Stranger

“Come, Nesta.” the voice of my mother echoes through the now empty room as the last utensils have been thoroughly cleaned and everything is back in place. 

Today has been quite a terribly busy day. Who knew simple country folk knew so little about medicine and taking care of wounds and not allowing them to fester! Who knew that proper hygiene did not reach the ears of people so far into the country? Who knew that war was also this merciless and people were doing the weirdest things to keep evil spirits at bay.

Well, we did not expect this when we moved here. We had been warned that our work would be severely frowned upon, but that did not stop my mother from opening a small room for those in need. It did not stop my mom from brewing herbs and making ointments and cleaning and sterilizing everything that needed to be reused. 

Just as it did not stop the others from casting mean looks upon us as we healed and took care of the elderly, the sick and the children. 

“Father Cassimir is coming for dinner.” my mother announces to me and before I can look at her, I hear her mumble something under her breath. “ That stinky man will tell me to close this place again and God give me patience, because if you give me an ounce of strength I will strangle him with my bare hand!” she does the strangling motion on the rag she holds in her hands and I chuckle. 

“I still do not understand why father has taken such a liking to him, truly-” I speak and my mother rolls her eyes, looking away  and turning to leave through the backdoor.

“Please just tidy up and come help me with dinner-” she mutters a bit tired and opens the door, but as she does, a loud, powerful knock makes her freeze into place.

It sounded like whoever needed assistance right now was ready to barge through the door and the urgency makes me stumble over my own feet as I hurry to open. 

“I will take care of it. I’ll come right to the kitchen when I'm done!” I announce and make a shoo motion to let her know I got this. 

Back in Athelney my mother was not the only doctor in the city, but she was the most seeked one. She was the only woman practicing and offering medical care and plenty of women seeked out her help before, at late hours, with strange requests and even stranger stories. Somehow, I knew this would follow us here in Eldham, and I took the role of her little helper since her assistant did not follow us here. And who would blame them? It was not their fault my father needed a change. It was not anyone’s fault he had gotten old and ill and some fresh country air did him best.

As I unlock and open the door, I realize I am facing a very unfamiliar face. Not as if we knew everyone in Eldham but this person in front of me looked like nothing from here. they did not wear peasant clothes, they did not look unkempt and dirty. On the contrary, they actually smelled like musk and lavender, with a hint of smoked, aged alcohol. I was not sure if under the large red velvet cloak they were wearing was hiding a man or a woman, but I am not given the chance to find out.

They push someone forward, almost sending them into my arms, and offering me a sneak peek under the red velvet cloak. They wore pants, tailored black pants and I can definitely see the glimmer and shimmer of fancy buttons and chains of a vest. So, it was a man. The mischief part in me wants to lean in and push the hood off of their head and see who dared bother us after sunset.

But the small child that stumbles forward gets all my attention now, because they fall right against me and immediately slum, making me dip down and get my arms under the figure that had now slummed to their knees, coughing roughly.

“Oh my-” I whisper in a sharp breath and look up at the strange figure. “What happened?!” I can’t help but ask, a lump forming in my throat as I am sure I catch a hint of crimson when they move and the light falls under the hood, showing off crimson eyes. 

But the stranger does not reply, instead, the coughing child coughs louder again and looks up at me with soft and tired eyes, rimmed with dark circles around their eyes. 

“I tried to steal-” the child whimpers and goes into a fit of coughs again, making me grimace a bit and lean backwards so he is not coughing right in my face. “ He got me-” he points weakly to the person that was still on the back porch of our house, their attention pinned on me, or the kid, or maybe something going on behind me.

From under the cloak, I hear metal rattle and clank and before I can look up at the man pulls out a purse of coins and holds it out for me. A gush of strong wind perks as soon as I narrow my eyes on them and the hood falls right off of his face, exposing a sickly pale face. Not a mean one. Or an ugly one. An extremely etherealy  handsome one, with high cheekbones and a nose that makes me think of greek sculptures like the ones we had in our gardens back in Athelney. 

Despite the height of his cheekbones, his cheeks are slightly sunken in adding more depth to his face. His jaw is sharp and square, his lips are plump and fleshy, even if dry and seemingly bitten. The shape of his brows seems to give him an eternally bothered look, while his eyes~ oh! His eyes… they might have been the oddest, most wild looking eyes I have ever laid my gaze upon.

Ruby red, with strokes of black inside of them, lined with thick dark lashes, accentuated just a bit by dark circles of exhaustion. His face is framed by the blackest hair I have ever seen and despite his human features, something within me KNOWS he is not even close to being a human. 

He does not give me the chance to keep staring before he drops the bag of coins on the porch and turns on his heels, pulls his hood on and walks away without another word. 

“Mister!” I call out but the child in my arms coughs again and this time, small splatters and drops of blood come out with the cough, drawing all of my attention. “Hang in there-” I whisper as I grab the purse of coins and look around the house once more. The man was gone. Nowhere to be seen, but his scent lingers in the air, and makes my heart thump faster. “Mom!” I call out as I drag the child inside and lay him on the smaller and only available bed we have, where patients sit to have their check ups done. 

***

I am not entirely sure whom or what I encountered tonight, but even after the child is fine, the dinner has run its course and I am in my bed after my prayers, I can only think of him. Of the strange, ruby eyes. Of the luscious think black hair and the tired face of the stranger. The more I try to remember, the further his image seems to slip. Out of my grasp. Out of my reach… away from any light.

With heavy steps, I make my way to the window and sit on the sill, watching the sky. The moon is full, and the light cast upon everything is eerie. There are a few static shades casted by the moon, shades belonging to the autumn leaves and branches that dance in the cold howling wind. But something catches my eyes. A red figure, standing not so far from the house, not even bothering to hide. 

I feel watched. I feel stalked and preyed upon and my heart skips a beat. Is it him? Was it the strangers who so easily gifted us with enough coins to get us through the whole month? Maybe even more…

But as I blink, the figure disappears and I am alone with my thoughts, wondering if what I’ve seen was even real…