It has been a week since my last entry. I have been taking care of Carissa’s head injury. That blow to her head worried me. I placed her into a healing sleep of which she spent two days in bed sleeping. When she awoke finally, I knew everything was well once again, as she argued with me about this Christmas holiday and what we should do, that is how I knew. It is time that Carissa must take the GED exam. I believe she is ready, the question though is . . . does she believe she is prepared to take this exam?
It is now December, with snow on the ground and ice in the air, and a peculiar object on the yard. The boys say it is a snowman. “Hey, Bellona, come and look. There’s a snowman now on the front lawn. Hurry, you have to see it.” Tobie is very excited about their accomplishment. Everyone in the household comes out to the lawn to take a look at the boys’ achievement. When the sovereign has her back turned, a snowball finds its mark. She turns to see who would dare do such a thing. Whistling a tune, rocking back and forth, hands clasped behind his back, and looking anywhere but at the sovereign is Tristan. Well, the sovereign is not a woman to back down from a challenge, so in retaliation . . . a snowball fight ensues, with the queen, the sovereign, and the children enjoying themselves on this blustery day.
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While all the members of the household are enjoying themselves, the sovereign’s consors has a matter of her own to take care of; it is the day of the GED exams. Carissa understands that it is not to prove to her sovereign that she, indeed, is educated, but it is to prove to herself that everyone is capable of learning. Carissa does not remember a time when she was more nervous, or for that matter . . . had ever been this nervous. Fearing that she will break a wooden pencil in half, she brings along a mechanical pencil to take the test with. She stares at the pencil while waiting for the monitor to arrive. The color, the letters, everything about the pencil she studies. The monitor arrives right on time, without a moment to spare. Suddenly, her mouth dry and throat closing, she is fearful that all she has learned she has forgotten while the test is being passed out.
The monitor announces, “Please be sure to write your name where indicated. If we receive a test that does not have a name, we will not know who has taken that test. It is your responsibility to be sure that all necessary information be filled out to the best of your ability. You may begin.”
The test begins.
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It is good to see Carissa doing well. My wife has taken great care of Carissa after the fight. I remember how worried she was after the battle. During Carissa’s healing sleep, my wife confided in me just how frightened she really was. She had just found her heart, and she was not ready to let it go, not that she ever would be. In any event, here we are now, and all is well. I hope that Carissa passes this test. It will raise her spirits so. I remember her coming to me wondering if she will be too nervous to remember all that she learned. I taught her a simple prayer she could recite to give her strength. She worried that she would not be able to speak during the exam. “Do not worry, Carissa,” I told her, “all you need to do is let your heart say the words, and the deity will hear.” I taught this prayer to her.
Amen
Now all that is left to do . . . is wait.
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Carissa lets out light laugh as she gazes upon the snowman, knowing just whose idea it had been to make. After a moment or two of admiration, she enters the manor. “Hi, honey, I’m home. Abyssus, omnipotens, a et a bonus diei vobis.” Hello, everyone, and a good day to you. After looking around the house and not being able to find anyone “Hey! Where did everybody go? I just left to take a test, that’s all. I didn’t do anything wrong . . . oh well, I should’ve known it was all too good to be true. I better go and pack.” Carissa has just entered the sleeping chamber when she sees a note on her pillow which simply states: Follow the yellow brick road.
“Follow the yellow brick road? What’s that supposed to mean? I wonder if she went bonkers suddenly. Okay, next question . . . what yellow brick road. We don’t have . . . yow! Who’s the shithead . . . hello.” As Carissa rounds the corner from the sleeping chambers, she trips on something. Looking down to see what it is she tripped on, she finds the mysterious yellow bricks. She follows them out the back doors that lead to the back lot of the manor . . . and stop at the guesthouse. Opening the door carefully, listening to it as it creaks open, “Yoo-hoo, howdy, y’all. Any . . . Ahhh!” she exclaims as the lights suddenly turn on, showing everybody’s happy face as they yell, “SURPRISE!” Everybody roars with laughter as they see the surprised look on Carissa’s face. “Okay, who in the bloody hell came up with this idea, scare me into a coronary why don’t you, not only that, but a stubbed toe.”
They begin to celebrate the day with antipasto dishes and various beverages, all non-alcoholic.
“Now listen up, guys, I appreciate this, I really do, but . . . I don’t know if I passed it or not, even with the deity’s help. I won’t know for another month, so until then, it’s a wait and see game.”
The party lasts well into the night, and then it is time to go back to the main house for a good night’s rest.
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The following day, with a little help and a little research, the manor is decorated with the colors of Christmas, with plenty of greens and reds. Music plays in the background. It is not the words that everyone is enjoying; it is the tune that brings joy.
Carissa has time to do some last minute Christmas shopping, but she will need to borrow some money, as she does not have any. Since she has stopped selling her soul, her pockets have been bare. The only solution is to see if she can negotiate with Bellona to borrow enough for her to purchase Christmas presents. There is always a chance the sovereign will refuse, but this is the only time that Carissa will be able to show how much she truly cares about these people. The only way Carissa will know for sure will be to ask Bellona.
Taking in a deep breath, Carissa approaches Bellona in the laboratory. “Bellona, could I ask you something, please?” Bellona’s only reaction is to pick Carissa up and placing her on the table to do a thorough examination. “Bellona, can I ask you what you are doing? I haven’t had any in . . . in . . . I don’t know, it’s been a while.”
“Now I know there is something wrong. Hold still while I get something out of the wardrobe.”
“Bellona, there’s nothing wrong. I’m fine . . . in fact . . .”
“Are you sure there is nothing wrong?”
“I’m fine, why do you keep asking me that?”
“Carissa, you know I love you dearly, and there are certain behaviors that I expect from certain people. I worry because you have called me Bellona three times. That is what has me worried.”
“Oh, Sovereign Bellona, would you please stop that . . . I . . .”
“Now I know there is something wrong. Maybe that head injury never healed.”
“My head is fine, thank you. I just want to ask my sovereign a question . . . that’s all?”
“Have you come under possession?”
“I am not possessed by the pod people. Now leave me alone and listen.”
“Carissa, I feel I have reason to worry.”
“NOW WOULD YOU SHUT UP AND PAY ATTENTION! Try to be nice and they won’t listen.”
“So I see you are well after all. You did have me worried, after all. Now, what is the question you would like to ask me?”
“Could I borrow some money to buy Christmas presents?”
“How much do you think you will need?”
“Huh?”
“How much do you think you will need to shop for your Christmas presents? If you need company, I am sure Queen Clarissant would be happy to come along with you.”
“Okay, well . . . you see . . . after carefully calculating the prices of the items I would like to purchase, the amount comes to quattuor centum viginti quinque pupa.” $425
Bellona nods her head, “All right, you know where the money is kept. Be sure to count it properly, and do not forget to record the amount. Will you be shopping today or will you be shopping tomorrow.”
Still a little perplexed that Bellona has agreed without an argument, she replies, “I thought I would do what I can today and finish tomorrow.”
“Be careful, Carissa, I do not want you to suffer any further injuries. The boys, though, I think are feeling ill. They say they are fine, however, according to the tests that I have performed, a virus has invaded their body.”
“Tristan isn’t sick for long, but when Tobie gets sick, he gets really sick. His fever tends to just linger there for a while. Then when you think he’s getting better, he gets worse. Typically it takes a couple weeks for Tobie to get better when he gets sick.”
“Thank you for informing me. It tells me what I need to look out for and what remedies I will need. Is there anything else?”
“Just that when Tobie gets sick, it’s really good not to feed him solid food, chicken soup, soda water, and juice he can tolerate, not much else though.”
“I will keep that in mind. Did you need anything else?”
“No, nothing else thanks, Bell. I’ll be back later, around supper.”
“Now that is the Carissa I know and love. Be careful, Carissa. Ask one of the guards to drive you.”
“Only if they wear plain clothes . . .”
“Be sure to let Sergasa know your wishes. Thank you, Carissa.”
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Carissa stands there for quite some time, just watching the children climb on Santa’s lap. A ringing cell phone brings her back to her original task. “Oh well, time for dreaming later, I have some shopping to do,” she states, not knowing the guard is watching very carefully to report to the sovereign her findings.
The boys she will have no trouble shopping for, neither the queen, she feels. It is Bellona that will be the problem. What do you buy someone who has everything? What do you buy someone who can get anything they want without buying it? They just snap their fingers . . . poof . . . it’s there.
“No, we don’t need plants, we have plenty of those. None of us needs clothes or shoes. Bellona always makes sure we have them clean and tidy, and if there’s so much as a pin-sized hole or stain that you really have to strain to see, it gets replaced. Oooo that would be good for the queen, I remember her telling me she loves this. This body oil will definitely be a good Christmas present for her. Tristan is a no-brainer. Just get him the latest game for his DS and he’s thrilled. Tobie will be a new art set, he loves to draw. Now Bell, what to get Bell, what do get someone that . . . oh . . . what’s this? Now I know she would never order this for herself. This is definitely meant for her. Whoever is listening up there thank you.”
With the first part of her shopping done, she returns home.
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After supper, the guard and the sovereign have a private conference, discussing her observations. “She just stood there, watching this man dressed in a red costume of some sort listening to the children talk to him. It was the music, the window decorations, everything, I think, that caused her eyes to tear, meus imperium.”
“Thank you for your report. Go on about your duties, dismissed.”
“Yes, meus imperium,” the guard replies, walking backwards while bowed before exiting the office.
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Carissa places the gifts in a chest that Bellona gave to her, her first week of being at the manor. After locking it carefully, she leaves her wardrobe to spend some time with the boys.
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What has Carissa been up to today? So much money she asked for, surely she would not do anything, would she? Oh my, I hope not. It would be the downfall of Bellona. Here I am thinking the worst of her, and I have nothing to prove or to say this is why I feel the way I do. I am beginning to enjoy this Christmas holiday. Everything seems so cheery and delightful, so bright. I believe we have a lovely tree, decorated with brightly colored bulbs, and a star at the top of the tree. Angels, they say, should be up on top instead. I am not sure about that though. I realize this is a Christian holiday and all, but to put angels on a symbol of birth and celebration just does not seem right to me. Angels are the bringer of souls to the heaven above, why would we place them on a tree. They would not be able to fulfill their duty, would they?
I promised Tobie I would read A Christmas Carol to him. The poor lad is so sick with the flu. Bellona is doing everything she can to help his body fight this flu, but she says it will take time. Just as her consors says, it takes two weeks for him to rid himself of this virus. I can only help him deal with the symptoms as they arise she tells me.
Tristan is fairing better than Tobie, he is not as sickly as his younger brother. Bellona predicts it will only be a couple more days for Tristan. My wife, the brilliant scientist, philosopher, healer, is quite literally stumped by this sickness. She thinks there may be a way to pass Tristan’s immunity on to Tobie. The question, though, would be how would you go about such a thing?
Perhaps a healing prayer would work for Tobie.
Amen
Tobias. . . Tobie, the poor child is so sickly, his fever is always present, he coughs so much my wife has assembled a special bed so as to prop up his upper body to let the fluid drain from his chest. He cannot keep anything in his stomach, the poor dear. His body will not have the necessary nutrients to heal itself. What are we to do?
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Carissa spots the sovereign walking into the sleeping chamber. “What are you doing up at o’dark thirty in the morning? Nothing new going on here, Tobie’s fever is still there at 101.2. It’ll sit there for a while. If you want, I can go to the store to get Tylenol, it might help. I know you believe in your herbs, but Tylenol might be better.”
“No Tylenol, I do not trust what I cannot define. I will keep giving him the tea that I have been giving him until the package arrives. I sent a message to Andromeda requesting a special herb, as I do not have that here. I believe it will help Tobie fight this flu. Seven days, it has been seven days since he became ill, and still nothing, no sign of recovery. THIS IS MADDENING! HE IS A LITTLE BOY, A CHILD!”
“Hey, easy there, it’s okay. Remember I told you it’s par for the course. The best news is that it hasn’t gone up. There’s still time, and it might just do that. But I know Tobie, and while he may be smaller than the rest of us, he has a lot of fight in him. He will be okay. As the queen keeps reminding me, have faith. Now, if you’re going to be here, I’m going to go and get cleaned up. See if I can get some chicken broth from the kitchen.”
Carissa goes to do as she planned not telling Bellona that in a day or two, everything will seem to get better, well, that is the part Carissa told our sovereign. What Carissa did not say, however, his temperature will quickly sky rocket to a dangerous temperature. She hopes that whatever this herb is, it will indeed help.
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Carissa is bathing, and here I am watching over the boys. Tristan will be better in a day or two, he is already complaining of being bored, which is a good sign. Tobias, on the other hand, is always coughing, always feverish. I am not sure how much more his body can take. He will be disappointed that he missed Christmas; it is a holiday that he looks forward to.
Carissa, my Carissa, according to the guard, was nostalgic yesterday while shopping. Watching the children, listening to the music, viewing the window displays, all had hypnotized her. We do not have such a holiday on Andromeda. We have a hiberna celebration, a winter celebration of exchanging gifts, yes. However, they are gifts of the heart. A poem, a hand-carved toy, a delicately stitched quilt, all of the heart and home are the typical gifts that we exchange during this time. We do not have these stores to buy gifts for our loved ones. The tree . . . we do not decorate trees. I left the decorating to the children and my queen. They seemed to enjoy that. I remember I told my queen I would be able to transfer Tristan’s immunity to Tobias, to do that though, would be a risky undertaking. The only thing I can do now is . . . wait.