~𝒜𝒹𝒶~
Medicine. A noun. Meaning, any substance or substances used in treating disease or illness; medicament; remedy.
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Laughter ripples through the woods as we continue our hike. Miss Stacy is leading us on our informative walk. "Everything you see around you is entangled in a kind of symbiotic dance, and the uniqueness of each participant enables the forest to thrive."
Diana nudges me. "How are you doing? I know the last few weeks have been difficult."
"We are making it work. I've just been trying to help as much as I can. Marilla and Rachel have been a big help with Delly." I carefully step over a large root. "We're all still grieving, but the days get easier."
"I can't imagine what Bash is going through. Can you imagine the mental turmoil?" Diana shakes her head.
I sigh. "It almost makes you not want to marry. I'd hate to think of losing-" I feel a sudden jolt as my foot catches on a protruding root. I fly into Gilbert's back, almost knocking him down.
His hands reach around and grab my arms. "Whoa there, Ada! Watch your step," he teases with a playful grin.
Chuckling, I acknowledge his assistance. "Thanks, Gilbert."
With a light-hearted chuckle, he continues walking ahead, and I catch Diana's mischievous look. "Gilbert to the rescue! Once again," she teases, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "Quite the gallant hero, isn't he?"
Blushing, I playfully roll my eyes. "Oh, stop it, Diana. It was just a little stumble."
"Oh don't be so modest." Josie Pye starts. "You should really stop throwing yourself at him, Ada."
I shoot a glance at Josie, raising an eyebrow. "Throwing myself at him? Please."
She smirks, her tone dripping with venom. "Well, it's just highly unladylike, that's all I'm saying."
I can't resist a retort. "Coming from the girl who's been eyeing Billy Andrews, I'd say we both have our own approaches to 'ladylike' behavior."
Josie's nostrils flare. "Well, Ada, not everyone can be as indifferent as you pretend to be. Maybe if you cared a bit more, you'd have Gilbert's full attention." What's that supposed to mean? Rolling my eyes again, I keep walking forward, "You're just upset that Gilbert hasn't taken notice of you yet."
My laughter rings through the clearing. "I don't need a 'take notice' board to know my worth, Josie."
Diana, caught in the middle of our banter, tries to diffuse the tension with a chuckle. "Alright, ladies, let's not turn this beautiful day into a battlefield."
But Josie can't resist one more jab. "Maybe if you were a bit more assertive, Ada, you wouldn't have to stumble into Gilbert's arms for attention."
"Stumbling or not, she's got it." My eyes widen as Gilbert speaks up. Diana chuckles as she looks to me. I cross my arms and walk ahead of everyone towards Miss Stacy.
"This kind of intelligence is not just limited to trees. We see it across all of nature, even with the birds and the bees." The boys snicker at her words. I roll my eyes and she continues, "The bee collects pollen and nectar to feed the hive and create honey. The flower receives pollen, which it needs to bear fruit."
"I thought we were gonna learn about the real birds and bees." Jane asks, annoyed.
"I assure you, the lesson will be illuminating all the same." Miss Stacy declares making Jane roll her eyes.
I'm the only young lady that is educated in this area. I lived with two boys and Father believed that everyone should be educated in case there are ever any—incidents.
"And then we have the birds. Take the red-breasted nuthatch." This makes the boys laugh. "Its main source of food is the spruce budworm, which is a conifer pest. So while the Red-breast— The bird gets its food, the tree gets some much-needed pest relief. Which leads me to the purpose of this outing—"
"Mating season?" One of the Paul's pipe in.
"Disgusting!" The girls grimace.
I hear a thud and then a loud scream. We snap our attention towards the sound and find Moody crying out in pain.
"Oh, my goodness." I breathe out when Gilbert pulls down his sock to find a deep bloody wound. The girls scream and then we hear another scream from the bushes. I look over to find two Indian children with fearful looks.
"Indians!" Tillie screams
"We are surrounded by savages!" Josie yells making the two children run off.
"Everyone, calm down!" Miss Stacy claps. "Can we focus on Moody?"
I hear another thud and find Ruby has passed out.
(All I can hear is that one tiktok sound "This rabbit has fainted."🤣🤣🤣)
"Ruby, you alright?" Diana exclaims as she runs to her aid.
I turn my attention back to Moody. I sit down beside of him and try to help him stay calm. "We're going to get you help, okay. Don't worry." I look to Gilbert. "How is he? Should he be worried?"
"It's deep." He grabs a cloth and applies pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. "There's nothing I can do here. He needs stitches."
"The Mi'kmaq village. It's nearby, they can bring help." Anne suggests before running off. "I know the way. I'll be right back."
"It hurts." Moody seethes as his breaths become more rapid. I can't imagine how much that leg hurts.
"Take deep breaths, Moody. Help is on the way." As Moody grimaces in pain, I continue to reassure him, my fingers gently brushing through his hair in an attempt to distract him from the throbbing agony.
Gilbert, still tending to the wound, glances up at me, a subtle tension in his expression. Moody's distress consumes my attention, but a flicker of awareness tells me something else is at play. "Let's get him sat up." Gilbert urges.
We help him sit up. Moody's labored breaths fill the air, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
"Is she going to be alright?" Diana asks Gilbert. I glance down at Ruby who is still laying on the ground
"She's in shock." He reaches into his bag and hands her the honey he gathered this morning. "Give her some honey. It'll bring her energy up."
They sit Ruby up and Miss Stacy gives her a spoonful of honey. The savors the taste but passes out when she catches sight of the Mi'kmaq medicine woman.
"This is the Mi'kmaq medicine woman." Anne says, trying to keep everyone calm. "She's here to help."
"Who is dead?" The male Indian asks. "My son, he said someone died."
"Uh..." Miss Stacy shakes her head. "-no one's dead. One of our girls has fainted and a boy is hurt."
Gilbert stands to greet the woman. "Hello. The girl will be alright, but the boy needs help."
The woman offers what looks like a petal to Moody, who violently shakes his head in fear. "It is from the weeping tree. It grows by the water."
Gilbert's mouth falls open in astonishment, "It's for pain?" We then encourage Moody to eat it.
"She needs that." The man points to Gilbert's honey. "Honey cleanses the wound. No sickness can enter."
"Oh, wow." Gilbert breathes out.
The woman turns Moody's leg to get a closer look at his wound. The sight of blood makes me a bit woozy so I take a seat on a stump. I close my ears and eyes as she starts to sew up his wound. Moody's screams were ear piercing. He screams like a girl. Once his screaming subsides, I uncover my ears to find them wrapping his leg up.
"She says you must be gentle. You will be well soon." The man and woman go to leave. She tries to give the honey back to Gilbert.
"Oh, thank you." Gilbert says. "Keep it. I have so much of it." She nods and they are on their way.
*
As the aroma of stew fills the kitchen, Gilbert's enthusiasm for the day's discoveries doesn't wane. He passionately shares insights about natural remedies, seemingly unstoppable in his excitement.
Sebastian, with a quizzical look, tries to grasp the sudden surge of information. "How long has he been talking about this?"
I chuckle, my eyes still on my book. "Since he found out."
Gilbert, undeterred, continues his culinary symphony and animated storytelling. "And the medicine woman used willow bark for pain! That tree's been right underneath my nose this whole time. It's... incredible! There's so much out there."
"It is incredible, Gilbert. But you better not touch my tree," I tease, drawing a playful smile from him.
"Why can't we use nature to be on the winning side of medicine?" he muses, looking at Bash and me for input.
"I... don't know," Bash replies with a yawn, juggling Delly on his knee.
"Well, neither do I, but I want to know," Gilbert sighs with a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
Bash interjects. "One thing is for sure. You're dripping stew."
Caught off guard, Gilbert looks down to find stew on his shoe. Laughter ensues, and he playfully tosses it back into the pot.
"I think we might need to change this cooking schedule," I sigh, shutting my book. "Besides, I need to get back to experimenting if I plan to attend culinary school."
"I didn't know that you made a decision on it yet," Bash remarks.
I shrug. "I haven't. But it's good to keep my options open. I mean, I'm not going to Queens. And I'm definitely not letting life fly by while everyone else pursues what they want."
"Of course not. That wouldn't be fair," Gilbert says, stirring the pot. "Do you have any schools in mind?"
"I'm doing research. I've sent letters to Aunt Jo and Daphne asking for suggestions. Nothing so far."
Sebastian, ever supportive, chimes in. "Where do you plan to open your Inn? I'd like to help you build when the time comes."
"That's very kind of you, Bash," I ponder for a moment. "I don't know just yet. I'm just waiting to see where the wind takes me."
We eagerly gather around the table, ready to savor the culmination of Gilbert's culinary efforts. However, the first spoonful reveals a collective wince – the taste is far from the anticipated delight.
Sebastian chuckles, raising an eyebrow. "Gilbert, did you put one of your newfound herbs in there?"
Gilbert, a sheepish smile on his face, admits, "Maybe I got a bit carried away."
Undeterred, I stand and grab a nearby apron. "Well, let's not waste it. We can fix this."
With a mix of determination and a dash of culinary intuition, I start adding a few ingredients to the pot, adjusting the seasoning and balancing the flavors.
After a few moments of stirring and tasting, I declare, "There, much better."
Gilbert takes a tentative spoonful and raises an eyebrow in surprise. "Well, Ada, it seems you've rescued the stew."
I smirk, handing him a bowl. "Consider it a lesson in the delicate art of culinary alchemy. Maybe next time, stick to the basics." The laughter that follows fills the kitchen, turning a simple meal into a memorable experience.
(My Wattpad is glitching so bad so if this looks weird that's why🫠)