We Are The Cure : The Plague Doctor's Tale.

Chapter 14

Truth be told, Jack was the most surprised person from them all and it was hard to guess whether he was more surprised with Mary's words or actions. Seeing her dashing with a dagger made him act instinctively so  Mary ended up pressed to the wall with her hand wrenched. This uncomfortable position caused her to drop the dagger. 

"How did you know?" He asked both surprised and confused at the same time. His face turned pale and his breathing was fast. Meanwhile Doctor approached Rosalynn ready to protect her just in case.

"Oh you really wanna know?" Mary made a creepy smile filled with poisonous contempt. " Maybe the 1645 witch trial rings you a bell?" 

"Bury Saint Edmunds" Jack whispered these words surprised. Oh yes, he remembered that trial and the other trials he had attended. And he remembered people he had executed as well.

"I can still recall the day you accused my mother of witchcraft and then sentenced her to hanging with other sixteen people." She managed to break free from his grip and made few steps back. "Anne Leech was her name and I'm Mary Leech, the younger daughter of the witch you condemned to death." Jack remembered Anne. Now he could tell Mary was very alike her mother.

Doctor and Rosalynn were both confused and wanted to leave the village as fast as they could. However, due to these circumstances it was impossible at the moment.

"Listen Mary. I'm no longer a witch hunter. I left all my past behind. I'm not the person who-"

"Bullshit." Mary shouted. "I don't care who you are now. All that matters is that you killed my mother." One of the tears was running across her cheek. "I've followed you all the way here and I has been waiting patiently for the moment I could kill you.  And now I shall take my revenge!" She grabbed her dagger from the floor and tried to stab Jack again. 

Rosalynn squeaked and covered her eyes with her hands expecting to hear Jack's cry of pain but she didn't. Instead, she felt Doctor's hand on her shoulder and then she opened her eyes and saw a pretty bizarre scene. Mary was holding her dagger in front of Jack's throat but didn't push it through it. The two were looking deeply into each other's eyes. The young girl's expression was full of pain and anger whereas Jack's remained calm. After few seconds Mary shouted helplessly, dropped the dagger, and started sobbing. 

"Why can't I kill you?" She asked with a despair in her voice. "I came here, I lived here, just to kill you in revenge, and now when the moment has come I can't..."

"I don't know, Mary." Jack took out his handkerchief and handed it to Mary so she could dry her tears. This unusual scene didn't last long as Doctor's voice filled the room.

"Pardon my interruption but if you don't mind me asking..." Doctor was looking directly at Jack. "Why were you keeping your identity as a secret? And how on earth Reverend Cryer found out about it? These are the two questions that keep persecuting me."

"Well... I was sick of trials and pointing fingers at random people. I wanted to disappear so I did that. I faked my own death and set off to a random town to start a new life as Jack. When I came here I took the post of a gravedigger and started working with Father Samuel. During one of our talks I've said too much about my past life and he took the advantage of that." He smiled sadly. "I'm very sorry for your loss, Mary." He spoke directly to her as she was drying her last tears. " I know I can't change the past but at least let me compensate you your loss. If you don't mind me, I can keep you company and help you with your duties..." 

"You know that I don't need any of your help." She said a bit childishly what actually looked kind of funny. Rosalynn and Jack smiled but Doctor didn't truly care about their conversation. After a short inhale, he finally asked. 

"As it happens to be your personal dispute, would you mind if we leave the Rectory now?" Doctor spoke out and now it was him who was in the centre of attention.

"Why would you like to leave now?" Both Jack and Mary asked surprised. 

"As you said previously, our job is done. Moreover, there are people who anticipate our help and for that reason we are more than eager to leave-" He didn't even finish the sentence.

"Can I go with you?" The girl asked unexpectedly. Doctor felt a weird feeling that he already had experienced that particular conversation.

"Where did that question come from?" He answered with a question. 

"You know, there's no reason for me to be here any longer. I don't care about the villagers nor the cottage I'm living in. Since I have no  will to kill Jack, I have nothing to do here anymore." She shrugged her shoulders. 

"Well, to be honest, I also want to change my surroundings." Said Jack. Doctor couldn't find any other argument against that. 

...

The next day the four set off from Castleton and were moving to the North. After a while, Mary and Jack decided that they would like to come back to their homeland which was Suffolck, the land covered with heather. When they mentioned the location, Doctor remainded himself of a certain fact. In Jack's cottage there was a heather plant. Now everything was clear and solved to him. 

All of them waved a goodbye to each other and parted their ways. 

"So where are we going now, Doctor?" Asked Rosalynn taking off her mask as there was nobody around. Finally she could take a deep breath. 

"There are numerous towns and villages where people anticipate our help which is why we have to decide where to go first." Doctor said with a subtle tone of tiredness. 

"Hmm..." Rosalynn  thought for a moment. " What is today's date?"

"I assume it might be late April. Why are you asking?" He looked at her tilting his head to the left.

"When I was little, my mother often mentioned a mystic festival on north at the beginning of May. She told me it was a very beautiful celebration and she wanted to participate in that." 

"Did she mention fire by any chance?"

"I think so!" Rosalynn became more energetic than usual. 

"Perhaps you mean Bealltuinn, also known as Beltane or May Day Festival. It usually takes place in Edinburgh." Doctor seemed immersed in thought.

"Have you ever been at this festival before?" She asked with sparkling eyes. 

 "To be fair, no, not really. As you already know, the entertainment and festivals were never at the forefront of my mind."

"Oh, right. I-I'm sorry." Her enthusiasm quickly faded. Seeing her sad made him decide. 

"Ekhm..." He cleared his throat just as always when he was about to say something unusual of him. "...So you want to go to Edinburgh and take part in Beltane Festival?" He asked just to make sure he understood her correctly and she nodded slowly. "Alright then, let us go there."

 Rosalynn's expression brightened and the two continued their journey...