As Ever Like the Sun & Moon at War

4- ☾

Our Pilgrim falls asleep in th'wagon's bed,

which wakes Pariah to the clopping hooves

and gentle shaking of the rolling wheels

upon th'uneven road. He makes to sit

up when a shot of pain from ankle strikes

to surge toward his knee and down his toes.

He turns his gaze around at laughter from

the Spouse at th'other side of hanging cloth

and knows he must be safe if she's alright,

relaxing him somewhat, though still he's thrown                10

aback by th'other voice he hears up front;

but as it stands there's nothing can be done

til he can stand again, whereat he'll act

appropriately, bas'd on how he'll judge

who owns the voice he hears along with Spouse.

When time hath pass'd and night hath grown to dark

the wagon stops, whereat Pariah hears

the Saunterer and Spouse dismount the cart

to walk around the sides and lift the flaps.

He lifts his gaze to them and Saunterer                20

here says: "How is your ankle feeling now?"

Pariah grimaces; the man guffaws.

"I doubt that it is broken, but I'm not

a healer, nor do I possess the wares

required in the mending of the twist,

so here we are, the town I left this noon,

outside the Doctor's house. Now carefully

let's get ye to the ground and check ye out."

The Saunterer instructs the Spouse to knock

upon the Doctor's door whilst outcast slides—                30

now cloth'd in garb he found within the cart

along the ride from cave toward the town—

toward the tailgate and's lifted down.

He then—with Saunterer's support—doth limp

to th'house with open door and woman in

its doorway's light with sleep still in her eyes,

who beckons them t'regardless come inside

and gestures them to lay Pariah on

a cot within a room that's in the back,

containing shelv'd supplies and instruments                40

on tables, which she chooses from to cut

th'ill-fitting trouser leg around his foot

with scissors to observe the swollen limb

before deciding how she will proceed.

"It's not an awful wound," she says to him.

"At worst a fracture, but I think you'll find