The Mistletoe

Chapter XVI

After slowly regaining consciousness, I could feel a warm hand by my side. I turned around, and there was Laura. Her dark circles were evident; she hadn't slept well, and surely, after sabotaging her passionate night with Carmilla, she probably couldn't sleep. It surprised me that Carmilla was also there, standing in pajamas with crossed arms, looking at me fixedly, with a kind of expression I couldn't decipher.

Seeing me open my eyes, Laura shouted to the others nearby. "He's awake, Miguel has awakened!"

The doctor arrived quickly with Laura's father and asked to leave us alone. He checked the bandages and with wide eyes said to me, "Incredible. No broken bones, and your wounds seem almost completely healed; I've never seen anything like it. How do you feel, young man?"

"Fine, sir, thank you," I replied bluntly. Nothing mattered to me anymore; I didn't have the mood for anything or anyone.

The doctor looked at me while changing the bandages and asked, "You were quite lucky. The peasants said your body was almost unrecognizable, seems like they exaggerated a bit. Don't you think?"

I just looked away towards the table, where the two books Laura had lent me were alongside my backpack.

"Ah, I think I recognize that expression," he sighed and continued, "Sometimes it's not the body that kills people, but their spirit. I imagine losing to that wolf must have wounded your pride. Look, young man, I suppose living with two beautiful girls must have felt like you had to prove your worth, but real life isn't like in chivalric novels. Bravery without prudence can cost lives."

I wasn't going to tell the doctor the real reason how I felt. Imagine telling him that the first two girls I felt closest to turned out to have a romantic relationship between them. I horribly misinterpreted my closeness to Laura and thought of something more than just a simple friendship when she was just a good person.

"Well, kid, I think you'll be fine, at least in terms of your body. Shall I tell the ladies to come in?"

"No, I need to rest, thanks, doctor," I said.

"Sure? Laura seems very concerned..."

"Nooo!" I yelled.

"Alright," the doctor finally said.

As he left, I heard him speaking with the others, especially with Laura, who insisted on knowing what was going on. The doctor simply stated that I needed rest and that I had explicitly asked for it.

As the afternoon passed, I began to ponder everything that had happened and tried to find some meaning in all this. "What would dad say about all this? Will I ever get out of here?" For a moment, I just wished to go back home, sit at my desk, and distract myself from the world.

I don't have the axe anymore, and it was clear that any weapons I used wouldn't be of any use. But what hurt me the most was how naive I had been. I knew Laura's situation was too good to be true, and I ended up mixing everything up. My sentimentality also ruined the only chance to defeat the creature. It was more than evident that the pain inside me was clouding my vision, and I needed to get rid of it; otherwise, I would never leave this place.

"How I miss you, dad, how I miss my grandparents, why is this happening to me? Why do I have to go through this? I didn't ask for it; I just want to go back home, I just want to go back," I thought over and over again. Sitting on the bed, I turned on my smartphone and looked at the last photos I took before getting stuck in the past. I cried and smiled while seeing the photos of our last barbecue at home, the photo on the plane, and the landscapes where the inn was located.

"What advice would my father give me at this moment?" I tried to reflect once and again. Then, I looked at the window, and there was the raven, staring at me and circling around. "I curse this damn creature that brought me here," I wanted to scream in anger and helplessness towards the sky, but then I remembered what my father used to say whenever I found myself in such a situation: