Witch Hazel Chapter 5 part 5

Witch Hazel

 Chapter 5 part 5

 After being severely limited on her time outside, Karisme took an immediate shine to helping Benita in her garden. There were so many questions, also. First about the watering jets at Leo had built, then about plumbing, then about composting, then recycling and so on. The sheer volume of information she was expected to share left Benita drained. This on top of an apparent stomach bug that had been difficult to shake off meant she was having trouble keeping up.

They liked to put a mat down and let Rosalinda join them outside. They gave her Mr. Barky to play with and she tortured him relentlessly while the women weeded and harvested plants.

Mr Barky: Jeezus this kid has a grip!

“So not only do you have a system that pumps clean water, a system that cleans the water, sewers for dirty water but you also have chemicals in the water?”

“Yes,” Benita mumbled, fighting with the apple tree. She was too short for this, she needed a damn ladder. Or Leo. Trying to move up and down was also making her feel queasy and she just wanted to go back to bed. But autumn was around the corner and they really did need to get the crops in. “Chlorine kills the stuff in water that makes people sick, they found that out when some ass decided to dump a bunch of it in a city water system to see if it’d work.”

Rosalinda: omnomnom!

Mr. Barky: OW! Damn kid, watch the teeth, OW! Yer gonna rip me bleedin’ arm off at this rate- OUCH! WHY DO CHILDREN BITE SO MUCH?!

As autumn crept up onto them, Benita took solace in the quiet of night when her sickness seemed less intense and the never ending fountain of questions could be directed towards Leonardo. She had a great fondness for Karisme, truly, but fatigue made her grouchy and she was beginning to get headaches after the long questions and strangely detailed curiosities.

 She’d tried directing her to ask the almighty Google these things but had thus far been unsuccessful in teaching the woman how to use the computer. Actually, she’d been unsuccessful in getting her anywhere near it. Televisions and computers seemed to honestly scare the poor thing and after everything she’d been through, Benita wouldn’t push the issue.

Ah, the smell of clean laundry. She loved it almost as much as a warm clean blanket straight out of the dryer. It was so lovely and quiet down here, only the rumbling of the machines and it was more relaxing than anything. At least the scent of her detergent didn’t make her queasy, so she still had that.

It was getting quite late but she thought she could get the last load done before heading to bed. She was almost caught up on it. The sickness had caused dishes to pile up, laundry to collect in smelly piles and she wasn’t even willing to think about the state of the bathrooms. Dear Karisme did help out however she could, but so far the extent of that had proven to be some baby sitting (which Benita was of course grateful for the chance to lay down and know someone was playing with Rosa) and some light cleaning. The state of the  floors was beginning to horrify her.

“Benita?” Leo poked his head in. He frowned when he found his mate doing laundry at a quarter to 12 and his bulky body followed his head into the mudroom. “What are you doing?”

“I’m just…. clearing my head,” she said. “It’s been busy the past few weeks and I guess I’m a little overwhelmed.”

“Babe, you know I’m here for you. You can tell me anything.”

“I know that,” she sighed. “You’ve helped keep me grounded. And thank you so much for finding those books on history and how stuff works. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Love, I’m so sorry about how much strain this has put on you. You’re amazing and I don’t know why you put up with me and my family.”

“Stop,” she took his hands and patted them gently. “I love you, I love our daughter and I love Karisme too. It’s not going to be easy, getting her integrated into society especially with the… lack of pack protection. We’ll get her there, though.”

“While she lives with us, she had my protection because she’s under my roof. I worry about how she’ll fare if she moves out.” Leonardo rubbed the back of his head and sighed. “I’m worried about a lot of things. Especially that you seem to be exhausting yourself to the point of being physically ill lately.”

“Ohhh,” Benita chuckled. “Yes…. that. About that.”

“I found out why I’m sick.”

“The flu? Do you need to go to the doctor?”

“Well I do, but-”

“Is it contagious? Should we be worried about the baby?”

“Leo, shut up,” she laughed. “I’m pregnant.”

“Holy shit, my swimmers are super effective!”

“I should beat you for that fucking pokemon joke.”

“I’m so excited! I hope it’s a boy this time!” Leo wrapped his wife up in a hug. “Good god, we’re going to need a bigger house.”

Benita laughed into his shoulder. “Yeah, I think we’re going to need to move for certain now.”

“Hm…. things to feed the wife to ensure a male baby….” A pause. “What do you mean gender is determined by the man?” he growled. “What is this newfangled nonsense? Everyone knows women are at fault for not giving birth to male heirs.” He read further. “This is ridiculous. I’m going to write this author and complain.”

Sometimes Leo struggles to bring his old world mindset up to modern times. He means well. It’s just hard to teach an old wolf new tricks.

Karisme has taken a liking to early morning fishing trips. The shore isn’t far from her brother’s house and she can run out and enjoy the peace and quiet of the beach without anyone trying to talk to her.

She breathed deeply of the crisp early autumn air and enjoyed the breeze coming in from the water. It had been so long since she’d been able to enjoy such simple freedoms and her heart ached to think of how many mornings she’d missed, locked away in that sunless house of decay and torment. 

The warding tattoos under her jacket burned a little just thinking of it. Mustn’t speak a word or we’ll burn you from the inside out! it hissed deep in her subconscious. Mustn’t tell or we’ll show you madness like you’ve never known before! 

She shivered from fear rather than cold and pushed the thoughts of the sanatorium away. It was better to focus on where she was now and not where she’d come from, for so many reasons.

“Oh, you’re a funny looking fellow,” she chuckled at the fish she pulled up on her line. “I don’t have the heart to eat you, you’ve got a cute face. Back into the water with you.” She released him back into the tide and looked up at the breaking dawn.

Pinks and yellows were cresting the horizon as daybreak intruded on her solitary ponderings. “Best to head home,” she decided, pulling her line back in and giving the sea one last look. It was a bittersweet thing for her, the presence of the ocean. On the one hand it reminded her of her father but on the other, she’d lived on the seaside with her mother and brothers whom she’d loved and she’d been swimming before she was walking. She could’t bring herself to disown it.

She ran back up the beach towards home. Karisme liked to take a shortcut through a small wood rather than walk the roads and sidewalks. Cars still distressed her and managing polite greetings to strangers was not something she was entirely up to yet. Today though, she found something more interesting than the occasional deer or wild horse.

What an odd place to see a bird like that. Maybe it had gotten lost, flown away from its owner. She didn’t think they were native to this part of Spain.

“Hey there little one,” she approached it slowly. It preened and seemed unconcerned by her presence. “Are you lost?”

“ I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be,” the bird croaked.

“You know how to talk?” she lowered an arm. “Hop up little guy.”

“ What can we take on trust in this uncertain life?” it croaked and hopped towards her.

“Euripides?” she mused. “My goodness you’re a well read bird. What was the rest of that line… ah, happiness, greatness,

pride — nothing is secure, nothing keeps. ”

“Nothing that is can pause or stay; The moon will wax, the moon will wane,” Karisme began, as the bird hopped up to perch on her arm. 

“The mist and cloud will turn to rain, the rain to mist and cloud again, tomorrow be today,” it croaked, finishing the stanza.

“I think we’re going to be good friends,” she stroked his head and he cooed appreciatively.

“Karisme! There you are!” Leo said as he rounded the corner of the house and saw his sister jogging up. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“Oh,” she slowed down to meet him, looking a little regretful. “I apologize. I went to the shore before dawn to enjoy the sunrise.”

“You did? How was it?”

“Splendid and very peaceful,” she said. “I hope to enjoy many more of them.”

“I will see to it that you shall,” he told her solemnly. “You know you have my protection, Karisme.” 

That comment only garnered a slightly wan smile and Leonardo wondered if something deeper was wrong with his sister than he knew. Then she patted his arm and said quietly, “Why were you hunting for me, dear brother?”

“I- oh, right. Benita is available to take you shopping this afternoon if you feel up to it. I have the day off and can stay home with the baby so you ladies can run the town,” Leo smiled, regaining his good cheer.

Karisme considered this. “Will it be necessary to ride in the metal beast?” she inquired, slightly worried.

“I’m afraid so,” Leo said. “She’s rather too far along to risk walking into town at this point.”

“Yes, I suppose so, it is a bit of a distance,” sighed Karisme. “Very well. I shall do my utmost to remain calm in the belly of the monstrosity.”

“It’s a truck.” Leo rubbed the back of his head and worried about how she was adapting to modern life. “Benita is a very good driver. I know it goes quite fast compared to the carriages you knew when we were young…”

“Please,” his sister attempted to reassure him. “Everything is different now, it is taking me some time I’m afraid. Even the light is different, the air smells different, everything.” She sighed. “It is as if I existed in a time capsule.”

Leonardo took a seat in the beautiful outdoors to enjoy the early autumn day. He had a book on reproductive science to read because after yesterday’s shock, he was feeling his age and wanted to know what else he had wrong. He knew the fundamentals of pregnancy and birth, of course, having been through one. The study of genetics, though, had piqued his interest.

“Oh my goddess above, please slow down!” cried Karisme, gripping her seat with white knuckles.

“I’m only going ten miles an hour,” Benita reassured. “We’re crawling. Take a deep breath Karisme, you’re worrying me.”