Read Online The Mind's Eye by K.C. Finn - Free Book Online

right, but I did feel a little
bad for him in spite of everything.
    “ Don’t worry, it wasn’t much of one to ruin.”
There was no
invitation to press the topic any further, but of course I knew
that he lived alone without him having to tell me. Bickerstaff put
the back of his hand across my forehead and I could feel my damp
skin sticking to him.
    “ Do you feel hot or cold right now?” he asked.
    “ Cold,” I replied, “What’s happened to me?”
    “ Fevers and rashes are not uncommon symptoms for people with
your condition,” he replied clinically. There was no trace of
empathy in his face whatsoever.
    “ I used to get fevers when I first got sick,” I replied. He
just nodded. I didn’t feel feverish now, just sticky and
horrid.
The door to
the bedroom opened and Ness Fach ambled in wearing what looked like
a new dress. Doctor Bickerstaff turned in his chair to see her. She
watched him carefully for a moment, sucking on the hand of her
Dolly.
    “ Hello little one,” he said in what he must have thought was a
warmer tone. It didn’t sound much different to his usual
one.
Ness ran away
without a word. Bickerstaff’s mouth twitched awkwardly a little,
and he was about to speak to me again when yet another visitor
appeared in the wide doorway.
    “ Oh she’s awake then,” Blod said, her look was not relieved in
the least, “Mam sent me to see if you wanted another
cuppa.”
Doctor
Bickerstaff stood up and brushed off his jumper, forgetting the
book on his lap which dropped to the floor with a thud. His mouth
twitched again as he looked at Blod.
    “ No, no,” he stammered. Was he nervous of something? “I
daresay Kit’ll be up and about by this evening. Her fever’s broken,
so I’ll be going once I’ve spoken to your mother.”
Blod eyed him
with the kind of contempt she usually reserved for me, which was a
nice change, I’ll admit.
    “ All right then,” she said, quickly turning on her perfect
heels to sweep away.
Bickerstaff
looked at the space where she’d been standing for a moment before
he turned back to me. I knew I was giving him what must have been a
rather rude, quizzical look, but he chose not to challenge it.
    “ I’m curious as to what brought this fever on, Kit,” he said,
his face falling back into its relaxed emotionless template, “Your
physical progress isn’t good enough to suggest overexertion. Have
you strained yourself in any other way?”
    “ Peeling a potato is a strain in my world, doctor,” I
answered, “You’re going to have to be more specific.”
    “ Well what about mental strain?” he pressed, a glimmer of
annoyance hanging on his lip. He wanted to sneer, I was sure of it,
but for some reason he was holding it back. “Have you been reading
a lot or doing something else that uses your
concentration?”
    “ I have been reading a lot,” I lied quickly, “There’s not much
else to do here.” Of course I knew the real answer to his
question.
    “ Well that could be bringing it on,” he explained, “A relaxed
mind does wonders for one’s health, see that you remember
that.”
I would, if
it meant stopping him from invading Ty Gwyn ever again. I watched
him pick up his things and go, already formulating a new way to
balance my mental training and keep my brain strain-free the rest
of the time. The fever had been awful, but now that it was over
there was a lesson to be learned and more practice to be done. But
first, I remembered, there were a few hours left of my first Welsh
Christmas to enjoy.
***
The New Year
brought plenty of nasty shocks with it, including the introduction
of rationing, which sat about as well with Mam as the idea of birth
control did with the Pope. Mam said that she was terribly grateful
that Clive and the boys had been home at the right time before the
government had taken control of how much food each household could
have, but she couldn’t imagine what she would feed them the next
time they came for a visit. I felt sad that I