Dark Water

Chapter 10

Mihris docked the boat, tightly tying it with shaky hands and even dropping the anchor into the water. Gulliver had rushed out of the pub to her, seemingly shocked she was still alive.

"Blue, we need to get you inside." She was sickly pale, and it took her a few times to tie the last rope up as she fumbled with it. She was exhausted, not seeming to fully hear Mr. Gulliver as he spoke.

"Mihris, look at me." He turned her towards him, and she glanced at him.

"I'm fine I just." She slowly trailed off as spots filled her vision. She quickly began to collapse, her body giving out on itself. Gulliver quickly caught her, and soon she was staring up at the sky, or what was left of it from her view.

"Maeve! Go get Nora and as much firewood you can get from her!" Gulliver looked down at Mihris, her lips tinged blue. "Stay awake Mihris, I got you." And that was the last words she heard before everything melted away.

She jolted up as she awoke, her skin slick with sweat as she quickly began to vomit. Maeve already had a bucket ready, and Nora held her hair back as she coughed and choked up a mixture of saltwater and the contents of her stomach.

"There you go dear, you're okay." She felt someone wipe her face of sweat and vomit, holding her up from under her arms before slowly laying her back down.

"Maeve gets the kettle going, she's going to dehydrate." Mihris couldn't even bring herself to open her eyes and see where she was, all she knew was that she was too hot. She tried to kick the blankets off of her, but she was quickly stopped and held in place.

"I'm sorry honey but we got to spike your temperature, you almost froze to death." Mihris slowly opened her eyes, everything being a blurry mess with how her vision was.

"Here hon," Her head was slowly tilted to the side, and soon icy water gently poured over her eyes. She blinked away the salt of her sweat and tears, everything becoming clearer. She was in Mr. Gulliver's home, his wife in their kitchen as usual. She typically stayed in the house and away from people, although she liked Mihris and would give her blankets occasionally when she first lived on her own. Nora took Mihris's hair and laid it out on the pillow, offering her some relief.

Nora was the town doctor, more of the town mother though. She took care of everyone's illnesses typically.

Mihris slowly sat up, Nora hooking her arms under hers and supporting her. She felt extremely hot yet was shivering at the same time. She was covered in blankets, and quickly realized she was fully undressed from head to toe as Nora held the blanket up over her chest to give her some privacy.

"I want my girlfriend." Mihris trailed off as she spoke in a slurred voice, leaning back on Nora and resting her head against her strong, broad shoulders.

"Really? Where's she at dear?" Maeve brought over a hot cup of broth, sitting down next to them.

"The bottom of the sea." Nora glanced at Maeve, unsure of how to respond.

"What's her name dear?"

"Orli." She didn't feel like giving her full name at the moment.

"Alright, what does she looks like."

"The most beautiful woman in the world." Mihris let out a drunken giggle, delirious in her current condition.

"How lovely," Maeve stirred the cup in her hand, saying something to Nora that Mihris didn't pick up on. "Alright, open your mouth Mihris." Maeve tilted the cup to Mihris's lips, slowly helping her drink. it was some warm broth, along with some medicinals in it to help keep Mihris awake for now. She tried to drink too fast, the feeling of extreme dehydration kicking in, the warm liquid dripping down her chin and neck which Nora helped wipe away.