “What is that you have in your hand?”
“We have to leave,” a woman warned. “someone’s coming.”
A sharp pain shot through the back of my skull and black flooded my mind.