Witchy Worry
Salem opened Sabrina's door and stomped into the room. Seeing her in bed frustrated him more. Things did not go his way this morning. "Sabrina! Shouldn't you be awake at some point?"
The lump of covers on Sabrina's bed didn't respond at first.
"This is a school day. Rise and shine." Salem crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "Sabrina."
Some rustling and a moan issued from the covers. Sabrina still didn't fully wake up.
Salem leapt onto the bed and picked a spot he could poke. He raised a paw and arched his claws. "Don't make me use reinforcements."
Sabrina pulled the covers away from her head and blinked bleary eyes. "Mnmmnh."
"C'mon! Up and at 'em Sleepy Head! You're going to be late for class!"
"You're extra grumpy, this morning," Sabrina tried to focus on Salem. "Who left sand worms in your litter box?"
"Oh, I don't know. Everything was fine until the phone rang and Quigley left before fixing even one piece of toast. Then Zelda and Hilda flew off for some Netherworld Convention thing. Not one person thought to feed the cat! Not one!"
"Something must've been really important for Uncle Quigley to leave like that. I hope everything is okay."
"Hmph. If I wasn't so hungry, I'd be outraged."
Sabrina poked the fattest part of his belly. "I feel your pain." She felt woozy when trying to sit up. Her head pounded with a throbbing headache. "Actually, I feel awful."
Salem blinked and peered at her face. "You don't look great." He could see blemishes on her face and arms. Her lips and cheeks were very flushed. Sabrina coughed. She didn't smell good either. Realization cleared anger from his mood.
"I'll get you something to eat before Harvey gets here."
"No-no! Don't get up!" Salem attempted to pull her back under her covers. "You can't go to school like that. You'll be useless."
"But Salem, you said Uncle Quigley's gone. There's no one to call in absent. Miss Bleachstain will mark me truant."
"A simple matter. A simple fix. Now lie back down. You're too sick to go anywhere."
"Salem," she whined.
"SABRINA. BED. STAY."
"Yes, Sir." Sabrina shivered and pulled her covers around her.
Salem disappeared for a few moments. There was a knock at the door. It was Harvey.
"Ribbit!" Sabrina tried to call out, but she could only squeak out frog noises. She grabbed her throat. "Ribbit!"
"Just a second, Harvey!" That voice didn't come from her.
"Sabrina?" Salem poked his head back in. "You may want to go to the window."
"Ribbit." Sabrina tried to respond, then looked panicked.
Salem grimaced. "Just go to the window. I'll take care of the rest."
She looked at him as if he flipped his whiskers. Harvey knocked again. "Sabrina? Are you ready to go?"
"Trust me." Salem motioned at the window. "Don't keep him waiting."
Sabrina wrapped a blanket around her and opened her window. "Harvey?"
"Brina!" Harvey jumped from the porch and waved up at her window. Chloe joined him on the grass. "C'mon Sabrina! We'll be late!"
She covered her mouth to keep them from seeing her lips. "I'm sorry, guys! I can't go today. I'm out sick."
"Oh no!" Chloe stepped in front of Harvey. "Don't you worry, Brina! We'll get your assignments for you."
"Thank you so much! I can't wait to get over this."
"See ya' later, Brina! Get well, soon." Harvey and Chloe turned and headed toward to school. "Get lots of rest!" Chloe waved back at the house and walked away; talking to Harvey.
Sabrina turned back to Salem to ask how he did that, but the only sound that came from her was another frog croak. Salem chuckled. "Frog in throat, cherry lips, spots, fever, coughing… Classic signs. You've got Witch Pox and you're in full-bloom! You might want to stay away from a mirror for a few days."
She looked at the red and avocado colored spots on her arms and grabbed her cheeks. Panic returned to her face.
"Don't worry. You probably picked it up when Hilda took you Netherworld shopping. Young witches get this all the time. Come back to bed. I'll have you over it in two swipes of a basilisk's tail."
Salem rummaged through his cat bed for a spell book while Sabrina crawled back under her covers. "Here we are. A spell to conquer all maladies." He thumbed to the right page. "Ehm." He scratched his chin. "Do we have griffin feathers? I think we're out of season." Salem looked at her for a response before remembering her throat frog. Sabrina shrugged.
"Never mind. I'll see what I can find downstairs."
Sabrina dozed while Salem muttered his way through the pantry and Zelda's room. They had griffin feathers a week ago, but Hilda used them all to make zombie zit cream. Salem growled. "Of all the things in this house, how could you use ALL the griffin feathers? You only need one. Once they're gone, they're gone! So wasteful! So irresponsible! So… Hey!" Salem peered into box Zelda marked 'First Aid.' "An Asclepius Wand! Perfect!"
Salem bounded back into Sabrina's room just as she started falling asleep. "I found our answer!"
Sabrina drearily blinked at him. Salem raised the wand in his paws and pointed it in a triangular pattern to wake it. A red glow appeared at its tip.
"Sanguine dance
Vitality feed
Draw virus from flesh
Post haste, post speed!"
The glow shot from the wand and lit Sabrina's skin. It traveled through her body, lighting various regions under her clothes. The light soon changed from red to green. Salem had a split second to register something was wrong before the light fired back from Sabrina's arm; destroying the wand and shocking Salem's paws.
"YOWCH!" Salem quickly dropped the charred wand and danced around blowing on his paws. "My delicate tootsies!" Salem quickly bounded to Sabrina's desk and dipped his paws in her fish bowl. Her terrified goldfish zipped into his plastic castle.
"Ribbit!"
"Don't worry! I'm merely cooling off my paws. Your dumb fish is safe."
The fish, now insulted, shot from his castle and bit Salem before diving back into his hide.
"Ow! Hey!" Salem frowned and reached for the castle.
"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"
"Alright! Alright!" Salem pulled his paws from the fish bowl. "I'm a bigger cat than some uppity fish, anyway."
The fish blew a raspberry at Salem.
"I'll deal with you later."
"Ribbit!"
"I'm coming." He rolled his eyes and jumped down.
Sabrina unfolded her arms and let the frown dissolve from her puffy face. Salem inspected her, concerned. She looked as if she gained thirty pounds.
"From what just happened, I'd say this is a magic-resistant strain. The stuff's getting worse, too. Time to call in a pro."
Salem disappeared again. Within minutes, a loud crack and boom issued downstairs. The sounds of Salem's paws and a heavier set of feet echoed up the stairs. Sabrina recoiled to the far corner of her bed when a troll with a large-eared stethoscope ambled into the room.
"Sabrina Spellman?"
"Ribbit."
"Oh my." The troll fished through his doctor's bag. "This is the worst case of Mortalitis I have ever seen. We must act right away."
"Dr. Trollstein," Salem sighed. "I summoned you for Witch Pox, not Mortalitis."
"Are you suggesting we treat a bent scale before a broken horn? The first rule of being a medical troll is to prioritize your maladies."
"She's a half-witch! She doesn't have Mortalitis!"
"Excuse me. Who is the doctor, here?"
"I forgot." Salem snarled. He stepped past Dr. Trollstein and lay across Sabrina's windowsill.
The troll buzzed about Sabrina, inspecting this and that. The stethoscope felt cold and waxy against her skin. Its ear twitched whenever it heard something. The troll recoiled, shaking his head. "You have the heart of a human. I'm afraid you're too far gone."
"For the love of catnip! This is a simple case of Witch Pox! Please focus, Doctor!"
The troll shot Salem an irritated look. "And just what medical training leads you to this conclusion, Mr. Cat?"
"That's Mr. Saberhagen, and I speak from the greatest training of all; personal experience. I had it when I was a lad."
The troll turned back to Sabrina. "You may want to get your familiar checked for reverse hypochondria. He seems to think since he had something, everyone has it. Identifying as 'Mr. Saberhagen' leads me to add delusions of grandeur, as well."
"Self control, Salem. Self control," He growled to himself.
Dr. Trollstein put his stethoscope back in his bag and prepared to leave. "Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do here. It's a shame because your complexion and frog are coming along nicely. You're growing up a very attractive troll."
Salem shook his head to vent frustration and cleared his throat. "It's a pity you can't stay and help, Doctor. I'm sure you're in a rush to your next appointment."
"Too true. I'm on my way to see a wood sprite with a bad case of splinters." The troll took a step toward the door. "How would you like to handle payment, today?"
"Payment? For what?" Salem ears emitted visible smoke.
"You did summon me. Netherworld medical services are not free, especially if inter-realm travel is involved."
Salem smirked. "If you prefer immediate payment, I feel a hairball coming on."
"I'll send you a bill." The troll turned and stepped out.
"Don't let the door hit you where a bog boar wouldn't bite you."
Salem left the windowsill and rejoined Sabrina on the bed. "The nerve of that guy, calling himself a doctor. What a quack! I have a good mind to turn him over to the Troll Board."
Sabrina looked miserable and couldn't even tell Salem how she felt. She recoiled from the spots and puffiness on her arms and hugged her covers around her. She wanted her aunties. She wanted her Uncle Quigley. She wanted her mom. Salem noticed a tear of frustration glint in her eye.
"Sweetie, please. This is nothing. You'll be fine. We just have to tough it out." He tenderly brushed her hair away with a paw and kissed her forehead. He looked concerned. "Wow. Girlfriend, you are hotter than a cauldron in a volcano. Let's cool you down before Quigley makes you the new furnace."
To be continued.
