Into the Void

Chap #6 - Slick Stark-White Bones

"~ The creak of old trees nicking bricks? ~"

I look at her in a state of confusion.

"This might sting a bit," my gentle sister says in a sort of answer, suddenly turning tough as she hands me a wooden spoon. I look curiously at it, not quite sure what to do. "Bite it," she orders, steering me towards the couch and makes me sit. I laugh nervously as I prepare to deal with the pain... old school way. The worn wood is rough on my tongue and tastes vaguely of mushrooms. Of course. Memories flash through my mind in a familiar kaleidoscope as I remember the mushroom stew that Grandpa always used to make...

"I don't think I can do this Ella!" I start to panic as Ella advances on me. She just offers a grim smile. I grip it hard between my teeth as she sets to work. At first she looks uncertain, sprinkling peroxide on the broken skin, and I bite hard into the spoon as it sears my flesh from the bone - or that's what it feels like. I thrash out on reaction but tell myself to stop being such a child. It will all be over soon, it will all be over soon, I repeat. I look away just as Ella starts operating.

I scream through gritted teeth. The bone has shifted into place and the wound is stitched. I drift in and out of consciousness the pain hits me head on and takes full effect. Ella twists my brutally injured leg to match the shape of the splint, then wraps bandage tightly around it to keep everything stiff and in place. I let out a gasping sigh of relief as the searing pain is reduced to a pounding throb to match my heartbeat.

Ella then moves to the gash in my hand and pours more peroxide in it as well. It doesn't sting nearly as much because it's almost fully scabbed over. However, it must've reopened a little bit in the forest because a small trickle of blood drips out. She wraps it tightly in bandage before moving on to my head, which is the least painful. She examines it closely to make sure there's no visible damage before sitting next to me on the couch.

I manage to sit up, propping my body up on my elbows. "Let me fix your scrapes now." Ella scoots closer to me and holds up her arms. They're covered in small cuts and bruises for the most part, but there are a few nasty looking gashes that I know will sting like anything. But since I don't want her wounds to get infected, and since I know that my little sister is just as tough as I am, I merely hesitate before I drip the remains of the peroxide on the worst of her injuries. A small gasp escapes her and I look at her in concern.

"There must have been some dirt in the flesh," she says in answer, tense with the pain of the cleanser. I examine her face and hands for anything else, but don't find much.

"Is that all, Ella?" She nods slowly. I'm still unconvinced, but relief washes through me to see her so unharmed.

***

I'm laying on a lounge chair on the porch, trying to ignore the pain from my leg.

"Alright, now let's do some poking around!" Ella grins. I try to smile back, but it probably ends up looking like a grimace; I've only just thought - what if we find...? But I refuse to let myself even think about that.

"Well... I'd say let's get some rest first, but you seem keen to get started. So where do we start?" I look at my sister. Her bright blue eyes meet mine.

"Well first of all, I want to check out the secret room underneath this one. I saw some interesting shelves full of stuff down there, and the curiosity is nagging at me to dig deeper into it."

I grin in reply. I know exactly where the hidden switch is. We walk--more like she walks and I hop--inside, and I bite my lip as I realize that we don't even need to use the switch yet, not until we want to go back to the ramshackle house that the outside showed. The secret room is already revealed, and I trip on the first step because I'm not expecting it.