(aka Bike) Part 2088 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad
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I was sitting on the bed sniffing when Cindy knocked and entered my room. “I heard you were upset, I brought you up a cup of tea. My mum always says a cuppa cheers you up.
Part of me felt grateful, a cuppa would be nice just now; part of me felt this was verging on intrusion. She wasn’t one of my family, just a guest and I was having a very private moment.
“Who told you I was upset?” I asked trying not to sound as if it was an aggressive question.
“Jacquie, I think. She said Trish had hurt herself and it had worried you.”
“And you heard her yelling at me, as well, I suppose?”
“I heard her yelling but not what she said.”
I wiped my eyes with the backs of my hands and accepted the tea. “Trish has the power to heal as well.”
“I thought so.”
“She tried to use it to hurt something.”
“Oh no, she mustn’t do that,” Cindy sounded really concerned, “if she does, it will go away but it will repay her first.”
“You mean it will hurt her?”
“That’s what I understood.”
“Where did you learn that?”
“I dreamt it all. A lovely lady in a golden dress told me that I had been chosen for her to work through me. That she only chose female spirits to work with and that she would guide me.”
“And has she–guided you?”
“I suppose so. I got the place at St Claire’s when my mum accepted I really should be a girl.”
“How did you tell her?”
“I couldn’t, I was too scared of hurting her feelings, but I couldn’t eat. Everything I put in my mouth made me want to be sick.”
“That must have been very unpleasant.”
“It was,” she nodded for emphasis and tears appeared in her eyes. “I thought I would die if I didn’t eat, but it felt like everything was poisoned. If I swallowed it, I was sick.”
“Did you realise what was going on?”
“No, I knew I wanted to be a girl but I didn’t think that would stop me being able to eat.”
“It didn’t, I think your mind just said to your body, if we make her ill enough she’ll have to tell someone.”
“That’s what happened. Mum called the doctor who examined me, gave me some pills and told me it would get better.”
“But it didn’t, right?”
“No, it got worse. Then he had to come again and this time he asked to see me alone. He asked me what was bothering me?”
“And?”
“At first I wouldn’t tell him. He then told me if I didn’t tell him he would have to think it was sexual abuse by my mother and they’d take me away from her.”
“Ouch,” I felt for her, what an awful thing to say, but I suppose much of the time it’s true. “So you told him?”
“I had to too. He actually gave me a hug and asked what I called myself, I told him, Cindy. He said, ‘Right, Cindy, I’m going to talk with your mother, then I want you to go and see a doctor friend of mine to see if he can help you.’ I thought he meant to take the feelings of wanting to be a girl away and started to cry but he told me it was to help me become a girl. I cried even more then.”
“Don’t tell me, he left saying, ‘Women–I’ll never understand them.’”
“He did actually.”
“How do you know?”
“They all do it.”
“What, doctors?”
“No–men.”
She chuckled and I realised I was sitting with my arm round her. I rubbed her shoulder and withdrew my arm. “And you’ve been a girl ever since?”
“No, I had to go for all sorts of tests and interviews before they allowed me to wear girl’s clothes and finally gave me some pills to stop me becoming a boy. Since I started school as a girl, they’ve given me low dose hormones, I think I’ve got boobs starting to grow–d’you wanna see?”
“Uh no thanks, your mum can deal with any queries you’ve got with those.” I kept seeing nasty headlines and me being arrested for indecent assault. “C’mon, let’s go down and see where the others are.”
The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. Tom came home and reported that the dormouse had been alive before when he’d fed them. He’d taken it over to one of the labs and he and Kieron, a post grad student, did an autopsy–they think the poor critter choked on a bit of hazelnut as there was some in its throat. I found that bizarre and wondered if Trish had done something and would there be a payback. For once I almost welcomed the idea of a visit from the goddess. Of course she didn’t come, they only do when they want to, usually to administer a rollocking or tell you how disappointed they are in you.
Trish was allowed up at dinner. She didn’t look very well but she ate some dinner. I had to pop to the loo when David produced the dessert, not that I felt very hungry anyway had he told me what it was, I think I’d have died on the spot. It was a praline with fresh cream. Praline is often made with hazelnuts.
When I got back to the kitchen, Trish was making awful noises and going very red–she was choking–and everyone was sitting there in horror but not doing anything. I charged across the kitchen, yanked her from the table and gave her some hard slaps between the shoulder blades. She gasped and a nut flew out of her mouth bouncing on the floor. She simply stood there for a few moments afterwards gasping with tears running down her face. I hugged her and she burst into tears. I walked her away into the dining room and we sat down together.
“Now this pure conjecture, but we think the dormouse that died choked on a piece of hazelnut. You very nearly did the same.”
“You saved my life, Mummy,” she cried, “I thought I was going to die.”
“I don’t think you were meant to die, this was a warning to you of what will happen if you use the healing energy for personal gain or to hurt someone else. D’you understand what I mean?”
“I think so, Mummy, I thought I was going to die.”
“No, if that had been intended, it would have happened away from anyone who could have helped. No this was stage managed to make me ensure you understood the consequences.”
“What does that mean, Mummy.”
“The energy was trying to make certain that you understood the warning and that I did too and made sure you understood it.”
“So next time I’ll die?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart, but I would suggest you’ve learned a very powerful lesson.”
“But I could have died, Mummy.” She was crying quite loudly and not listening to anything I was saying. I just sat with her and held her. When she calmed down I told her that I was told she wouldn’t have died. I hadn’t been, it was just my surmise but it felt about right. She is only a child, and I assume the goddess knows that and makes some allowances for her. Besides, if she thinks there was an attempt to kill her as punishment, she’ll either have bad dreams or not sleep.
It’s a wonderful life–if you don’t weaken.
Comments
Pralenes
Really? They're made with Hazlenuts over there? I've never had one that way. They've always been made with pecan's. Different areas, different sweets.
I do wonder whether Trish learned her lesson or not. She does have a temper... She's let it take control of her before. Hope she learns to harness it. Kids CAN learn how to do things that allow them to "take control" of some aspects of their personality. They should be careful doing this, though as it can end up hurting them. (I know from experience... One of the techniques/tools I used to help me pretend to be a guy was to suppress most emotions (like Mr. Spock)... Releasing that self conditioning was NOT easy, and keeping from falling back into that way of though isn't easy either.)
Thanks for the story.
Annette
Paybacks
Can be a bitch. But what the hell, does nobody know the Heimlich Maneuver? What Cathy did is absolutely wrong. You stand about as much chance of knocking the blocking item further down as you do knocking it out, unless you turn the victim upside down. That's something you can do (possibly) with a child, but not an adult. Better to learn the right way, then you're more likely to do it right in an emergency.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
That's what I was taught to do
you try back slaps first and they don't call it the Heimlich any more, it's the reverse abdominal thrust - just watch where you're pointing it.
Angharad
The American Red Cross
Yes, they are now referred to as abdominal thrusts, as "Heimlich Maneuver" is a proprietary name. And you are right, the back slaps are now recommended first, due to fear of performing the thrusts in an unsafe manner. Not sure of their reasoning there, as the thrusts were never recommended for use by untrained people in the first place, but that's what they say.
In the U.S., Good Samaritan Laws were enacted to prevent trained first-aid personnel from being sued while performing emergency life-saving acts, as long as they do not exceed their training. That means untrained, uncertified people performing medical procedures have no liability protection. And it's time for me to get updated training.
I stand corrected.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Children
I was taught to turn them, perhaps over a knee, and slap the back. The one and only time I had to do that in anger it was a young teenager, choking on a piece of bacon fat, and it was only the HM/abdominal hug, as I think of it, that dislodged the blockage. Mum had tried the back slaps, but as the girl was turning blue...
It was nice to get more background on Cindy
Maybe Trish will have learned from this, though she may have a few sleepless nights, but deservedly so after misuse of what is supposed to be healing power
Goddess Bless you
Love Desiree
Kids seldom learn in one repetition
so I suspect Trish will have more learning to do. Wonder if there will be a bedtime conversation between Trish and Cindy? I'd actually vote for one between Trish and Billie (with Billie telling her what a stupid ### she's being).
Whew - karma to the max with dormouse and Trish both choking on a piece of hazelnut.
Mark Twain had a saying.
"If a person wants to carry a cat home by a tail, let them. They will learn a lesson that will never grow dim or doubtful in there mind."
I do not think the little precious one will ever forget this lesson, ever. Also Catherin needs to be clued in about a landslide alert. The body of evidence has become so ponderous she may soon be up to her neck if it slides.
Great couple of stories as always love it and thank you for your work.
PS
I have started from the beginning of this voyage at Issue one. So I can enjoy Catherin Becoming the wonderful person she has become all over again.
Huggles
Michele
With those with open eyes the world reads like a book
The Shekinar
Well if this Shekinar spirit is some sort of 'old testament' thingie then it will have Semitic/Jewish roots and tendencies. I seem to remember some shit about 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' So if Trish has used any powers ascribed to her by the Shekinar then old testament standards may apply. Trish wishes death on some innocent critter (Spike) and she possibly receives a near death experience by return.
Ipso facto, the nut choking thing.
Still lovin' it Ang but been away.
xxx
Bevs.
Funny when I was Trish's age
.... I was very circumspect and respectful of people around me. I was usually the one who might be the potential recipient of disrespect and the like since I was Asian and an all around good kid.
I think Trish got off very lightly considering she took a dormouse's life. The Goddess allowed that to happen and she was very lenient on her retribution as tradition has it at least in Wiccan circles, it is three folds returns.
Sadly, being a child, she will eventually regain her feeling of invincibility and do something stupid and arrogant again and maybe a more severe punishment would be deservedly due her. I have a feeling that she will not be able to wield the power for a while also.
Kim
Our Miss Trish --- and Cathy
If I remember correctly, didn't Trish try to hurt someone before, by making a voo doo car thingy, and putting pins in the tire areas?, and then when the car pulled out of the driveway, she threw the object into the fire because she thought it didn't work? Again, as I recall, the woman in the car crashed into a tree, and because she was unable to get out of the care because of another spell, the woman was killed when the car burst into flames. Let's see, flat tires and woman loses control. Trish tosses object into fireplace (wood, and flames), car crashes into tree (wood in the fireplace) and bursts into flames (fire in the fireplace).
Or am I thinking of another story entirely? Seems like Trish mentioned she had learned that trick from another girl in school, and didn't Cathy admonish her then? It does seem at the end of this episode that Trish is a little more responsive to Cathy in such things than she was before.
And why is Cathy seemingly paying more attention to Cindy, than she has been to everyone else? Is she about to yield to the Woman in the Golden Dress?
Don't let someone else talk you out of your dreams. How can we have dreams come true, if we have no dreams?
Katrina Gayle "Stormy" Storm
You remember correctly,
but Trish did not mean to kill the woman, which puts into a different circumstance. And they were actively under attack by her, and she had stated she would not stop until they were dead. I suspect more like divine intervention in that case, since Cathy was trying to follow the Goddesses advice.