Jack O' Lanterns, Moonlight, and Magic 
By
Rebecca Anna Coleman

Chapter Six : Nurse Cerridwen (Part One of Three)

“One hundred and three fever.” I heard a voice say as I slowly opened my eyes. “If I was your mother, I would bundle you up in some blankets and rush you to the hospital. But, I'm your cousin, not your mother, and beside the roads between here and Benton are iced over.”

I slowly started to lift myself up. I swallowed hard, my throat was dry as hot sand. Swallowing was painful, but slowly my eyes started to focus on the image of a young woman. I knew her, she was my cousin, and her name was Cerridwen, who lived just up the road from me. Well she kind of lived across the pond from me. I regretted that action at once because I soon found myself falling down upon my pillows. 

“What are you doing here?” I said, taking a deep breath.

“Your mom called us around midnight. She's been trying to get in touch with you all night. She tried calling your phone, but I guess you were fast asleep, she then tried calling the house phone. But again you were asleep. So finally she got a hold of us. And she wanted to let us know she was trapped in town. That freaking ice storm that rolled into town last night really iced things over good. And you know, nobody down here in Dixie can drive in ice and snow. Plus power out all over Benton. Downtown is a ghost town.  All of the shops are closed due to the storm. Even the freaking gas stations are closed.” Cerridwen said with a smirk. “The joys of the South.”

“So, when is the world going to end?” I asked. 

“The world's not going to end, girl. You know people are just going to freak out for a day or two, then the sun going to come out. The weather is going to warm up, and that is going to melt most of the snow. That melting snow is going to turn into water, that water is going to pour into the creeks, brooks and the river, and that will cause the river to rise, and as always when the river rises, there is a flood that follows. I expect there to be a little flooding in the river bottoms, not a lot though, But enough water is going to pushed back into those woods that a few dozen of those half-assed built club houses and shooting stands that a bunch of cub scouts tossed up on a whim are going to washed away.”

“Do you think we need to start building an ark?” I asked. 

“I'm going to get you some more ibuprofen, then I'm going to fix you some breakfast.” Cerridwen said. “you need something in your system beside frozen pizza?” Cerridwen then paused. “Also, have you tested your blood sugar this morning?”

“...” I took a deep breath, “No, and how did you know I've been binging on frozen pizza?” Well binging is not the right world. But I did have a few last night.

“I looked into the trash can this morning.” Cerridwen said with a smirk. “Okay I'm going to see what I can't rustle up for you. You need something besides frozen pizza.”

And with that Cerridwen exited my room. Then the truth had dawned on me. She had to have seen my hair in pigtails, and yet she made no comment.. heck she was about to have seen that I was wearing a nightgown instead of my normal sleeping clothes. But again she made no comment. Had I'd been discovered?

I pondered on this for fifteen to twenty minutes when at last Cerridwen returned holding a tray. A wooden tray. The tray held a large bowl that was filled with something that looked lumby and brown. Beside it was a small tray that held what looked like three strips of bacon. And beside the bacon is a small, plastic cup of sliced, oranges. 

“Your mom really needs to make a grocery run.” Cerridwen said. “As she placed the tray down in front of me. Shit I think I'm spoiling you rotten, breakfast in bed.”

I felt my cheeks flush a little as I reached over and pulled the bowl of brown, lumby mush toward me. I slowly sniffed it.

“It Oatmeal girl.” Cerridwen said. “I would have fixed you some grits, but your mom doesn't have any. The fridge, half a pint of milk, half, half a dozen eggs, half eaten chocolate pie, I did find some fruit cups stuck in the back. And thank heavens for some turkey bacon.”

“Your accent?” I decided to shove the spoon of oatmeal into my mouth.

“What about my accent? Same as yours.” She said, sighing.

“Sounds more Scottish than Southern.” I said, pushing  another spoonful of oatmeal into my mouth.

“I've been reading a lot of Robert Burns again.. the unfiltered Scottish tone of his lyrical prose kind of affects my accent. I've kind of picked bits and pieces of it up. And it causally works its way into daily conversation. Now, eat girl before your oatmeal grows cold.” Cerridwen paused. “Also I would offer you some juice, but you have none, and I would offer coffee, but there is not a drop of coffee to be found. And it's too early for soda, so do you have a choice of green tea or milk?”

“Milk with chocolate milk powder?” I asked.

“Sorry, I saw were your mom added chocolate milk powder to the grocery list. But.. she never got around to going to the grocery store, and now with the roads all iced up, it might be a few days before we can leave the Hollow.” Cerridwen said with a sigh.

“Hot chocolate?” I said smiling a little.

“Willow.” Cerridwen said as sighed into her hand. “Again, it was on the grocery list, but your mom never made it to the store.”

“Milk..” I said finally as I shoved some more oatmeal into my mouth.

“...” Cerridwen peered at me, and her pale eyes seemed cold as ice.

“Please?” I added it quickly.

“God, you're such a brat.” Cerridwen said as she rolled her eyes. And with that she left my room. Though she returned a few moments later holding a large glass of chocolate milk. “I found a bit of chocolate sauce in the back.” She said as she handed me the glass of milk. “And I found your medicine. Thankfully your mother has at least three months of your medicine stored up.”

I blinked.

“Here. The white, horse pill is your Metformin. The small reddish pill Ibuprofen. I don't know how often you take blood sugar. So if I can get in touch with your mom I'll ask her. Okay, the house is a mess. And I'm going to roll up my dress sleeves and get to work.”

I swallowed the first pill and washed it down with some milk and then I swallowed the second pill and drained the last of my milk. Once I sucked down the last drop I handed the empty glass toward Cerridwen and in a shy tone of voice I asked.

“May I please have some more?”

“I'm afraid that was the last of the milk.” Cerridwen said.

I sighed.

“Listen, I'm going to be a little mean here. But I don't want you going back and watching anime, and I don't want you to read any manga. I'm going to fix you a big jug of gator-aid mixed with water and I want you to get some sleep and keep hydrated.”

I was about to raise my voice in protest but I noticed Cerridwen was holding up her hand to silence me.

“I want you to get some sleep, okay? I want to sleep, and I only want to catch you out of bed if you need to pee or something. Now, I'm going to start trying to put this house in order. And while I'm putting it in order I'm going to look for something to cook for lunch, something beside you know frozen pizza.” 

“Yes mother.”

Cerridwen blushed. 

“I guess I am trying to practice on you.. for when I have a child of my own.” Cerridwen said as she reached over and slowly she started to collect dishes. Once she stacked the dishes she peered at me and smiled and in a gentle tone of voice said.

“Now.” She paused. “Sleep.” 

And though I thought it impossible, I soon found myself drifting off asleep.