Medusa Mended

Chapter 2

~Three Years Later~

An oppressive air of mourning hovered through the great halls of the healer Asclepius's home. His wife and daughters had tried to mask their pain, but cracks were starting to show.

What was he to do when one of his sons was dead?

Keep busy. Work harder. Cure the ones you could. And hope that blasted war didn't reach the shores of their home, or take the life of his other son, Podaleirios.

Asclepius intended to do just that. But something strange was happening in his wood. He turned to look at his wife Epione.

"Must you go out right now darling? The girls have been asking about you. You are rarely at family meals anymore." Epione helped to fill Asclepius's rusksack. Her normally soft face pinched with worry.

Asclepius took the rusksack from Epione's hands, and hugged his wife from behind. He brushed aside dark curls liberally streaked with silver and breathed in her soothing scent. "Try not to worry my dove. I will be home soon. Something is not right in our wood. It has felt different these past few years. The snake whisperings have grown stronger with each passing day. Tell the girls I'll try to not miss the next family meal."

Epione turned and hugged Asclepius close before he left.

Joints creaked as Asclepius made his way into the wood. The early autumn breeze blew his grey hair back. He leant on his staff as he climbed over a fallen tree.

"Nehushtan, do you sense that? Something strong and dangerous is here." Asclepius closed his eyes and stretched out his arms, staff held high.

Nehushtan, the large boa wrapped around Asclepius's staff, stretched up his iridescent body towards the sunbeams that slipped through the canopy. Light glistened over the brown-and-black patterns, casting off a rainbow-like sheen of colours. Almost as one, Asclepius and Nehushtan turned their heads towards the mountainous area on the other side of the wood.

There was something, just there. It called out in soundless waves.

Asclepius's gifts urged him to follow the invisible path.

The thick wood responded to its Master. Trees and wildlife seemed to open up before Asclepius, clearing the way to his destination.

The sun had shifted further in the sky by the time Asclepius and Nehushtan reached the base of a small mountain. Snakes of various sizes came out of crevices and surrounded Asclepius's feet. Nehushtan tilted his head and hissed quietly at them. The smaller snakes jumped to attention and started to slither up the side of the mountain.

Staff gripped firmly, Asclepius followed the snakes up to an obscure opening in the side of the mountain. Shrubs and thick vines covered the opening.

A damp cold presence reached out from the depths of the mountain.

With careful steps, Asclepius went through and down the narrow tunnel til he reached the edge of a large opening. An unhealthy, dank smell assaulted his nose.

As he stepped in further, shafts of light illuminated the cave interior. A beam close to him fell upon a strange life-like statue.

Asclepius's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. Before him stood the form of a large battle ready man, with sword raised as if to strike something.

Asclepius counted three of these strange stone warriors, each in different fighting positions around the cave. Eyes locked in eternal rage, fixed in the same direction. The focus of their stare, a large rock that jutted up and out against the far side of the cave, just past a pool of water. A trail of small snakes went over and disappeared behind the large rock.

Nehushtan hissed and pointed his head towards the other snakes. Urged forward by that unseen force, Asclepius found himself almost at the rock before he knew what had happened.

He halted as a raspy small feminine voice yelled out, "Stay back! Please! I don't want to hurt you." The small voice quieted into repeated mumbles of, "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you."

A pang shot through Asclepius's already fractured heart. He inched closer. "You do not need to be frightened. You will not hurt me. I am a healer. Perhaps I could help you?"

"Do you see those men? I did that. No one can help me. I'm a monster." The voice trailed off into mumbles.

Asclepius used every ounce of stealth he possessed to walk up to the person hidden behind the rock. He stopped short when he got to the edge of the rock and looked around it. A frail, sickly young woman, no older than his eldest daughter, sat. Her thin spindly arms wrapped around sharp knees, as she rocked back and forth whispering "monster" repeatedly. Her tunic was in tatters, hair twisted and swirled almost as if it moved. Wait. It was moving. Tiny slender dark bodies rose up from the young woman's head. Sluggish reptilian eyes gazed up at Asclepius.

Nehushtan softly rubbed against the small snakes.

Startled silver green eyes looked up into warm golden-brown ones. The girl quickly covered her head and tucked into herself. "Please no! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

Asclepius held out a hand towards her. "Little One, I am not just a man. You will not hurt me. Let me help you."

The tiny shaking body turned and looked at Asclepius. When she saw that the kindly older man had not been turned to stone as the other men had been, she threw herself into his outstretched arms. With a sigh her frail body passed out.

Asclepius gazed down at the tiny woman asleep in his arms. Just as he had known to come here, Asclepius knew in the deep recesses of his gut, that this little one needed his help. He could not halt death from taking one of his sons, but perhaps he could help free this little one from the torment she was in.

With his precious cargo adjusted more securely in his arms, Asclepius wrapped his cloak around the woman and settled Nehushtan across his shoulders. The large snake rested his head near the small sleeping snakes atop the woman's head.

Asclepius left the cave to return home to his family.