NOVEL NEXT 2.1 Healing
Waking up, all I felt was a pain. Looking down, I saw that I was wrapped in cloth. There was something different about where I was. It seemed more rustic. I didn’t see any electricals around. I looked around the best that I could, wincing as the movement sent pain throughout my body.
As I tried to sit up, a pain shot through me, causing me to cry out. I heard a shuffling coming from somewhere. The next thing I knew, I saw Taylor by my side. There was worry on her face. I wanted to reach up and touch her face, but the slightest movement caused so much pain.
“Angel, your awake. I thought you would never wake up. It’s been nearly a week,” she said with tears falling down her face. I was shocked at what she said. I had been asleep for almost a week. Whatever happened must have been that bad.
“Where are Ashley and Esme?” I asked as I laid back in the bed. It wasn’t like any bed I had ever laid in before, much like everything that I was seeing. I felt like I was in some kind of mid-evil movie. Then I noticed that Taylor was dressed differently. It was almost like the kind of clothes you would see in a videogame.
“They aren’t here. Don’t you remember jumping through that portal after the guy who looks like your dad? He had Maddison. Ashley and Esme didn’t follow.” Taylor said as she sat in a chair next to me. She took my hand and held it as she looked at me.
I took a moment to take in everything that she was telling me. But I still couldn’t get over the fact that I felt like I was in some sort of videogame or somehow traveled through time. As I let my thoughts wander, I heard more footsteps coming. Then a burly man came into the room. He was about my dad’s age, maybe older.
“So, she wakes. I thought that I was just wasting my time. It is good to see you are well. My name is Clayton, and I have been taking care of your wound. It was a nasty thing. For some time, I didn’t think I would be able to fix it.” Clayton said as he ran his fingers through his brown hair.
“Where are we?” I asked as I was still confused. Clayton smiled as he sat in the other chair.
“We are in Avalon. Your friend here told us that you were from another place. Not from our world. It was a hard story to believe, but with the things she showed us, it was hard to deny it.” Clayton said. He seemed quite fascinated with the idea of someone from a different world.
For the next hour or so, Clayton asked me questions. He also told me about this world. It seemed that seeing people with animal ears was somewhat familiar here. It was an odd bit of information. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about being an outcast here. I also learned that he lived here with his wife and a daughter.
Looking out the window, I realized that it was almost night time. I didn’t have a way of telling the time, but I guessed it was about six with the sun’s position. Even though I had just woken up, I still felt tired.
“It looks like you still need some rest. I think it’s time that we let your friend sleep,” Clayton told Taylor. There was a look of sadness in her eyes as he said it. I could only imagine what was going through her mind. Before she got up, I reached over and grabbed her hand, ignoring my body’s cry.
“I will be okay, Taylor. I promise, tomorrow we will get to talk more,” I said, doing my best to smile. She seemed to accept this and then leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. Clayton turned around as if embarrassed. Then she was gone, along with Clayton. With a sigh, I looked at the ceiling and closed my eyes. The last thing I remember was the sound of some type of flute being played.
The next morning, Taylor was already in the room when I woke up. Her tail was swishing back and forth rapidly. It seemed hard for her to conceal her excitement. I smiled softly as I looked at her.
“Good morning, my love. I hope you were able to sleep well,’ Taylor said as she grabbed my hand and held in both of hers. If this was what it took to see this image of Taylor when I woke up, I would have to see about getting stabbed more often.
“Good morning, my fantastic feline. I hope you slept well,” I shot back at my girlfriend. There was a bit of shock on her face at that comment, then she blushed. I probably heard things, but I swore I heard her purr.
“I haven’t really been sleeping well for quite a while. I was so worried about you, it physically made me sick. You can never do that to me again!!” Taylor demanded, though her face showed the pain she had felt. When I was feeling better, I would have to make it up to her.
We sat there for a while and talked. Taylor told me about how Clayton had shown her how to fish with a spear. Then she explained a little bit about the culture of this place. It was really starting to sound like something out of a mid-evil storybook, like Camelot. I didn’t know how I was going to get by in this world.
After a little while, Clayton brought in breakfast. It wasn’t anything fancy, just eggs and what looked like a decent-sized piece of ham. It was served in a wooden bowl. At this moment, I would have been fine with even a peanut butter sandwich. I was that hungry.
While I was eating, Clayton’s daughter, who I learned was named Morgana, came to visit me. She had almost as many questions as Clayton did. She was adorable. Her red hair came down towards the middle of her back. She had freckles that dotted her face. If we were back at home, I would assume that she was from someplace like Ireland.
For the next few days, it was like this. Taylor would be waiting by my bed when I woke up, Clayton would bring my breakfast, Morgana would visit and ask questions or talk about her friends. Then lunch and dinner. It started to feel like home in a weird way, though I knew that we couldn’t stay here. Eventually, Taylor and I would have to search for the man who stole my dad’s identity.
As another week dragged on, I managed to be able to sit up in the bed. Going to the bathroom was a bit of a chore. It wasn’t as painful now, being carried outside so that I could release myself. Taylor and Clayton’s wife Katherine helped with that. I felt terrible for being so much trouble for them.
It was around day twenty-five when I was finally able to get up and move around on my own. The pain was more like light pressure. A reminder that I was still healing, but I could no longer take being stuck in that bed. Taylor and Clayton voiced their worry about me moving around so much, but I assured them that I would easily take it easy.
Tired of only seeing walls, a ceiling, and just the light out of the little window, I decided to go outdoors. I knew it would still be some time before we left, but I couldn’t stand not being able to see the outside world. Looking around, I realized that I was in a little village. If I had to guess, there were a total of one-hundred people living here. Breathing in the fresh air, I took in the sight of the world that I had landed on. This was going to be an adventure.
