The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1017 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

I saw myself in monochrome clinging to the baby being approached by an ancient hag. There was no scythe, beloved of pictures of death, just this old woman with an intense stare of the coldest eyes I have ever seen.

I had faced death a few times before, maybe more than someone my age should encounter, so it was only a matter of time before my luck ran out. I felt her trying to take the baby from me by sheer will, and to my disgust my arms were weakening.

There were no words, just a battle of wills, the old woman versus me, the young–and she seemed to be winning. It was almost as if the baby was made of ferrous metal and she had a magnet and was drawing him out from my weakening grasp.

My arms were tiring and it seemed ridiculous that an old woman could have such strength, but she continued drawing the child. I redoubled my efforts and wracked my brains to consider how I could neutralise some of her strength. I began to visualise a rope of blue light around me, holding the baby to me and anchoring me to the bed.

She seemed stumped, but I wasn’t celebrating yet, she wasn’t done. She pulled a knife from the bag she was carrying which I hadn’t noticed previously, but which was just the right size for the baby, so she would carry off the tot in her bag. Could she carry me in there? Perhaps, it might be a stretchable thing.

She menaced us with the knife, threatening to cut the ropes. I imagined the light surrounding us in a shell which was resistant to her attack. I knew that I had to keep up the visualisation, or she’d breach it and we’d be lost. I needed to attack, not just defend, because all the time I was growing more tired and she seemed unaffected.

I imagined a hand moving out of the blue light, which snatched at her bag. She turned to slash at it with her knife, and as she did so, I imagined a blue rain falling upon her. She began to retreat, then pulled an umbrella from her bag.

The blue hand pulled the umbrella from her, and she slashed and cut it with the knife. It fell to the ground and faded away. I imagined a blue laser which I fired at the umbrella and destroyed it. she began to get wet from the blue rain and ran away again–I fired a light of love at her and hit her in the chest. She fell and I saw a huge hole appear in her. Although I felt compassion, I threw more love at her and she began to look like a slug does when you put salt on it, she writhed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The baby began to become restless and I woke to find Sam Rose and a nurse, one ready to take the baby, the other to help me. I had a sphygmo cuff on my arm and a monitor on my finger.

“Crikey, Cathy, you had us worried, you had virtually no blood pressure, and your heart had practically stopped.”

“How’s the little one?”

“His vitals look as good as they’ve done for days. I’m sending him for a scan in the morning, see if your magic has worked.”

“I don’t ever want to do this again, Sam–it’s too difficult.”

“I’ll try not to ask you.”

“No, never again, Sam–my own children need me to see them through to adulthood. If I die saving someone else, who’s going to look after my kids?”

He shrugged and shook his head.

“No–my priorities have to lie with them first. I think both your children will make it, but I had to fight hard for both of them–I can’t do it anymore, it takes too much out of me.”

“Thanks for doing what you’ve done, I know their parents will be delighted.”

“I hope so, I’m going to collect Julie and go home.”

“She went home hours ago–it’s three o’clock in the morning.”

“What?”

“We didn’t like to disturb you, it looked like you were both locked away somewhere else.”

“Yeah, on the astrals, if they exist.”

“Astrals?” he looked confused by my reply.

“The astral plane–oh never mind, let’s just say I was lucky this time.”

“You are a wonderful woman, Cathy.”

“It’s funny, people only seem to say that when they want something.”

“Now would I do that to you?”

“The answer is no.” I stretched and pulling my jacket on, I walked out of the fire door to avoid the happy parents, and went on down to the car park and drove home. Although shattered, I felt a sense of achievement. I’d actually prevented the death of a child–not a bad day’s work, even for me.

I didn’t go up to bed. Instead I lay on one of the settees in the lounge and set thealarm on my phone to ring at seven. It seemed to ring far too soon, and I had to prise open my eyelids where the mascara had stuck them together. I made a mental note to remove my makeup before sleeping next time.

I made myself some tea to try and regain some sense of humanity, because I felt like a zombie. While I drank it, Tom appeared. “Whit happened tae ye last nicht?”

“Oh don’t, Daddy, I’m knackered–I’ll explain later.”

“Julie telt us ye wis healin’ some bairns.”

“I was, now I need a shower to try and wake up, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Aye, but ye ne’er dae, dae ye?”

“There’s nothing much to tell, I did some work on two little ones, a girl with leukaemia, and a boy with a brain tumour. I hope they’re going to be a lot better now, but I can’t be sure.”

“Whit aboot yer ain bairns?”

“Yes, I’m sorry it went on a bit. I didn’t think it would take so long, and I suppose I knew you and Simon would look after them. I did mean to be home, I’m sorry.” The tiredness and the unexpected criticism brought tears, and in the next moment he was holding me as I wept on his shoulder. “They were going to die–I couldn’t let that happen, could I?”

“Och, I’m sorry, pet, I didnae mean tae upset ye. Of course ye did thae richt thing.”

“But I did neglect them, didn’t I? I’m a lousy mother.”

“No ye didnae, we wis here, an’ yer bairns wis guid, like a’ways.”

“Thanks, Daddy, for being here for them and for me.”

“It’s ma pleasure,” he said, hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. “Julie said Maureen wid be hame soon.”

“Oh that’s good news, I think our teenage tearaway is turning into a nice young woman, don’t you?”

“Aye, she’s a bonnie lassie.”

“I must go and shower.” I went up, and after removing my makeup, jumped in the shower and hoped the warm water would wake me up a bit.

“Where were you all night–you dirty stop out?” Simon barked at me when I went into the bedroom to dress.

“I was with a young man most of the night, we held each other very tight and whispered sweet nothings, why–what were you doing?”

“Trying to work out how to set the washing machine, we had to get Trish to come and show us.”

I snorted, “Well that just about typifies a certain type of man, doesn’t it? Why were you putting the washing on–you don’t usually?”

“Stel had nappies to do, so we made up a load, you know ...”

“You could have done a half load wash–there’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”

He glanced at the clock, “It’s half seven, what time have the kids got to be in school?”

“Oh poo, I’m going to be late,” I groaned as I stepped into my knickers, and nearly fell over. “Get the boys up, will you?”