- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 1)
- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 2)
- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 3)
- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 4)
- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 5)
Stella prided herself on her ability to remain calm in every situation. Seeing that little green stripe of reptilian slime appear out of the bag tested her control to the limit. Ballet flats, she felt sure, were not a significant barrier against snake bites.“Is that thing dangerous?” she asked, pleased that her voice remained steady.
“No way,” Troy replied. But he backed away quickly. “He’s grass snake.” The snake hissed and Troy jumped back. “Completely,” —he swallowed hard—“harmless.”
The snake, perhaps finding the stone floor too cold, slithered back into the bag.
“What are you doing with it?” she asked. “Just leaving it here?”
“No, I’m” —Troy took a step toward the bag—“sending him to Olympus. To Asklepios.”
Even though Troy couldn’t see her behind him, Stella nodded. The god of medicine was quite fond of snakes, just as Hera was fond of peacocks. Sending a god or goddess a favorite gift was a definite way to gain their favor. Since humans stopped worshipping the gods as deities, they didn’t receive nearly enough offerings to sustain their egos.
Stella watched as Troy held out his hands toward the snake-filled bag, a look of intense concentration on his face. His hands glowed. Then the bag disappeared, leaving the snake on the cold floor. Troy twisted his wrists and the snake floated gently into the air, toward the painting of Asklepios. For a moment the snake hovered before the serpent-wrapped staff of the medicine god. Then the snake merged into the mural and was gone.
Troy’s entire body sagged with relief.
“Why?” Stella asked.
He turned to face her, his cheeks flushed a deep pink she could see even in the faint light of the temple. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts before answering. “I’m ... asking a favor.”
A favor from the god of medicine?
“Is someone sick?” Stella didn’t know Troy well, but her stomach still turned at her next thought. “Are you sick?”
Troy’s eyes widened. “No, no. Nothing like that.” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “It’s stupid,” he explained. “I shouldn’t have even wasted my time. Or,” —he nodded at the mural—“his.”
“I don’t think you would have gone to the effort of getting the snake if it was stupid.” Stella didn’t know why she was wasting her time reassuring him, but it distracted her from her own thoughts so she kept going. “What was the favor?”
Troy groaned and ran a hand over his hair.
“I come from a long line of doctors, you know. Since forever.” He rocked back on his heels. “But I want to be a musician. I asked for permission to pursue my passion.”
“What if you don’t get it?”
“I’ll pursue it anyway.” He gave Stella a helpless smile. “You can’t just ignore a passion.”
Tune in tomorrow for the next installment. [Part 7]
Hugs,
TLC
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