Fable (on hiatsu)

26. Prelude

I always somewhat dreaded when Mom said "I'll get the stuff ready." It almost always meant that I would spend the next few days wrapped in a horrid cloud of medical smell so strong it made your eyes water. And when that was gone my clothes would smell like the gunk for the next month. The 'stuff' actually worked, though. I got over a cold in less than a day, fully aware and back to normal so when people would comment on the smell I could squeak in embarrassment with no excuses. Joy.

I grimaced, already seeing what would happen. One of the bobble creatures then chose this perfect time to land on my nose.

"GEDDOF!" I howled while swiping at it.

Jo and my Mom just kind of stood there, waiting for my action to make sense. Jo looked worried, cause he probably figured it was a Spirit (bull’s-eye) and Mom was hoping I'd give a justifiable answer.

"Aha...ha...ha..." I blushed bright red. "Uhm, there was a... speck... that landed on my nose and" grabbing through my head for inspiration," and I didn't want to sneeze..?"

Wow.

As if anyone'd believe that.

"Oh, is that so, Craft?" Mom just gave me this look of 'I-know-you're-lying-but-you-can-tell-me-when-you're-ready (If I haven't already snapped by then)'. Jo's expression of disbelief transferred from me to my mom.

"Um, Miss Cataclysm-" He began.

"Oh, just call me Ron, Jonathan!" She laughed while interrupting him.

"Okay, then... Ron. Is he going to be okay?" Jo had obviously changed his question at the last second.

I bet he's gonna ask me later, I thought.

"Oh, don't worry about Craft! He doesn't get sick very often, but when he does its horrible! Fortunately that only lasts ten hours or so after I give him some special medicine!" She turned around. "Speaking of which, I'll go get it now!"

Jo and I were felt alone. A big swarm of the translucent creatures followed Mom out of the room. Jo turned back to me, question already on his lips.

"Does your Mom know you can See Spirits?" He asked softly, almost whispering.

"Not that I know of. Well, she's probably noticed something's up after all these years, but I wasn't really vocal about it when I was a kid, so..." I just let it trail there.

"Anybody else in your family?"

"Kyuu and Grandma. Sophie probably knows, though she's waiting for me to say it." I tugged on a strand of hair, feeling my dizziness prowling back. "I haven't asked anyone, but for all I know they could all know about me?"

"How clear." Jo commented sarcastically, "So, are you feeling okay?"

I shook my head, "I feel really dizzy, and I keep on Seeing the weaker Spirits -that's what landed on my nose- and I feel as if my body is as heavy as lead."

"Then lay down! Sheesh, you have as much common sense as a lemming when it comes to this kind of stuff!" He nagged. I chuckled softly.

"As much as a lemming, huh?" My voice was so low I wondered if I had said it out loud. Then I slowly fell into a deep sleep. Jo told me it only lasted thirty minutes or so, though, because when I woke up Toby came running and sobbing down the hall back to us.

"There, there," I tapped his back, feeling uncannily as if I were comforting a puppy.

Mom came back with a bright orange tub labeled "Craft's Meds". In it was some kind of orange ointment that positively reeked. Toby ducked away from me and Jo crawled to the corner of his mattress.

"Oh, god," he shuddered, pinching his nostrils.

Well, it's not as if it was any better for me you know.

My mom dabbed a Kleenex in the jar and passed the stuff along my collar bone. My eyes were watering, my nose running and I was feeling miserable. Jo crawled up beside me. His eyes were watering too, which kind of removed some truth from his statement.

"It's alright, you get used to it soon!"

Right. Of course.

And so, I made my two friends watch all sorts of movies with me (while bearing the scent), made them help me to the washroom, and I pretty much turned them into my servants for a period of five hours. Then their parents came to pick them up and we said goodbye.

"We'll talk again on Monday, 'kay?" I said.

"Sure!" "Yep, see ya then!"

And I returned to my room. Flopping onto my bed, I began to feel a bit bored and decided to check in on T'Ko. Through his eyes, I watched him gathering plants for Issa-san. I eventually fell asleep like that. But I continued on watching the world through T'Ko's eyes.

And I think that's what cause all my problems up till now.