The Chronicles of the Black Crystal. Vol: 1: Andrew River
Chapter 11: An Excerpt from Master Jim

Master Jim brought my body back to the mansion, and this is his account.

’The morning sun had been peeking up over the horizon. The golden sun rays made sweet light as it hit my disheveled mansion. The carriage that transported myself and this young lad, rested by the stairs leading up to my humble abode. The horses were out of breath from their long, exhausted journey from the other end of the region. We finally made it to my home, as we traveled all night. We kept an open eye out, too make sure no one was following us. Throughout the night, I had been tending to this poor lad’s horrible burns and deep cuts. He had lost a lot of blood, and it was difficult to stop the bleeding. He had stained my carriage with his black, dark red blood that had been seeping out of his hand, arm, and leg. But that was alright. This poor lad had been unconscious, and would not wake up from his dreams of uncertainty the entire ride. Soon in the night sweat encased his forehead and his body had been rising in temperature. I concluded his body become in shock from his outside bodily damage. Thus, he contracted a fever, of the worst kind. I hadn’t had the time to stop and get water to help him cool down. My main goal had been to bring this boy back home as quick as I could. He was more safe there than anywhere else in the world. Many times, as the night proceeded on, I yelled to the stable man who had been guiding our company back home, ‘Faster boy, faster!’ And he whipped the steeds that were in front of him. And the carriage sped up. Soon the boy in the carriage that had been so unrecognizable, with his sweat encased body, had started to shake from the cold of his fever. As dawn was approaching we came onto my property. When we stopped suddenly, the carriage jerked and I quickly opened the door to yell to Ms. Doris who had been getting the mansion ready for our arrival.

“Ms. Doris, come quickly!” I yelled. I leaned over to grasp hold of my fragile company. His clothes had been soaked with sweat, with areas of tried blood where his injuries were. However, I only saw his outward injuries that monster created thus far. I could not heal the inward injuries, those injuries that include the mind. As I picked Andrew up from where he had been resided, cradling him in my arms. His head went back and his legs and arms were dangling. He looked worse now in the light of day, than compared in the carriage.

“Ms. Doris, come quickly!” I yelled once more. This time the front door opened and a pair of footsteps hurried in our direction.

“I’m coming sir.” She stopped in her tracks to get a better look at the boy who had been dangling in my arms. “Oh my! What have they done to him!” She yelled.

“Help me get him in the house.”

“Of course, sir. Let me mind his head.” And my dear Doris lifted the boy’s head with her motherly hands.

We gentle traveled up the staircase and went to his bedroom.

“What have you done to prepare for his arrival?” I questioned as we were about to entered his chambers.

“I set up an area that consists of fresh bandages, water, scissors, and medical supplies. I even laid out fresh clothes for him. I honestly did not know what to prepare so I prepared everything that I could think of.” She mentioned this as she opened Andrew’s bed chamber door for us to proceed in. By the foot of the bed had been the area that Ms. Doris had just explained ready for our use. She moved the footlocker away to replace it with the table that consisted of such supplies. The footlocker was pushed back by the closest window coming into the room. On top laid neatly, boy’s clothes that were very ordinary. The lad’s bed was made as always.

“Very good Ms. Doris. Please if you would not mind uncover his sheets. So, we can lay him on and examine him properly.”

“Of course, Jim.” And she scurried to the bed and uncovered her perfectly made bed. Her dressed rustled when she did this movement.

“I assessed his wounds all ready, but I could have missed some. He has three deep cuts, one on his palm, one on his arm and one on his leg. He has welts from burns from some sort of object laced on his poor body. Where did you put the medical supplies at Ms. Doris?”

“Right over their sir.” And she pointed with her long index finger. I grabbed the medical kit and the scissors. I gave the scissors to Doris; I need not to tell her what to do next. Her motherly instincts had kicked in. She started to cut his clothes and to undress the poor lad, so we can assess his injuries more clearly.

I peered my eyes to the face of Andrew. His hair had been mated, and his face had been dirtied. Small scratches were on the edges of his face. His eyelids were darkened, and his lips were pale. He looked like death itself.

“Oh my!” Exclaimed Ms. Doris. The boy’s bear skin had been showing, the remains of his clothes were beneath his body, bruises, huge burns and welts covered Andrew’s little body. There was more injury than skin. I looked up at Ms. Doris, and she had tears in her eyes. One of her hands were on her mouth while the other was clutching her stomach.

She placed both hands on her stomach and whispered in a saddened tone, “What did they do to him? How did they do this to him? His clothes had no inclination of such injuries.”

“This is what he does.” I whispered back to her. A moment pass between us from the horror that we both saw that had been screaming from this boy. “We have to assess these wounds before they get affected.” I mentioned. Ms. Doris tried to hold back tears, but one or two sneaked out. She got herself together, and handed me the medical kit. She went to the table and got a small bucket of water and a cloth, and started to bath the boy. Her gentle hand glided on the boy’s open skin, she washed the dirt, sticky sweat and dried blood away. Little my little this boy had been coming back to his normal appearance. I washed his slashes and replaced fresh bandages from the old ones. She combed out his hair and parted it with her hand. A gesture that any mother would do. She placed the wash cloth in the bucket and wrung it out. She dapped the cool cloth on Andrews head to bring his temperature down. He had not stop shaking from his fever, and his temperature rose to new heights.

“Let us put some dry clothes on him, to give him some decency.” Commanded myself.

“I feel that whatever cloths we put him in he will soak them. He needs to break this fever first.” Said Ms. Doris. She was so concentrated on Andrew; it had been encouraging to look at. From her magically touch, quite possible this boy can get better.

“What do you suggest?” I question.

“We have to put something on him, like you mentioned, to give him some decency. Can you open his footlocker for me, there should be some lose fitting clothes in there that he can wear? Just until this fever of his breaks.”

I opened the footlocker to peer upon a nice organized section of clothes. I picked the one that most likely will fit the occasion.

“That will do perfectly.” She said. I suppose she had been eyeing me seeing which outfit I would had picked. Something that all women do. “Bring it here, so we can put it on him.”

We careful placed the garment on him without any discomfort as we could possible do. I suppose it was good that Andrew had still been unconscious, so he would not feel any discomfort.

I leaned back on a chair and Ms. Doris sat on the edge of the bedside continuing to dab the sweat of Andrew’s forehead. My eyes could not stop looking at this boy. Pondering what had happen to him, what else was there that we could not help to heal. I could have seen his chest raised up and down beneath the covers as he breath slowly. He could pass for being asleep. He had been laying there that peaceful.

“Jim, do you think he knows?” Questioned Ms. Doris.

“Knows what?” I replied.

“Why Dylan captured him.”

“I cannot say for certain. You have no idea what he told him. I honestly do not know if he knew what magic was until this happened. Only time will tell.”

“Oh, Jim come on. You have such magic hidden in these walls of yours. I know he has explored around plenty of times. Don’t you think he would have found something yet?”

“I do not know, Ms. Doris.”

“I can say this though, since you brought him to that room, he has been different.”

“I know. He will not tell me what is going on. I think he just shoves it off his shoulders and pretends nothing is happening.”

“I was afraid you would have said that Jim.”

“Anyway, there isn’t too much for us to do know, we should take shifts just in case he will awaken.”

“Would you like to take the first watch, while I get fresh water?”

“Sure” I replied. I knew that she wanted me to take the first shift so that I can spend time with him alone.’