"There doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong with him..."
The doctor hovers his hand over my body, a warm yellow glow radiating underneath it.
'So this is magic...'
While I have seen magic a few times, it was never up close like this. For example, once I'd seen someone make a flower seed bloom instantly. And that was pretty much it.
So, seeing this felt almost surreal.
"So what exactly happened?" The doctor asks me while still scanning my body.
But, I couldn't get myself to tell him. My mother realised, and explained what she knew.
"Hm, is that so..." The doctor muttered.
He stood up and faced my worrying parents.
"Luckily, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with his body."
A very obvious gush of relief overtook my parents and they stood less on edge.
"So, it appears to be a psychological problem. Unfortunately, that's not in my area of expertise. Maybe I could get some leeches but..."
As soon as the man uttered the word, 'leeches' , a shiver went up my spine.
'Leeches? Like what they used in the medieval ages?'
"Okay, thank you doctor. We'l keep that in mind." My mother says, while subtley but forcefully ushering him out of the house.
My father sighs. "Well, that is that."
I meet eyes with my mother, who was looking at me with sad eyes.
"Get some sleep, okay darling?"
I nod, swiftly removing our eye contact. My mother goes to my father, who is leaning on the table with his face in his hands.
I just look away and hide myself underneath the coarse linen bed sheets.
I felt so many emotions at once - the god of this world probably just wanted me to suffer. I felt loved, ashamed, scared and embarrassed. But I was mostly disappointed in myself.
Disappointed in how I acted.
Disappointed in myself for freaking out.
Disappointed in myself for remembering my death.
Disappointed in myself for dying in the first place.
But, I try to shake it off and focus on sleeping.
After all, sleep is the best medicine.
-
After that incident, my mother didn't let me go outside for at least 2 weeks. And understandably so; I had gotten nightmares basically every second night, perhaps even more.
I once again look out the window, at all the villagers and farms. But, instead of a stare of excitement, it was one of longingness. I had missed going outside - feeling the warm hug of the sun and the loving swift touches of the wind.
But, there was nothing I could do but beg.
"Rei, I'm going to go out shopping. Don't break anything while I'm away, okay?" My mother calls.
Once I heard this, I ran to my mother and looked at her with a glimmer on my eyes.
"Can I come along today? Please?"
She sighs. "Fine, but stay close to me, We don't want a repeat of last time."
Over the years, my mother and father have mellowed out as a parents. They used to be very frantic and skittish, but now they've gotten used to parenting. Of course, they are still like that every now and then, but overall, they are both finally acting their age.
We go outside and a broad smile emerges on my face. I had missed this exhilarating feeling; the feeling that I could do anything.
I shake my head. 'Why am I so excited? All I'm doing is shopping.'
"What are you doing, Rei? I don't want to lose you, so stay next to me." She says, prompting me to catch up.
I grasp onto her dress and follow a bit less than a step behind her.
We approach the markets, which was located in the heart of the town. Like every other day, it was full of people, all with varying origins. There were young children, travellers, the elderly and many more.
I watch the children in the distance play hop-scotch eagerly. They were full of laughter, grins and energy. I felt slightly jealous of them, probably because I didn't have friends. But not having friends at the moment is okay, so I didn't have to worry.
"One Jall, please." The farmer asks my mother.
She scavenges through her thin purse and hesitantly gives him the coin.
In this world, their currency and coins are called Salls, Jalls and Ralls.
Personally, I think they're crap names for money, but I can't go against the author.
[Author: Okay, maybe I got a bit lazy with naming...]
Salls are the cheapest, like pennies or silver coins. Jalls are gold coins, and are quite expensive. Ralls are what the richest of the rich use.
Now, we were going to the butchers. The butcher shop was in a log cabin behind some stalls, which may sound inconspicuous, but it's actually rather well-known and liked.
"Welcome! Oh, Elaine and Rei! It's good to see you," The butcher greets cheerfully.
Personally, I've never liked the butcher. He seems nice, but he just feels off, y'know?
"What's the cheapest you offer?" My mother asks.
I look behind the butcher and through the glass window. I saw meat, obviously, and blood.
I firmly tug on my mother's dress while swallowing my saliva. "I'm going to go outside."
"What?" She says, surprised.
But before she could stop me, I was already out the door and in the fresh air.
I take a deep breath and look at my surroundings. It's been a while, so I was going to go somewhere, even if it was for a short amount of time.
In the distance, I see some more crop fields and even some flower fields.
'I haven't been there yet...'
With a spring on my step, I hurriedly go to explore.
Nothing intriguing was around me for a while - just mainly crops and dirt roads. But then I reached some flower fields, which were stunning.
I had never seen any flower gardens in our part of the town, primarily because we were the 'poor region'. It was only the wealthy that had flower beds, some even having paddocks of flowers.
And that was the type of field in front of me.
But what allured me more was a small figure sitting in the middle of it.
It was a girl.