NOVEL NEXT 3 – Granny Meddie
When Little Stone slowly opened the wooden door, hot air blew out of the house, bringing with itself a thick smell of medicine. As he was already used to it, 'Little Stone' quickly entered and then closed the doors.
There he saw a very old lady sitting in her rocking chair waiting before the big cauldron that was hung in the fireplace. In her hands was an old wooden grinder she used to grind some herbs but she slowly put it on the table as Little Stone entered her house she turned her saddened eyes at the little kid.
"I've already heard the news... I am so sorry, my child. It must have been hard for you right ?"
Little Stone looked at her quietly. His pupils were a little dilated as they trembled. The emotions he felt finally burst out. Slowly, he came over to the table to put away the clothes and then went to her and hugged her waist.
"I miss them..." whispered the boy as his crimson eyes watered a little while his head buried in the old lady's bosom.
The old Meddie sighed as she saw the boy. She had seen this many times before. As quite an accomplished herbalist she needed to have mental fortitude for this. But as she got older her mind couldn't bear the cruelty of the world anymore. So she went to retire in this remote place where nobody would know and bother her where she didn't have to see the faces of despair ever again.
Unfortunately even in this little village tragedy is not as rare as she would desire. It may not see the blood of war or the real wilderness beyond the civilizations but they suffer all the same. That is one of the reasons why they even respect someone like her who would be probably labeled as a witch in peaceful times. Their survival instinct won over their superstitions.
"Boy, did you know that there are many who believe in reincarnation on this and every other continent in this world ?" she asked while still hugging him.
"N-no? What is reincarnation ?" asked 'Little Stone' confusedly.
"It is believed that there is something that resides deep in our bodies called soul. That is the essence of our very existence that is made out of our memories, personality, spirit, emotions, and many other things. The soul is eternal so even while death may be the end of their path in this life it also opens the door to begin the new one free of the burdens of this life. That is the reincarnation." smiled a little Heddie as she saw his curiosity.
"Wha-? No way is that real? I thought that all of this was in my mind and not soul" The boy opened his eyes wide as he touched his head to emphasize his argument.
"Mind is nothing more than an extension of your soul, silly."
"I see. Then what is the continent you talked about? Are they also far in the south ?" asked 'Little Stone' who finally got his mind off the sad topic and instead on something he loved.
Old Heddie chuckled a little as she explained.
"Continent is on where we stand right now. It is the earth under our feet that makes the ground and is surrounded by the sea I told you about last time. From what I know the one that we are on is one of the smaller ones called Azen. This village is in the northern part of this continent. Most people don't believe that there exist places other than Azen and think this is the center of the world. That is why the word is almost unused nowadays and..."
........
Time passed by quickly.
Little Stone sat on the fur that was on the ground and continued to ask about all kinds of things while Old Meddie answered and both had a very good time.
After a while, Granny finished her talk and stopped. She smiled at the excited child and said:
"Well, that is enough about daydreaming. It is good to have a head full of adventures and fun but we must also stay firmly on the ground and not lose our head in the skies. Didn't you bring the clothes for an important reason ?"
"Oh right... I forgot" exclaimed Little Stone as he took those clothes from the table. "Do you want to exchange clothing for some dried herbs ?" he asked uncertainly.
After all, they sold her clothes during this winter already and one person cannot use so much of it. Unfortunately for the brothers, there is no choice but to try it.
"But of course." smiled Meddie as she continued." Lately, I burned up holes in the clothes I use the most so I plan to patch them up with your cloth. Moreover, many villagers need them very much so I plan to give some of it to them."
"Hmmph.. Those crooks need it so much yet refuse to buy directly from us. They are stupid..." sulked Little Stone.
Because of Little Stone the entire family was always more or less shunned. Even his parents when his mother gave birth to him were horrified at the beginning. They thought their children may be possessed by some spirit of an animal that passed away recently in the nearby forest. It was kind of a miracle they chose to keep and love him despite that.
This kind of life experience not only made Little Stone more mature but also much more broad-minded. Every time he thinks about how those villagers choose to believe something without a second thought it makes him imagine if he was born 'normal' he would be the same as them once he grows up. He refuses to be someone like them! He wants to live with a clear mind to see the world as it is. Ever since this thought passed through his mind he started to question everything. This began to intensify when Meddie came to the village and showed him what the world beyond the village was really like.
"He he, don't be like that, silly. It is human nature to fear the unknown. The more so here where you are cut off from civilization. Actually, since they didn't try to lynch you or your family it isn't that bad. There are many more radical places in the world." explained Meddie to him. Little Stone's eyes lit up when he heard about other 'places' but old Meddie interrupted his thoughts:
"No, I won't talk about this, dear. You are too young for this. Moreover, we have work to do! Since you are here you will help me with brewing the paste that is in the cauldron. Recently I got a black toe infection and it hurts so I can't stand really well on the feet. So I wanted to make this paste to heal it. I will give leftovers to others as they can be used on all kinds of infections and inflammations. You will be stirring it up as now came the perfect time for it. Meanwhile, I will tell you about new edible herbs I found out about and then teach you something new." Meddie talked as she beckoned him to take the stirring spoon and start to stir the brew in a cauldron.
Little Stone came to the cauldron that was in the fireplace. The fireplace was spacious so there was no problem when he took the spoon and started to mix all those cooked ingredients inside. It quite looked like the soup their family once had when they celebrated the abundant harvest. As he thought so he almost touched the hot cauldron accidentally. When old Meddie saw this she sighed and warned him.
"Be careful to not burn yourself. Focus on the stirring and don't let your mind wander. You are always like this. I know that since small wounds and burns disappear in no time for you you are careless but this mindset of yours will make you suffer the consequences in the future."
Old Meddie knew it wasn't exactly fair to say that since she was the one who taught him all kinds of things at such a young age but she knew that this bad habit of his must be solved. Nobody knows where his gift's limit lies and the moment when he learns it will be too late.
Of course, the other reason is that she wanted him to teach the herbalism and some cooking sooner the better. The three brothers need it urgently but the two older brothers Evan and Olen do the hardest work momentally and don't have the time or capacity to learn new things.
So the burden naturally came on Little Stone who is at an age where he shouldn't get close to the fire and rather play with other kids. Obviously, old Heddie didn't make him learn this so soon on a whim. She personally thought that Little Stone was enough mature for this. His only problem is his constant daydreaming. But as he will continue to work on this he will learn to focus.
The other problem was her own age. She is already 84 years old. For normal humans in this era, it was really splendid. The reason for this was her knowledge of herbalism and she managed to keep herself healthy. Back then when she started to teach him she didn't know if she would have time later to teach him everything. She actually didn't need to do that but she wanted as she thought of him as her grandson and wanted to leave some of her legacy before she passed away. Thankfully Little Stone was a really smart and diligent boy who got a solid foundation during those two years. Now he just needs experience.
She came here for retirement as she already knew her body had gone out. Moreover, she chose this kind of place instead of some warm house in the south as she knew that some troubled times had come and herbalists like her no matter the age are needed everywhere. And she would not be able to keep her piece. While she liked to heal people, she disliked to do it in some meaningless place where life was light as a feather which was common in the south where the heart of the kingdom lay.