The Invalid

The Invalid - (Another musing non-poem non-story by Victory

I took a voyage into the innermost realm of the subconscious

Disorientated but determined to find the source of neurosis

A frail form lay beneath a swirl of electrical currents

It had translucent skin, freckled with open lesions

It laid there limp, barely fluttering its pale gray eyes.

I took it upon myself to bring it home to try and nourish it

Dragging it by its weakened limbs, it’s whimpering from an unimaginable pain.

“Almost there!” I shouted back, while launching the body into the general vicinity of reality.

Back in the galley I procured a healing sustenance 

Formed from warm milk mixed with ginger and raw honey

But its delicate lips were wounded by my tarnished spoon

Blood began to spill from its mouth, it was now whimpering in more pain.

I threw the bowl to the wall, disgusted by my inability to cure its ailments.

Back to the galley,

Soaking muslin bandages in witch-hazel and rosewater

I returned to find it sitting upright in bed, smiling at itself in the reflection from the mirror.

“For what causes you such happiness, do you not acknowledge your current state?”

It opened its mouth to speak and out spilled a handful of black millipedes, scurrying quickly to escape

I called from the window to my Corvid familiar, to come feast upon these unwelcomed pests;

The being watched with a smirk upon its face, gesturing towards a notebook and pen.

“I’m sorry about the mess” it wrote. “It’s been a while since I tried to speak”

The great black Corvid hesitated his meal and observed this strange new house guest

I laid the being back down on the bed,

I wrapped the sterile bandages around its skin,

The flesh began to boil and sizzle, as if the cloth was soaked in acid

The being screamed in agony as I ripped the cloths from its parched body

The corvid fluttered loudly about the room, clearly anxious

“YOU ARE MUCH TOO DELICATE TO SAVE.” I screeched, throwing the muslin cloths to the floor.

 “Blood, I need blood” it scribbled furiously, fresh blisters bursting onto the page.

Back to the galley,

I procured another concoction

A tiny slash on my forearm, enough blood to fill a small wooden cup

I returned to find it embracing my Corvid

They seemed to have a voiceless understanding.

It snatched the cup from my hands, slurping loudly and belched

The stench of a thousand corpses filled my chamber

In astonishment I watched as all its abrasions restored

Its weakened frail limbs became firm tanned taut muscles

Milky gray eyes became green crystals

It blinked at me with such amazing clarity

The crow now rested on its shoulder, squawking commands.

I stepped forward and fell right to my knees

I looked at my suddenly weakened pale limbs 

Distrust, pain and anger flushed through me

“How dare you?” I hissed.

The being carried me over to my bed 

One last note it wrote –

“You should have left me in the void”