The Miracle

I was motionlessly leaning my forehead against the cave wall when I felt someone locking his fingers in mine and pressing his warm lips on the back of my neck with no hesitation. I abruptly and unconsciously turned around. Being able to see half of his shadowy face, lurking mysteriously in the dimness of the enclosure‌.

 - “Oh, Jack! Is that you? Nearly scared the wits out me!”

(I said shaking patently.)

 - “Thought you might like some ambiguity in your life sweetheart.”

 - “My whole life is a vague terror with unforeseen happenings!”

(I said, bringing out my fingers awkwardly.)

He smiled falsely and tried to keep his physical distance.                                                                                         

- “We are gathering together in Lemony café. Be there soon.”

He left annoyed.

**

Jessica: “You know what, I'd like to buy him a skeleton cake! Death symbol!”

Oliver: “Why? Cause he's an archaeologist?”

 - “Nope!”

Jack: “Is it because we are archaeologists?”

 - “No! Actually, because that's what he will turn into if he keeps postponing our salaries!”

They laughed and nodded their heads.

Oliver: “This cave was my most amusing project! One of the oldest hospitals! Wow!”

Jessica: “I couldn't agree more! I feel blue when I think about leaving here in a week.”

Jack rubbed my shoulder and asked if I wanted another shot. I sat back and disagreed while I was putting out my cigarette on the table. Jessica grabbed the filter and threw it in the ashtray.

Oliver: “Emm ... It seems that you need to get some sleep, Anna.”

I suddenly burst into tears. Jessica held me in her arms and even without catching a glimpse of her face, I could tell her eyes were filled with tears.

 - “I am sure your dearest son will get better soon, Ann!”

(She said with a shaking but faithful voice.)

 - “His illness is incurable. I don't know what am I to call this but, the other day, Dr. Brown said that out of 1 million people, just one of them is affected!”

 - “Why doesn't it have any cures?”

(Asked Oliver.)

 - “His disease used to be very common in the past, like 800 years ago, but its process stopped and after a particular time, emerged again in a very limited number of people. It kills between six months to one year.”

Jack: “If they could stop it at one point in the past, then ... then why can't they do it again?”

 - “We don't have any ideas nor do we hold even one evidence regard its remedy.”

 - “But remember Ann, every cloud has a silver lining! Okay?”

(Jessica said holding my hand.)

I smiled and got up.

 - “I gotta go. I will complete the report and I'll be here two days later. On Monday”

 - “It's late, I'll take you home.”

(Said Jack eagerly.)

 - “My husband's waiting out there. Thanks.”

**

(Monday)

 - “Found anything special Jack?”

 (I said walking towards him with my flashlight.)

 - “I'm afraid. Nothing!”

A weak voice came from under the ground.

 - “Hey guys! Come along!”

Jessica: “How did you get there Oliver?”

 - “I found an uncial!”

(He exclaimed.)

**

 - “Could you make it out Mrs. philologist?"

(Said Oliver to Jessica.)

 - “It talks about a drug recipe perhaps. Like the other ones that we found.”

I put my laptop on the table and read out loud: “Till now, we have found the recipe of Mandragora officinarum drug and almost the recipes of Soma and Haoma.”

Jessica: “I'll try to make it out in the next three days.”

**

(Tuesday)

It was around 10 pm. I rushed out of my son's bedroom and called Jessica: “Mike's health's deteriorating. Please come!”

Jessica gave me a bunch of flowers as soon as she got in and hugged me tightly. Greg, my husband, greeted her warmly and left us soon.

Jessica: “Wha ... What happened?”

I cried: “He started vomiting and passed out. Dr. Brown visited him and said he's at death's door.”

Jessica: “You mean ... we should try our last chance?”

“What do you mean?” (I asked.)

She then explained that she was wide awake the night we found the new drug recipe. With the help of the others, she finally came to the terms that this drug used to be used for my son's disease "Kimneyise" in the past and specifically, in Medieval Greek. She was not one hundred percent sure whether it was related to the same illness or not but, based on the searches that they've done, she concluded that even if that drug recipe hadn’t had been directly related, it must have some positive effects because it had a very close relationship with the illness as the symptoms reveal!

My eyes were glittering with happiness. I couldn't believe it but, I knew, the death of my son would be much much more unbelievable!

She told me that they managed to bring the particles together based on the recipe and for those parts that weren’t very reachable, they replaced a substitute that had the same property.

I looked at the innocent closed eyes of my son and asked him for forgiveness in case the drug hadn't worked.

 - “Give it to me then!”

Jessica looked for it in her bag but couldn't find the bottle.

I grabbed her bag and upside it down but there was no bottle!

I immediately found out that Jack has stolen the bottle because, he had known that if my son dies, I would get divorced from my husband.

Jessica told the story to Oliver who was at Jack’s home. Oliver called us some minutes later and said that he was on the way to our home. Meanwhile, I was sweating and my heart was beating so fast it could even blurt out of my mouth. Mike was moaning. Greg couldn't tolerate the heavy and gloomy atmosphere so, he left the house. Three hours later, Oliver arrived.

**

Two years have passed since that miracle occurred and my son is still alive. He might not walk or talk properly but he breaths against my cheek as I try to kiss him and that's more than enough for me.

Later on, it turned out that the whole story was a bit different from what I thought. Oliver was the one and only hero, who found out that the researches they were given, were not valid and that the uncial was just a trap from Jack!