humbug

The girl had found herself rather rattled by the birth of her siblings. She still struggled to wrap her head around it, dreams of fireflies floating like eyes in front of her, waiting for something, the heavy expectation of the gaze leaving her fighting for freedom, unable to wake until finally she could flail about and gasp for air as though she had been drowning.

She padded to her mother's clinic and peeked in, moonlight illuminating her mother sleeping seemingly peacefully, and the small bodies huddled at her side just beginning to stir, the white growths on the purple one glowing green in the dark. Fuji couldn't help but shudder as she withdrew. There was something unsettling about her younger siblings. One brother seemed to struggle to make sound, and the other had eyes that almost seemed to constantly ooze. Surely there had to be some sort of remedy? If not for the lone daughter with her sprouting mushrooms, then for the one with running eyes, right?

But to focus, Fuji would need to gain some distance. Not just physically, but emotionally as well.

She left the bamboo from the western edge of the maze and made her way across the open grasslands towards the glowing stones in the distance. The irony of escaping one lot of glow to approach another wasn't lost on the yearling, but there was a peace here that she was lacking at home. She moved to the center of the circle and made herself comfortable, her face turned to the east, where she would be able to catch the rising sun, there was no moon tonight, or it would have been at her back. She began by taking deep and steady breaths, taking note of the weight in her body and letting it go. Herbs wouldn't help her if her mind was too cluttered to find what she was looking for.

Once her mind was empty, she turned her attention back to the basics. She was sure there was a tea that could be used to wash irritated eyes. Honey was a key ingredient, and she could consider the benefits of aloe, but she was sure there was a flower that would do the job better. Perhaps a blend of elderberry blossom, chamomile and marigold? But should she try to use something to draw the infection out first? Something... Like a Potato? A smirk pulled at the corner of her lips, that would be amusing. At least now she considered herself to have a start for problem 1.

As for sore throats? Surely this too, was basic. There was no reason to overcomplicate things, plenty of the children had crystals, there was no reason to assume they were the cause just because they grew on the underside of his throat. Again, a tea with honey would be a good start. Although in this case, perhaps marshmallow root and peppermint paired with chamomile? The marshmallow root should provide some much-needed relief and protection and give the throat a chance to heal.

Well, if she was thinking on the others, she should probably consider her sister too. At the end of the day, mushrooms were just a fungus, right? and how would she treat any other fungal condition? A saltwater bath, some honey applied to the affected spots, try to keep them dry, even sunlight? Now that she thought about it, salt water could benefit all 3 of them in some way or other, and it wasn't like they were short on that. Perhaps that was step one? Even if the days were cooling, it was still warmer than it was in the north. They wouldn't catch their deaths at least.

Perhaps she could even get Otis to help her warm the water and add in some herbs? Like a big tea-ish soupy puppy stew? Some sage and rosemary couldn't hurt, maybe even some lavender and chamomile? Even if it didn't remedy their ills, at least the kids would smell nice. She should also work on a poultice to apply when they spotted new mushrooms sprouting. Tea tree leaves with some neem and turmeric should do the job, and as for when the mushrooms were knocked off? Well, that might take a bit more thought. They weren't even entirely sure what sort of mushrooms grew on the girl yet, and if they might be toxic to anyone else that came into contact with them.

The little girl seemed to be in an awful lot of pain when they did come off, so maybe something soothing, possibly numbing? Maybe she could extract some oil of clove and add a drop or two to a calendula poultice? She would have to be exceedingly cautious though, clove could be quite irritating and the wounds left by the mushrooms were open... Perhaps, it was best to leave numbing out of it until she saw how the girl responded to the poultice alone?

Fuji let out a sigh as the first rays of sun began to warm her coat. It was a bit of a hopeless situation, but at least she had a plan in mind, surely doing something was better than doing nothing.

“Speech”