In The Dark of Night

Chapter II | Jasper

The water lapped against the dock, creating a peaceful sound. Jasper looked out over the waves, the night sky shining above him.
"Jasper?" A voice cut through the peacefulness. Jasper turned around to see his little cousin Isadora standing tentatively on the end of the dock.
Jasper stood up and crossed to her. He kneeled down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What do you need Isa?"
"Gram is coughing again," she said, tears in her eyes.
It took all Jasper had to not show his deep concern. "How about we go and check on her then, hmm?" Jasper stood up and led Isadora back towards the small stone cottage that they lived in.
When Jasper opened the door, he was greeted with his grandmother's hacking coughs.
"Gram?" He asked, slowly approaching her bedside.
The only response was coughs. Then she fell silent.
"Gram?" Jasper said again, placing a hand on her forehead. It was ice cold, her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow.
"Is she going to be okay?" Isadora asked quietly.
"I don't know," Jasper responded truthfully. Tears slid down his cheeks. Through them he could see Isadora hugging herself and crying quietly.
"Jasper?" Isadora asked, her voice shaky.
Jasper crossed the room and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her to the sofa and set her down. "Yes, Isa?"
"What will we do if Gram, I-if Gram..." Isa looked away and trailed off.
Jasper was quiet for a moment, not sure what to say to the seven year old—how much truth to tell her. "Oh little Isa, don't think of such things. How about you go to sleep, I will figure this out."
Isadora didn't respond, but closed her eyes and popped her thumb into her mouth.
Jasper covered her small body with a blanket then put on his coat and slipped out of the house. The night air felt colder to him now than it had before. It bit at his skin and pulled at the collar of his coat. Jasper's mind raced with all of the things that had happened. Gram had been sick for weeks, coughing and thrashing in her bed. But it had taken a horrible turn in the past week or so. Jasper had tried to keep Isadora positive and out of the house as much as possible, but she had insisted on staying by Gram's side. On the other hand, Jasper had spent most of his time on the docks, gazing out at the calm waves.
Jasper hurried along the mostly deserted country roads that eventually turned into the winding streets of the town. He practically ran, fighting back tears as he made his way to the town apothecary shop. The apothecary shop was run by Jason Demetriou, a good family friend to the Simmons. When he reached the wooden door of the store, he knocked as hard as he could even though the store had been closed for hours.
"Jason!" Jasper tried, tears pooling in his eyes.
"Jasper?" Jason opened the door, his bright yellow eyes instantly filling with concern. "Jasper! What's wrong? Come here, come here."
Jasper followed Jason into the apothecary and up into the apartment above. It was small, with a bed in one corner, a small stove and fireplace for a kitchen, and a sofa covered in loose springs and holes. Jasper made his way in a daze to the sofa, plopping down and ignoring the sharp spring he sat on. Jason took a pot of tea off of the stove and poured it into two mugs; steam curled into the air like smoke from a chimney. Jason then set them on the table and sat next to Jasper.
Jasper started at the mug, not making a move to pick it up.
"What happened?" Jason asked, placing a comforting hand on Jasper's shoulder.
"It's Gram. Sh-she... It has gotten so much worse, I don't know, I-I..." Jasper trailed off and buried his face in his hands.
Jason was quiet for a moment. "There might still be hope," he said, "let's get to your cottage."
Jason stood up—grabbing a medical bag from the nearby table—and was followed by Jasper, even though he would've been happy to stay in Jason's store forever. They hurried down the stairs of the shop and out the door. Outside, it had started raining, a small drizzle that was enough to make you wet and uncomfortable, but not soaked. The two hurried through the rain back to Jasper's seaside cottage. When they arrived, the rain had turned into a downpour, dropping big drops of cold water toward their heads. Jasper pushed open the door, but there was nobody there. The only sign that there had ever been people in the cottage was Isadora's blanket dropped in a heap on the floor.
"Where are they?" Jasper wondered aloud as he moved about the cottage, searching, "Isadora, Gram?" Jasper called their names, but no responses called back.
"They aren't here Jasper," Jason said, tugging on the former's hand.
"But where are they? Jason, they were here when I left!" Jasper couldn't hold it in any longer, tears spilled onto his cheeks, sobs racking his chest.
Jason took Jasper's hand and pulled him into an embrace. Tears glimmered in Jason's piercing yellow eyes.
Jason squeezed Jasper tight and held him until the tears stopped flowing. "Where, where did they go?" He asked, leaning into Jason's embrace, "How do you suppose we find them?" Jasper asked, he stepped back and wiped his red eyes.
"The Elves. Travel to Silvis City. They will know something; they always do."
"Will you come with me?" Jasper asked tentatively.
Jason looked away. "Jas, you know I can't leave."
Jasper looked sadly into his eyes. "Jason, there are other healers. None are quite as good as you, but we won't be gone long. Please?"
Jason bit his lip and looked out of the window into the pouring rain. "I'll go. It isn't safe for you alone anyways."
Jasper nodded and collected his things into a small bag: some bread had cheese, apples, a map of Estlyn, a pack of matches, and a pouch full of gold pieces. Then he grabbed his grandmother's yellow scarf and tied it around his neck.
"Let's go."