Out of the Frying Pan

Charlie had his eyes closed but wasn't asleep. They'd been taken to the doctor's clinic/home without any incidents and he was lying down in one of the side rooms. Charlie was all alone, doc Maarten was looking at Rebecca's possibly broken ankle first and then would examine him.

"Hahhh," Charlie sighed and turned to lay on his other side. It was equally as sore but that wasn't the main reason he couldn't sleep. His brain was churning at a million miles an hour and showed no sign of slowing down.

'Will our story convince everyone? What if someone finds George's body and thinks it's a strange coincidence we went missing in the same area?' He worried.

Then, Charlie thought about the long walk and quick swim he had with Rebecca. 'She's was so cute, and always really nice, and seems to know just want to say and do... and she probably thinks I'm a crazy person... I wish... no no no stop thinking about that.'

Charlie's wheels just wouldn't stop turning and inevitably he landed on what he wanted to think about least. The thought of waking up next to a dead body still felt raw but he had some perspective now. He much preferred him living and Goerge dying to the other way around.

What weighed on him were the unanswered questions. 'Did I kill George? Is it just wishful thinking that someone else used my body to do it? Am I starting to go mad? If I can't see that ghost anymore does that make it better or worse?!!'

Charlie opened his mouth and almost called out to Big C but couldn't bring himself to do it in the end. He sat up in bed, resigned to not getting any shut eye.

Looking out the one small window in his room but there wasn't really anything to see. The sun had set and it was now the blue hour. The sky outside the window was saturated and appeared otherworldly.

"Knock. Knock. Knock." A sound at the door interrupted Charlie's revery.

"May I come in?" Someone asked from out in the hallway.

"Sure..." Charlie replied. He figured it was the doctor and felt awkward inviting him inside. Who's house was this anyway?

The door opened the doctor peered inside like a rabbit sticking it's head outside the burrow. His eyes darted to every corner of the room and he nodded to himself as if to confirm something only he knew.

Charlie got a good look at the doc as he stepped inside. His skin was pale and sallow, eyes bloodshot with heavy dark circles, and his hair was chestnut brown with flecks of grey along the temples. It was hard to guess the doctor's age as he had no wrinkles. Was his greying natural or due to overwork? Dr. Maarten was quite tall and could have been imposing but his hunched back and malnourished build left him looking more pitiful than anything else.

"Ch... Cha... Charlie. How are you fe.. fee... feeling?" The doctor asked haltingly as he approached the bedside. There was always some small part of his body moving; a twitching leg, jittery eyes, or wringing hands. Just looking at the man made Charlie feel even more exhausted.

"I'm tired and sore but not too bad. Only... I can't remember some of what happened this afternoon." Charlie replied, doing his part to back up Rebecca's story.

The doctor frowned when he heard that, "Memory loss you say? And I heard from the young lady next door that you fell and hit your head yesterday?"

Charlie nodded to agree. He noticed that the doctor's stammer had disappeared once he started asking focused questions.

"If you'd be so kind as to lie back on the bed I'll take a closer look." Dr. Maarten instructed and stroked his clean shaven chin as his eyes narrowed on Charlie's bruise.

Charlie did as the doctor ordered and Maarten began the exam. As the doctor took his pulse, held his eyelids open one after the other, and pulled out his tongue to look at every corner of Charlie's mouth, his hands and fingers were completely steady and under control.

"Exhausted, disorientated, dehydrated, hmmm, hmmm." Charlie felt uncomfortable hearing the doc mutter to himself under his breath. On the other hand, Dr. Maarten made sure to explain what he doing to Charlie at every step and then asked for permission before any poking or prodding. It made Charlie feel like he was in capable hands.

"How's Rebecca doing?" Charlie asked while the doctor had him follow a finger with his eyes without moving his head.

The doc blinked and cocked his head in confusion like someone was speaking to him underwater.

"Re... Re... Rebecca?" The finger Charlie was following began to twitch. "The young la... lad... lady is jus... just fine. She'll need to be... be... off her feet for som... some time but her... her ankle is only spra... sprained."

"That's great." Charlie felt relieved but guilty that he had broken the doctor's focus. It seemed like he'd interrupted some kind of magic spell, so he kept quiet for the rest of the examination.

"That will be all young man." Dr. Maarten stood up and started pacing at the foot of the bed. "I'll give you an ointment for the bruise and cut before you leave tonight. Make sure to apply it every evening just before bed. It will prevent the wounds from getting infected and leave you with very little scarring." The doctor didn't look at Charlie as he was speaking.

"As for what happened this afternoon... it's entirely plausible that the blow you took to the head, combined with working in the fields all morning in the hot sun, and a lack of hydration, led you to experience some kind of episode that you cannot remember at this moment. I see no clear signs of lasting head trauma but you'll need to be in someone's care for the next week or so, just to be safe. You never can be too careful with a head injury." The doctor told Charlie all that in a single breath. He also smiled at the floor as if satisfied with his own conclusion.

Charlie nodded dumbly, somewhat in awe.

The doctor turned towards the door, still not meeting Charlie's eye. "Now follow me, you're more than welcome to stay here for the night, but before you sleep some people hav... have questions for you and... and... and... young Re.. Rebecca." It was like the doctor had run out of whatever motivation he had and he started tripping over his own words again. He patiently waited for Charlie to follow while staring at the door.

Charlie slowly got the his feet. Relief at nothing being obviously wrong with him mixed with anxiety concerning the upcoming questions filled his mind. Worry wouldn't change what was coming however, so he gritted his teeth and followed doc into the hallway.

They were on the ground floor of the clinic and doc led Charlie to the other end of the hallway. As they passed by the reception area where the doctor met with most patients Charlie saw the man's leg begin to twitch again.

Charlie had heard occasional comments from children at the nursery and then the schoolhouse about doc. They talked like he was someone to fear or mocked the way he spoke, looked, and moved. They'd probably picked up such cruel talk from their parents or older siblings.

This made Charlie feel like the doctor was a kindred spirit, as he was also seen as an oddity by many of the villagers.

Charlie was blessed with good health growing up and as a child he never felt like he should go out and befriend a grown man so he rarely met the doctor. Nonetheless, Charlie always had the impression that he'd like the man. After all, they were the only villagers alive who hadn't lived in the village for at least two generations. Charlie had been left at the nursery as a baby and the doctor moved to the village 25 years prior.

Charlie still knew next to nothing about Dr.Maarten but as he followed him down the hall, he was sure that he did, in fact, like him.

...

Charlie and the doctor soon entered a long room with a sizeable hardwood table, the table was surrounded by many matching chairs. Seated on one end of the table was Old Joe (who looked very cross) and Rebecca (whose eyes were still puffy from crying but appeared perfectly calm).

"You sure kept us waiting boyo. Don't you know my granddaughter needs her rest!?" Old Joe demanded an explanation and stared at Charlie like he was a stain on his favorite shirt.

Rebecca smiled at Charlie and he returned a smile in kind. He sat across the table from the pair and the doctor sat on the same side a little further down.

"What are you so happy about!? I asked you to look after my Rebecca, not break her ankle!" Old Joe nearly got up out of his seat, he was so agitated, but Rebecca grabbed his arm, hard.

"Grandpa, be NICE." She said, clearly not pleased. "I wouldn't have been able to walk out of the woods without Charlie's help."

Charlie scratched the top of his head and tried not to show how pleased he was that Rebecca stood up for him

"Humph!" Old Joe pouted but turned away from Charlie and looked at the doctor, who was fingering a whorl on the table.

"Ask your questions then." Joe told the doctor. "I appreciate what you do here but I don't see any reason my granddaughter needs to be interrogated, like some common criminal!"

Dr. Maarten didn't look up but responded. "I... I'm not the one... one... who wanted to ask... ask... questions."

Old Joe was about to ask something else when the dining room opened wide. A stiff wind was let inside and the candles on the table flicked in the breeze. The room felt noticably colder.

Into the room walked a woman. If you had to describe this woman in one word in would be... Severe.

Her auburn hair was pulled back in a bun so tight it looked like it had to hurt. Her eyes were hazel and resembled a hawk's. Even hidden behind the halfmoon glasses that were perched on her thin hooked nose, it felt she was considering if you were worthwhile prey.

She wore a tight pencil skirt and a high necked blouse with a thin sweater. The whole ensemble was made up of muted colors and even if you squinted, there wouldn't be a thread out of place.

Even Old Joe was silent as she walked past the group and took her place at the head of the table.

"Gentlemen and lady... sorry to keep you waiting. I've been busy entertaining guests this evening." She paused to push her glasses up.

"Know I take anything that threatens the safety of the village EXTREMELY seriously, so I'd like you to tell me EXACTLY what happened in the woods this afternoon. Take your time but stick to the facts. Please." She looked at everyone seated at the table as she was speaking and her gaze ultimately rested on Charlie.

He audibly gulped.

This was a women who needed no introduction.

She was Penelope Slocum, Mayor of Clearspring Village.