Flux

looked a bit better, and his chest was rising and falling more evenly.
    As soon as Miner stirred, the older woman appeared through a low doorway. She padded over to him on bare feet and bent down beside him, asking him something he couldn’t understand.
    “Please. I have to…erm….” He blushed and waved vaguely at his crotch.
    She must have understood, because she nodded and walked away, then returned a moment later with a ceramic vessel. She handed it to him and waited expectantly. His blush deepened as he rose to his knees, clutching the blanket about him like a shy maiden. He tucked the pot under the blanket and, looking resolutely away from the woman, used it. When he was finished he brought the pot back out and she took it from him with a small smile. Since he was upright anyway, and with the blanket still modestly wrapped, he knee-walked awkwardly to Ennek’s side and collapsed into a seated position beside him.
    The woman returned. “Will he be all right?” Miner asked her.
    She pressed her palms together and tucked them under her head, miming somebody sleeping. Then she pretended to be eating something. After that, she pointed at Ennek and nodded and smiled. Miner hoped that meant that after Ennek had some rest and nourishment he would heal.
    The woman pointed at herself and said something that sounded like “Luli.” Then she repeated it, slowly and loudly.
    Miner put his hand on his own chest. “Miner,” he said. Luli said his name. Her pronunciation wasn’t quite right, but she was close. Then he touched Ennek’s shoulder. “Ennek.” She repeated that as well. Then she made a gesture that he thought meant to stay still and she left the room.
    Miner stroked Ennek’s shoulder and looked around. The room was small and unadorned except for one corner, where there was a low table holding a bowl of fruits and grains, a small vase with some pink flowers, and three scrolls tied in red ribbon. The floor was constructed of wide, unpainted wooden planks, but it looked scrupulously clean. The walls and ceiling were plaster, painted a very pale yellow, and a few brass lanterns hung here and there. A single window was covered with red-painted shutters. The door to the courtyard was open, but Miner could see little from his angle other than faint light and the opposite wall. He could hear quiet voices chatting nearby and, farther away, children laughing. The scents of cooking reached his nostrils, making his stomach growl.
    Luli reappeared shortly, carrying a tray laden with cups and bowls. The older man was right behind her. She set the tray down next to Miner and pointed at the man. “Hai-Shui,” she said. Miner’s attempt to say the man’s name made both of them laugh, but not unkindly.
    As Luli patiently dripped spoonfuls of broth into Ennek’s mouth, wiping his chin clean now and then, Hai-Shui examined Miner’s arm. Miner felt much better and he could see that the inflammation had gone down, but Hai-Shui didn’t seem satisfied; he clucked his tongue and insisted Miner drink a small cupful of something horrible and bitter. The man was happier with the state of Miner’s wrist. He tightened the splints a bit and nodded his head. Then he handed Miner a blue bowl filled with bits of meat and cooked vegetables. There was no cutlery, so Miner set the bowl in his lap and used the fingers of his right hand to eat. There were some mild spices he couldn’t identify but the food tasted very good indeed and he ate it all, which made Hai-Shui nod approvingly. Miner washed the meal down with a cup of slightly floral tea and another of cool, sweet water.
    Then he watched as Luli and Hai-Shui bathed Ennek’s body with a bowl of water and small cloths and spicy soap. Ennek’s scar looked better, the redness faded and the puffiness gone. It looked like a wound he’d suffered long ago. When Luli saw Miner attempting to detangle Ennek’s hair with his fingers—how did those curls manage to twist and knot so?—she briefly left the room, returning with a long-toothed ivory comb.
    “Thank you,” Miner said, taking it from her. He tugged gently at Ennek’s hair, taking care not to pull too hard even though Ennek wouldn’t feel it. Then Luli brought him the razor and another bowl of soapy water, and Miner shaved Ennek’s face as the couple rubbed his arms and chest with thick, lumpy cream. Then they washed the cream away.
    Luli asked him something. When Miner just stared blankly, she waved her hand back