The Chronicles of Harold the Healer Ch. 06

"I was enjoying the privilege of being in the company of the most amazing woman ever," said Mark, gallantly pulling out Stella's chair for her to sit, then helping move it in to the table.

"He does a pretty good job of pretending to be a gentleman," replied the object of his affection, giving him a bright smile and a pat on the cheek as he sat in the chair to her left and across from Dana. "I think I'll keep him for a while and see what happens."

"I think that Stan and I can take at least some of the credit," said Dana as a waitress approached.

"Good morning, I'm Anna," said the tall, willowy young woman with bright green eyes and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. "What can I get for you?"

"Coffee!" Mark and Stella chorused, looking at each other and laughing. Anna grinned back.

"I'd like a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and a side of breakfast sausages, please," said Stella.

"Sausage is always a good way to start the day," said Mark with a straight face, making Stella redden and Dana snicker. Anna managed to distract herself by writing Stella's order on her notepad. "I'd like an omelet, two slices of toast with jam, and a small bowl of the oatmeal with raisins as well, please. Oh, and a glass of milk too." Stella seconded the milk, and Anna smiled and went into the kitchen through the right-hand door.

"I have to leave tomorrow to get back to my beloved job," said Dana dryly, "so, today I will go down to the place Sam mentioned to see how suitable it will be for the new Veterinary Mage School. I will find Harold and take him with me, since he's going to be its leader or headmaster or whatever title we'll wind up giving him. How about you two?"

"I have to go back home and work," Stella replied as the coffee and milk arrived and were received with grateful thanks. "Mom and Grandma always have something that needs doing, and there's another chapter in one of my books that I have to go over. Grandpa probably wants to find Harold too so that he can look at the veterinary clinic."

"Your Dad said something about a horse team that needs to be checked over and a delivery made," said Mark thoughtfully, sipping his hot coffee carefully. "If not that, then maybe I can tag along with you, Mom, and get a look at the prospective new School." Their breakfasts arrived and the two set to devouring it.

"I haven't seen people eating so fast since I left the Army," Dana snickered. "Don't worry about paying for it. It goes on the expense account."

"We're hungry, and it's really good," Mark mumbled through a mouthful of toast. Conversation was limited as her son and his new love, and it was love, Dana mused as she sipped her coffee, politely but rapidly devoured their food. "I hope that your parents are understanding," Mark continued once they were done and sipping their coffee.

"Since it was Mom who made me the tea, I'm sure they do," Stella replied, reddening a bit. "Were we really that obvious?" she asked Dana plaintively.

"When love strikes like a thunderbolt," the Engineer replied, signaling to Anna that they were done, "it pretty much scrambles the brain for a while. I've lived through it and seen others in the same circumstances. Enjoy it while it lasts. I know there's a long road ahead for both of you before you'll be able to settle down together." They nodded while exchanging a look.

"Did you enjoy your breakfast?" asked Anna, gathering their dishes onto a tray on the table.

"I think that the empty plates speak for themselves," Mark replied with a polite burp. "Let me help the dishwashers." He cast a carefully calibrated Clean spell on the pile of items, making a loud clatter that momentarily paused the other conversations in the room and making the four of them jump a bit. "Very useful spell, but noisy."

"Umm, thanks," said Anna, unsure how to react to Magic going off under her nose. "Should I bring the check?"

"No thanks, just add it to the room's account. I'll pay it all off when we leave."

"Sounds great. Thanks for coming, and have a great day." They rose, gave her a polite bow, and left the restaurant.

"Enjoy the day," said Emma from the front desk as they walked by.

"It looks like it will be a lovely day," Stella replied, giving Mark a smoldering look.

"Lots to do, even in a small town," he replied, nearly lost in her shining brown eyes.

"Young love," Dana sighed with an eye roll at Emma and pokes for the other two. Emma smiled back at her, but Dana could see that her eyes were unfocused, no doubt because she had something or someone on her mind. "Out the door, you two," she continued, propelling her son and likely daughter-in-law to and out of the front door onto the verandah. "Close your eyes, take a couple of deep breaths, and think about what you need to do today that doesn't involve going at it like rabbits." Dutifully, they obeyed and she could see them relax.

"Work now, fun later," said Stella. "There's iron out there that needs working."

"And horses that need examination and exercise," Mark added, looking around. The sun was shining brightly, the air was already warm, a gentle breeze was rustling the leaves of the tree on the front lawn, and people were already on the streets heading for work or getting their stores ready to open for business. "What a great day to be alive!"

"It's a great day to be dead, too!" cackled the voice of an old man from their right. They jumped and turned to look at the area with chairs and a table for hotel guests to sit and enjoy some tea and conversation. The sun was high enough that it was in shadow and they could make out the figure of a man, elegantly dressed in old-fashioned formal wear, including a walking stick and top hat, standing in the corner. He moved forward a few steps to get a better look at them.

"I'm sorry, sir, we didn't see you there," said Mark politely.

"Don't worry about me, son," replied the man with a friendly wink. "I'm just passing the time until I get picked up tonight." He continued walking towards them, but as he did, he faded away. The three of them shivered as they felt a sudden cold chill.

"Was he a ghost?" asked a wide-eyed Stella as they hastily decamped from the verandah and hustled to the sidewalk. "He was there in broad daylight!"

"I'll escort you home," said Mark, gallantly but a bit nervously.

"Where is the veterinary clinic?" asked Dana as they started walking south.

"It's on this side of the street a few blocks down," Stella replied. "We will be going right past it." The late May sun soon warmed them from the chill and they slowly relaxed and slowed their pace as they got further from the hotel.

"I think I'm feeling Dad," said Mark as he looked behind him and across the street.

"I feel him too," said his mother after a pause. "You two go on and I'll wait for him here." They were standing outside Turner's Veterinary Clinic, which was just across the street from the park. After a quick embrace with her, they looked both ways along the street and scurried across it.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Pella's shop, formally named 'Torres Tailor Shop', was not open yet, Harold noted with a sigh, not opening until 9:00, and by the position of the sun, it was only about a quarter to. "Well, they're not going anywhere," he mused as he continued his leisurely amble south. The Cartwrights' Bakery had already been open as he had walked by. He had seen Wanda behind the counter, pointed at a particularly tantalizing cake in the display case inside the store, and had mimed his stomach suddenly expanding, complete with waddle, getting a laugh loud enough to be audible through the closed door before continuing on. He always enjoyed getting other people to laugh and hoped that it did her some good.

The town was well on its way to opening up for the day and there were plenty of people on the sidewalks and on the street. He had no idea of who they were or what they did to support themselves, but he figured that, in the time he now had, he would eventually learn. Given the number of friendly greetings and nods he'd received as he moved towards the park, many had been at the medal presentation ceremony and then his surprise (to him) wedding yesterday. As he passed the hotel on the other side of the street, he could faintly feel Lakash's presence, and as he went further south, he became aware of Dana's and Mark's. Sure enough, as he reached the northern boundary of the park, he saw two familiar figures scurry across the street.

"Mom wants to talk to you," said Mark as he and Stella reached the relative safety of the sidewalk. He indicated the unmistakable figure and long blonde hair, who was standing at the door of the Turner Veterinary Clinic. "Have a good day!" he added as they offered a friendly wave and hastened southwards.

"You too!" he responded, looking both ways and hustling across the street to her. "Hi, Dana," he said as he walked into a strong hug, which he reciprocated. "Long time, no see."

"It has been a long time," she replied in her mellow voice, giving him a good look from head to toe. "We have a lot to catch up on." He nodded. "I have to leave tomorrow to go back to the Capital, and want to get a look at the place that Sam mentioned yesterday before I go. I figured that you would want to see it too."

"It's a small town, and I have no idea how much real estate is available, so this is definitely a convenient opportunity," he replied as he opened the door and they went in. All vet clinics seemed to be the same, Harold mused as he looked around with a professional eye. They were standing in a spacious waiting area that was painted a pleasing shade of pale blue and had an easy to clean tile floor in a matching shade of yellow, and it had the familiar smell of antiseptics. A dozen well-used wooden chairs were arranged around the perimeter of the room, with small square tables in the corners that had well-thumbed, doubtless ancient, magazines in piles on them. A reception desk with room for two people behind it was along the wall to their right, with a door on either side of it, presumably leading to the exam rooms and other areas not open to the public. The desk was behind a chest-high wall topped by a polished red granite counter and probably had an access door that they couldn't see from their angle. A middle-aged woman in a white uniform was seated behind the desk and looked up from whatever she was working on.

"Good morning, welcome to Turner's Veterinary Clinic. How can I help you?" she asked in a friendly but professional manner.

"Good morning," Dana replied with a polite bow, echoed by Harold. "I'm Dana Magnussen of the Magic School in the Capital and this is Harold Moser who is going to be the Headmaster of the new School of Magical Veterinary Sciences that we decided to set up here. We came here to speak with Sam, if he's available. We were looking for the farm that he said was going to be available." The receptionist brightened as she gave Harold the once-over.

"He hasn't come in yet. He's semi-retired now and only comes in once and a while to see how things are going. But I know what you're talking about. Ed Morton was not a handyman and finally died a few days ago. His wife wants to sell for whatever she can get for it and go to Havisham with her kids. It doesn't appear to be in great shape, but if you're wanting to remodel it for a school, a fixer-upper is what you're looking for anyway." Dana nodded and looked sad at the story. "I'm Virginia Klassen, by the way."

"We can make an offer that I'm sure she'll find more than sufficient. Harold, what are you doing?" Harold's attention had been caught by a movement under a chair in the dark corner of the room.

"There's a rabbit under the chair," he said, surprised, moving over, laying his staff on the floor and getting on his knees to have a better look. "Come here little fella and let me get a better look at you," he said in a warm, soothing voice, extending his right hand to entice it. The rabbit emerged from under the chair, and it was a relatively large, lop-eared specimen, mostly white but with some charcoal markings. It made to sniff his fingers, but then vanished. "What the hell?" he asked in astonishment, grabbing his staff and jumping to his feet.

"That's Felix," said Virginia. "One of our clients brought him in last week because he'd eaten something that he shouldn't have and got poisoned. There was nothing we could do." She looked unhappy and her voice sounded like she hated to lose a patient. "We first saw his ghost a couple of days ago in the evening as we closed up."

"Dana, are you OK?" Harold asked, concerned at Dana's sudden pallor.

"That's the second encounter with a ghost I've had this morning," she replied a little shakily. "Mark, Stella, and I encountered a man in old-fashioned fancy clothes on the verandah of the hotel. He said he was passing the time until he was picked up." Virginia nodded.

"That's old Charlie. The story is that he died from a heart attack or some such thing while sitting on the verandah about eighty years ago. People see him from time to time, but never during the day."

"Are there a lot of ghosts in Magwitch?" Harold asked. "I encounter them from time to time and have even managed to help a couple of them cross over. We're well past Beltane and the spirits are usually pretty quiet for a couple of months."

"Helped them cross over? I'd like to hear those stories," said Dana, hands on her nicely curved hips. "You've been up to all sorts of mischief over the years, haven't you?"

"I've been wandering all over the Kingdom, both before and after Carcosa, and have seen all sorts of strange things," he replied. "If I ever write my autobiography, it will be a hefty tome. Speaking of writing, I need some paper and was told there's a book store nearby?"

"Three doors down," Virginia replied. "They're good folks. Tell them I sent you. As for the ghosts, I don't think that we have more than one would expect from a small town." He shook his head.

"Felix looked so real. I was all set to pet him. I'm actually feeling disappointed."

"Ghosts don't bother you?" asked Dana as they turned to go.

"No, they're just poor old souls who somehow didn't cross over after they died. I feel more sympathetic to them than frightened." The door opened suddenly and a man in his early thirties, accompanied by a boy of about Marcie's age, came in. The boy was holding a box that contained a black cat that was lying on a blanket. Harold quickly appraised the cat as being quite old and probably near the end of its life. Both the boy and his father, he deduced, looked like they had been crying and were still upset.

"Frankie, you brought Ollie in again?" asked Virginia, looking concerned.

"Yes, Ms. Klassen. We can't get him to eat anymore and he's still having the nasty oily poops."

"Kidney failure," said Harold sadly. "It's his time." The door to the right of the desk opened and a short, balding but relatively young man in a white lab coat bustled in.

"Dr. Stevens, we've brought Ollie back. We have to put him to sleep. He's suffering too much," choked out the father.

"He made it to nineteen, which is really old for a cat," replied the veterinarian, reaching out to pet the cat, who lifted his head and opened his yellow eyes briefly before returning to resting. "And who are you?" he asked, looking at Harold and Dana.

"I'm Harold Moser, former Senior Healer of the Order of St. Thrimble," replied the Mage.

"Oh, right, you're the fellow Sam is replacing himself with," said Dr. Stevens. He had a calm, clear voice and a firm handshake. "He's told us a lot about you. I'm Joe Stevens. Welcome to the team."

"I'm Dana Magnussen of the Magic School in the Capital," Dana introduced herself, shaking his hand as well. "We came in asking for directions to the place where we could establish our School."

"I'm Marvin Ferguson, and this is Frankie. I think you and Healer Leila cleaned him up a couple of days ago after the Mud Incident." Frankie giggled at his father's mostly mock scowl.

"Let's go into the exam room and I'll prepare the injection," said Joe. Harold stroked the cat and could easily feel the bones under the skin. The cat opened his eyes and meowed softly.

"Ollie is close enough to death that I can ease his transition," he said, "if you're all OK with it?"

"Sure, Healer Harold," said Frankie, struggling to not break down.

"Are you OK with it, Dr. Stevens?" asked Marvin.

"Sure. I'd like to see some of this Magic at work. Would you like to go to the exam room or do it in here? The rooms are not very large."

"Here will be fine. A little space is always good for casting spells. Please put the box in the middle of the floor." Frankie did so, and Virginia also stood up for a better view.

"This is by far the hardest part of being a veterinarian," said Harold as he laid his staff on some of the chairs and knelt by the box. "At some point, we have to say goodbye to our beloved pets. If Ollie is nineteen, then he must have been well-loved."

"We... we loved him with all our hearts," a heartbroken Frankie sobbed. "He's always been with me. I've never known life without him."

"He was always very gentle with Frankie," said Marvin as tears ran down his face too. "He was the best cat I've ever had. Oh, Goddess, it hurts." Harold closed his eyes and concentrated, summoning the Magic, and the others, especially Dana, could feel it like a cool breeze on a warm day.

"Ollie," he said in a deeper, calmer voice as he wove a small net of light blue, dark blue, red and brown strands around the cat's body. The cat's yellow eyes were open and looking at his. "Ollie, you have had a long and loved life, and now it is time for you to move on. I shall lift your spirit from your failing body and set it free from pain so you can run and play in the meadows and keep the Goddess company. Are you ready?" The cat laid his head down, closed his eyes, and breathed once, twice, and stopped. Harold made some motions with his fingers and he and his audience saw a glowing ghostly image of the cat rise from the still body, entwined in a fine mesh net. Harold placed the spirit on its feet on the floor next to the box and the net dissolved into sparkles.

"Ollie, is that you?" asked Frankie, wide-eyed. The image looked around, gave itself a shake, then moved to rub against the boy's hand. He meowed, then moved to Marvin's hand. He looked as though he must have been in his prime, fully filled out and healthy.

"He feels cool," said Marvin.

"This is truly amazing," said Joe, as wide-eyed as the others.

"Ollie, I think the Goddess is calling you," Harold continued quietly as the cat's ears perked up and he turned to look out the wall where the door to the outside was. "Go to her and run and play until it's time for you to come back to be loved again." The cat's spirit looked back at his former owners, then looked forward to the wall and began running for it, vanishing as he reached it.

"He's gone," said Frankie. "He's happy and free now, but..." He couldn't continue.

"We will bury him in the back yard, under the bush where he liked to sleep," said Marvin, picking up the box. "Thank you very much, Healer Harold. It's somehow comforting to know that his spirit is running and happy, even as we are sad and missing him."

"This will help you," said Dana softly, placing a sphere the size of a cat's-eye marble that glowed with a gentle orange light in the box next to the cat's body. "Break the ball on your shovel and it will make the shovel hold twice the soil with half the weight. It's a basic Engineering spell."

"And a very useful one," Harold added, standing up a bit shakily. I've used it myself more times than I'd care to say. In the name of the Goddess, I commend these remains to their eternal rest." He made the military salute with his clenched right fist over his heart. "If you don't mind, Dana," he continued as his tears, held back by the necessity of the spell casting, finally started to flow, "we have a house to inspect. Marvin, Frankie, when you get another cat, bring it here and we will take care of it. I'll be here permanently now, and we will be sure that it gets the best care."