By No Means

It had been a couple of weeks since we'd escaped the clutches of the short cursed people. We had gone a considerable distance and as Missy had told me, we were soon approaching the place where Space had been sited according to Nan.

We were now camped out under the shelter of a cave where it had been raining endlessly for days. My bones ached unbearably in the cold. I reckoned it had started... my health decline. From here, it was only going to get worse. Nan had warned me so. I just wished it would be kinder in its descent upon me, because I was becoming weaker by the day.

The downpour had been completely unexpected. Because of this, the rain had caught us before we had made it to shelter and my cloak had gotten wet. I stayed in it for hours after that... foolishly, and my skin had gotten soaked. Now, I was both shivering and my bones ached. The ultimate pair.

Thankfully, Missy's survival skills kicked in quick once we reached the cave. She hurried out to get pieces of wood and lit a fire. It took a while to burn, but the pain and trembling reduced significantly after I had warmed up. I was grateful, truly. She then removed my cloak from my soaking wet body, as I had stubbornly insisted it would dry eventually, and aired it out on a rock to dry. Later, I drifted off peacefully as she told me stories of her grandmother and Mr Fluff. Her voice lingered and carried on as an echo in my mind. Soon enough, after hearing her tales of Mr Fluff, he came haunting me in my dreams.

I was back on the Forever staircase. Walking down, just as I was before; I was happy. All my trials and tribulations were behind me and now, I was getting my rightful reward. I almost couldn't believe it, everything I had worked so hard for was now in my grasp and as I looked around, I saw no sign of trouble, no sign of Mr Fluff. I was now standing in front of a tall metal door, extremely heavy as I pushed it, but triumphantly, I managed. The sound of joyful singing bells filled the air as it opened and I felt a heavenly aura surround me. I was there, immortality at last!

I started walking. The love that had brought me was on my mind. The first thing I needed to do was find her. As I got to effecting this plan, I suddenly began to see a blurry figure that softly shimmered in the distance. Through the foggy mist, I began to walk towards it. Curiously, I peered at the ground I walked on below and it seemed to be a long narrow stoney path that led on far out of sight. I brought back my attention to the figure ahead of me; I began to feel very hot, and decided to take off my cloak. Okay... I thought, so I might not like the heat as much but, you can't have everything! I shook off the feeling. Nothing was going to spoil this now... I continued to approach the mysterious figure.

..... .....

I affirmed it was a man when I finally caught up to him. He seemed unmoved by my presence, even as I lightly tapped his shoulder. He however also seemed preoccupied with something else. Something I was now interrupting. Well, excuse you, I thought, but you have blocked my passage. It was as if he'd read my thoughts instantly, and turned around immediately. That's when I saw who was with him... and that's when I saw it was him—Mr Fluff! In the flesh! With my woman! I was thunderstruck. He grinned evilly as I let out a sad breathless shriek that I couldn't believe had come from me. Unfortunately, my shock had preceded me.

"Looks like you got here too late!" he said, bursting out into a very loud satisfied laugh.

I wanted to cry. I stared into her sweet brown oblivious eyes that stared right back, wondering why I was there. Of course, she had no idea she'd just crushed my very little heart into a tiny million pieces. I could only blame myself. Mr Fluff, had stolen her away...

I woke up in a cold sweat. Adequately drenched, with sweat dripping down my face, I struggled to make out which was my true reality. I then felt a great relief in realizing it was only my subconscious fears that had threatened to tear me apart. How real it had seemed moments ago... I became more determined than ever to not let this dream come true. Not while I was alive, but would I be for much longer? My fever was growing by the second, most likely set off by my repressed thoughts and overactive mind.

Missy came over to check on me and noticed my soaring temperature. She ran over to her little sack and came back with a small wet cloth which she placed across my forehead. The chills had returned and my tremors were getting much worse. Inevitably, she concluded that a sponge bath and some wet clothes weren't going to cut it.

"I have a remedy that can bring your fever down," she said.

"Give it to me then," I whispered shakily.

"I don't have it...not yet, but Nan taught me how to mix it. I just need to go out there and look for the ingredients."

I shook my head. There was no way she was leaving me here.

"I'll be dead by the time you get back," I said.

"I'll be quick, and you'll feel so much better... I promise." I grabbed onto her hand as she moved away. I tried to squeeze it tightly in my grip but my slippery hands betrayed me and she managed to wiggle her hand out. Soon after that, she was gone.

It felt like I'd been alone in that cave for days when she'd gone out. I become delirious. The hallucinations were becoming more vivid, more unhinged; the hues of my world had begun to change and I became lost in my own mind. I couldn't feel how badly I'd declined, not until Missy came back a few hours later with a gather of leaves and roots in her hands. She described to me later how incoherent I had become. But as soon as she forced the brewed medicine down my throat, a great relief came over me instantly.

By the day's end, my fever had gone down. I could get up now without a dizzy spell and walk. Most importantly, Missy could understand me again. Up until that point, I hadn't truly valued her usefulness. I saw her now in a much brighter light, like a protector other than just a necessity. Of course I could've still been hallucinating and giving her way too much importance... But I knew she'd just saved my life. And knowing me and my notorious streak of bad luck, I would need her again. Inwardly, I gained a softer liking towards her which I still stubbornly refused to show. However, I sensed that she knew it already. We were beginning to get along.