Heretical Fishing

Chapter 49: Medicine

"W-what?" I asked, rather dumbly, by my estimation.

Corporal Claws and Sergeant Snips both turned to me, their eyes going wide.

They had excavated the pond further. It was twice again as deep as the last time I'd seen it, and was lined with dark rocks. Semi-opaque, pearlescent stones broke up the tedium of plain rocks, the sun's rays hitting them and casting rainbow colors.

In the middle of the pond sat a boulder; the prismatic reflections coming from it were overwhelmingly pleasant.

Claws dashed for me, running the length of the wall to reach me. She rubbed up against my leg, chirping happily.

Snips also approached, but with a hesitant gait. She looked almost bashful, her eye averting and flicking back to me as she moved.

"You two did all this?"

Claws nodded vigorously; Snips nodded shyly.

"It's..."

"It's beautiful!"

Her bubbles paused, and her body froze.

She blew a tentative bubble of questioning, asking if I meant it.

"Snips... how could you think I'd dislike this? This is amazing!"

She slowly nodded to herself, and as the realization sunk in that I wasn't upset, she rushed to me, all her trepidation replaced by a stream of happy bubbles and hisses. I pet her carapace as she rubbed a spike-free section of it against my leg.

Corporal Claws chirped, demanding the same attention. With a laugh, I obeyed, delighting in their affection.

I cast my eyes back up to the pond, the sea of light on the black and gray floor filling me with awe.

"How did just the two of you do this so quickly... I was only gone for half a day..."

Snips gestured at part of the pond and made a so-so gesture.

I looked closer; five Rock Crabs sat at the bottom, apparently resting. I hadn't noticed them before under the barrage of visual stimuli.

"They helped?"

Snips shrugged, repeating the same 'kind of' movement with her one claw.

I walked down into the water. It was cool, and without a second thought, I stripped off my outer clothes and sat down.

The water came up above my shoulders, and I let out a sigh. My companions joined me, both fighting for space in my lap.

I let out a content noise.

"This is just what I needed after a morning of labor."

From my position, I noticed the cave for the first time. The pearl-like boulder was nestled atop large black rocks, and on this side of the pile, the entrance was visible.

"It... is that a cave, Snips?"

She nodded, blowing proud bubbles.

"What's it for?"

She considered for a moment, but instead of telling me, blew an anticipatory steam.

"I have to wait and see?" I asked with a grin.

She nodded.

"Alright - keep your secrets."

***

A soft breeze blew, its temperature perfectly matching the moon's light shining down from above.

Sergeant Snips, chosen of master Fischer, entered the house.

She approached the master's room, finding her target within. She poked it.

Claws let out a sleepy chirp as she raised her head, half-lidded eyes opening to peer at Snips.

She gestured for Claws to follow, holding one pincer to her mouth, telling the otter to be quiet.

Corporal Claws glanced at Fischer, and seeing him still asleep, took Snips' meaning.

***

Corporal Claws couldn't contain her curiosity, but each time she chirped in question, Snips simply gestured for her to keep following.

Her sleepiness had long since dissipated, and the further they got out into the bay, the less she could contain her growing anticipation.

Snips remained silent until they arrived at a cavern deep below the water of the bay. With a small stream of bubbles, she told Claws to wait.

The crab produced a small fish, scuttled toward the entrance to the cave, and threw it just outside. Then she settled down beside it, holding completely still.

Corporal Claws sat, watching with swelling curiosity.

Is Snips... hunting?

Something poked out of the cavern, and Claws' eyes focused on it sharply.

An orange stick poked out, moving up and down in the water. It extended further out, slowly, testingly, and realization struck Claws.

It was a sea snipper - a giant sea snipper.

The thing continued walking out, lured from its home by the fish Snips had placed.

One of the sticks on its head had been cut off recently; a nub remained of the severed appendage, which had only grown back slightly.

Snips is going to kill it?

The sea snipper's body was entirely out of the cave now, the moonlight from above showing all of its form.

It was twice as long as her own length, its body thrice larger.

Claws imagined the taste of the giant creature, and just how much flesh must be held within its mighty shell.

Her mouth salivated.

The sea snipper drew closer to the fish, and its doom.

The remaining stick atop its head - and two smaller ones below it - moved chaotically in every direction, tasting the water and watching for predators.

Snips bided her time; she moved not a muscle, intent on waiting for the sea snipper to get even closer.

It reached the fish, lazily picking it up with a massive claw and drawing it to its mouth.

The giant crustacean took a single step back toward the cave, and Snips attacked.

Faster than Claws could even register, Snips' pincer shot out, clamping and releasing a shockwave that could be felt from her position ten meters away. Sand flew from Snips' position, a small cloud billowing from the detonation site.

Claws' eyes went wide as a newfound respect for Snips' power took root deep in her psyche. She'd assumed previously that even if Snips were to attack her, to catch her despite their speed differences, that they'd be on equal footing if it came to a fight.

She had assumed wrong.

The sand began to settle, revealing Snips under the giant sea snipper. The creature was unharmed - unconscious, but whole.

Claws cocked her head in confusion, and Snips gestured for her to help.

Following the instruction, Claws approached, also getting under the limp body.

Snips pointed, and with blooming understanding, Claws knew where they were going.

***

The lobster's awareness - as limited as it may be - returned in the blink of a compound eye.

It scanned its new surroundings.

It was within a cave, and following base instincts refined over millions of years, withdrew further into it.

The water here was acceptable, and there was a delicious smell present.

Its antennae moved without thought, locating the source of the food—it was in its claw.

Content, it brought the claw to its mouth, happily chewing on the fish it found there.

***

Barry took a deep breath, willing the cool morning air to wash away his remaining sleeplessness.

It worked partially, but his nerves were still frayed.

The first sign of light had just begun to poke over the eastern sky, the rays heralding the sunrise to come. He'd hoped that first light would increase his wakefulness; it only made his eyelids heavier.

After his work last night, he'd found himself unable to sleep, his mind trapped in a storm of thoughts.

He breathed the breath out, knocking on the door before him as he did so.

Before he finished exhaling, the door was thrown open, and a pair of similarly sleepless eyes narrowed.

"What do you want?" Roger demanded. "If you've come to demand an apology, you can shove it right up your-"

"I'm here for Sharon, Roger," Barry said, cutting the diatribe off at the root.

He held up his satchel.

"Helen and I prepared a concoction of herbs and roots. This has nothing to do with yesterday."

Roger's nostrils flared, his mouth tightening, but then he stepped aside.

"Maria!"

His daughter poked her head around a corner.

"Yes, Dad? Oh, Barry! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Maria," Barry said, stepping inside. "I've brought some medicine for Sharon."

"Oh! Come with me!"

At least one of us is chipper this morning, as Fischer would say, Barry thought.

Maria led him to a bedroom door across from a basic kitchen, opening it gently and entering.

Barry followed, his heart breaking as he saw Sharon.

He'd never known the woman personally, but had seen her around the village when the family had first arrived in Tropica.

The person he saw laying in the bed was a shadow of the memory he had in his mind. She was stick thin, her body that of a woman decades older than her actual age. The ever-present smile he had pictured in his mind was gone, her visage sunken and gaunt.

"Mom, I've brought Barry to see you."

Sharon opened her eyes, peering up to look at him. Her gaze seemed to shift right through him, her eyes unable to focus.

"Barry..." she said, a mere repeating of the word, rather than a name that held recognition.

"He's brought medicine for you, mom."

Sharon blinked, unresponding, and Maria's lip quivered.

As soon as the despair appeared, the daughter swept it away.

"I'll help you sit up. Here."

Maria bent, easily lifting Sharon upright with one arm as she placed pillows behind her back with the other.

"It's good to see you, Sharon."

Barry opened his satchel, removing the container that held the juiced sugarcane.

"My wife helped me prepare some medicine to help you heal."

He popped the lid, kneeling down to be at her height.

"You don't have to drink it all, but anything you can get down will be of great help."

He held the open container to her mouth, and whether by cognizant effort or instinctual reaction, Sharon pursed her lips and brought them to the opening.

With great care, Barry poured a little of the juice into her mouth.

Sharon swallowed the first trickle, the muscles of her throat and chest clearly visible beneath her paper-thin form as they worked to ingest the liquid.

Trickle by trickle, swallow by swallow, Sharon drank the juice.

It was a long process, but all involved were patient, and Barry didn't want to rush her, lest she cough up a single drop.

When most of the liquid was gone, only a quarter of the juice remaining, Sharon shook her head and closed her eyes.

“Tired...” she whispered, leaning away and back into the pillows.

Swift as a flood, Maria removed the pillows and eased her mother down onto the bed.

Sharon stirred, opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes glazed over, then closed.

Maria pulled the blanket up, tucking her mother in. She kissed her on the forehead and smoothed her hair back.

Barry stepped from the room, waiting for Maria to join him.

When she exited, her face was pointed down, and she breathed out a sigh.

Barry went to put his hand on her shoulder and console her, but then she turned.

Her eyes welled above a happy smile, and as she looked up at him, a tear fell down her freckled cheek.

“She hasn't drunk that much of anything in weeks, let alone medicine. What was in that, Barry?”

“It's of Helen's making, but you don't need to worry about what's in it - as long as Sharon drinks it, we'll make more and bring it over.”

She nodded, a strand of hair falling from behind her ear that she immediately swept back.

“Thank you, Barry.”

“No problem at all.”

He glanced toward the door.

“Well, I'd better get back to the fields. I'll see you out there?”

She nodded again.

"See you out there."

As Barry was leaving, a hoarse voice called his name.

He turned back to see Roger, who was looking out a rear window, his back turned.

"Thank you."

Barry smiled at the man's back.

"You're welcome, Roger. I'll be back with more tomorrow."

He left with hope in his heart.

Please work...

He shook his head.

No. It will work.

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