12 Oct 2019, 18:34
A Deadly Adventure in Babysitting
In a small neighborhood somewhere in America, in the year 2012...
Heather Ruby ran through the trees, giggling to herself about how cleverly she had snuck away from her babysitter, her perfect vision unaided by glasses or cane yet. Grandpa Bob would never find her here; then, she could keep looking for unicorns. In the 5-year-old's mind, the large neighborhood park was a massive enchanted forest, hiding any number of secrets if she only looked hard enough.
Her parents were away for the week, gone to visit other family members in a different state, and they had known Heather would be bored, so Bob had once again been entrusted to babysit her. He was old enough to be a grandfather, but he wasn't related to anyone in town, and no one knew his real name. Heather loved spending time with him. Bob was a toymaker and always had fun things for her to play with. His toys were mostly made from wood and cloth, but they did terrific tricks, like the little broom that flew a foot off the floor when she rode it, or the stuffed animal dolls that danced by themselves like they were alive. Once, she had asked if he worked for Santa Clause, making magic toys. He had only smiled and said, "Something like that." He had a funny way of speaking that the grown-ups called "a British accent," and the other kids whispered that he turned into a big scary werewolf when the moon was full. Heather believed it, but she wasn't scared of him. He would never hurt her, she was convinced because he was her babysitter, and her parents would never leave her with someone scary.
But Heather wasn't in the park looking for Wolf-Bob by moonlight this time. This time, she was after unicorns. And she was going to find one and pet it and love it, and maybe it would let her ride it and Grandpa Bob would be so proud of her and--what was that pretty thing in the bushes?
She heard Grandpa Bob calling for her, but ignored him, pushing further into the overgrown area of the park, which grew unchecked into the surrounding wild forest. It was left untouched for deer, birds, and other wildlife. She wasn't supposed to go in here, she knew, but where else would unicorns be hiding? Maybe that thing in the bushes was one? As she clambered through the undergrowth, she saw a bare, grassy patch of ground where sunlight shone through the trees onto a large flower, growing all by itself.
The flower was purple and sparkled in the light, a five-petaled blossom that reminded her of a star. The inside of the flower was deep, like a horn, with the petals flaring out at the end. Heather couldn't see the bottom of it, but there was something glittery inside, and it had a sweet smell. She leaned closer, trying to see what was at the bottom of the flower, and get a better smell of it. Why did it smell like chocolate?
Heather yelped in shock as something sticky sprayed out of the flower, covering her eyes. She stumbled back, rubbing at her face with her hands. Pain flared in her eyes, and the girl screamed, rubbing at them harder, but that only made it worse. As she fell to her knees, something quickly wrapped around her, sharp with thorns, until she couldn't move. She was sobbing now from pain, calling for help. She heard Grandpa Bob yelling for her and called out to him.
Everything was dark, and it hurt, and she was scared. But she tried to calm down as she heard Grandpa Bob rush into the clearing. He was a smart grown-up. He'd know what to do!
"Heather! What--?! INCENDIO!"
It was Grandpa Bob's voice, but that was a word she didn't know. Suddenly there was heat and noise off to her side, where the bad flower was. What was that crackling sound, and why did she smell something burning? The sharp thorny things--vines?--let go of her, and Grandpa Bob was helping her up.
"Heather, look at me. Let me see your eyes."
He sounded calmer now, but stern enough that she didn't dare disobey him. She heard him say a curse word as his hands gently moved over her face, making her yell when they got too close to her eyes. That made her uneasy. He never swore in front of her. But Bob seemed to realize that he was scaring her, and made shushing sounds like her mom and dad did when she was hurt.
"Alright," he said calmly, though she could feel his hands trembling as they took hers. "I have some medicine you need to drink. Let me know if it doesn't make the pain go away. I'm going to pour some water into your eyes too. It might hurt again, so brace yourself."
A small bottle was put to Heather's lips, and she drank, trying not to gag at the taste. She waited, hearing Bob mutter another unknown word, "Aguamenti," and the sound of water splashing onto the ground. The nearby heat and crackling turned to hissing, then vanished. Bob tilted her head up, and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming again as the trickling water made her eyes burn like fire. She bit hard enough to draw blood and whimpered loudly, but didn't cry out. Grandpa Bob let out a growl like the wolf kids said he was, and Heather shuddered at the sound. She had never heard him this angry before.
The water stopped, and he said, "This stuff isn't coming off. I need to take you to the hospital. Is the medicine I gave you working?"
Heather shook her head, too focused on not screaming to speak. The pain was getting worse, and she could feel more hot tears streaming down her cheeks. There was something else coming from her eyes too, something warm and sticky that smelled faintly like metal. She felt like she should know what that stuff was, and that it was a bad thing to be coming out of her eyes, but her head hurt too much to think.
Grandpa Bob swore again, several times, and for the first time that day, he sounded just as scared as Heather was. His hand touched her cheek, feeling at the warm wet stuff. She heard a shuddering breath, then a single, unknown word:
"Stupefy."
She was unconscious before she hit the ground, finally free from the pain.
Heather Ruby ran through the trees, giggling to herself about how cleverly she had snuck away from her babysitter, her perfect vision unaided by glasses or cane yet. Grandpa Bob would never find her here; then, she could keep looking for unicorns. In the 5-year-old's mind, the large neighborhood park was a massive enchanted forest, hiding any number of secrets if she only looked hard enough.
Her parents were away for the week, gone to visit other family members in a different state, and they had known Heather would be bored, so Bob had once again been entrusted to babysit her. He was old enough to be a grandfather, but he wasn't related to anyone in town, and no one knew his real name. Heather loved spending time with him. Bob was a toymaker and always had fun things for her to play with. His toys were mostly made from wood and cloth, but they did terrific tricks, like the little broom that flew a foot off the floor when she rode it, or the stuffed animal dolls that danced by themselves like they were alive. Once, she had asked if he worked for Santa Clause, making magic toys. He had only smiled and said, "Something like that." He had a funny way of speaking that the grown-ups called "a British accent," and the other kids whispered that he turned into a big scary werewolf when the moon was full. Heather believed it, but she wasn't scared of him. He would never hurt her, she was convinced because he was her babysitter, and her parents would never leave her with someone scary.
But Heather wasn't in the park looking for Wolf-Bob by moonlight this time. This time, she was after unicorns. And she was going to find one and pet it and love it, and maybe it would let her ride it and Grandpa Bob would be so proud of her and--what was that pretty thing in the bushes?
She heard Grandpa Bob calling for her, but ignored him, pushing further into the overgrown area of the park, which grew unchecked into the surrounding wild forest. It was left untouched for deer, birds, and other wildlife. She wasn't supposed to go in here, she knew, but where else would unicorns be hiding? Maybe that thing in the bushes was one? As she clambered through the undergrowth, she saw a bare, grassy patch of ground where sunlight shone through the trees onto a large flower, growing all by itself.
The flower was purple and sparkled in the light, a five-petaled blossom that reminded her of a star. The inside of the flower was deep, like a horn, with the petals flaring out at the end. Heather couldn't see the bottom of it, but there was something glittery inside, and it had a sweet smell. She leaned closer, trying to see what was at the bottom of the flower, and get a better smell of it. Why did it smell like chocolate?
Heather yelped in shock as something sticky sprayed out of the flower, covering her eyes. She stumbled back, rubbing at her face with her hands. Pain flared in her eyes, and the girl screamed, rubbing at them harder, but that only made it worse. As she fell to her knees, something quickly wrapped around her, sharp with thorns, until she couldn't move. She was sobbing now from pain, calling for help. She heard Grandpa Bob yelling for her and called out to him.
Everything was dark, and it hurt, and she was scared. But she tried to calm down as she heard Grandpa Bob rush into the clearing. He was a smart grown-up. He'd know what to do!
"Heather! What--?! INCENDIO!"
It was Grandpa Bob's voice, but that was a word she didn't know. Suddenly there was heat and noise off to her side, where the bad flower was. What was that crackling sound, and why did she smell something burning? The sharp thorny things--vines?--let go of her, and Grandpa Bob was helping her up.
"Heather, look at me. Let me see your eyes."
He sounded calmer now, but stern enough that she didn't dare disobey him. She heard him say a curse word as his hands gently moved over her face, making her yell when they got too close to her eyes. That made her uneasy. He never swore in front of her. But Bob seemed to realize that he was scaring her, and made shushing sounds like her mom and dad did when she was hurt.
"Alright," he said calmly, though she could feel his hands trembling as they took hers. "I have some medicine you need to drink. Let me know if it doesn't make the pain go away. I'm going to pour some water into your eyes too. It might hurt again, so brace yourself."
A small bottle was put to Heather's lips, and she drank, trying not to gag at the taste. She waited, hearing Bob mutter another unknown word, "Aguamenti," and the sound of water splashing onto the ground. The nearby heat and crackling turned to hissing, then vanished. Bob tilted her head up, and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming again as the trickling water made her eyes burn like fire. She bit hard enough to draw blood and whimpered loudly, but didn't cry out. Grandpa Bob let out a growl like the wolf kids said he was, and Heather shuddered at the sound. She had never heard him this angry before.
The water stopped, and he said, "This stuff isn't coming off. I need to take you to the hospital. Is the medicine I gave you working?"
Heather shook her head, too focused on not screaming to speak. The pain was getting worse, and she could feel more hot tears streaming down her cheeks. There was something else coming from her eyes too, something warm and sticky that smelled faintly like metal. She felt like she should know what that stuff was, and that it was a bad thing to be coming out of her eyes, but her head hurt too much to think.
Grandpa Bob swore again, several times, and for the first time that day, he sounded just as scared as Heather was. His hand touched her cheek, feeling at the warm wet stuff. She heard a shuddering breath, then a single, unknown word:
"Stupefy."
She was unconscious before she hit the ground, finally free from the pain.
Failed 1st Year at Hogwarts at age 11. Is repeating 1st Year classes.
12 Oct 2019, 20:48
A Deadly Adventure in Babysitting
"What do you mean you can't heal her?!"
That was Grandpa Bob's voice, but why was he angry?
"She's lucky were we able to save her eyes at all, the way that venom was eating them," that was an unknown grown-up, a woman, Heather thought, "if you'd gotten her here immediately, maybe, but as it is..." the woman sighed, sounding like she felt sorry for something, "She won't be completely blind, but the damage was severe. She will never completely recover." There was a pause, then the woman said encouragingly, "Listen, you saved her life. That plant would have eaten her alive, and your Antidote to Uncommon Poisons slowed the toxin enough for us to do our job and give her the proper antivenom. That was quick thinking."
"What was that thing?" Grandpa Bob growled, sounding more like a wolf again as if he wanted to tear the offending plant to pieces.
Heather was feeling more awake now and quickly remembering what had happened to her. She was lying in a soft bed, and the smell of the room reminded her of the cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. Was this the hospital? Her eyes still hurt, but it was a dull ache now instead of the unbearable burning, and there was something wrapped around her head, covering her eyes so she couldn't see anything when she opened them.
She reached up with her hands, feeling at the soft bandages over her eyes, but the woman's voice said, "Don't touch that, sweetie. Those bandages need to stay on until tomorrow, so the light doesn't hurt your eyes."
Heather nodded slowly, putting her hands in her lap and clutching at the blanket. "Grandpa Bob?" she asked timidly, "Am I gonna be ok?" The little girl didn't understand much of what the woman--the doctor?--had said, but she had a feeling it was terrible news. She was happy not to be eaten by a plant, though.
She felt his weight settle on the bed next to her, and his large calloused hands gently squeeze hers. "You'll be fine," he said soothingly. His voice had an odd note to it as he sighed, "We'll have to tell your parents what happened, though."
Recognizing the tone as guilt, Heather quickly blurted out, "It wasn't your fault! I was the one who snuck off and got too close to that bad flower! Mom and dad can't get mad at you; you stopped it from eating me!"
Bob chuckled softly, then said thoughtfully, "It was still my job to make sure you didn't get hurt. That's what babysitters do." Then he asked the doctor, "Now, you were saying? What was that 'bad flower'?"
"We call it 'cobra bloom,'" the doctor said with disgust, "it's a new plant that's cropped up over the past year. Some sick bas--"
Grandpa Bob cleared his throat warningly.
The doctor stopped, thinking over her next words. "A very crazy, horrible person made the cobra blooms to keep people and animals out of his yard. They ate him and spread out into the wild. I'll call someone to make sure there are no more of them in your park."
Bob said his thanks, but Heather only yawned when she tried to speak. She was feeling sleepy. As she made herself more comfortable, she heard the doctor ask, "Bob, that bite on your arm, you know I have to ask..."
"You know perfectly well what it is. I've had it for years," he said simply.
The doctor was silent for a few moments, then asked, "Are you able to get the needed potion?"
"I made certain that I knew how to brew it properly. I'm able to buy or grow all the ingredients when I run low. I take every precaution."
"Good."
Both fell into silence, then Bob said uncertainly, "Her parents are Mug--No-Majs. They'll need an explanation."
"I can help with that," said the doctor.
"And Heather?"
"Slight modification should do it. I doubt we'll need anything stronger since she was asleep for most of this. She shouldn't have any nightmares about the attack once we're done, and she's young enough that most adult No-Majs will dismiss anything odd she says as make-believe if we do miss something."
Heather heard nothing more, drifting off to sleep, not understanding most of what she heard in any case.
The explanation and memory given were that Heather had been blinded by an invasive, but non-magical, toxin-spitting plant while out exploring. Everyone in the neighborhood was visibly relieved when news eventually reached them that the forest had been successfully cleared of those deadly flowers. Her parents were understandably upset that she had been maimed but praised Grandpa Bob's quick action in getting her treatment. They allowed him to remain Heather's babysitter after she insisted that he had done nothing wrong.
The scars from the thorns easily mended, and the burns on her face faded with time and a special ointment Bob gave her, but Heather's eyesight would never be the same again. Muggle doctors agreed that there was no repairing it when consulted. Later that year, she began study at the nearest School for the Blind to learn how to better live with her new reality.
The End
That was Grandpa Bob's voice, but why was he angry?
"She's lucky were we able to save her eyes at all, the way that venom was eating them," that was an unknown grown-up, a woman, Heather thought, "if you'd gotten her here immediately, maybe, but as it is..." the woman sighed, sounding like she felt sorry for something, "She won't be completely blind, but the damage was severe. She will never completely recover." There was a pause, then the woman said encouragingly, "Listen, you saved her life. That plant would have eaten her alive, and your Antidote to Uncommon Poisons slowed the toxin enough for us to do our job and give her the proper antivenom. That was quick thinking."
"What was that thing?" Grandpa Bob growled, sounding more like a wolf again as if he wanted to tear the offending plant to pieces.
Heather was feeling more awake now and quickly remembering what had happened to her. She was lying in a soft bed, and the smell of the room reminded her of the cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. Was this the hospital? Her eyes still hurt, but it was a dull ache now instead of the unbearable burning, and there was something wrapped around her head, covering her eyes so she couldn't see anything when she opened them.
She reached up with her hands, feeling at the soft bandages over her eyes, but the woman's voice said, "Don't touch that, sweetie. Those bandages need to stay on until tomorrow, so the light doesn't hurt your eyes."
Heather nodded slowly, putting her hands in her lap and clutching at the blanket. "Grandpa Bob?" she asked timidly, "Am I gonna be ok?" The little girl didn't understand much of what the woman--the doctor?--had said, but she had a feeling it was terrible news. She was happy not to be eaten by a plant, though.
She felt his weight settle on the bed next to her, and his large calloused hands gently squeeze hers. "You'll be fine," he said soothingly. His voice had an odd note to it as he sighed, "We'll have to tell your parents what happened, though."
Recognizing the tone as guilt, Heather quickly blurted out, "It wasn't your fault! I was the one who snuck off and got too close to that bad flower! Mom and dad can't get mad at you; you stopped it from eating me!"
Bob chuckled softly, then said thoughtfully, "It was still my job to make sure you didn't get hurt. That's what babysitters do." Then he asked the doctor, "Now, you were saying? What was that 'bad flower'?"
"We call it 'cobra bloom,'" the doctor said with disgust, "it's a new plant that's cropped up over the past year. Some sick bas--"
Grandpa Bob cleared his throat warningly.
The doctor stopped, thinking over her next words. "A very crazy, horrible person made the cobra blooms to keep people and animals out of his yard. They ate him and spread out into the wild. I'll call someone to make sure there are no more of them in your park."
Bob said his thanks, but Heather only yawned when she tried to speak. She was feeling sleepy. As she made herself more comfortable, she heard the doctor ask, "Bob, that bite on your arm, you know I have to ask..."
"You know perfectly well what it is. I've had it for years," he said simply.
The doctor was silent for a few moments, then asked, "Are you able to get the needed potion?"
"I made certain that I knew how to brew it properly. I'm able to buy or grow all the ingredients when I run low. I take every precaution."
"Good."
Both fell into silence, then Bob said uncertainly, "Her parents are Mug--No-Majs. They'll need an explanation."
"I can help with that," said the doctor.
"And Heather?"
"Slight modification should do it. I doubt we'll need anything stronger since she was asleep for most of this. She shouldn't have any nightmares about the attack once we're done, and she's young enough that most adult No-Majs will dismiss anything odd she says as make-believe if we do miss something."
Heather heard nothing more, drifting off to sleep, not understanding most of what she heard in any case.
The explanation and memory given were that Heather had been blinded by an invasive, but non-magical, toxin-spitting plant while out exploring. Everyone in the neighborhood was visibly relieved when news eventually reached them that the forest had been successfully cleared of those deadly flowers. Her parents were understandably upset that she had been maimed but praised Grandpa Bob's quick action in getting her treatment. They allowed him to remain Heather's babysitter after she insisted that he had done nothing wrong.
The scars from the thorns easily mended, and the burns on her face faded with time and a special ointment Bob gave her, but Heather's eyesight would never be the same again. Muggle doctors agreed that there was no repairing it when consulted. Later that year, she began study at the nearest School for the Blind to learn how to better live with her new reality.
The End
Reducio
Please DO NOT use the plant "Cobra Bloom" anywhere in this forum. It was made-up by me, and I got staff permission to use it for my story here only due to complicated reasons. Thank you.
Failed 1st Year at Hogwarts at age 11. Is repeating 1st Year classes.