The Tale of Aurea

03.

The Last Doctor

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In the dark hours, when stillness reigned
They talked in whispers about a silhouette
Of dirt that was eaten and of weeds that grew to wilt
Where shadows sung a lonely song of a lost damsel
Its tone was wordless but it seemed to engulf the whole
And like a curse, none shall hear its cry nor see its life
So when a lonely soul broke, the wood sufficed a song
Yet only shadows wept and inscriptions became nothing 
Allow me to dedicate this one to the perished
To those whose screams of pain and agony were not heard
To those who lived in our world where every day felt like death
May there be peace wherever they had gone
 
Cresna blinked as rain got into her eyes.  Passing through the slums had been worse in her experience – looked and smelled twice as bad. This part of the city almost looked immaculate than from what she remembered.  People were still trying to survive here instead of waiting to rot, even if that meant they had to turn against each other.  But it was the slums all the same – the forgotten place of sickness and death.

Despite trudging through the mud and shivering from the cold, she pushed herself to stay conscious for a little longer. The fatigue of the travel since she arrived made her slower.  She could have rested but she only had a day and just walking alone proved to be too long.  If she stopped, everything she had done would be all for nothing.

Rounding another corner, she finally saw it.

The house loomed over her like a monster’s face, dark and foreboding, yet to Cresna, it felt like home. Still, she knocked for courtesy’s sake. What greeted her in return was nostalgia in human form despite it missing white strands in black hair and having clear dark eyes without symptoms of cataract.

Sesa stared at her in confusion. Who was this girl covered in mud, with long black hair clinging to her skin, and clear brown eyes that stared at her with familiarity? Cresna yearned to speak of stories but before she could say a word, fatigue finally took its toll and she collapsed.

Sesa caught the girl before she could hit the cold concrete and led her inside.  Normally, a sick person would be left to die in the slums. Sesa thanked the high heavens that she made a doctor’s oath – long before it lost its meaning. In this time and age, it was a dog-eat-dog world. People feared people. She had seen more closed doors than outstretched hands that were ready and willing to help.

Sesa laid the girl on an old mattress on the floor and watched over her while fiddling with the old random trinkets she had collected over the years.  For reasons even science couldn’t explain, Sesa always found herself drowning in memories that felt like they were from another time.  It led her to exploring a world she didn't understand before she settled in her current town. She was desperate to see the world inside her memories. She remembered families; she remembered love and compassion; and she remembered hope – but nothing in this time spoke of it. No. This time only spoke of selfishness and fear.

As soon as Cresna awoke, panic rose from her mind.  How long did she sleep? Sesa startled beside her.  She stared at the doctor and her chest felt tight at her mere presence.  Her body moved on its own and she embraced Sesa before she could possibly disappear.

“Can I charge you for this with your name, at least?” Sesa joked even as she returned the gesture.

“It’s Cresna,” she said as she quickly let go, embarrassed.

“Okay, Cresna,” Sesa replied with a chuckle, “I want you to change in those dry clothes I prepared for you. You’ll drink your medicine after that.”