MEET MY GRANDMA WANDA

When I next opened my eyes, I was snuggled deeply in a soft nest of faded cotton sheets and what felt like a bed of large feathers, but when I moved, I realized the sheets were only draped loosely over a pile of dried fern-like leaves. I could not smell anything because I was dream traveling, or I would have been able to tell if the dried bed of leaves and herbs were lovely or moldy, or if the sheets were laundered, or what was in the large kettle hung over the stone hearth…

The roof above me was thatched between the wooden beams, the stone hearth and wooden floors and sparse furniture. This would have been the kind of house fairytale characters would trespass - You know, like the cottage deep in the woods that belonged to 7 dwarves that Snow White made herself at home at, or the cottage deep in the woods that belonged to three bears that Goldilocks made herself at home at. Fairytale heroines liked to make themselves at home in humble places like this.

I had never been in a cottage in the woods before, but I was pretty sure this was a cottage. I couldn't see outside the cottage, but I immediately assumed we must be deep in the woods. It just gave that vibe.

It would seem that I was also making myself quite at home in someone else's cottage since I was sleeping in their bed. If I had known such a day would come to pass, I would not had judged these girls so harshly when I was a pup. 

I sat up in my nest and found that it was really a proper bed - at least the nest was built on a proper wooden bedframe. It even had sheets, pillows, and blankets, but I had accidently pulled at the sheet earlier and expose the dried leaves. I looked over the edge of the bed and worried at the dried bedding that had spilled out onto the floor. Was that one with purple bits a stalk of lavender? If my nose was working, I would've known for sure.

Ki was sitting at a wooden table, glowing next to a hunched figure wrapped in a brown blanket. Their backs were to me. I was sure my sheets and leaves had rustled, but they were both deep in silent concentration. I blinked while my mind caught up with the scene. I guess I had successfully carried Ki over in my dream travel. How long was I sleeping?

I looked about the room, what about Ben? I was supposed to bring both my betas over right?

The front door burst opened, and my answer appeared with an armful of firewood. Ben stomped over to feed the fire on the hearth, he noticed me while tossing in the pieces of wood, "Oh, good. You're up."

Ki turned, still glowing. He was wearing his usual gentle smile, "Goddess, you're awake. Forgive me for not standing to greet you..." 

"How long was I sleeping for?" I waved it off. Ki was obviously in the middle of healing someone. From the looks of things, my betas had been up for a while now and were making themselves useful. #betalife

The hunched brown blanket turned when Ki turned, but she took a lot longer to make the movement. She turned very creakily, as if all her bones had stiffened and moving required multiple joints to crack with each bend. She looked quite in danger of breaking just from the slow turning of her body, but she managed to face me eventually.

The moment we were face to face, I could see she was a very, very old woman. Her face was so old and wrinkled and spotted that I could not tell immediately that she was a woman. I only guessed, because we had set out to look for my Grandma Wanda, the legendary healer of Night Forest, and I assumed my super luck brought us directly to her.

This had happened before, but I had yet to figure out how to control the location of my dream travels. Many times, I would just wake up where my mate had last slept too, so it could've gone either way.

"Where are we?" I got out of bed and looked more carefully around the cottage. I could see the empty shelves at the end of the wall. Most of the surfaces were dusty, and except for spider webs in all the usual corners and crevices, there were no other objects.

Only the table Ki and the old woman sat at was a mess of things. A large basket, different sized jars, a few mugs, papers, crumpled cloths stained with blood… some of it just sat in blood… I realized belatedly when I walked to the opposite side of the table that it was dripping with dark red liquid. There was also a puddle of that same stuff on the floor.

"What happened here?" I stepped gingerly around the puddle of blood and walked back to the "clean side" of the table. It could've been BBQ sauce, but that would make less sense. Maybe it was a good thing I couldn't smell anything right now. Whether it was BBQ sauce or blood, I felt sure it would've overpowered everything else in a gagging way by it's sheer quantity.

I looked at the very old woman. She was completely wrapped up to her chin in brown blanket, and except for Ki's glowing, there was no sign of hurt.

Oh, wait... Now that I was looking closely, the red stuff was smudged in patches on the brown blanket. Her fingers that grasped the blanket close was also painted in the stuff.

"How long was I sleeping for?" I found my questions circling back to the first one.

Ben opened his mouth, either to answer something useful or say something sarcastic. I wouldn't know because he was cut off my the kettle's shrill cry. I covered my ears because my hearing worked fine even when I was dream traveling. The trilling was a so loud and shrill that it demanded immediately attention.

The old woman spoke then, her voice sounded crackly, "Don't just stand there young beta. Fetch the tea!"

She shook her head and looked extremely disgruntled, "Still wet behind the ears, that one."

Ki smiled beatifically at his elderly patient, "A hundred apologies, Lady Wanda."

So this old lady was my Grandma Wanda. I guess we were really at the right place.

Grandma Wanda made a harumphing sound while Ben busied himself with the kettle.

"F***, it's hot!"

"Of course it would be, young beta!" Grandma Wanda scolded, "Use your head, pup!"

Ben glared but said nothing.

"And wash out your tongue." Grandma Wanda added in afterthought, "You're in the presence of ladies."

It was nice that she included me in the count, I guess.

"Perhaps you could use a cloth in lieu of an oven mitt." Ki helpfully suggested.

"Shut up, dog." Ben growled in all his bad attitude. I don't think Ben liked Grandma Wanda.

I tried to help look around for something Ben could use. There was no cloth except for the ones that were bloodied on the table. I looked at the sheets on the bed and wondered if it would be too large. I imagined the tail of the sheet catching fire. Maybe adding wood just before having the remove the kettle wasn't the best idea, it was blazing right now, the flames licking upwards over the kettle. If Ben had just waited just one minute for the kettle to boil before adding firewood.

Ben didn't have the patience to regret or search for alternative domestic solutions, he put on his warrior glove and stuck in his arm to pull out the kettle - such was his trust in the Betaman warrior jacket's fireproof label.

"Ah, f***. Hot!" Ben dragged the heavy kettle over to the table. I guess fireproof didn't mean heat resistant. Well, at least his arm didn't catch fire. He looked at the clutter across the table and ended up slamming the heavy kettle on top of the bunched up bloodied cloths.

I realized belatedly that I could've used my hair in kraken form to take out the kettle too. Oh well.

"Don't dawdle, young Beta. Pour out the tea." Grandma Wanda instructed. Her tone was pert and her eyes were disdainful as she observed Ben's choice of kettle placement.

Ben scowled but picked up a mug from the basket and poured. He didn't look happy about it at all, and he kept his warrior glove on because the kettle was still hot, but he stopped cursing so I guess it wasn't hurting him anymore. The old woman harumphed again. Maybe that was the way she said thank you.

She picked up the steaming mug Ben put in front of her and blew twice before carefully sipping the brew.

We silently watched her drink the tea, the only sounds were her quiet sips. She finished the first cup while it was still steaming and banged the empty mug onto the table, "Refill it. Pour some out for the healer beta too."

Ben did.

"I shouldn't even have to tell you, young beta." The old woman told Ben as he poured in the scalding clear liquid, "A good beta is marked by his initiative."

Ben finished refilling the mug without spilling any words or tea. I felt very proud of him. He even poured a second mug out for Ki.

"Thank you." Ki smiled gently as he received his mug. He cradled the mug in his hand without drinking from it. It felt strange to see the old chipped mug in Ki's hand. I had never seen Ki hold any drinking apparatus that didn't look as manicured has his fingernails.

The old woman sighed and then she straightened a little more in her seat. Tilting her head, she creakily stretched her neck.

"Drink it." She instructed Ki, "I don't know what was the price of your heal, but this brew can help replenish your powers... Even if it's just a little... when you are as old as I am, you'd see how every little bit adds up."

She sipped more tea and then she stood up. I blinked completely surprised at the way the folds of her skin around her chin had suddenly disappeared. Was it the angle or the poor lighting?