How to care for the plant vampire's curse

How to care for the plant vampire's curse

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Tuesday, November 14, 2013

A Tale of Plague

by

Fiona Devereaux

Komala, originally from the city of Urthona, made her way through the sea of other Calvalim worshippers in the northern camp. She

quickly spotted an old women near the camp fire whom she liked. She moved to

stand closer to her. The old woman looked up and immediately smiled, as if she

recognized Komala. When Komala approached, the old woman looked at her with an

astonished expression, "Is this Komala?" the old woman asked.

"Yes," Komala replied, and she sat down to

talk to the old woman.

"The other day, I met an old man who told me how to

guard against the

plague. He said I must hang the calvalim to dry after

the plague comes. He said I should then

hang it on the wood of a poisonous plant, where it will poison anyone that

breathes the

wood's smoke. He said that I could make the wood for the rope to use to hang

the calvalim by burning the poisonous plant, and then I must burn a hole in the

stick with a hot iron, to make a plug in the end of it."

Komala did not understand the meaning behind these

tidbits of information. The plague had arrived, and it was going to spread. If

this method worked, then it must take less than an hour to brew the

poison. She had to hurry. She left the old woman's tent and moved around the

camp. At the next tent, Komala found a young man who had a bundle of dried

plants in his tent. She approached him, curious to know what he was doing with

the plants, especially

as he was naked and had an erection. Komala moved closer.

She looked at the plants that he had in the bundle and noticed that some had

burned

into stick-like parts. She shook her head.

"I need to hang a calvalim by the method that

the old man told me about."

The young man looked at Komala, then back at the

plants. He moved closer to Komala, until he was closer than Komala wanted him

to be. He began to rub his erection against Komala's leg. "I will help you

hang your calvalim," he said. "You can cut me a portion of the

poisonous plant, and I will

help you hang it."

Komala agreed to allow the young man to help her.

She cut the burning stick in half, put one in her pocket and put the other in

the young man's tent.

It was about thirty minutes later when Komala

returned to the old woman's tent. The old woman was on her way to the stream to

bathe. Komala approached the tent, took out her little bundle of dried

plants, removed

the stick she had cut, and moved to the tent. Komala moved the fire to the

ground near the old woman, allowing the leaves to absorb some of the smoke

while also getting some heat. Then Komala moved the small fire to near the

old woman's bed. It was not long before the old woman was on her back

laughing and saying, "Get me away from here!" Komala moved the fire to near

her bed, then she cut the burning stick in half. Komala moved to a nearby tree

and tied the halves of the stick around the trunk. She then went back to the

old woman's tent. She placed the finished burning stick in the ground near the

old woman's bed. Then she laid down next to her and took a long nap.

Before she awoke, the old woman awoke and began to

scream. The old woman said, "My eyes!"

Komala woke up. She went to the tree to cut the

burning stick. When she was ready, Komala moved the fire away from the old

woman. She climbed back into the tent, and retrieved her little pouch of dried

plants. Komala had to bite her lip as she said, "I thought I had it." Komala

then lay down in the old woman's bed. Komala looked at the burning stick she

had placed there and said, "What am I supposed to do with that?" Komala did

not feel at all well and felt that there was nothing she could do. She got

sick and was confined to her bed for several days.

Komala did not eat for some days, and when she

returned to her tent she found the old man.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I am leaving now. Why are you confined to your bed?"

Komala began to weep. The old man was surprised.

"Where is your calvalim?" he asked.

"It did not work," Komala replied.

The old man moved to leave, but Komala stopped

him. "What shall we do now?" she asked.

"You will not need to worry about the calvalim

until the people of Calvalim go to war. We will camp in Calvalim territory until

the army of the opposing side come to kill us."

"What happens