Time to Rest

 

It was still dark when Ruby opened her eyes the next morning. As an early riser, and with more guests arriving at the inn, she had made a habit of getting to work early in the morning so she had time to do other thing later in the day. With a flutter of her wings and a large stretch, she slowly rolled out of bed and got ready. After all the cold weather and snowfall, she had finally moved out of her tent and into her old family home. She hadn’t had much time to do anything with the place; she was simply happy to be in a warmer bed each night.

As she pushed open the door, the frosty air hit her face and she was thankful she had worn a coat. In the streets the old street lamps glowed, lighting up her pathway to the inn. It was at this time of day when the little village felt empty, as if no-one had moved in. In a few hours, however, the village would slowly come to life again as the lights in some of the building turned on, the market opened, and visitors arrived. It was a short journey, but the cold morning nipped at her fingers and Ruby looked forward to arriving at the hopefully warm inn.

As she entered the inn, a small bell chimed above the door. Making her way through the corridors and rooms towards the kitchen she was met with an unusual silence. Most mornings she could hear the gentle swishing of a broom as Piccolo swept the floor somewhere nearby, or the quiet crackling of the wood in the fireplace. Assuming he had gone out for something, or was still in his room getting ready, Ruby lit the fireplace and moved into the kitchen to begin food prep for the day, certain he would be around soon.

A couple of hours later, light peeking through the curtains in her room, Hattie began to get up to start work for the day. Yawning, she slowly shuffled to the reception area, her paws sliding on the shiny wooden floor. Sitting on the chair behind the reception desk she opened up the accounting files and flipped to the next page, still half asleep. As she scanned the pages she scratched her head. All the numbers seemed to add up, so why did something seem wrong? Perhaps it wasn’t to do with the accounting, perhaps something else was wrong? Peering up from the pages and looking around, she slowly became more aware of her surroundings. Piccolo. Where was Piccolo? He was usually there to greet her in the morning, hard at work cleaning. He hadn’t mentioned needing to do anything the evening before. Perhaps he was somewhere else, she thought?

Thinking Ruby might know, Hattie slid of her chair and swiftly made the journey towards the kitchen. Inside, the mushroom fairy was hard at work chopping vegetables, humming a little tune as she went. “Have you seen Piccolo?” queried Hattie, poking her head round the door. Ruby looked up from what she was doing, gave the little dog a smile and shook her head, clearly not concerned.

Hattie, on the other hand, didn’t feel like everything was right. Piccolo usually told them if he would be out; he was usually around at this time of day. Her mind began to spiral; was he okay? Rushing to his room, just next to hers, she knocked on the door, not too loud to wake up the other guests. Hearing no response she pressed her ear to the door and heard a quiet noise. It wasn’t the swishing of the broom, and it certainly wasn’t words. The little dog was greatly concerned. She could hear him breathing heavily and every now and then the small mouse gave out a little whimper. Something wasn’t right.

No longer waiting for permission, Hattie quickly pushed open the door and rushed towards the bed. The little grey mouse was snuggled up under his purple duvet. In any other circumstance he would simply look adorable. Today, however, the sight broke Hattie’s heart. She could clearly see beads of sweat on his little grey forehead, his mouth turned down in pain and his little hands clutching onto the covers. Panic began to settle in as Hattie realised her best friend was seriously struggling and unwell.

 

All she could think about was how to help her friend, how to ease his suffering. Without a second thought, she ran back into the kitchen. Finding the nearest clean cloth, the little dog rushed to the sink, soaking it in cold water. As Hattie entered, panting and frantic, Ruby could see the panic written all over her face and knew immediately something was wrong with Piccolo. Hattie was usually quite calm, even when something didn’t go according to plan. The only thing that could make her this stressed was something to do with her dear friend.

As Hattie rushed back towards Piccolo’s room, Ruby followed her, hoping she could help the situation. Ruby watched as Hattie hurried to place the cool, damp cloth on the little mouse’s forehead. The red fairy quietly gasped, shocked to see her little friend struggling so much. As Hattie sat on the bed beside Piccolo she glanced back at the fairy in the doorway, tears brimming, unable to talk. She didn’t want to leave his side, how could she when he looked in so much pain, so uncomfortable?

Ruby understood right away as Hattie looked at her. Her friend was silently pleading for her to do something, to find someone who could help. “You stay here, I’ll get help” she said, trying to reassure both the tan dog in front of her, and herself. Quickly flying back into the kitchen to retrieve her coat, the mushroom fairy was suddenly very glad she was running a little behind and hadn’t started cooking yet. She slipped her arms into the woollen material and darted out through the corridors and rooms and into the cold once more.

As the biting air hit her face, she stopped suddenly and began to panic. Where should she go? Who could help them? Attempting to hold it all together, she racked her brains trying to work out what to do. Deep in thought, she didn’t notice Oscar bounding towards her with the fish she had ordered the day before. “Hello!” began the otter with a smile on his face before he abruptly stopped, sensing the panic radiating from Ruby. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

Ruby stumbled over her words as she quickly explained how Piccolo was unwell and how they had found him, her voice cracking, tears nearly spilling over. She hadn’t known the little mouse for long but they had become close friends, almost like family. The red fairy was relieved when Oscar seemed to know exactly where they should go for help. Oscar still held the fish in his net bag but Ruby seemed glued to the spot, unable to go back into the inn. Noticing this, the otter quickly darted into the inn, dropped off the fish in the kitchen and made his way back to Ruby outside.

“Maya can help, I’m sure. Don’t worry ” comforted Oscar as he made his way back in the direction of the river. Hearing what the otter had said, Ruby snapped out of her dazed, frozen state and began to follow. She was too anxious to just stand outside and wait, she needed to know someone was coming to help. Flying behind Oscar, she clutched onto the hope that Maya would know someone nearby, a doctor even. It was all she could do to try and stay calm.

With Oscar’s guidance the journey was quick, but it felt like hours for Ruby. The otter took Ruby straight to Maya before waving goodbye and slipping into the water to continue his fishing for the day.

As she saw her old friend, Ruby’s wings began to give way and she slowly fluttered onto the ground, crumpling to her knees as the tears began to fall. She had held it together so far but as she looked at Maya, she allowed her emotions to overflow. Maya lowered herself to the red fairy’s level and embraced her, stroking her head to comfort her friend. “Tell me what the matter is Ruby” she coaxed gently. Ruby looked up at her, tears rolling down her face. “Piccolo” she began, stuttering through the tears.”He’s unwell Maya. I don’t know what to do” she finished, her eyes pleading for help.

“You’ve done well Ruby” soothed Maya. “Let me take it from here. Go and be with Piccolo and Hattie, stay strong together. I know a doctor, I will find him” she reassured, as she stood up and began to conjure a block of ice with her magic. After instructing Ruby to break the ice into cubes and place it in a glass for Piccolo to drink, she handed it over to Ruby and began her journey. Ruby wiped the tears from her face, raised herself off the cold ground and made her way back to the inn, before following Maya’s instructions.

Although Maya kept it together to help comfort her friend, she was also very concerned about little Piccolo. She tried very hard to keep her mind on the task at hand and not allow her thoughts to spiral but it was hard. Remembering the directions to the Doctor’s house required most of her concentration which helped her to keep calm and focus on the task.

She had visited the doctor only once before, and quite some time ago now, but she remembered exactly where his house was. He had lived on the outskirts of the Emerald Forest for a few years, tending to patients in and around the forest. Patients in the forest usually visited him with an appointment and he rarely did home visits for those who lived there as directions were very hard without pathways and maps.

It was unusual for a doctor not to live in one of the main towns or the city but he had made the decision to move away anyway. He still visited the city regularly for medicinal herbs and to treat some of his patients and sometimes stayed overnight if his schedule required it. Maya could only hope this was not one of those occasions. She hoped he would be at home; he had to be.

Finally she caught sight of the doctor’s house. It was probably the newest house in the Emerald Forest, built only a few years ago especially for the doctor. The A-frame building was made of wood with a small deck out front. Situated near the river, it had wonderful views of the water if you sat outside or looked out of one of the three small windows. With it being still early in the morning, all the curtains were closed - either the doctor was not up yet, or he wasn’t in! Hoping it wasn’t the latter, Maya settled on the deck near the door and thumped loudly on the wood before taking a small step back. Please let him be in, she thought to herself.

 

As she twiddled her fingers to try and settle her nerves, it felt like a lifetime passed before the door slowly opened with a small creak. In the doorway stood a cute but sleepy duck with pale yellow feathers. His eyes were closed as he yawned and stretched. He was obviously not expecting visitors. Breathing out a small sigh of relief, Maya was very glad to see the doctor had answered the door. There was hope.

Opening his eyes, Maxwell the duck was surprised to see who had banged on the door when he had no appointments set. Seeing a fairy with deep indigo hair and blue wings, he recognised Maya immediately. They did not know each other well, having only met in passing, but her distinctive features had stuck in his memory. “May was it?” he asked tilting his head. “Close. It’s Maya, Doctor” replied the blue fairy, relieved he recognised her.

Maxwell looked his visitor up and down. He could tell she was trying to keep calm but there were some tell-tale signs that something was wrong. Her breathing was heavy, her hands were fidgeting, and her pale blue wings twitched without her realising. He understood without any explanation that Maya had come for someone else. She was not the one who needed help. With a quick nod he rushed back inside, slipped on his pale blue bow, collected his medical briefcase and rejoined Maya, closing the door behind him.

“Where we off to?” quacked Maxwell as he looked up to Maya for directions. He was no longer half asleep, he was ready for business. Still out of breath from her journey and panic, Maya managed to squeeze out the words “Fairy village”. Maxwell’s eyes widened in surprise - he had not been there for many years, since the final guardian fairy elder became ill. It had been a while, but he still knew where to go.

With the river so close, and the need to cross it to get back, Maya pointed out the fastest route she knew. She hadn’t, however, taken into consideration the speed of her travelling companion. Maxwell, although able to fly, was not a fan of being high up in the air and preferred to travel by land or water. After waddling to the edge of the river, he began to fiddle with his briefcase, getting ready to attach it to his back. Noticing it would slow down their journey Maya quickly offered to carry it for Maxwell, and he happily agreed. “Ducks are faster in water, my friend” hinted the doctor, pointing down the river. Understanding what he meant Maya nodded and they set off. And so began their journey back to Kiki Lane, with Maya flying above, and Maxwell swimming or waddling below as fast as he could.

Arriving at Kiki Lane, Maxwell smiled at the hand-painted sign before being quickly guided straight to the inn where his patient was. Inside, many villagers had gathered, concerned about their dear mouse friend. Most had congregated in the dining area but a group of four had settled in Piccolo’s room, too concerned to leave him. Hattie sat on the bed by Piccolo’s side. Kiki stood next to Hattie, helping to comfort the dog. Finally, on the sofa sat Ruby and Rowan, nervously whispering to each other.

Maxwell looked around the room at the four guests. There was too many of them in there for him to treat his patient. Only three of them had noticed his arrival. Quietly he gestured for them to leave, retrieved his briefcase from Maya, and walked over to the bed. He could sense immediately that there was a deep bond between his mouse patient and the hunched-over dog.

“Doctor here to help!” he quacked gently. Hattie’s head snapped up to look at the duck beside her and she sighed in relief, her muscles beginning to relax. Climbing off the bed, Hattie stood back to let the doctor assess Piccolo’s condition. Like Piccolo, Maxwell was quite small, and the bed was quite large. When he moved in, Piccolo had sourced some steps with drawers to help him get into bed each night. Maxwell carefully pushed the steps towards the head of the bed before climbing up them to asses the grey mouse. He was very pleased he had something nearby to help him get closer without having to ask for help.

A few minutes later, Maxwell stepped down and pulled out a pen and paper from his briefcase. He was pleased it was just a fever but began to scribble down ingredients and instructions for treatment. After finishing his list, he delved back into his briefcase and rummaged around for what he needed. Finally, at the bottom of his bag, he found the medication he was looking for to help bring his patient’s temperature down.

“‘Good news my friend, just a fever” said Maxwell, turning to face Hattie with a small smile. “Thank you” breathed Hattie with relief, hugging the doctor in front of her. “No problem. You the cook?” he questioned with a tilt of his head. “Ah no, let me go and grab Ruby” replied Hattie slipping out of the room. Hattie, now feeling comfortable Piccolo was in good hands, no longer felt the need to always be by his side. A few moments later, Ruby knocked on the door and entered, leaving the dog to look after everyone gathered in the dining area.

When Ruby entered, Maxwell had taken a seat on the sofa with his notes in his hands. The mushroom fairy closed the door behind her quietly, trying not to disturb Piccolo’s rest, before sitting beside the doctor.

Maxwell took his time to carefully explain the best food and drink that would help nurse the little grey mouse back to full health. He outlined in detail what to avoid and when to take the medication he was prescribing. Ruby sat and listened intently, making note mentally of everything she was told.

With his explanation complete, Maxwell passed his notes over to Ruby, collected his briefcase and headed back out of the inn. As he passed through the dining area he took in the number of creatures that had gathered, concerned about their friend. The little mouse would be well looked after, he was sure of it. Noticing his arrival, the group all thanked him quietly and followed him to the front door. “Well friends, I’ll be back in a couple of days to check on the patient but I’m sure he will be okay from here” quacked Maxwell as he waved goodbye and began his journey back home.

The next few days seemed to go by very slowly for Piccolo. He was still not feeling well, but the medicine was helping him to slowly feel better. He was itching to get up and clean, but nobody allowed him to. That afternoon, after the doctor’s visit, Hattie entered Piccolo’s room to find him trying to sweep, very out of breath and unsteady on his feet. From that point on, she had confiscated all of his cleaning equipment to ensure he wouldn’t try again.

With little energy, Piccolo stayed in his room for most of the day, having all his meals brought to him and only leaving for the bathroom. He switched between lying in bed and sitting on his sofa but it was apparent early on that he had no idea what to do with himself if he wasn’t cleaning.

Hattie often visited Picoolo in the evening. She ate dinner with him, talked to him and stayed until he fell asleep. Likewise, whenever they could, other villagers popped in to visit Piccolo and check in on him. Most would come in for a few minutes before leaving to let the little mouse rest, but some stayed longer to keep him company.

Once a day Kemuri or Mishka would arrive with a doctor-approved snack and drink. After the doctor had left, they had both discussed with Ruby what they could bring to cheer Piccolo up that was in line with the doctor’s orders. Together they had settled on a cheese sandwich and herbal tea; slightly different compared to Piccolo’s usual favourites, but similar enough to make him smile.

Rowan, still staying at the inn, often visited Piccolo after lunch and stayed with him for as long as the little mouse could manage. They chatted away like old friends, but it was often Rowan who did most of the talking, explaining everything he had been up to since they last spoke, which allowed Piccolo to rest as he listened.

Kiki also made a habit of visiting Piccolo each day with things to keep him entertained. She usually brought with her a very small selection of books for him to choose from and a letter from Fumi. Kiki and the dragons spent time carefully selecting books they thought the little mouse might enjoy but found it quite hard as they did not know what type of book he would enjoy. Piccolo had hardly visited the library and didn’t usually have the chance to read as he was always so busy working at the inn so he had no idea what books he enjoyed either.

In her letters to Piccolo, Fumi tried her hardest to explain what she had been up to, what each book was about, and why they chose it. She found great pleasure in practising her letter writing, knowing reading would help pass the time for Piccolo.

With little experience reading books from the library, Piccolo thought he would find it hard to get through only one of the books Kiki brought the first day. He slowly realised, however, how enjoyable it was turning the pages and getting swept into a new world, immersing himself in the stories. With so much time on his hands, by the time Kiki visited on the second day, he had already finished the two books he had chosen the day before and was eager to read more and discover which genres he liked best.

A couple of days later, Doctor Maxwell arrived back in Kiki Lane late in the afternoon. Everyone he passed on his way to the inn greeted him enthusiastically, all very thankful for his help. He visited his patient first and was very pleased to see Piccolo’s improvement. “Well, medication isn’t what you need now my friend. Rest, you need rest” quacked Maxwell to a smiling mouse before making his way back outside. Piccolo settled back in his seat and opened the book beside him. He could rest.

As Maxwell exited the inn he realised he had no more appointments that day. Realising he had a unique opportunity to look round, he decided to go for a walk around the village and see what it was like. Since his last visited, he had become quite intrigued by how close everyone was in Kiki Lane, and how much they cared about one another.

He wasn’t sure where to go exactly, but as he walked villagers were very happy to point him in the direction of the market square. It was still a quiet market square with only three vendors but it had a certain charm. Mishka and Kemuri were adamant that food and drinks were on the house for him as a thank you and Oscar let the duck choose a treasure for free as well. Everyone wanted to do what they could to thank the yellow-feathered doctor.

As Maxwell sat and drank his tea, Kiki arrived in the market square and made her way over to the doctor. “Are you off duty now, doctor?” she queried, sitting beside him. Maxwell nodded, mouth full, and adjusted his blue bow. “Would you like to stay for dinner? I would love to show you around the library, its a lot tidier since you last visited!” Kiki chuckled, remembering how much of a mess it was when he visited a few years ago.  “Sounds lovely” replied Maxwell rising from his seat. “Lead the way.”

That evening all the villagers, even Piccolo, gathered at the inn for dinner together. Everyone was pleased Piccolo was getting better, and that Maxwell was able to join with them to celebrate. The inn was full of chatter as the meal progressed, everyone happy to be in each others company.

After the evening meal was finished, Maxwell stood up and waved goodbye to all his new friends. “Call me anytime” he quacked as he left. As he waddled back home he thought about Kiki Lane and how wonderful the village was, and all the creatures in it. It would be nice to go back. Perhaps he would next time he had some time off.