Same Plant, Different Job
by catharine j anderson
The late afternoon light was fading over the ridge when Kael caught up with his grandfather. His breath came ragged, knees caked in dust from running up the dry wash.
"Grandfather," Kael said, crouching down to steady his breathing. "Little Wren’s burning up. Her chest sounds like a dry well."
Sage Deer didn't turn right away. He was down on one knee by a grey shrub, rolling a bitter leaf between his thumb and index finger. The smell hit Kael's nose before the old man spoke: cold dirt and crushed pine needles.
"Sit down. You’re breathing like a spooked horse."
Kael sat back on his heels. He watched his grandfather's hands pinch off a handful of the dusty green leaves and drop them into a small canvas sack at his hip.
"That's just sage," Kael said. "We burn that for the room."
"We do. And now we boil it. Same plant, different job."
Sage Deer pushed himself up off the dirt with a quiet grunt, walking down toward the trickle of spring water near the rocks. Kael followed, watching the old man scoop water into a tin pot and set it near the embers of the fire. Sage Deer crushed the dried leaves straight into the liquid with his knuckles, the bitter oil staining his skin. A thin line of steam began to rise, bringing a sharp bite that cleared Kael's own nose from three feet away.
"It’s going to taste terrible," Sage Deer said, watching the pot. "Bitter as gall. But it pulls the dampness out of the chest. When you take this back to her, stay there."
"What do I do?"
"Sit her up. Hold the cup right under her chin first. Let her breathe the hot air for a minute. It clears the pipe." He lifted the pot off the heat before it boiled over, setting it on a flat stone, then poured the murky green liquid into a hollowed gourd.
"She's going to fight the taste."
"Everyone fights it." Sage Deer handed it over. "Tell her if she drinks it down, the fever will break by morning. Go on now. Don't let it get cold."
Kael took the warm gourd, balancing it between both hands, and turned down the dirt path leading back to the camp.