"But could you not be mended?" asked the girl.
"Oh yes; but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know," replied the Princess. - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
"There is a nice little grove of frost apples on the hilltop. I was thinking we could go up there today," Elphie said.
Her patient replied in a voice soft with malice, "I think you could go to hell!"
But she just took it all in stride, "Yes, I think I would prefer some place warmer..."
Liir wasn't sure what to make of all this. Sister Elphie had been away from the mauntery for several days and then out of the blue the Superior Maunt had noticed him. She conscripted Sister Maxine to find her and bring him to her.
And so here he was. With Sister Elphie and this madman, who cursed her existence what little he was aware of it. "He's been badly hurt. He's in terrible pain," she told Liir. "I'm trying to mend him." And then she gave him a look that said the matter was over. Liir had no choice to obey.
He found the whole thing scary. The man would sometimes wake up, at any hour, day or night, and start screaming or sobbing for no reason Liir could see or understand. Sometimes he would speak in a low voice. Sometimes Elphie would answer him and sometimes she would just listen. He would snap out of it and go on a binge where he would scream at her and Liir would learn some new words in the exchange. Sometimes he would throw things or swing at her. But with his eyes the way they were this wasn't very productive. She would just grab hold of his wrists. And he would start to cry and she would just put his head to her shoulder and hold it there until he calmed down or left again.
A day or so ago, in aiming for her, he had actually hit the wall with his fist. And then kept doing it until she was able to pull him away. He cried as usual as she cleaned his hands. Even Liir could see the water hurt her but she did it anyway.
But most of the time he would just sit there or lay there where Elphie had set him and look blank, staring at nothing with those weird eyes of his. Liir couldn't imagine what color they were or had been. Now they were glazed over into a milky grayish blue. Liir had never seen eyes like that.
He was a very confused and frightened little boy.
He caught himself staring, or rather Elphie caught him staring. She swung that broom of hers at him, thwacking him upside the head. He gasped at the shock of it and scrambled away. He hadn't seen her coming. He ran out the door and was glad to see she didn't follow. He threw himself down underneath a spiderspine tree and went into a heavy sulk.
He thought of the way Elphie treated the man, like a fragile thing made of dainty china, and how she would move him from here to there while he, aside from the rare outburst, seemed incapable of moving himself. A china doll all tied up in strings, he thought. He imagined himself moving the mans arms and legs around into funny positions. But then he imagined what Elphie would do if she saw him doing it.
And the unfairness of it all! That the man should scream curses at her and yet be treated with respect and patience when Liir, barely four years, an old four but still, should get a broom upside the head for being curious.
He's been badly hurt, Elphie said. That was the part that Liir really didn't understand. At least he didn't see where the man was hurt. Maybe it had something to do with being mad.
He suddenly realized a man was coming up the path. He froze up for a moment not sure what to do. Elphie would be furious if he didn't warn her. But then she would probably be furious if he did. He ran back inside house anyway.
"What," she hissed at seeing him again.
"There's a man coming," he announced, gasping for breath.
"What," she repeated. She went to the door and looked out. "Oh, it's just Crope," she said, visibly relaxing. But just for a second. "Hell, is there a sign saying This is where you can find Elphaba and Fiyero, fugitives at large? We'll have to move it seems, or the Wizard and his forces will be the next to come calling." She hitched up her skirts and went out to greet him.
"Elphaba," he cried, stunned. He even stopped walking.
"Yes, it's me. Glad you noticed. Yell a little louder, please. I don't think they heard you at the gates."
"Have you been here all this time?"
"Why are you here?"
He shrugged. "I found Fiyero and took him to the Mauntery. They told me one of the Sisters had brought him out to this place." He gave her an odd, appraising look. "You, a unionist maunt? I should be looking for the flying pigs it seems." He glanced up to the sky and she laughed a little.
"Yes he's here...well sort of anyway."
He nodded, looking solemn. "I've heard it wasn't going well."
"Come in," she said, turning away and leading him inside. "There you go. There's our old friend Fiyero," she said, flinging her hand in the general direction. There was a strange tone to her voice, and she was making an effort not to look at either of them.
"How did this happen, I wonder," Crope said after a while had passed.
"Oh you know, our Wizard. The wonderful things he does..."
