The Perfect Story by E. L. Gross (Part Five)

  At last, John grabbed his notebook and intently began writing. Lilith watched as he went from erratic storyteller bouncing his ideas off her to focused writer. Chuckling to herself, she went back to stirring her stew. As she watched the swirls, the spoon made in the pot another image formed in her mind. Men, at least five of them were coming. She could see them in her mind, clear as day, in the woods. They were searching, the storm had finally lightened, and they were searching for a man. The lead male was wearing a trooper hat; he bent down in the knee-deep snow and then turned to the men behind him. Pointing further into the woods, they trudged forward. They were coming and they were only a few miles away.

  Lilith turned from her vision and starred at the man sitting in her cabin, absorbed in his writing. "It is time." She thought. With a deft hand, she flipped the pot so that the boiling contents spilled out onto her. With a loud screech, she stood, huddled over in pain, grasping her hands to her lap, all the while screaming in agonized cries.

  John rushed to her side. Seeing the blisters that were already forming on her hands and arms he scooped Lilith up and placed her over his shoulder. Swiftly he ran to the front door and pulled it open with his free arm. Laying her down softly at the front door, he gathered up some snow and tried to pack it on to her arms. He lifted her wet skirt gently and saw the ugly red welts covering the lower half of her thighs. Again, he grabbed snow and covered the area.

  Lilith's cries slowly turned to soft mewls. John again lifted her body, brought her inside, and placed her on the pelts. "Lilith, do you have anything here for burns?"

  Through the intense pain, she shook her head back and forth. John left her side and went to the nook. A small basin of water, some roots, and cooking utensils were the only things he could find. Shaking his head and swearing under his breath, he tore through her belongings one more time. "Lilith, I have to get you to a hospital. You have second degree burns." Grabbing the small basin and some cloths, he returned to her side. "Lilith, did you hear me, we have to get to a hospital."

Stay Tuned for Part Six
(Copyright 2012 by E. L. Gross)