Nurse's Healing Touch

Deepika Sharma posted under Flash Fiction on 2023-08-04



“ It’s spreading like an epidemic,” rued the Doctor sitting in his secluded little clinic in the old village of York.  “Quick! Set up more beds and equipments, we will not be returning any patients.”  The nurses, all five of them, set to work fast. Agatha had been there the longest and she vouched she had never seen anything like this fever that rose too fast and sent its victim into a delirium.  After looking at the symptoms, although the doctor did not understand what caused it, yet he was able to make a concoction of medicines that brought the fever down. He only wished he hadn’t lost half a dozen patients before he could come up with a cure.  All the nurses learnt diligently how to make it. Agatha went to her room, prayed with fervor and then took out her beloved chalice. “This is the right time for you to heal the world,” she bowed to the chalice and to an unknown power.  Soon enough, most patients began to get healed. Everyone remembered nurse Agatha’s kind and calm face, but the children’s ward was a picture of gloom. The fever in children wasn’t breaking.  Nurse Agatha volunteered to work with them, but nothing changed. In fact, it got worse. Children began losing their lives. The good doctor checked the concoction again, but he couldn’t understand the cause. Children seemed to be getting better till suddenly everything plummeted.  One stormy night, as the rain pounded on the clinic’s windows, a young and frail patient named Emily arrived seeking treatment.  Emily’s room was dimly lit, with a single flickering candle casting eerie shadows on the walls. Agatha, her face hidden beneath a hooded cloak, approached Emily with a deceptive smile. “Fear not, dear child. I shall ease your suffering,” she cooed, hiding the chalice behind her back. Emily gazed at Agatha with a mix of hope and uncertainty. “Will I truly get better, Nurse Agatha?” she asked, her voice weak but filled with desperation. “Indeed, my dear,” Agatha replied, concealing her sinister intent. “This chalice holds a special elixir that will bring you great relief.” As Agatha prepared to administer the poisoned concoction, a fellow nurse named Thomas, who had begun to suspect Agatha’s true intentions, entered the room. “Agatha, what are you doing?” he demanded, his eyes fixed on the chalice in her hands. Agatha’s eyes narrowed with disdain, but she quickly composed herself. “Why, I am simply following our master’s orders, Thomas,” she retorted, her voice laced with venom. “Emily’s suffering will soon be over.” Thomas took a step closer, his heart pounding with both fear and determination. “I won’t let you harm her,” he declared, his voice unwavering. Agatha laughed darkly. “And how do you intend to stop me?” she taunted, her fingers tightening around the chalice. Just as Agatha raised the chalice, another nurse named Isabella entered the room, alerted by the commotion. “What is happening here?” she questioned, her eyes darting between Agatha and Thomas. Agatha’s façade cracked, revealing a cruel grin. “You’re all just weak and naïve,” she sneered. “Malachai’s power will grant me eternal life, and you’ll all be nothing but memories.” The tension in the room escalated, and Emily watched in horror as her fate hung in the balance. In a brave act of defiance, she reached out and knocked the chalice from Agatha’s grasp, sending it crashing to the floor. The room fell  silent as the chalice lay shattered, its deadly contents now harmless. Agatha’s eyes burned with rage, but she knew her sinister plan had been foiled. With a surge of determination, Thomas and Isabella cornered Agatha, refusing to let her escape justice. “Your reign of terror ends now,” Thomas proclaimed, his voice steady. As they apprehended Agatha, the truth about her malevolent actions slowly spread throughout the clinic. The patients, who had once trusted her, felt a mix of relief and betrayal. Word of Agatha’s treachery reached the nearby village, and the villagers, enraged by her heinous deeds, demanded justice. The dark sorcerer Malachai, sensing his disciple’s failure, abandoned her to her fate, leaving her to face the wrath of the villagers. Agatha’s reign of terror had come to an end, and the clinic, once a place of healing, became a symbol of darkness and cautionary tales. The memory of Nurse Agatha, the deadly chalice, and the deadly secret they had harbored would forever haunt the dark ages of England.    Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!