The stillness of the small figure in the bed makes Marta wonder fleetingly if she has died. She is as motionless as stone, arms lying limply on top of the blankets, until Marta gently touches her cheek. Reacting with great fear, she jerks her body backwards, hitting her head against the wall behind her. Marta can see abrasions and marks on her lower face and around her wrist. They stand out cruelly against her smooth flawless skin. Dark eyes fluttering open, she looks at Marta, who sees recognition stirring in their depths. She seems incapable of speech and makes no sound, but watches warily as Marta sets about caring for her wounds and bruises.
Marta wets the rags she has brought with her in the brine solution and cleans the open cuts. The sight of the puffy and discoloured side of her ribcage brings tears to her eyes. She shows Ardrina how to make a poultice from bread and wine to ease Dorthina’s bruising. The women boil the mixture over the open fire outside and, once it has cooled completely, apply it to Dorthina’s damaged flesh. She knows that Ardrina would have preferred a shaman’s remedies and is only accepting her help because nothing else is available.
Martha dips a little bread in some warmed milk and offers it to the girl. She eats a tiny amount and then turns her head away, starring with indifferent blankness at the wall.
“Let her sleep, Ardrina. Stay with her today and keep an eye on her. Clean her wounds with the brine solution again after supper and reapply the bread poultice. Send one of the children to fetch the beef tea tonight. It will be ready by then.”
Marta left the grieving woman and her daughter alone and walked back to her own house. She has done what she can for Dorthina’s external wounds. The damage to her soul will be much more difficult to heal.
This is an extract from A Ghost and his Gold. It was going to be a novella, however, I received amazing comments from my developmental editor, Esther Chilton, and now my head is filled with a whole lot of new ideas to expand this story. I think it may end up a novel. Isn’t life great!
You can join in Sue Vincent’s wonderful photo prompt: Stillness here: https://scvincent.com/2019/10/10/thursday-photo-prompt-stillness-writephoto/
roberta-writes.com 
Gotta love when those ideas are flowing! You have me wondering what happened to that poor girl.
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Now that would be telling, Jacquie. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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I love when the story takes over like that. The excerpt not only has me wondering about what happened to the girl but about the treatments used on her.
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Thank you, Denise. I am glad this had you are wondering.
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An atmospheric snippet, Robbie. I too wonder about her story…
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Thank you, Sue. I am glad you liked it.
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🙂
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I can understand the advice your development editor gave you. Just think of all those days you can spend away from the writing of it but inside it.
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Thank you, Danny. I love Esther’s comments. She gives me a spark and then I can run with it.
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I just know that one day, I shall be buying the DVD copies of the movies made from your books. This is no exception.
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Thank you, Annette. You are wonderfully supportive.
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a fabulous beginning…
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Thank you!
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well written, so sad … great to hear your writing career is really taking off!
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Thank you, Kate. Well it is moving forward, I hope. Hugs
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little dance of joy 🙂
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I love the line, “The damage to her soul will be much more difficult to heal.”
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Thank you, Pete. I am glad this caught your attention. That line is important.
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That’s good news!
I agree with Pete. That last line hold so much inside of it. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe. That last line is quite important to the story.
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Pretty gritty; makes me wonder what the poor girl’s been through 😔
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Life can be very hard, Jessica. Thanks for your comment.
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I am currently reading about healers… a fiction book about Salem, Mass.
The author is related to both a survivor and another who did not survive those horrid trials accusing good people of evil.
Your writing reminds me of how much trust and distrust there was in anyone who had or have such abilities to heal. And a reminder that the soul is much more difficult to treat.
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It is a terrible thing that people who helped heal others were accused of witchcraft, Jules. There is a lot of distrust even today. Damage to the soul requires great personal strength to overcome.
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