IV

Poor dear, I saw her petite little hands clenched into fists, but shaking lips told everything about this woman’s heart struggle. I wish we were introduced under different circumstances, but the more I think of it, there more it seems those circumstances were meant to happen. There, upon departing, we also noticed some fresh footprints, around the place Madam was sleeping. The small pieces of the wafer were crumbled all around her, and in order not to tempt fate, we hurried. The idea of being watched was crawling upon us, but as soon as we sat in the carriage, it faded away as quickly as came. We were driving for about three hours a full speed, and the horses’ wailing neighing were of minor terrors. As we traveled on the rough road, the frowning mountains seemed closer and higher; and the feeble moonlight was irritating the creature on its parents’ knees. When we arrived, only a single eye of light blue colour served a reminder for once to be called a human. Now the body was curled into almost a perfect ball, with half of the distorted countenance hidden between the bent limbs, reminding of a nautilus shell. Hair, once told to be golden, was turning into reminiscent of a sticky web and held a strong musk smell. Oh, what ungodly spirits decided to use their sick imagination on this child?

I paid additional to a coachman for keeping our travel a secret and let him go, while Arne and Madam Viktoria went knocking on the door of once to be a house, sagged under the weight of everything it was holding. After a knock or two, a short woman of oriental look, with multiple colored skirts and overall tattered clothing, opened. She didn’t seem impressed with our visit, but before the door was shut in front of our noses, Madam put her foot in the doorway and pledged in a trembling voice, showing what used to be Anna in the blankets:

“I beg you, whatever you offer and whatever you can do, please, please help us. I don’t know if she can wait any longer. We do not care for the cost.”

The vedunia was surprised, but the second she uncovered the blanket, her face turned into a sardonic grimace, with her green eyes running across every visible bone. She was palping her from top to bottom, sometimes whispering something into the air and, presumably, waiting for a reaction.

“What a misfortune, that is a nasty curse. You, gadje, and your families have no knowledge of spirits and dark sorcery, yet, and more importantly, you still try to cure it yourself, don’t you? You deliberately set yourself on the fixed idea – finding the explanation; and when science doesn’t work – you don’t understand the reasons. What more may people like you not do when the whole world of thought is open to them? Oh, and when such lunacy was to come from the Devil, he made sure to receive his entertainment.”

“Please, tell us,” Viktoria continued, “is it possible Anna got ill in this Hospital we got her from? I don’t quite understand all this superstition fuss and, quite frankly, part of my soul still doesn’t believe in what’s happening.”

A sudden short laugh served a sarcastic answer.