The Country from Hell
Your heart full of defeat, you stand your ground. There is no way you could ever afford to replace the stupid surge protector. You'll have to look like a fool and give it back to Szil. He'll laugh at you, because Frosties never have any mercy. You hate your American cousin. Why did she dangle this carrot in front of you? You knew you would never have anything like an American-made laptop, but yet she tortured you with the possibility. At least you had gotten to see the startup screen for a moment before that loud pop and the smell of electrical fire filled the room
Szil walks slowly back in, carefully balancing an armload of medical supplies. Again, despite yourself, you find your lips curling upwards.
"I wasn't shot, you know."
"Shhh. Leave Dr. Szil to his work. You will forget that you were ever hurt."
Life is a joke, right? Why not submit yourself to a devilishly charming Frosty on this hot summer hell of a day? You sit down in the chair opposite his desk, placing your soiled foot right on top of the Frosty Times while pulling your skirt up a little. Pure Iadian instinct.
Szil gets down on one knee, placing his medical supplies carefully next to your elevated foot, which really has begun to throb now. He squirts some antiseptic on a piece of gauze, then runs it smoothly up and down your shin, patting gently at the knee to remove the gravel and blood imbedded there. You shiver with pain, but remain silent. Szil fills the suddenly awkward silence by singing.
"At night in John's garden
All the little birds sleep
All the little birds sleep
Only one can find no calm
As she flies from palm to palm
Forever calling out to John "
"Please don't butcher my people's folksongs," you scold him coldly, even as he throws gauze after gauze to the floor in a mad effort to fully restore your leg. Finally, he finishes his masterwork by placing a huge neon blue bandage on your knee.
"Sorry, that's the only color I've got," he says, laughing a little.
"Why do you have all this stuff here anyway?"
"Well, the fact is I go hiking a lot after work. I'm always falling and hurting myself, so I bring my special Dr. Szil Cure Pack with me. You were lucky to get a blue bandage. I might have been mean and used orange instead."
"Thank you," you say brusquely, standing up quickly with a tingly feeling in your head.
"My pleasure," he answers graciously. "Speaking of the woods, there is a big party tonight in the Klo Forest, not too far out of town. I don't suppose you're a girl who goes to parties in the woods?"
"Um "
"Anyway, here is my business card. Call me if you want to talk about something other than surge protectors."
Your face is beginning to hurt from smiling too much, so rather than answer him or let the conversation continue any further, you take the card from his outstretched hand, drop both surge protectors on the desk and walk quickly out, muttering another quick, "Thank you" as you go.
Szil walks slowly back in, carefully balancing an armload of medical supplies. Again, despite yourself, you find your lips curling upwards.
"I wasn't shot, you know."
"Shhh. Leave Dr. Szil to his work. You will forget that you were ever hurt."
Life is a joke, right? Why not submit yourself to a devilishly charming Frosty on this hot summer hell of a day? You sit down in the chair opposite his desk, placing your soiled foot right on top of the Frosty Times while pulling your skirt up a little. Pure Iadian instinct.
Szil gets down on one knee, placing his medical supplies carefully next to your elevated foot, which really has begun to throb now. He squirts some antiseptic on a piece of gauze, then runs it smoothly up and down your shin, patting gently at the knee to remove the gravel and blood imbedded there. You shiver with pain, but remain silent. Szil fills the suddenly awkward silence by singing.
"At night in John's garden
All the little birds sleep
All the little birds sleep
Only one can find no calm
As she flies from palm to palm
Forever calling out to John "
"Please don't butcher my people's folksongs," you scold him coldly, even as he throws gauze after gauze to the floor in a mad effort to fully restore your leg. Finally, he finishes his masterwork by placing a huge neon blue bandage on your knee.
"Sorry, that's the only color I've got," he says, laughing a little.
"Why do you have all this stuff here anyway?"
"Well, the fact is I go hiking a lot after work. I'm always falling and hurting myself, so I bring my special Dr. Szil Cure Pack with me. You were lucky to get a blue bandage. I might have been mean and used orange instead."
"Thank you," you say brusquely, standing up quickly with a tingly feeling in your head.
"My pleasure," he answers graciously. "Speaking of the woods, there is a big party tonight in the Klo Forest, not too far out of town. I don't suppose you're a girl who goes to parties in the woods?"
"Um "
"Anyway, here is my business card. Call me if you want to talk about something other than surge protectors."
Your face is beginning to hurt from smiling too much, so rather than answer him or let the conversation continue any further, you take the card from his outstretched hand, drop both surge protectors on the desk and walk quickly out, muttering another quick, "Thank you" as you go.