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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 19, 2017 15:11:22 GMT -8
The man accepted the money, closing his hands over the coins. When he opened his hands again, the gold was gone.
"I'm glad you came to see reason, Debbie dear. You may want to turn away for this, it won't be pleasant for you to watch."
Drawing a hook and a scalpel from the case, he bent over the girl. His body blocked Debbie from seeing what he was doing, but she would still be able to hear a sickening squelch and sucking noise as he extracted the damaged eye and replaced it with the glass orb. When he sat back up, the girl's eyes were both closed, with just a teardrop running down the side of her face to show that the procedure had been done. The man held the removed eye in his hand, dangling it by the nerve.
"I'd usually keep this, as children's eyes are so difficult to come by. However, this one is so badly damaged from the cold...do you want it? I doubt it."
He tossed it carelessly into the fire and put away his tools, unaffected by the gruesome act.
"Now now, that wasn't too bad, was it? Do you still think I'm a monster, Debbie dear?"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2017 15:14:13 GMT -8
"I think you're a creep, not a monster. Although I thank you for helping her regardless. Now I just need to fix her frostbite...." Debbie said as she looked over the girl's hands.
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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 19, 2017 21:13:18 GMT -8
The man chuckled dryly, the first display of emotion Debbie had seen out of him yet.
"Well now, I suppose that's an improvement. The frostbite will be an issue, she's likely to lose those fingers. Perhaps I have something for her in my pockets? One moment, please."
He reached into his pocket, rummaging about. Somehow, he seemed to reach his whole arm into the pocket, which didn't seem at all physically possible. Still, when he pulled his arm out, he held a severed hand. It seemed to still be living, twitching and grabbing at his fingers.
"Aha, I knew I had something for her. Oh dear...this won't work at all. It's far too large. An adult's hand, and a man's at that."
He put the squirming hand back into his pocket, sighing.
"Oh well. Perhaps she'll find a replacement somewhere else."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2017 9:16:59 GMT -8
"Yeah....I'm not sure what to do now though." She said while looking to the girl. Her eyes were pained as a frown formed on her face.
"This girl's all alone now. Who knows how long she's been here on her own. I don't know any cities nearby with an orphanage."
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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 20, 2017 16:51:13 GMT -8
The man reached into his pocket again, producing a thick quilt with a chicken pattern on it.
"That's for you to decide, Debbie dear. You've been very kind to her so far, risking your life to go out into the storm like that. I'm sure whatever you decide will be the right choice. Many churches will take in a child, I'm told."
He gestured with the quilt towards the unconscious girl.
"May I put this over her? She looks rather chilly, even with the fire."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2017 22:50:28 GMT -8
Debbie shook her head and put her own blanket over the child.
"No, no, that's alright. My blanket's more than large enough for her." She said with a small smile. Eventually she pulled the child in close and held her in her arms, hoping to keep her warm.
"I assume you can find your way through this storm but....if you'd like to wait it out feel free to stay."
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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 20, 2017 23:16:33 GMT -8
"Well, if you insist...but she does look awfully chilly under there. I think I'll go. Who knows, maybe there's someone out there who would like an eye. Or even a hand, for that matter. It's an awfully nice hand, and it would be a shame if it were to go to waste. Maybe I'll use it for myself! It's always nice to have a spare, don't you think?"
The man folded up his quilt and slid it over to Debbie. He picked up his case of eyes, and dropped the empty mug into his pocket. Turning on his heel, he walked out towards the mouth of the cave. When he reached the entrance, he stopped abruptly. His head swiveled around 180 degrees to look at Debbie, staring blankly with his empty eyeless mask.
"I'll be seeing you around, Debbie dear."
His head swiveled back around, and he stepped into the storm, vanishing quickly into the blowing snow. The girl shivered, but seemed to be much healthier than before.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 8:10:31 GMT -8
After the man left, Debbie silently watched the girl as she tried to warm her up.
"...how did he know my name anyway...." She muttered to herself.
(cut to after blizzard?)
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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 21, 2017 15:25:36 GMT -8
The blizzard raged outside for several more hours, but eventually died down to a light snowfall. The girl laid on the ground, still unconscious. Still, she was doing much better, and it seemed that the eye replacement and healing potion had done their jobs. The chicken quilt laid folded up on the ground, unused. All of a sudden, the girl's eyes opened. Debbie would notice that the replacement eye was very clearly the wrong color, but seemed to be working as it should. The girl looked up at her, blinking in the firelight.
"You-you brought me back."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 21:04:55 GMT -8
"Of course, sweetie...I couldn't let you freeze to death." Debbie said with a gentle smile.
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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 21, 2017 21:42:52 GMT -8
The girl sighed, pulling the blanket over herself more. She still seemed cold, and the frostbite on her fingers hadn't yet healed. Still, she'd surely be up and moving again pretty soon, especially if she got a hot drink or meal.
"Thank you, miss. You've been very kind."
She blinked, then glanced around the cave curiously before rubbing her eyes.
"Is...is something wrong with my eye? It feels odd."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 23:05:57 GMT -8
"Oh, um...." She said, hesitating on how to explain this to her.
"Your eye was...frozen from the storm. A nice man gave you a brand new one. Does it hurt?"
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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 22, 2017 22:32:38 GMT -8
The girl blinked again, looking around the cave. She rubbed her eyes, then looked again. After a moment, she spoke.
"No...no, it doesn't hurt at all. I can see just fine...who gave me a new eye, though? Where did the man come from? Surely he didn't come in from the storm, did he?"
Getting to her feet, she began to gather her belongings and pack them into a small bag. She wrapped the skull in a scarf before setting it carefully inside the bag, making sure not to scratch it against any rocks.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 22:35:22 GMT -8
"I don't know, actually....he was here when I got back."
Debbie looked outside to see if the weather was better for traveling or not.
"You have your mother's sk....uh, your mother, do you have a home? Maybe I can take you there?"
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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 22, 2017 23:42:07 GMT -8
The girl nodded, making sure her boots were laced up. Luckily, they still were, as it would have been rather difficult to tie them with her frostbitten fingers.
"Yes, I live with my aunt. I can get there on my own, though. This mountain isn't hard when there's no blizzard going on. Thank you for all your help, ma'am. You're awfully kind. Also, um...if you ever see the man who replaced my eye, tell him thank you. I owe him a lot."
Debbie would just barely hear a soft, flat chuckling from somewhere nearby...or perhaps it was her imagination. The eye-seller had left, after all.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2017 7:29:27 GMT -8
She smiled and nodded.
"I'll make sure to do just that. Are you sure you can make it on your own? I don't mind walking with you. I don't have anywhere to be after all.."
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Post by Strangers and Travelers on May 23, 2017 12:58:53 GMT -8
The girl shook her head, heading for the entrance.
"Don't mind me, I'll be fine. My home isn't far from here, and it's an easy walk when there's no snow. Thanks again for all the help, and for the...uh...cupcakes."
Waving, she headed out of the cave and started down the mountain. She seemed to be in good health and good spirits, a miraculous recovery. It was almost as though she hadn't been partially blind and dying of severe hypothermia just hours before.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2017 13:08:06 GMT -8
Debbie smiled sweetly and gave the girl one more cupcake for the road. A chocolate-flavored confection with vanilla frosting, the cake was a stamina-boosting potion in edible form to help the little girl on her way home. After she left, Debbie sighed and stepped out of the cave to see the results of the weather.
"Well, then, where was I?" She asked herself, thinking back to the reason she came out here in the first place. Eventually she shrugged and giggled.
"Oh well! I'm sure I'll think of it as I keep going." She decided on.
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