Aardvark Practice

Zhea~ Year 7839

Christa has dreams of a safer apartment, a car, maybe a ship, but her dreams turn into something more. 40 pp. Novelette.

Healing of Sexual Abuse. Healing of Drug Abuse.

ASIN: B002IFUOY2 File Size: 53 KB (Kindle Edition - July 20, 2009)

Aardvark Practice - Novelette Kindle Edition

Excerpt. © Dannis Cole. All rights reserved.

Without a pause, I quietly put on my Gowan robes, locked the door, and walked down the street.

The longest walk of my life, with my heart racing, with trying to look calm, and two Elshars blocked my way just one door from Found Sheep. I reached into my bag. I had lu sig, but no way to make it absorb fast, like Elshars do! They could use it against me.

One of ‘em saw me reach, and ran! The other one looked panicked as I kept coming, and ran after him! I got to the door and pushed my way in. This place had a glass door, too.

A zheien saw me and tried to move. Fell towards me. I caught him. “Don’t be scared. I’m Christa. I give honorable touches, like this.” Slowly, so he could see, I reached for his head, and stroked it. Beautiful red-gold eyes, like the zheien--

He relaxed. “I like honorable touches. Should we lie on a bed?”

“No, my friend. Only lie on a bed with friends you know very well.”

“I have mind pain. Can you give me an herb?”

I hugged him and helped him sit down on a padded chair. “Only your healer should give you an herb. Rest, and I will speak with one.” A look around showed a healer in a white bathrobe, a Thordes who frowned, and an Elshar in gray sweats who pulled the healer forward. A trembling healer. “Would you see my friend?”

“What do you want here?”

“I have a zheien friend who cannot walk, and he needs transport to Alb Seer! I wish to go with him!”

The healer had black marble eyes. “What makes you think I will go with you?”

“My friend, I do not wish to take anyone with me! I wish the Thordes to come help me get my friend to Alb Seer. He is badly hurt.” As I spoke, I kept stroking the head of the zheien. He sagged against me. They probably think I got him with lu sig! “Please, help this friend. I will step back—“

“Nae! Nae leave me!! Sight leaves.” His arm nearly fell, and I grabbed it.

“Rest, Friend. Will you let your Thordes friend carry you?”

He groaned, and tears filled my eyes. I hugged him and sat in the chair next to him. Gently, I stroked his head, and kissed it. “I have a friend who is very unwell. He cannot tell me his name, or if he hurts, or if my healing is well for him. I am sorry you are unwell, and I hope the shock of seeing me did not bring this on you!” I cried.

The Elshar healer came closer. “I think he just got scared. We don’t know his name, either. He gets sick if we ask questions. There is a van that comes once a day, and I can ask if they will come to you. But, I cannot get this man to go with them. I think he is able to carry, if he has a short rest—“

“I’m scared to leave my friend alone! I have to get back!”

Slowly, the man in my arms lifted his head. “I will go with you.”

I stroked his head. “I’m scared you’ll get hurt!”

He looked up at me. “You gave me vek ea. You woke me. I know I can trust you.”

“Did Montapa hurt you?”

A sigh. “I nae remember. But, I wish to help you help your friend. You care for him much, do you?”

I sniffed. “It’s too soon for that. I’ve just been caring for him since Friday night.” I saw a pen and pad on the counter and wrote my name and address down. “That’s where we’ll be, but tell them to be careful. I ported some Elshars, and they’ll probably be looking for who did it.”

The healer frowned. “If you have trouble, stay here!”

“I can’t leave a helpless man to die.” My knees shook.

As we left, my zheien friend got a starey look in his red-gold eyes, and barely walked with me.

Those Elshars saw us and backed off. So did another group smoking hyssdia at the bus stop! They all vanished.

I led my new friend back to my apartment, and people who waited in a Laundromat hid behind washers as two Hispanic ladies stared, from where they’d been, to us.

My friend wheezed as we crossed the grass to the walk. People stared from a barbeque grill. One man panicked and dropped his bike! Ran behind a tree.

No one near as I got my key and we came inside. Once inside, my new friend straightened. “Show me him, quickly!”

I led him into the bedroom where my friend groaned on the bed. Tears left a cake of yellow under one eye. Quickly, I hugged him. “You okay?”

“UHN-UHN!”

“I’m sorry! Look! I brought you a friend.”

The newcomer took a swollen hand. Frowned. “Ejis, Ba, you are very unwell!”

“Uhn.”