and feed him medicines, to change his bedclothes and speak to him, telling him stories and giving as much comfort to him as possible.
It was hard sometimes, to be with their friend and see him in so much pain. They could do so little to help. He would moan and ask for his mother, but his mother was still not allowed into the city to see him. One day, he started to ask for Edith.
‘I’m sorry Tom,’ said Kai, trying to hold back her tears. ‘She can’t come either.’
Tom’s face broke into a smile.
‘But she is here. Can’t you hear her, Kai? She has come to see me. She’s talking to me, teasing me, like she used to.’
Kai did not know what to say. This was really worrying,to have Tom talk as if he could already speak to the dead. She started to say something, but Tom whispered, his voice cracked and feeble, ‘Sssh, Kai, just listen.’
So Kai sat silently, sure that there was nothing to hear but the harsh voices of the gulls flying up from the river outside, and then the bells of St Patrick’s tolling the news of another death. She sat for a long time, almost drifting into sleep, but as Tom himself fell asleep, she thought she heard, very softly, the laughter of a girl.
The days passed. Then one day Jack suddenly grasped Kai’s hand and said, ‘I’m sorry, Kai, I think I’ve got it too,’ and slid quietly to the floor. Now Kai had two patients. But as Jack fell ill, she thought that Tom seemed slightly better, though he was still very weak. Brother Albert said that the fact he was still alive during the days after the boils had formed was a good sign. She tried to divide her time as best she could between the two boys, running from one bed to the other in the infirmary with bowls and cloths and potions until she felt dizzy.
Then there came a night when Tom seemed especially bad, tossing and turning and throwing his blankets off the bed, calling out for Edith and shouting that the mill wouldn’t stop turning and was grinding his bones … that Greenteeth Jenny was there, calling him into the water and that the puca was coming to take him away …
Brother Albert came and looked serious, but when Kaiasked him what she should do, he said, ‘All you can do is keep doing as you have been. And watch and pray, watch and pray.’ He laid his hand lightly on Tom’s forehead, and closed his eyes as if saying a prayer.
Kai stayed up all that night with Tom. The morning came, and he was still alive, but Kai was asleep on the floor by his bedside, worn out. Brother Albert found her there when he came in to check the children on his morning rounds, and carried her carefully to her own bed.
When Kai woke up, the sun was blazing through the dormitory windows, and she realised it must be almost midday. She ran, panicked, to the infirmary. But there was Tom, propped up on the pallet and trying to smile. She raced over and looked at him closely.
‘You are better?’
‘I wouldn’t say better, but Brother Albert says the worst has passed, and it looks as if I may be one of the lucky ones! I’ll have three scars, from all the boils,’ he said, his voice weak, but still proud.
‘Where is Brother Albert?’ Kai looked around and noticed that he was over at Jack’s pallet. She was just about to call out the good news of Tom’s recovery when something stopped her. She started in horror.
‘No,’ she said. ‘No, it can’t be!’
For Brother Albert was drawing the rough linen sheet over Jack’s face.
Tom looked over and his own face, already white, blenched even more. He clutched at Kai’s arm, but she pulled away and ran to Jack’s bedside.
Brother Albert looked at Kai, his face so sad that Kai, even in her own misery, wanted to comfort him.
‘I’m sorry, Kai,’ he said. ‘There was nothing I could do. He has gone to his Lord. Go, get some charred wood from the fireplace, and we will mark the sign of the cross on the sheet.’
Kai did as she was asked, but even as they wrapped Jack carefully in
It was hard sometimes, to be with their friend and see him in so much pain. They could do so little to help. He would moan and ask for his mother, but his mother was still not allowed into the city to see him. One day, he started to ask for Edith.
‘I’m sorry Tom,’ said Kai, trying to hold back her tears. ‘She can’t come either.’
Tom’s face broke into a smile.
‘But she is here. Can’t you hear her, Kai? She has come to see me. She’s talking to me, teasing me, like she used to.’
Kai did not know what to say. This was really worrying,to have Tom talk as if he could already speak to the dead. She started to say something, but Tom whispered, his voice cracked and feeble, ‘Sssh, Kai, just listen.’
So Kai sat silently, sure that there was nothing to hear but the harsh voices of the gulls flying up from the river outside, and then the bells of St Patrick’s tolling the news of another death. She sat for a long time, almost drifting into sleep, but as Tom himself fell asleep, she thought she heard, very softly, the laughter of a girl.
The days passed. Then one day Jack suddenly grasped Kai’s hand and said, ‘I’m sorry, Kai, I think I’ve got it too,’ and slid quietly to the floor. Now Kai had two patients. But as Jack fell ill, she thought that Tom seemed slightly better, though he was still very weak. Brother Albert said that the fact he was still alive during the days after the boils had formed was a good sign. She tried to divide her time as best she could between the two boys, running from one bed to the other in the infirmary with bowls and cloths and potions until she felt dizzy.
Then there came a night when Tom seemed especially bad, tossing and turning and throwing his blankets off the bed, calling out for Edith and shouting that the mill wouldn’t stop turning and was grinding his bones … that Greenteeth Jenny was there, calling him into the water and that the puca was coming to take him away …
Brother Albert came and looked serious, but when Kaiasked him what she should do, he said, ‘All you can do is keep doing as you have been. And watch and pray, watch and pray.’ He laid his hand lightly on Tom’s forehead, and closed his eyes as if saying a prayer.
Kai stayed up all that night with Tom. The morning came, and he was still alive, but Kai was asleep on the floor by his bedside, worn out. Brother Albert found her there when he came in to check the children on his morning rounds, and carried her carefully to her own bed.
When Kai woke up, the sun was blazing through the dormitory windows, and she realised it must be almost midday. She ran, panicked, to the infirmary. But there was Tom, propped up on the pallet and trying to smile. She raced over and looked at him closely.
‘You are better?’
‘I wouldn’t say better, but Brother Albert says the worst has passed, and it looks as if I may be one of the lucky ones! I’ll have three scars, from all the boils,’ he said, his voice weak, but still proud.
‘Where is Brother Albert?’ Kai looked around and noticed that he was over at Jack’s pallet. She was just about to call out the good news of Tom’s recovery when something stopped her. She started in horror.
‘No,’ she said. ‘No, it can’t be!’
For Brother Albert was drawing the rough linen sheet over Jack’s face.
Tom looked over and his own face, already white, blenched even more. He clutched at Kai’s arm, but she pulled away and ran to Jack’s bedside.
Brother Albert looked at Kai, his face so sad that Kai, even in her own misery, wanted to comfort him.
‘I’m sorry, Kai,’ he said. ‘There was nothing I could do. He has gone to his Lord. Go, get some charred wood from the fireplace, and we will mark the sign of the cross on the sheet.’
Kai did as she was asked, but even as they wrapped Jack carefully in
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