How to cure a Dark Lord

It was a hot and windy afternoon. I was in the infirmary, as usual, peeling the skin off turmeric and ginger with my assistant, Avery. These were the days when summer transitioned into autumn and the weather was charactererized with hot winds.

I looked out the window and saw the sweltering sun outside. Not a weather I would like to be under. I downed a cup of water and went back to peeling the ginger.

"Miss, don't you think we'll be a bit late with the medicine today?" My assistant, a very quiet girl by the way, asked. She never said a word unless it was absolutely necessary and I admired her quiet nature.

"What makes you ask that Avery?" I asked her.

"Normally, by this time, we would be done with the ingredients and be preparing to make the fire for the brew." She pointed out.

"Yes, you are right. Well make the fire and squash the ingredients simultaneously today." I told her. Normally we. Made the fire two hours to dinner time, but now we were behind schedule and we have to do two things at once.

Avery and I tried to double up our efforts so we could finish up earlier when Mirabel rushed into the room looking distressed. I had never seen her so worried. She was mostly cheerful and smiling.

"Miss Frieda, please I need your help!" I looked up at her usual smiling face now looking scared and worried. Naturally, I became alarmed too.

"What's wrong Mirabel?"

"It's my little brother. He just fell unconscious. We were working out in the courtyard and all of a sudden he fell and he's not moving and..." She couldn't continue because the tears choked her.

She came and took my hands in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze despite the urgency in her voice.

"Please Miss Frieda. We need you to come and check what's wrong with him. Please."

I didn't have a sibling, but I knew what it felt like when someone you loved was lying lifeless, not moving or breathing. I looked around quickly and spotted Avery who was standing at the side, watching the whole drama quietly.

"Avery, I'll need you to continue with the preparation. Do it like we usually do. I just need to go and check the situation. I'll be right back." I ordered in the authoritative voice of a physician like Papa usually does and followed the now frantic Mirabel out of the room.

I ran along with Mirabel to the courtyard where a little crowd had gathered. I weaved my way through the crowd of servants and I saw a little boy of about seven years old, lying in the arms of a middle aged woman who looked like Mirabel; eye color, hair color and freckles. It was her mother.

"Hello, I'm Frieda. I'm a physician. Can I check his vitals?" I asked permission from the distraught mother and she nodded, not saying a word more.

I took his slender wrist and took his pulse. It was weak but it was there. I felt his temperature with the back of my hand on his forehead. He was burning up.

"Did he have a fever before? Early this morning or last night?" I asked Mirabel's mother. She shook her head.

"He was fine last night and he definitely wasn't sick this morning." Her mother told me.

"He said he was feeling dizzy while we were working just now." Mirabel added.

I looked at the boy one more time and noticed his complexion. It was flushed like a tomato. I was sure what the problem was. The little boy had a heatstroke.

"Let's take him to the fountain. Mirabel, control the crowd. The little boy needs air." I ordered.

I went with Mirabel's mother to the fountain where cold water splashed in an endless cycle. Mirabel tried to disperse the crowd, claiming that the physician was going to handle the situation.

"Do you have a piece of cloth on you?" I asked Mirabel's mother as gently as I could. She was already trying so hard to be strong. She nodded to my question and pulled off her head scarf, letting her long dark red curly hair fall to her shoulders. She handed the scarf to me and I quickly dipped it into the fountain and let it soak water.

Wringing out a bit of the excess water, I used the wet cloth to dab on the little boy's hot skin. Now all that was left was the wind to blow and induce a cooling sensation on the skin.

I did this for a little while more and then I noticed his temperature had significantly dropped and his breathing and pulse became steady. He was out of the danger zone.

"Okay. You can take him back to your quarters. I'll make some medication for him to take when he wakes up. Make sure his temperature doesn't go higher and call me if anything happens, okay?" I instructed Mirabel and her mother. They both nodded and Mirabel's mother took the little boy away.

"Thank you very much Miss Frieda." Mirabel thanked me sincerely, tears of relief brimming in her eyes.

I gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "It's nothing. I'd do it for anyone, especially you Mirabel." Especially when I knew how it felt to lose someone I loved.

As the words left my mouth, Mirabel crushed me into a tight hug and a little laugh escaped my lips. I gave her back a gentle pat then I pulled her away from me so I could look at her face.

"It's okay. Now go and help your mother. I think she'll need your help. Remember to call me if you need my help." I told her.

She gave me a grateful smile and ran off. I watched her with so much gladness in my heart and then, I heaved a huge breath. I was glad that the little boy was showing signs of recovery. It would have been a different story if I had shown up a bit late.

What a day! Then I looked up and realized it was sunset.

I had only instructed Avery to prepare the ingredients, I would come and make the medicine myself as I always did. Now it was almost dinner time and I hadn't begun the process. I was going to be quite late with the medicine for the Dark Lord today. What was I going to do?