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6. The tragic day in which the sad doctor does not live up to his reputation

  °??───??6??───??°

  The tragic day in which the sad doctor does not live up to his reputation

  °??───???───??°

  Kally stood in the forest. One of many in the crowd. Sadness surrounded her as she stared up at the purple sky; it swelled and crackled as if consuming their grief. She sighed once more. It was as they had planned. A simple service in the forest, ending with their sombre gaze upon the furnace in the sky. Today it felt hot and searing, as if the purple could singe and maim at a single touch.

  A few days had passed since that night. The next day she had gone to school, taught the children and continued the day in relative calm; though Karin missed her at the bar that night. Thoughts of the shadowed figure, she pushed to the back of her mind. After all, she had preparations to attend to. Truth be told, her emotions - though conflicted - were strong and she had the potent urge to avoid, to flee from them. Curiosity crept in on occasion but she always pushed back, banishing it from her thoughts. She spoke not of this conflict with Katoia. Not a word had been spoken between them about any of the events of that night. She could not even be sure whether Katoia had seen that place that had intruded so suddenly upon her thoughts.

  Kally sighed, the moment she dreaded had arrived. It was only fair to let Katoia out, a farewell to Betsy. Still, she shuddered at the thought. Checking that the attention of the others was not on her, she tentatively took off her boot and rolled off the sock. She placed her foot on a foldout table she had brought for the occasion. The toe was less inflamed, less disgusting. Without the obvious features of a face, you could almost call it a regular toe.

  The toe wriggled in anticipation. A secret only she held swelled in her, and it burst out. Loudly.

  Kally put her head in her hands. Not again.

  As the song continued, Kally could hear less and less rumblings from the others. It seemed that this time, the heartfelt nature of the tune, with its lamenting melody, had matched their mood enough for them to not say anything. She opened her eyes cautiously. On the whole, she was correct. Tommy and Karin, of course, were unfazed. The others were still looking above, transfixed by the purple haze and its pull. She laughed at herself. The world doesn’t revolve around her, after all. She too focused her gaze upon the purple, thinking of Betsy swirling happily in the purple abyss.

  She really did love that purple.

  ???

  As her toe’s song was coming towards its end, Kally suddenly felt an inexplicable feeling of dread. It iced her, completely and in an instant. She clutched her head. A searing pain ran through her temple as a loud sound ricocheted through her mind.

  ??????Boom ???? ba—boom ???? boom boom??????

  She forced open her eye and faced the mist. Her stomach lurched. Within the purple she thought she could make out a large shadow of a face. She thought of that man and again pushed him aside.

  She looked to the others, no change. She looked to Tommy, no change. She looked to Karin, no change. Finally, she looked to Katoia, no change. A panic took over her heart. Was she the only one who could see it?

  The face turned and its eyes locked with hers briefly. A crackle in the eye is a curious feeling, and Kally felt an uncompromising compulsion to leave.

  ??????Boom ???? ba—boom ???? boom boom??????

  Katoia stopped singing and was unceremoniously shoved back into her boot.

  “We need to leave.”

  Kally folded up the table with as calm a demeanour as she could fake. Her only tell was her hands in a mild shake.

  All the while her eyes were transfixed on the face owned by the haze. Her thoughts rose and fell until she could focus on her means of escape. She peeled her eyes away from the smog and slowly turned her back on it. A steady walk was all she could muster. She should not run. She had to endure a slow amble back through the forest, flinching as she stepped on sticks. Nothing is as terrifying as the imagination, playing tricks.

  ??????Boom ???? ba—boom ???? boom boom??????

  Kally was painfully aware of the creeping feeling on her back, a familiar feeling of being watched. Had that face turned to her again? A shudder, barely visible, ran down her as she kept on walking - intent on not looking back.

  ???

  As she approached a clearing, she heard the crunch of leaves behind her. Before she had chance to react, she was pulled into a side path.

  “You saw it, did you not?”

  The man in front of her was tall, slender and cloaked. His robe was long and grey. A thick material, durable. Evidently, it was more a practical than an aesthetic piece. His hood, black and oversized, swamped his face and strange chains were left hanging, a chain drawstring of sorts. A metal-looking mask covered most of his face, grey but blackened with shadow. Raised swirls, vine-like, crept upon the cheeks of the mask. His face was at her level as he held her shoulders and repeated, ”You saw.”

  Kally did not reply. She scanned his face for any glint of his eyes. To her surprise, the mask completely covered them. Where the eyes should be were two embossed snowflakes, in the same grey. She thought she could see a small amount of blue in their centres. It seemed sorrowful somehow. She took a step back.

  “…H—how can you see?”

  His mouth, the only feature of his face visible to her, grimaced as his hands involuntarily touched the mask. He swiftly turned away.

  “Irrelevant.”

  Kally took this chance and made to leave. She bounced back from a barrier, rubbing her nose.

  “You cannot leave. Not yet. Answer my question. You saw it, did you not?”

  Her skin crawled. “Saw…what?” Like plucking teeth from a stone.

  He sighed, resigned. “There are many things in this world that are best left unspoken. This is not one of them.”

  He turned around to face her again.

  A silence ensued.

  “Your toe, how did your toe react?”

  At this Kally snapped, “What do you mean by that?”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  The cloaked man’s shoulders dropped and he let out a sigh. “Is she… well?”

  Confusion crept on Kally’s face. The emotions she had been attempting to stifle this entire time were threatening to spill over.

  “She is as she always is, fine. Completely oblivious to it all, just intent on singing.”

  The cloaked man nodded and said no more.

  This only added to Kally’s confused state. Exhaustion set in, and she perched on a rock. The cloaked man pursed his lips in thought, seemingly conflicted. He cleared his throat and looked as if he was to start speaking. He changed his mind.

  Kally, impatient after a few cycles of this, glared and said, “Can’t you just say it?”

  He cleared his throat and mumbled, “Yes, mmn, very well.” He took a deep breath. “You and your toe can be separated.”

  Kally sighed. She had heard this before from various healers. It all surmounted to the same thing in the end.

  “I don’t want her to be just cut off and left to die.”

  Though she could not see most of his face, the cloaked man looked horrified at this.

  “What absurd suggestion is this? Which soul suggested that as a means to…” His voice trailed off and he collected himself. “No, she won’t be cut off and left to die.”

  “Then…?” Kally asked, barely daring to speak.

  “It would involve a lot. Maybe more than you are willing. There is a doctor, a revered doctor of old. We must seek him out and do whatever he requires. The journey may be long and arduous but together we can succeed.” He lifted his chin towards the sky, proud and shining.

  A lunatic, Kally sighed. An adventure fanatic. She could not hide the disappointment she felt.

  “You do not trust me yet, but you will.”

  He leaned towards her and placed his hand on her head. Kally felt a wave of energy cushion her mind. It rippled through her and brought her focus to a faraway town.

  °??───???───??°

  Barley was a slender old wisp. His long fingers cracked often and he had a constant sniffle and pursed lips. His office was low lit and felt cold, despite his attempt to liven it up with a circular shag rug and a warm lamp. He was a sad sack of lifeless drudgery. He sighed. His sigh was so dejected, so unhappy, it was not even audible.

  “Doctor, there is a patient for you.” His desk phone relayed the message in a crisp robotic tone.

  Barley rolled his eyes. “Next.”

  A waspish old man crawled in, clutching his stomach. Barley rose and clambered towards him. He grabbed him by the side and hoisted him up.

  “Help, help, please help.”

  He dragged the patient to the examination table that, though freshly cleaned, still smelled vaguely of pineapple.

  “Now, what seems to be the problem, Mr.. Dilly Tickler?”

  Dilly wailed. “I don’t know what’s wrong doctor. I just feel. Lost. A singularity in the void. Since my darling daughter Lyra left, nothing has been the same.”

  Barley sat on the chair next to the examination table.

  “Would it be alright for you to tell me what happened? If I understand more, I can help more.”

  Dilly nodded, clenching his jaw. “She always loved candyfloss and circuses.” He stopped and smiled, “I think mostly it was the candyfloss though.”

  Barley braced himself for a sad tale. He sat upright and bit his lip, willing his eyes to dry. He forced out a smile, and ushered Dilly to continue.

  “She was out one day, just like she used to. Now, we’ve always told her to be careful. To suspect everything to be magic. Everything. I thought she was old enough to know better. But, still, she went to the park, to find conkers, she’d said. When she didn’t return we went searching for her.”

  “I see. I assume, err, you found her.”

  “What was left.”

  Barley shuddered. This was not going well for him. He took a deep breath. “Continue, if you wish.”

  Dilly choked out, “Turns out, one of the houses out there had turned into candyfloss and Lyra, bless her cottons, had eaten some.” He shook his head. “Eyes too big for her belly that kid.”

  Barley, wide eyed, asked, “How long, until—”

  “Medics at the scene said it had taken approximately twenty five seconds for it to change back into splintered half chewed wood. Splinters were protruding out of her. Everywhere.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Aye,” nodded Dilly.

  “It’s normal for you to feel this way.”

  Dilly flinched and grabbed his stomach.

  “I know that doctor. It’s just, hard. And I’ve been getting these stomach pains. Shooting, right up my side.”

  Barley pondered, “Hmm, let me examine it for you.” He stood up and raised Dilly’s vest to show the red mound on his side. He prodded it in that way that doctors have and Dilly grimaced in pain.

  “What’s wrong with me, doctor?”

  Barley pondered some more. Dilly, disconcerted by the silence and lack of diagnosis, more worried this time, repeated, “What’s wrong with me?”

  “What have you eaten today?”

  “Not much. Just a toffee apple.”

  Barley shuddered as if not a fan of toffee apples. As he prodded, the stomach throbbed. Something visibly moved within. He prodded again and seemed to feel something like a hand. He recoiled but recovered swiftly.

  “Has anything out of the ordinary happened to you or anyone you know recently?”

  “Not that I’m aware of, really. I mean, Poppy was saying this morning that she couldn’t find Daisy, her cat. I told her she would probably turn up. One way or another. Cats are like that.”

  “Yes, I’m sure Daisy will, err, resurface.” Barley paused. “I’m going to put you in a trance state, so I can take a look at what is inside you properly.”

  ???

  The operation was over far too soon. It hardly even began really. The first incision was enough to disturb Daisy. She sprang out of the old man’s side, claws outstretched, ripping him to pieces. At least he was unaware of it. That is more than can be said for Barley, who witnessed all, and Kally too. The ripping of flesh by the frenzied claws, the sticky toffee like substance oozing out of the wound. Daisy’s half eaten apple head, gloopy with toffee and blood. Her excruciating screech of pain. A vision of nightmares really. There was no saving him, or her. Kally hid behind her hands. Her stomach flipped.

  All in a day’s work. Without the vaccine, Barley was spiralling down into a depressive state. He edged towards the window and looked out. He opened it fully in-wards, and stuck his head out. He felt the cold air hit his face - bracing - and smelt the must of magic. He laughed. Magic is all around. There is no escape. He took off his shoes, laying them out neatly below the windowsill. Barley stepped onto the window, his toes curling around the ledge for balance. He grabbed the side of the window, took a deep breath, and launched himself out.

  He rolled. Laying on his back, with his legs in the air, he sighed. Those regulations. Maybe next time he will land on his neck. He got up, brushed the grass off his clothes and walked to the surgery entrance. He moved out of the way of rolling doctors, as they jumped and rolled towards his feet. They all in turn, sighed, got up and brushed the grass off their clothes and walked to the surgery entrance.

  Barley let himself back into his office. He sighed. What a day. Once back at his desk, he scrawled out the notes from the incident with Mr. Tickler; this one will need sending off for an investigation. He slumped down in his chair and waited.

  “Doctor, there is a patient for you.” His desk phone relayed the message in a crisp robotic tone. “The file has been sent over.”

  Barley dried his eyes. “Next.”

  °??───???───??°

  Kally stirred. Her head whirred from the sensation of being ripped back to reality. She felt sick. This was too much. Too grim. This must be some cruel joke.

  “Was that supposed to fill me with confidence?” she asked incredulously and stalked off.

  The cloaked man frowned and removed the barrier, allowing her to pass for now.

  °??───? Author’s Note ?───??°

  So, things took a bit of a weird turn, didn’t they?

  (⊙_☉)

  Between Kally’s toe doing its usual “singing” routine (because of course it does), that face in the sky, and the mysterious cloaked figure with a strange mission, Kally’s not exactly having a good time…

  Then there's that operation scene... not your standard doctor's visit, for sure.

  (O_O)

  You're probably wondering what the heck is going on with Barley, and what exactly did Kally just get herself into?

  Stick with me, the answers are coming, but we’re still in the middle of the mess.

  Drop your thoughts in the comments — what do you think Kally’s going to do next? Is she going to buy into this mysterious man's plan?

  ? Coming up - Chapter 7 title ?

  °??───??The night at the bar in which a party may or may not form ??───??°

  ? Update Schedule ?

  The next chapter will be released 07-05-2025 (dd-mm-yyyy)

  ?? Vision Watch ??

  ? A faraway land, with blue eyes and pale faces vying for attention (Chapter 5)

  ~ SK Payde

  ? ? ?

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