I
"Dino? What did you do to Roberto?"
"I scared him away."
It is sundown, with most everyone in the household out of the home. Servants tended to the garden. Mama is with guests. Papa was out to the temple. The children were alone at home. Teo and Bene were napping on the sofas not far from the windowless hallway, and Alberta listened for them. This was her time to see the Serpent alone, when the shadows of the night were but hours away.
"Is that all you really did?" she asked.
"...no. I bit him and poured lemon in his wound. He thought I was a snake. He ran away, scared," the Serpent answers.
Alberta sighed in relief. In her arms are four very large books, all of them very heavy and very wide. "I brought you books, as you requested. From Papa's shelf. I didn't know what you wanted, so I got whatever I could."
"What did you bring me?"
Alberta turns to read the titles. She squinted, many of the words being very big and difficult to pronoune. "'Gearsprocket's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Car...dio...vas...cular Medicine'.'Human Skeleton Reference Guide'. 'Comparisons of Human, Elf, and Dwarf Anatomy'. 'Medical Phys...i..ology'." She looks through the mousehole the best she could. "Can you even -read- these?"
"What editions are they?"
"How would I know?!"
"Open the first couple pages of the book, where you see the authors and publishers. An edition number should show somewhere."
The girl immediately goes to work. She opens the first pages of the cardiology book. "This one is, the heart one...it's the third edition. The skeleton book is the fourth. The comparison is the second, and the phys...physiology book is also the fourth."
"I've read all of them except the comparisons book. I'd like that one, please."
"You have all of them? How?"
"By reading from left and right."
"No, really, how?"
"I've been reading books since Mama taught me how to read."
"No, I mean-..." The girl paused. She realized this was going nowhere. She sighed, then giggled. She continued. "You must be really smart to read something like these. Yet you are younger than me. But really....how did you get your hands on these books?"
Dino paused.
"....I stole them."
Alberta smiled. "Yet you returned them. How did you take them, anyway?"
"The same way I stole the tarts and scared Roberto away: I snuck out."
"I mean literally, how? Through this wall?"
"Yes."
"May I see?"
"I will show you how the door works, yes. But..."
"But?"
"Only so far. I don't want you to see me."
The sister sighs in disappointment. "If you wish. But I really want to see you."
"Someday, Alberta. But not today."
"How will I give you the book?"
"Put the book by the mousehole. I will take it from here."
Alberta nods obediently. She places the textbook onto the corner of the hall, right next to the mousehole as instructed. "Now what?"
"Do you see anyone around you?"
The mocha-haired girl looks around. "There is no one in the house but me and my brothers. The servants are out with Mama and the guests in the garden."
"Good. Step back, please."
The child blinks. As she was seated, she does not get up, but rather, she simply scoots. As soon as she was far enough, the Serpent made his move. A creaking sound. Gravel grinding. There is a slight buzz, then clicks. Click. Click. Click. Hinges razed. The wall turns. The mousehole disappears in the darkness, the paintings dangling from the slight movement. Alberta watches in wonder as the wall of the windowless hallway turns to a revolving door. Her eyes widen, her mouth gapes. Such a curious sight, a wonder to have existed this whole time in her home.
Then she saw him. A slight hand, thin and gaunt, pale from neglect from the sun's warmth. His hand--no, his entire arm--was skinny and bony, ivory-white skin flaking and covered with many boils. Some healed, leaving holes of all shapes and sizes like a worn sponge. Others, however, did not. Many boils of many sizes blistered on his skin, rings of red over bumps of sickened yellow. One was wide enough to slip a slice of tart into. Others clustered like grapes in a bunch. The young lady was horrified at the sight. She anticipated a boy much healthier than this... but before her was someone ill.
She clutched the arm. The Serpent yelped in pain, then flinched behind the wall. Alberta couldn't see him. But she can see his arm. "You're sick!"
"I have been sick."
"For how long?"
"Since I last saw Mama."
"You have been sick for four years?!"
"Going on five. But yes." The Serpent jerks his arm for Alberta to release him.
"I have been taking care of myself... this is why I read Papa's medical books. I have been reading them since I started reading, in fact. My first book was on leg surgery... I read that when I six. After that was the function of the heart and lungs... I read that when I turned seven. Papa would dump books on me to keep me entertained, but he dumped books grownups would read... not children. But I learned. I overcame my difficulties reading. Mama helped me. By the time I was eight, I have read, front and back, twelve different textbooks on surgery, disease, and anatomy. I've stolen several more when Mama disappeared... now it's gone to over thirty." His saddened tone turns cheery, almost braggartly.
"I am a little doctor."
"You are so smart!"
The Serpent shrinks back, his whispering lisp shrinking to a modest whimper.
"You flatter me."
"It's the truth. Now I
really want to see you."
"Another time, Alberta. Another time." He pauses. The Serpent hisses a little as he takes a breath, bony fingers wrapping around the book once more to take it. Heavy. He presses his fingers along the spine and slides the textbook over, then lifts it as soon as the corner hit the slit of the revolving door. With that, it is gone.
"Hm... perhaps... I would like to request another book?"
"Another?"
"No...two. Two books. If you can."
"Anything for my friend," Alberta says cheerfully.
"Mama would tell me about them. Gnomes. Dwarves. Such curious creatures. They are much smaller than we are, but much hardier. Dwarves .... from the earth. Yes? Gnomes... where did gnomes come from? Yet they breathe with amazing intelligence... their machines intimidating. Mama brought me pictures. She told me stories." He pauses again, fingers wrapping around the doorframe.
"When I'm not reading, Mama made me toys. Automata. They're machines that imitate life with no human intervention. One of a wind-up soldier that marches. Another is a ballerina who dances." He peers out. Alberta, however, saw only a shadow. No face. It was too dark.
"I love them. I love machines. Mama made them to me. She is the smart one. I would like to make more. Gnomes and Dwarves can make machines. I would like to make my own."
"You want a book on engineering?"
"Basic tinkering. I know the natural body, but not the artificial one. I would like to learn. I would like to make my own toys."
"Then I shall get you books on tinkering. One book on Gnomish tinkering, the other on Dwarven?"
Dino paused. He didn't think that far ahead.
"Both? And a third book, perhaps?"
Alberta chuckled. "Okay. What will this third book be?"
"A story book."
The girl's face lights up. "Really? What kind of story?"
"A good one. Oh, one with a happy ending? An adventure? Maybe romance. I like stories where the boy gets the girl. No, the girl gets the boy. And magic. And dragons! Lots of dragons!"
Alberta chuckles turned to an echoing laugh, loud enough to awaken her younger brothers. The boys rose from the sofas, rubbing their tired eyes. They heard laughter. It was not theirs. It was Alberta's, and joining hers with mirthful harmony was the Serpent's. They did not like this. They were jealous.
The girl leans forward in an attempt to see the Serpent's face. "Oh, Dino. I will not get you three books. I will get you four. Five! Six even... maybe seven! There are many books with adventure, magic, dragons, and romance. You will love them all. I will get books on ancient wars, of trolls and spirits, of knights of the Light. We shall read them together. I want to share stories with you."
"I will be delighted! Where will you get the books?"
"The town library. It's not far from the temple Papa works at. I will visit there before the sun goes down, and we shall spend tonight reading each other stories."
"I look forward to it. Thank you, Alberta, thank you. You are a wonderful friend and I love you."
"I love you too, Doctor Dino."
"'...'Doctor Dino'. I like that. Do come back to me. I shall await for tonight."
She gets up. Little heels click upon the marbled floor, a coat dragged from the rack as the little lady races outside. The brothers watch. Their brows furrow, cheeks flushed with red. Their eyes were narrowing. They were angry.
Storytime was
their time. The Serpent was taking Alberta away.
Books! Books! Books! Books! Alberta is surrounded by them. She is awashed by words, texts, facts and fiction. Books about science. Religion. Philosophy. Magic. There were books on gnomes, elves, dwarves, trolls. Books of creatures of the crawling kind. Books of creatures of the flying kind. She saw them, one by one, her delicate hands trailing along the rows of knowledge. This was her favorite place to be. This would be the favorite of Dr. Dino if he could leave the house.
A shame Teo and Bene do not share my love for books, Alberta thought.
I would take them everyday if I could. The Doctor too.
She stood before the reference book, looking up the subjects in which she was to find. Then, she took a cart. A large one. She nearly danced as she stepped through the halls of books, ladders sliding along as the shelves grew higher and higher. She found them. Books of basic tinkering. There was plenty. She saw books of how to create toys. How to create automated music. How to create mechanical mounts. How to create weapons.
The weapons book frightened her. She put it away.
There, she found them. Basic tinkering, by gnomes and dwarves. She opened the texts and flipped through the pages. Words. Lots of big words. She knew how to read, but this was beyond her level. Even grownups would see these as gibberish. And yet, Dino said he could read medical books at a very young age. She trusts him. She placed the books onto the cart.
She was far less discriminate with the story books, however. In fact, she merrily dumped them into the cart, almost randomly. Books of fairies, harpies, dragons, and drakes. Books of war. Books of love. The cart was filling up fast. She knew there was no way neither she nor Dino would read all these within the allotted rental time, but she didn't care. They will share books. They will share stories and knowledge.
He is no Serpent, she thinks.
Serpents slither. Serpents deceive. No. He was an angel. A guardian angel. A guardian angel who thirsts for knowledge and tale. Who thirsts for friendship. Who thirsts for love. He is lonely. I am his friend.
She passed by it--the row on medicine. A priest was there. She recognized him as one of the priests in Papa's temple. She smiles as she approaches him with the cart of books. "Hello, your Eminence," she greets him.
The priest turned. He returns the smile, then his eyes widen at the piles of books in Alberta's cart. "Oh, my! Are you planning on a reading binge, my dear Alberta?"
"I sure am!"
"Such a smart, creative girl. I miss seeing you at the Temple. How are you doing? Are you still going to marry Roberto?"
The girl shook. She clenched her eyes shut, her teeth biting onto her lower lip. She raises her head, a confident but pained grin lighting up. She tries to hide her fear. "No. He changed his mind. I do not like him, however. I am glad he did."
"So I see," he says. "Your father was looking forward to a wedding. Do you know why he set you two up?"
"No. Should I know?"
"Perhaps another day. What do you have there, Alberta?"
"Lots of things," she simply says with a chuckle. "Tinkering. Stories. A little bit of history too."
"What a curious little lady, you are."
"Indeed I am." Then, a thought. Her violet orbs stared forward as her mind drifts to a not-so-distant memory. Boils. Holes. Skin like a sponge. Flakes, red, and yellow.... lots of yellow. The priest worked with Papa. He is no doctor, but he specializes in healing with the Light. Perhaps he can be of help in lieu of her doctor father. "Your Eminence? I have a question."
"Go ahead, my child."
"Let's say someone is sick. His skin is pale, very white. He has boils all over his skin, of many sizes... one is even big enough to cover your palm. There are holes too, very deep. Red and yellow. And flakes. Many flakes."
The priest raised his brows. "That wounds like a very acutely serious skin disease. It could be a viral infection... or perhaps an autoimmune disorder."
"What is that?"
"Do you know what the immune system is?"
Alberta thinks. She may not be as medically knowledgeable as Papa or Dr. Dino, but she knew her basics. "That's when... your body protects itself from getting sick? Without any aid of medicine or magic?"
"That is correct. An autoimmune disorder is in which... simply put... your body isn't reacting to disease the way it's supposed to. It's 'auto' because it's attacking itself. It may have mistaken something healthy as something foreign. It's not normal... but it is usually rare."
Alberta is mortified. "Can... someone die from this?"
"It is possible."
"Your Eminence! I have a patient for you! He is a young boy, younger than I, who was locked away for many years. He has the symptoms I described. I don't know what he has, but he is ill, and I don't know if he has much time left. Please, sire. You must help him!"
The priest is taken aback from such a sudden response. His expression softens, and a smile lights up. He places his large hands onto Alberta's narrow shoulders, gentle enough to reassure, but firm to show his confidence in the young lady. "Then take him to my temple as soon as possible. I will reserve a bed for him. What is his name?"
"Geraldo. I call him Dino. Dr. Dino."
"Doctor?"
"He's really smart, but really sick. He is my friend. Please help him, sire."
"Then I shall. Take him to me as soon as I can. I will pray to the Light until you return."