ELT212 (Chapter 6: Journey Started)

                   Elliot started his day in the farm, helping Nomy to plant the crops and watering it. In the afternoon, Elliot went to visit the castle of The North Pack. He helped the physicians to take care of the patients. Through this, Elliot understood more about the disease. On the first day after infected by the virus, symptoms such as nausea, stomachache, headache and arthritis appeared. On the second day, black spot will begin to appear on the skin of the sick and his skin will start to rot. The infected died within four days after infected. Besides, he also learn about the functions of different kinds of herbs. Capsaicin and eucommia can be used to relieve pain. Feverfew can be used to relieve stomachache. Turmeric can be used to reduce inflammation while ginger can be used to relieve nausea and arthritis. At the helping center, Elliot learnt that the disease was not contagious, it doesn’t spread neither through blood or saliva. He reported what he had found out to the South Chief. The chief sent a group of people to help The North Pack and ordered Elliot to stay in his position, continuing his service at the helping center. At the helping center, there was no killing during 212. Camps were used as shelter, physicians which practice medicine, volunteers like Elliot, medical tools, herbs including those for pain-relieving such as feverfew, eucommia, ginger and capsaicin, a few bags of grains, patients attacked by the virus, kids that followed their sick parent to live in the helping center and woods that used to burn the body of death were all that built up the helping center. Elliot was the helper of a physician named Ivy. The life in the helping center was quite constant. In the day, what he did was helping the patients to relieve their pain using herbs as Ivy told. At night, Elliot participated in the gathering that held every day by the committee of the helping center. At the gathering, kids spent their happy hours around the firewood. The gathering started with dinner, followed by some games and ended with story-telling session.

                          There was a story that somehow fascinated Elliot. It was given a name called “The Nameless Journey” .The story begun when a boy left his home in a small village. He didn’t have a destination but he kept on walking and walking away from his home. He went through countless mountains and made many friends. One day, he met a rabbit. The rabbit asked the boy, “Why did you come here? Is this where you want to be?” The boy dazed. He finally recalled that the mustard that he planted one month ago was ready to be harvest. Thus, he ended his aimless journey and followed the route that he once walked by in order to go back home. The unexplainable development of story compelled Elliot to ponder about the uncertain at the end of the story. Does the boy go back home safely? Does he go back on time? While thinking about those questions, Elliot begun to worry about his future. Can I go back to my own world? If I can, then when will it be? Who is the old man? And what is the item that he said he had given to me? What if I lost it unconsciously? I miss my home… Worry about future begun to make Elliot felt tired. After smothered a yawn, he fell in sleep in his camp.

(Written by Otter Cancerdog, edited by Kiarie)