Morning all and welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Here I take the start of a story idea and work on it for fifteen minutes a day. I started with an old writing prompt that interested me, cleaned it up a bit to fit the basic outline of the story I want to write and then set aside fifteen minutes each week day to see it grow. Each morning’s writing starts with the last sentence of the day before. And so now we have the story of Kasca…
Day 121: They ordered supplies and sent requests for medicines to treat those recovering from injuries.
They ordered supplies and sent requests for medicines to treat those recovering from injuries. As they grew comfortable with her offerings, the local surgeons stocked up on necessary items so the patients could get the needed medications from her. Those were the more potent ones. The topical items and basic tonics, they still sent their patients to her directly with a note as to what was needed.
As people became used to her schedule and her remedies, the pattern settled. There was always a lot of work and Kasca found herself busy from the moment she awoke to well past closing time, but it wasn’t overwhelming. She still wished for a shop assistant, but no one came in answering her advertisement. Kasca wondered if she needed to find other ways to seek assistance.
For now, working alone was not a problem as it let her settle more firmly into her role. The clothes she purchased were modified and she sent them to the laundry. When they returned she began wearing them. After giving her own travel stained clothing a thorough cleaning in the privacy of her yard, Kasca fooled them and stored them in the back of the wardrobe.
By that time the need for a cloak, even in the morning hours passed. Kasca’s new garments blended and she no longer feared her clothes would cause her to stand out. As the only healer in the area she stood out in other ways and soon those she dealt with on a routine basis knew her by name, even if they didn’t know her name.
The tokens for goods and services went a long way towards settling her in the apartment above and soon it began looking less bare and empty. Eith the immediate need of the clothing sorted, Kasca began working on the problem of the cure in her evenings after dinner. She was certain it wasn’t considered a restful endeavor, especially as she often had to scry, sending her sight back to the Sanctuary.
While her search was mostly concentrated on the dusty and half forgotten library, Kasca always allowed herself a moment to let her sight sweep through the halls and look in on the inhabitants.
Jascon was gone, the disease claiming him and no one else seemed inclined to hunt for her. In fact they seemed to have forgotten all about her. She wondered if they thought she died, succumbing to the disease in some forgotten part of the island. As no one mentioned her, she didn’t know.
The sanctuary was existing. She couldn’t say they were thriving. They seemed to have cleansed a portion of their domain from contagion and relocated their reduced numbers to that section, blocking off the remaining portions. They had enough people to work the land on the sanctuary and provide themselves with food. Given their reduction in numbers their supplies were easily stretched.
Kasca saw that they believed life had returned to normal and many seemed to feel that once the disease passed, everything would be as it once was. Their talk made it sound like they were hunkering down to outwait a storm.
At first Kasca wondered why she felt compelled to look at the inhabitants ad not simply use the library. Kasca then realized that she was looking for someone else working on the cure. They knew as well as she did that it was fallible and of limited use. She was certain they had to know, or at least suspect that it might make a return.
