Mana in the Modern World non illustrated version (20 page)

Mike had practiced his marksmanship in
preparation and thought himself an expert marksman. He and one of
the cronies, Jim, were parked and waiting almost directly in front
of Kayla’s house. It was a simple plan; Mike would exit the car,
leaving the door open for a quick getaway; his second shot would be
for killing the familiar and then a jump into the car to
escape.

Alas, things did not turn out as planned!
Seeing Mike being ravaged by Maya, Jim abandoned his friend to his
fate and sped away. Kayla’s friend, Jason with his excellent
memory, saw and remembered the license number and description of
the car. So Jim was quickly caught, arrested and taken to jail, not
‘incarcerated’, its’ just plain jailed on attempted murder
charges.

Mike was a different story entirely. His face
was shredded, one eye destroyed and his tongue also badly cut up.
His hands also received some of Maya’s attention. Neighbors
reported Maya, even wounded and maybe dying, looked like a buzz
saw. Mike is charged with attempted murder and, to add insult to
injury, cruelty to animals also.

At the clinic ultra sound showed that Maya
had an artery slightly nicked by the bullet and was slowly loosing
blood. George is amazed that Maya survived long enough to get to
the clinic. He quickly anaesthetized the cat while an assistant
shaved and sanitized both areas where the bullet went through. Once
he had opened Maya he pinched the artery in preparation to sew up
the nick he was astounded as he saw the artery was knitting
together. Keeping the artery pinched he decided to wait a moment
before sewing the nick.

Astounded, he watched as the artery continued
to knit together and, when he released his hold. the blood lightly
squirted and continued to quickly knit fully together and the blood
stopped as he watched. “O .. My .. Dear .. God,” whispers George.
“What is it G?” asked his assistant. He motioned for her to look
and quickly explained. Staring; she sees the cut for the operation
has also began to close and she whispered, “Maya you are one
special cat. You know, it might be best if we keep this in house
G.” “Yes; but I have to call and tell my brother,” he replied
quietly.

Next morning, after first asking her parents
about Maya, Kayla started asking for some breakfast. The nurse
explains that because the bullet went into her stomach she would
have to wait awhile to eat anything but liquids. “My stomach aches
a bit but I am really, really starving,” states K as her stomach
gives out a loud growl. “And where is my bracelet?” Her mother
partly stifles a relieved giggle.

“I put your things in the drawer next to the
bed,” replies the nurse, “and now I need to check your stitches.”
Grimacing a bit, Kayla reaches over, opens the drawer, retrieves
her bracelet, kisses the cat head and puts it on her arm. The nurse
lifts the bandage slightly to look at the stitched up wound and
swallows hard. Replacing the bandage she then placed the sheets
back over her and hurries off. Kayla’s parents exchanged a worried
look.

Shortly Doctor Ray; affectionately known as
DR; hurries in and checks the wound. June asks, “Is something wrong
Doctor Ray?” “No, I am just very puzzled. Her wound looks like it
would after it had been healing for several days, maybe even a week
or two. The stitches look almost absorbed already. And, tho I pride
myself for my stitching, I see very little scaring.

Wait, isn’t she the one in the cat healing
rumor?” asks a stunned DR. “That is a fact, not a rumor,” says
John. “Her cat Maya is also healing very well and also fast at my
brother’s veterinary clinic. Kayla pipes up, “So, how about some
breakfast Doc? I’m starving!”

Kayla is released to go home the next morning
and where she sees a crowd of her father’s church congregation out
front, most with signs saying Welcome Home Kayla. As K stands in
surprise the crowd separates and she sees Maya setting on the stoop
watching her. She gives a loud shout of Maya! as she runs toward
Maya, arms outstretched. Maya looks like a blur as he races to her
and jumps into her arms almost knocking her off her feet. Maya has
outgrown his once tiny size and is almost 30 pounds.

Applause, whistles and general noise erupts
from the previously quiet crowd as they all surge forward to
welcome her home. By law Maya did have to spend the next ten days
at the vet clinic to insure he did not have rabies.

As the news spreads more and more people
begin the believe the reports that some kind of energy is returning
and some people can use that energy to do amazing things. Plus
becoming more accepted for the good that may come with it. Also
more attention is now being paid by the authorities to scrutinizing
the extreme organization’s hate talk and actions.

Two weeks after the attack Mike’s father
tried to file lawsuit for $1,000,000 for the pain and suffering
that Maya did to his son. And another to have the ‘Witches
Familiar’ put to death as being very dangerous. The judge quickly
dismissed the suit as ludicrous and a waste of the courts time.

When Mike’s father, a fire n brimstone
preacher with some strange views, then started ranting at the judge
and refused to shut up and leave; the judge fined him $1,000 plus 5
days in jail for contempt. He had to stay in jail as none of his
congregation came forward to pay his fine or bail him out. To add
further insult; 95% of his congregation (22 people), including his
wife and his other two kids; left his church and joined John’s
church as God clearly approved of his family and church.

Nora McKay, a newly assigned volunteer at the
Walter Reed Hospital, is currently making her rounds visiting
patients in the burn ward. Suddenly loud screams come from one of
the critical rooms she had just passed. Rushing back she looks in
the door to see a young soldier burn victim screaming, waving his
right arm and attempting to rise shouting, “The pain, the pain, O
GOD; someone help me!” Shouting down the hall for help she hurries
in and grabs his hand to prevent him dislodging the tubes and says,
“Help is coming soldier. They heard and are coming.” She sees that
his right side looks almost burn free but the left side is badly
burned.

Nora hears the sound of running feet
approaching. A doctor and two nurses rush into the room. The doctor
quickly takes up the drip adjustment on the morphine bag and opens
it a turn. Waiting a bit to check response but quickly sees, and
certainly hears, no effect then turns it open more, still nothing.
He instructs one nurse to go get another bag. The other nurse tells
Nora she needs to leave and Nora says, “I cannot. He has a very
strong grip on me and will not let go.” The nurse attempts to
release the soldiers grip but cannot. The doctor notices and says,
“It is OK, she can stay for now.”

Nora begins whispering to the soldier, “Bare
with me; soon you will be better my son. I will pray for you.”
Kneeling, eyes closed, she prays, “Holy Father; please help this
soldier’s pain and wounds; he has certainly given his dues unto
Caesar and now sorely needs your aid.” A golden glow with thousands
upon thousands of tiny bright sparkles envelopes her head; flows
down each of her arms onto the soldier’s arm and then spread out in
a thin layer over the burned areas of soldier’s body. The sparkles
begin sinking into the burns. He stops screaming, sighs deeply,
looks over at her saying, “Thank you my Angel,” and drifts off to
sleep. The sparkles continue to sink into the burns and once empty,
the glow just ‘winks out’. Nora sighs, slowly sinks fully to the
floor and begins to snore.

The nurse that went to get the new bag is
just entering the doorway as Nora begins to snore. “What happened?”
she asks. “I wish I knew,” answers the doctor shaking his head, “I
wish to high Heaven I knew. But for now let’s get her onto a bed
and more comfortable in a private room while we take a close look
at his morphine bag. Something is not right.” Looking at her
volunteer name tag, checking her pulse he continues, “Get her to a
bed and have a nurse or someone stay with Nora. If one is
available, ask a relative to come stay also. Be sure whoever calls
informs them that Nora is well and more details will be explained
when they arrive. For now it may be best to keep this, this,
whatever it is strictly in house. I absolutely have to speak with
Nora when she wakes up. I think we can wait a bit on the pain
medication but have it ready and keep someone in here with him at
all times. This is all so, so …. Extraordinary.” Gently chuckling
he quietly adds, “But I think a new word is going to be
needed!”

Close inspection of the hanging morphine bag
shows the label to be a fake. The hospital notified the authorities
and word was sent out by the CDC for all supplies nationwide to be
carefully checked. The patient’s bag had replaced on schedule a
short time before by one of the nurses responding to the screams.
She was devastated but quickly exonerated of any wrong doing. A
check of the waste bins located several more fake bags but all but
one bag have more morphine in with the saline. It appears someone
got greedy.

Two more bags are found in supply to have
fake labels and when tested both, are filled a saline solution with
the small amount of morphine. One of the bags has a partial
fingerprint which led to the son of a suspected drug dealer. The
dealer’s son worked in a medical supply business and, once caught,
quickly gave up his father and his drug organization. The son had
decided to start his own drug business. No other bags nationwide
were found to be contaminated.

Rumor quickly spread throughout the hospital
about the morphine switch and miracle. Nora woke up almost twenty
hours later with a splitting headache, weak and starving. Her
daughter Nancy and her five year old grandchild had been allowed to
stay in a room nearby. “Grams!” shouts the grandchild as she runs
and jumps on the bed. Tears flow from Nancy and Nora as they hug
and again when they hear that the burned soldier was awake, off all
pain medication except for the healing itch and had been asking for
his ‘Angel’. Abigail, the granddaughter, asks, “Why you guys crying
Grams?” “Cause we are so happy girl!”

Administrative officials (probably primarily
worried about lawsuits), doctors and nurses begin packing Nora’s
room once word spread that she is awake. Most are talking over each
other, asking what she did, how she did it and was it a trick?
Nancy, always a level headed and take charge person, waved both
arms up to get everyone’s attention and says in a commanding but
low voice, “People; People; Please quiet down and give her a chance
to answer. But first she wants to see the soldier for herself so
please move back and make some space.”

The people back out of the room allowing
space for Nora, Nancy and granddaughter to get into the hall. Nora
asks everyone, except for Nancy, Abigail and the soldiers doctor,
to please remain outside the soldier’s room.

***

Seeing Nora, tears begin to flow down his
face as he reaches out his right hand to her saying, “My Angel.”
Taking his hand Nora chuckles, “I am hardly an Angel. See any
wings? I am so pleased you are better.” As their hands touch her
head again begins to glow with sparkles, tho a much smaller amount
in number, which leaves her head flowing down into Randy’s arm and
up to surround his head. The sparkles then drift down into his head
and the glow disappears. He suddenly looks very astonished and then
sighs; once again drifting off to sleep but with a really big
grin.

Nora pats his hand, releases it, sways a bit
putting her hand to her brow. “Wow, that’s ….. tiring,” as she sets
in a chair by the bed. “Anyone have a water? I’m parched, a bit
giddy in the head and still hungry as all get out.” “Grams, how did
you do that? That was way cool! Especially the pretty sparkles!”
“Wish I knew Grandee; without a doubt I wish I knew.”

Randy’s doctor begins rechecking his burns
and is flabbergasted that quite a few of the less severe burns that
had suddenly scabbed over yesterday; those scabs are in the process
of falling off, or have already fallen off, with pink healthy
looking skin below. The more severe burns are also scabbed over and
appeared to be healing much faster than normal. He retrieved many
of the fallen scabs to run tests in hope of finding an explanation.
Just maybe something that can be reproduced.

Several people at the door watching had been
videotaping. When they watch the videos they discover the glow does
not show on any of the recordings so there is no proof except the
word of witness’s for what happened.

Later it is discovered that the soldier,
Randy, had begun experiencing very bad dreams and flashbacks
several weeks prior to being caught by the IED which burned him and
killed another soldier. The dreams had continued after he no longer
needed pain medication but were not as bad. The second healing
flowed only to his mind and also healed his psyche.

Nancy had seen tabloids with articles about a
young girl that healed her cat but thought it was just more space
alien stuff. I mean, who believes the tabloids? Fun to read but?
Magic returning? Nonsense! Now she checked deeper on the internet
and learned there was a new agency created supposedly just to
handle weird things. After talking with Nora they decide that all
three should go to the main IMS office in DC to see if an
explanation is to be had.

***

Two days later Nancy is surprised that the
IMS office is located in a small unremarkable building about eight
miles from central DC. Once inside they see a modest reception area
and comfortable seating in the waiting area. There are several
people of various ages and races that appear to be patiently
waiting. Nora, Nancy and Abigail approach the only desk. A thin
young Asian looking man setting behind the desk looks up and asks,
“Good afternoon, how may I help you?”