Reign Of Fayala

Rejuvenation

Donald Waterford, the town's physician, yawned heavily as he made his way down from his upstairs bedroom. The morning sun peeked through the kitchen window as he poured himself a cup of cold  coffee and walked to the front room where he had left the young priestess girl post operation.

     The first thing he noticed was the double doors that fronted his office had been pushed inward and lay askew hanging from their hinges. They were not damaged but it looked as if something powerful had gently forced them open. The bed that the young priestess had lay on was now between the open doors and was empty except for the gown she had worn.

     He pushed the bed aside, stepped through the doors out onto the front porch and gulped dropping his cup spilling coffee on his bare feet. There seated in the middle of the road directly in front of his office was the enormous figure of the Earth Goddess herself.

         She was sitting cross legged, erect, head up, eyes closed and breathing so slowly that one had to concentrate to see her abdomen moving ever so slightly. Her hands were folded in her lap, left hand turned down cupped over her upturned right. In-between her palms lay a naked Tanarah, her form was still and quiet. Difficult to see in the brightness of the rising sun was the soft bluish glow of light that seemed to permeate every cell of the young  girls  body.

The Doctor could not remember the last time he saw the Goddess and now here she was, sitting in the middle of the street not fifteen steps from the front door of his office. If she opened her eyes she could look right into his bedroom window on the second story of his building.

          Dr. Waterford noticed that the girls left arm was visible between Fayala's palms and decided that his medical obligation to the patient overrode any formal rules regarding physical interaction with the Goddess. He carefully, respectfully as he could, climbed up onto Fayala's ankle far enough so that he could reach in between her hands, take Tanarah's wrist between his fingers and feel for a pulse. He felt it, strong and rapid, maybe a little too rapid and her respiration was shallow but steady. Considering that he did not expect her to even be alive this morning he was satisfied.

   
        The sun was still rising as the town began to wake and word  quickly spread of the amazing occurrence taking place down at the physician's office. Already hundreds of people had gathered and were conversing in wonderment of what they were seeing.

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     Dr. Waterford had maintained his vigil from a chair on his front porch through the morning.  He noticed a temple priestess stepping out into the street and having caught her eye waved and raised his mug in offering. Ohas had been watching Fayala from a nearby alley and joined the Dr on the porch.   She declined the offer of coffee and together they observed the extraordinary sight before them.

"Didn't know the Goddess made house calls," he said to himself.

"What?" Asked Ohas lost in thought.

"Ah nothing," he replied looking at the Earth Goddess. "Any idea as to what she is doing there," he asked.

"I don't know," she replied, "but I feel ..."  her voice trailed off  as she slowly stood,  stepped off the porch and knelt in the street before her Goddess. She clearly felt the powerful aura being given off by Fayala.  Something miraculous was happening and she was determined to stay with her for as long as was needed.

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         The sun was high overhead, the crowd had begun to get restless when suddenly the Earth Goddess took a long deep breath followed by a sigh heard blocks away. The bustling town became eerily quiet, all stopped to stare at Fayala as she slowly opened her eyes and looked down into her hands.

Those that witnessed the miracle said she smiled as she lifted her hand away from the young priestess.  Fayala moved her right hand off her lap to the ground in front of her. Not only was the young priestess alive, but she was whole.

Tanarah swung her legs out, both of them. She stepped down on two feet and walked over to a kneeling Ohas who looked up amazement.

"Tanarah?" Said an astonished Ohas.

"Who ... oh yes, Tanara, yes Ohas, it is me ...Tanara", replied the miraculously healed young priestess.

          Tanarah was wrapped in a sheet and ushered in to the physician's office where an astonished Dr. Waterford examined her leg.

"I would not believe it if I was not standing here looking at it myself," he said.

Even the steadfast Ohas looked on incredulous, there was not even a scar were the doctor had cut through the flesh to remove her leg. The only curious thing was the light blue tint to the skin and her foot had three toes.

"How is she?" Fayala had leaned into the porch, her oval face filled the broken doorway of the office. "Oh, and I apologize about the doors," she added.

  A startled Dr. Waterford, looked up from his examination, "the doors, yeah, don't worry, I will get those fixed and as for your priestess here,  well except for a few ... uh ... irregularities," He said looking at her three toed foot, "She appears fine, healthy "

"Can she leave, come back to the temple?" Asked Fayala.

"I will make sure she gets back, Goddess," said Ohas.

Fayala looked expectantly at Tanarah, "I will be fine, sis— ah... Goddess. Thank you for healing me.

Ohas added, "perhaps you should go back to the temple and rest Goddess."

After her exertions through the night Fayala was exhausted and needed to refresh her core. She turned to Ohas, "very well, I will be in my sanctuary."

"Yes," replied Ohas who approached and pressed her forehead against Fayala's cheek, "my Goddess."

        Fayala slowly got to her feet, she took a moment to look about the town then down on to the people gathered around her, she sensed wonderment and awe from the people, and a little fear. She smiled and the crowd parted as she shakily walked back up the main street and down to the old road that led to the temple. Servants and priestess from the temple that had come looking for her walked a respectful distance behind but no one from the town followed.

          Dr. Waterford's examination of Tanarah was interrupted when an overweight gruff looking man came in with burns to his hand and face. The injuries were superficial and concentrated around his eye and cheek on right side of his face. Additionally there were burns to his right hand.

      Ohas initially paid scant attention to the man, her focus was on Tanarah and what appeared to be very curious behavior on her part.  Ohas had known Tanarah for six seasons and now this girls mannerisms and even her speech inflection were different. She tried to reason it by telling herself that Tanarah had gone through a traumatic experience, there is no telling what effect Fayala's healing process had on her. 

              Ohas was kneeling,  looking closely at Tanarah's leg when she heard the Doctor exclaim, "I have not seen black powder burns like this since last year when your furnace blew up. Where did you get this?"

The man looked past the Doctor at Ohas then in a quiet voice said, "I guess I wasn't paying attention to what I put in my pipe."

"Are you telling me you put black powder in your smoking pipe instead of tobacco, you know how dangerous that stuff is is," replied Dr. Waterman.

"Tobacco, or the powder," quipped the man.

"Well both actually," laughed the Doctor.

             Dr. Waterman turned from the man, "so how is our two legged priestess doing." He suddenly realized he was talking to an empty bed. He stepped quickly to the open doorway of his office and saw Ohas ushering the young priestess down the road. He was joined by the injured man who was rubbing a medicinal cream on his face.  "Well they sure left in a hurry," said Dr. Waterman.

"Yes they did," said the man sardonically eyeing the pair, "yes they did."