Ashtrays to Jawbreakers: Christmas Edition Read online

  She hoped it would wait a little while longer. "Dan," she croaked, "wait for me, I'm coming!"

  The cloud moved in. A single scream rent the air, and then the night was still once more.

  Neil McGowan grew up in Yorkshire before travelling around the world whilst working as a maintenance engineer on military aircraft, including five years in the Middle East during the second Gulf War. In 2006, he decided to change career and became a teacher in the prison service, teaching engineering and graphic design. He relocated to Scotland in 2013, where he now lives with his family on the east coast of Scotland, an area that inspires many of the settings in his writing.

  'The Surgeon' was his first novel, gaining 5 star reviews; his second novel, Nanobite, is a blend of sci-fi and horror and was released in 2013. It too has gained 5 star reviews and has been called ‘fang-tastic’, and ‘chillingly plausible.’ He is a prolific author of short fantasy and horror fiction, some stories of which were brought together in the short story collection 'Don't Drink the Water.'

  He has also written fantasy stories for children. He is currently hard at work on a stand-alone novel about witchcraft and ghosts, set in the highlands of Scotland. There are also two more novels to come in the Nanobite series.

  Neil is a keen cyclist and now works as an IT Trainer.

  The snow was starting to fall again. This would be her eighth winter in this foreign land and as the years have passed she became more and more aware of what these people were like.

  It didn’t take her long to learn their language and quickly make a lot of wonderful friends. She remembers the first time she found them. She awoke in an alleyway, cold and her head hurt. It was when the snow first started to fall and was very cold.

  A man saw her and walked up to her.

  “Are you OK sweetie?” he said offering his hand to help her up. She cowered a bit and he backed away. “I ain’t gonna hurt you.” He turned toward where he came from and decided to go get one of the women.

  As he got to the barrel and warmed his hands he looked around. Ah, Mary, she’d be the one so he walked to where she was sitting.

  “Hey Mary,” he said smiling.

  “Hey Frank, what’s up?” she asked knowing he wanted something by the way he was smiling.

  “Got a young ‘un yonder, and she looks scared and hurt,” Frank told her pointing to the alleyway.

  “OK let me get my kit,” she said and got up. Then went into her house and got a first aid kit. She followed Frank to where the girl was.

  “Hi, this here’s Mary. She can look at that cut on yer head,” he said. She just looked at him confused. “Don’t worry miss we won’t hurt you,” Mary said and gave her a sweet smile. “Let me look at your head.”

  She hesitated and looked between the two of them. She didn’t know what they were saying. Mary slowly walked up to her and hoped the girl wouldn’t run. When Mary got up to her she cowered a bit but eventually let Mary walk up to her and look at her head.

  Mary gently moved her blood soaked hair and saw a large gash on the back of her head that would definitely need stitches, and she didn’t have any more. They’d have to get her to the free clinic and Doc Patrick would take care of her properly.

  The girl winced when Mary moved her hair but couldn’t pull away because she was up against the fence. “I’m sorry sweetie,” Mary said, “I had to get a good look at that wound.” The girl looked up at Mary with big brown eyes that had tears in them.

  “Why don’t we get her somethin’ warm to wear,” Frank said, “She gots to be cold?”

  “OK, “Mary said and gently took the girls hands in hers. She wanted the girl to stand and go with them but she wouldn’t budge. Mary thought for a minute and looked the girl over as best she could.

  “Frank, go get that green coat and a long scarf,” Mary said.

  “Back in a flash,” he said and headed for the house they keep things in.

  It was in the middle of the homes that were in the alleyway along the empty buildings and railroad tracks on 24th Street. His group had originally moved into one of the building but the officers who patrolled the area made them move out. That’s when they set their community behind the building in the alleyway.

  As he headed for it he noticed some of the homes were going to have to be replace. The boxes were just getting worn from the weather and use. He got to the storage house and found the coat Mary was talking about. He looked around for a scarf and went through the pile until he found a long enough one that matched as best as he could find. After a few minutes he found one and a pair of gloves and heavy socks to help the girl stay warm. He hurried back with the clothing and proudly handed them to Mary.

  Mary looked them over and said, “Great job Frank. These’ll keep her nice and warm.”

  Frank’s face lit up at the praise. He loved when he made Mary happy.

  Mary held the coat out to the girl who just looked at it confused.

  “I wonder if that hit on the head did something to her,” Mary though out loud. “Poor thing.”

  “Could be Mary, could be,” Frank said looked down at the poor thing. “I got an idea,” Frank said, “Why don’t you take your coat off and show her what you want her to do. She’s shiverin’ pretty bad.”

  “Good idea,” Mary said and handed the coat and other things back to Frank.

  Mary stood in front of the girl and took her coat off and held it out. The girl looked at it and watched what was going on with cautioned interest. She watched as Mary put the coat on and fastened the front. The girl looked at the coat Frank was holding then back to Mary.

  Frank again handed Mary the coat and Mary presented it to the girl. The girl reached her right hand out to feel the fabric first and then opened the left side flap. Her reaction really made Mary start to worry. Doc Patrick might have to make a house call!

  The girl started to get to her feet but when Mary reached out to help she slunk back down. Mary decided to step back and put the coat on the ground and see what the girl did. Something or someone hurt this girl really bad.

  The girl started to get up keeping an eye on both Mary and Frank and was glad neither of them moved any closer. She grabbed the coat as she rose and hugged it at first liking the feel of the fabric. She opened the flaps and put her arms in the sleeves as she saw Mary do but she didn’t understand how the zipper worked. Unfortunately Mary’s coat buttoned but then Frank’s zipped. Mary turned to him and said, “Give me the gloves and socks and unzip your jacket.”

  He knew what Mary wanted him to do and handed them to her. He unzipped his jacked and looked at the girl.

  “Here, this is how ya do it,” he said and slowly set the zipper in the connector and pulled it up to close his jacket. “Nothin’ to it.”

  She looked down at her coat and saw it was just like the man’s, Frank’s, coat. She felt awkward and looked at Mary and Frank to see if they were going to come over to her. They stayed where they were so she proceeded to do what she watched Frank do. She slipped the small zipper into the big zipper and pulled and the long thing that hung down. Nothing worked. She was not sure what she did wrong. She looked at Frank.

  He decided to show her again this time showing her to put the zipper as far down as it would go in the connector. She tried again and got it. She smiled and Mary and Frank smiled, too.

  “Frank can you get Joe and go to Doc Patrick’s?” Mary asked.

  “Sure, no problem. I’ll let Doc know what’s going on with our little princess,” he said and smiled and the beautiful girl. She was beautiful with that smile. Frank left and Mary continued helping the girl get some of the other warm clothing on and planned on getting her to come to the fire.

  Mary was able to get the girl to put on the thick wool stockings which made the girl look at her and smile. The gloves were a little trickier. She had to get the girl to open her fingers a little before putting her had in them. It took a couple tries before the girl understood what needed to be done.

  The s
carf was a lot harder than any of the other clothing. Mary tried to put it around the girls head but she backed away. She didn’t seem to want anything to do with the scarf even after Mary showed her how to put it on. Mary decided to carry the scarf and now had to decide how to get the girl to follow her to the warmth of the fire.

  “Come on,” Mary said and extended her left hand pointing toward the fire. The barrel was about 20 feet from where they were standing.

  The girl looked at Mary and looked toward the barrel. Seeing all the other people frightened her and she didn’t want to go. Her soft brown eyes looked into Mary’s making Mary worry that there might not be anything Doc Patrick can do. At least the girl had something warm on instead of just thin pants and a short, short sleeved shirt with nothing on her feet. The girl was not shivering as much as when she and Frank first saw her.

  A car pulled up and Frank and two other men got out. The girl watched as they walked up to where Mary was standing. She saw them talking and then all four turned toward her. Doc Patrick slowly walked up to her and smiled. He had soft green eyes and a gentle smile that made her feel a little more comfortable.

  “Can I look at your head?” he asked her. She just looked at him not knowing what he was saying. He got closer and kneeled down to get a better look at her wound. She cowered a bit relaxed when he looked into her eyes and smiled. “I’ll try not to hurt you,” he said in his strong gentle voice and leaned closer. She didn’t cower and let him touch her head. It hurt but for some reason she didn’t understand she knew he wasn’t going to hurt her.

  The wound wasn’t very deep but, because it was a head wound, bleed profusely until it coagulated. He looked her in the eyes again. “I need to take you to my clinic,” he said and stood up. He reached out his hand but she wouldn’t take it.

  Mary walked over and put out her hand while pointing to the car. “Doc Patrick can help you, sweetie,” she said. The girl looked at Mary, then at Doc Patrick, then the car. Mary and Doc Patrick seemed sincere to her and she thought for a bit before getting up. She took hold of Mary’s hand and headed to the car with them.

  She didn’t understand what a car was and couldn’t find any memory of one. Mary opened the back door and pointed for her to get in. She hesitated but once she felt the warmth she decided to get in. Doc Patrick was in the front behind some kind of wheel. Mary slid in right next to her still holding the scarf.

  The car began to move and made the girl jump. Mary patted her knee and said, “It’s all right, sweetie,” with a nice smile on her weathered face.

  It wasn’t a long ride, twelve minutes tops. Doc Patrick parked the car and they got out. The girl stared at the building wondering what it was and watched the man open a door and motion for her to go in. She looked at Mary and saw Mary wasn’t scared so she followed Doc Patrick in and Mary followed.

  There were several people in the clinic that day. Doc Patrick worked with another doctor known as Doc Robert, as two nurses. Doc Patrick told one of the women, an older version of Mary but shorter and a bit pudgy, to put them in room 3.

  She led the way and, once in the room, tried to help the girl with her coat. The girl was not about to give up something that was keeping her warm even though it was nice and warm in the building.

  Mary decided she’d take hers off, her gloves and scarf, and hook them on the coat stand in the corner. She turned to the girl holding out her hand. The girl hesitated then slowly took off her gloves and handed them to Mary, then her coat. Mary hung them next to hers on the coat rack.

  Now to get the girl on the examination table. Mary patted the top of the table and the girl watched not knowing what she meant. Since the girl learned by example Mary got up and sat down on the table.

  “This is what I want you to do, sweetie,” Mary said as she slid off. The girl stood there a moment then got up on the table. She was beginning to trust Mary a little more. Then Doc Patrick walked in with his eyes sparking and a big smile on his face. The nurse who was talking with Mary earlier came in too.

  Doc Patrick wanted to see if he could get the girl to tell him her name. He pointed to Mary and said “Mary,” the girl watched and looked at Mary. Then he pointed to himself and said, “Doc Patrick.” The girl looked at him and smiled a little still not sure what he was saying. The he pointed to the nurse and said, “Nurse Stella.” The girl’s eyes got wide, she recognized the sound of the name.

  Doc Patrick went over it again but when he got to the nurse the girls said, “Stella.” Everyone was excited to be making some headway with her. He wanted to see if she understood and pointed to Mary.

  The girls said, “Mary.” Then she pointed to him and said, “Doc Patrick.” When she looked at the nurse she smiled and said, “Nurse Stella.” When she pointed to herself she said, “Stella.”

  “Good, very good,” Doc Patrick said. “Now we know your name, Stella.” He slowly walked closer to her and wanted to get a good look at the wound. “We have to wash her hair I hope she’ll let us.”

  “Mary can help me with her the nurse said. I think we can get her to understand. I just hope she doesn’t get too upset at the pain.”

  “OK, I’m going to get the portable x-ray ready. I think she might have a concussion and I want to be sure it isn’t any worse.” He left the room and the women got ready to wash Stella’s hair.

  After almost an hour they were able to get Stella’s hair washed. She fussed a bit at the pain but Mary stood by her and patted her shoulder when she started to fidget.

  “I’ll go get the doctor,” Nurse Stella said and left the room.

  Stella had tears in her eyes and Mary got a tissue to dab them dry. “There, there, we just want to be sure you’re all right, Stella,” she said looking her in the eyes. Stella gave her a small smile.

  “Let’s get back on the table so when the doctor comes back he can take a good look at that wound of yours,” Mary said and patted the table.

  “Doc Patrick?” Stella said.

  Mary smiled broadly, “Yes, Doc Patrick.” This made Stella smile and she got up on the table.

  Doc Patrick and the nurse came back in the room; the portable x-ray was just outside the door for now. He walked over to Stella and said, “Now, let me get a good look at that head of yours.” He began to examine the wound and noticed it would need about six stitches to close.

  Stella winced a little but let him check her out. She understood they were trying to help, just didn’t like that it hurt so much.

  “I need to lay on her right side so I can get a picture of her head,” Doc Patrick said and the two women helped to get Stella to understand. It didn’t take as long as they though and once Stella was comfortable he brought in the x-ray machine. The noise made Stella jump and almost sit up but Mary gently held her down.

  “She might move when the machine starts,” Mary said. “I’ll stay with her until it’s done.”

  “You know that’s not safe,” Doc Patrick said.

  “Well you need her to be still and I think that’ll be the only way,” Mary said. Doc Patrick relented and positioned the machine directly over Stella’s head. He and the nurse left the room and Mary held Stella’s hand as the machine started up. After a couple seconds the machine stopped and they came back into the room. Doc Patrick took the x-ray machine out of the room and went to develop the film.

  “You did real good,” Nurse Stella said with a sweet smile on her face.

  “Yes you did,” Mary said and helped her sit up. Stella liked that they were both smiling at her.

  Doc Patrick was waiting for the film to develop and thought how grateful he was to be able to keep this clinic open. His series of science fiction novels brought in enough for him to maintain the clinic and his family.

  His wife, Jess, daughters, Annabelle and Samantha, also helped. They put on craft shows to help bring in money to help with hot meals at the soup kitchen and for clothing from the resale shops. Annabelle sold her beautiful art work. Four of the women in the group were crafty so t
hey bought what they needed for their wonderful crafts.

  Doc Robert was born in money. He shared his love for helping the less fortunate with Doc Patrick and was always buying something the clinic needed to help care for them.

  A few minutes later Doc Patrick came into the room and said, “I have good news! There’s no fracture so all we have to do is stitch her up and I’ll send you home with sterile gauze and an antibiotic ointment. I’d like to give her something to help with the pain and to prevent an infection but I don’t know if she’s allergic to anything,” he said. He wishes he could get the local hospital to let his patients stay one day and night to be sure but they weren’t willing to do that.

  He began to prep to put in the stitches and had Mary get Stella to lay back down. Stella did and tried to lay still but when she felt the needle with the numbing medicine she screamed. Mary held her tight and Nurse Stella helped hold her still. After a few seconds Stella didn’t feel anything and Doc Patrick began to stitch her head.

  When he was done he put a little ointment on the gauze and placed it over the stitches. Stella’s long hair was almost dry and he decided to put a wrap-around gauze to hold the treated gauze in place. He didn’t want to cut her hair with the cold weather outside. Stella was able to sit up and looked at everyone. They were all smiling at her and she smiled back.

  Doc Patrick handed Mary a box of gauze and the tube of ointment before they left and also handed her a bottle of ibuprofen.

  Stella didn’t want to leave, she felt warm and safe here. With a little coaxing Mary got her off the table and had her put her coat on. They got in the car and Doc Patrick drove them back to their community.

  Once there Mary and Stella got out of the car and watched as Doc Patrick pulled away. Stella didn’t want him to leave but at least Mary stayed with her. She finally followed Mary into the group and stood close to the barrel loving the warmth it threw out.

  Mary got a can of soup and warmed it over another fire for Stella. She brought it to her and showed her what she wanted her to do. Stella took it and sipped the warm liquid enjoying its taste and warmth.