A Healer’s Saint

By Ani Birch

Disoriented, I sit up and nudge Matteo’s calico off my pillow. With a grunt and a stiff push, I ease out of bed and pull open the curtain. A hint of morning flushes pale shadows from the woods. With my canvas apron wrapped tight, I pull on the sweater by the door and slide my medicine bag across my chest.

The door creaks as it opens, waking Matteo at his post. His thick fur is too hot to sleep comfortably indoors, but he will not step off the stoop without me.

“Come boy,” I whisper, and he jumps to my command.

As I step off the porch, he lingers, like every morning.

“Fine, go get her.”

He disappears into the cottage, returning with the calico in his sloppy mouth. Dropping her on the step, she arches in a long, luxurious stretch. What a showboater.

“Come, boy.”

He nudges the kitten with his nose, but she holds her ground, yawning and surveying the morning with apparent disinterest. Somehow, she’s drool-free. Cats are incorrigible. Why Matteo loves them, I will never understand.

“She will come. She always does.”

Careful not to slip, I tread lightly on the dew-soaked grass. I will never get used to the dampness here. Mylar was bone dry.

Reaching back, Matteo licks my hand, and I wipe a thread of drool on the edge of my apron.

“What would I do without you, my loyal boy?”

Squatting down, I press my forehead against his. My hands come into focus—old woman hands. If only I could reverse what happened in the portal. I had stepped into Mylar in my prime, but something in the doorway home lost me twenty years in an instant.

I scan the woods. Even after decades, this place still does not feel like home.

We step onto the road, and Matteo stops. I tap my hip. He ignores me. I tap harder, and his eyes flick to mine, as if pleading for a pause.

“Fine.”

He turns in a circle a dozen times to let the kitten play with his tail. I click my tongue, and he hops to my side, watching it climb the ashwin tree.

“Do not look so impressed with yourself, arrogant one. I could do that once.” I laugh. “Come, Matteo. The virus has spread through the valley. Many folks need our care.”

We march side by side down the dirt road, my right knee popping with each step.

A branch breaks, and Matteo jumps in front and crouches.

A small boy runs out of the woods, so I place my hand on Matteo’s head.

“It’s okay,” I say, stroking his ear. “It’s only Robby.”

“Ms. Miriel, I’m so glad you are here,” the boy cries, his breath coming out in quick gasps.

“Did you run all this way, love?”

“Yes, mum. Ma won’t wake up. She’s been hackin’ all week. Today I woke, and the stove was cold. Da’s been gone a month. Ms. Miriel, come wake her, will ya?”

Tears well up in his eyes.

“Robby, I’m glad you came to me.” I pull him into my arms. “Take my hand and Matteo’s collar. We have no time to waste.”

I close the circle and my eyes, whispering the words. Robby gasps.

When I open my eyes, we are standing outside the small yellow hut.

“Holy—”

“Watch your tongue, son.”

Without knocking, I walk straight in. Niv lies on a cot near the stove, her arm hanging limp over the edge.

“Can you save her?”

“Only God knows. Stay outside with Matteo, and do not come in, no matter what you hear or see.”

“Yes, mum.”

To Matteo I say, “You keep him outside, you hear?”

Matteo barks, and I slam the door shut.

I fall to my knees and ease Niv onto her back. Resting my head on her chest, I thank the heavens. There is a faint beat. I press one palm to her head, and the other to her heart. Closing my eyes, I pull a tiny spark from my core, stretching it like taffy, building warmth around the energy. I take in a deep breath, feeding it the life in the air. It flows up my arms and transfers from my palms into Niv. A golden glow curls around us, reaching from me to Niv, like fingers, gripping the darkness poisoning her and pulling it back into my core.

Robby must not see the transfer of the putrid ink. He would not understand. No one can do what I do.

Niv quakes, her breath sputtering. I release her and step back. My legs give out, and I collapse onto the stone floor. Through slits, the light around the door widens, and my beautiful beast leaps to my side. Bones groaning, I push myself up and wrap my arms around Matteo’s strong neck. My hollow chest breathes new life as Matteo feeds my dying cells with his lifeforce. My energy returns enough to stand, so I release him. I will never take more than I need.

Matteo presses into my side, tail flicking back and forth. My beloved saint always recovers faster than I do.

I turn to Niv, curled in Robby’s arms.

“You saved her, Ms. Miriel,” he says, tears running off his chin.

I pat him on the head and smile. “You found me just in time, my dear boy. Your ma is lucky to have you.”

Niv returns a weak smile, and I drop a bottle on the table.

“This tonic is for both of you. I brought your ma back, but the virus could still be in her.”

Robby nods.

“Take a spoonful a day until the bottle is dry.”

Pulling open the door, I pat my leg. “Come, boy.”

I need his strength until mine returns. It is a long walk, but I cannot waste energy on teleporting. We have a virus to eradicate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ani Birch’s mom was a nature lover, and her dad a storyteller. After two decades, an aviation career, a marriage, and two children, Ani discovered their lasting influence. In her thirties, she shifted from flying to working with children, and in her forties, she and her husband bought an urban acreage in an aspen forest. Ani shares fantasy flash fiction on her blog, is working on four novels, and has begun querying her middle-grade fantasy manuscript.

---

More Stories | Author Website | Instagram