Like Moths: The Theater

Like Moths: The Theater (the fool) chapter 1.5: the wizards tower

        “Health officials recommend self-quarantining and remaining indoors and reporting any symptoms of feeling dizzy, congested, or sunlight seeking.” The radio warned. A young man with short cropped blond hair which stood straight up on top in thick spiky puffs and a thick mustache switched the radio off. It had been saying some worrying things all day and the young man didn’t want to scare the mother and her child.

The library was warm both in temperature and atmosphere. A little girl and her mother walked up to the counter. The mother looked terribly tired as she slipped a small stack of books into the return bin. Her daughter ran further into the library enthusiastically, hunting for her next round of reading material.

         “You hear what’s going on in Lexington?” The tired woman asked, walking up to the desk. She had deeply tired gray eyes and her long dark hair was haphazardly pulled into a ponytail which was slowly falling apart. Her purple sweater had a deep dark stain on the arm.

         “Yes, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. People seem to be about as crazy as they have always been. At least to me.” The young man responded.

         He genuinely believed this statement. The reports of attacks and flat-out mauling’s in the street seemed unsurprising to him. People weren’t something he understood in near any way. They were all strange and mildly off putting. Some would think he thought of people like animals, but he understood animals. People were something worse. No matter how much he studied medicine, anatomy and psychology, he still did not understand humanity. So, some strange horrors really weren’t anything peculiar.  

         “I’d say the same, but do you want to know what happened to me this morning, Sal?” She spoke. The young man dubbed Sal rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses which just barely covered the long scar which sliced across the bridge of his nose.

         “What happened?”

         “A kid at Mary’s school bit me! Right here!” Margret held up her hand revealing a bite which had actually broken the skin. It had not been wrapped up in the slightest and in fact dripped gently on Sal’s desk. It had oozed through her purple sweater creating that deep dark stain.

         Sal winced in disgust “Yeesh, that looks awful. You should see a doctor to get it cleaned up.” He quickly mopped up the small puddle forming with a tissue.

         “That’s why I came here” Margret rolled her eyes. “obviously. So, what have you got for me doc?” she smiled wearily at him.

         “You need to go to the hospital Margret. Please?” the man begged.

         “Won’t, Can’t, never will. Damn places give me the creeps and they’ll scam me out of house and home, and why would I go there when I’ve got you here?”

         Sal stared at her disappointed and sighed. Sal had not been a proper doctor for over a year now. He still had his degree and license to practice, but he had not worked in a hospital in a while. He gave the woman an embarrassed and ashamed look.

         “Margret, I don’t have anything for you. You know that.”

         “Oh, bull. I know full well you keep first aid stuff in that massive desk of yours. You could patch an army with the nonsense you’ve got stowed away in there.” Margaret barked out a laugh. Her daughter ran over to the desk with a new pile of books a quarter the height of her. Sal sighed, it had been a long day already with the nonsense on the news, why must he deal with paranoid people afraid of hospitals?

         “Alright Marge, whatever. Get back here and I’ll patch you up. Mary, leave the books on the counter buddy. I’ll check you out in a second.” The young man beckoned Margret behind the counter and pulled out a hefty sized first aid kit which more resembled a brief case.