Lost Letter

[lightbranded]

I've been feeling better lately. I can walk much further than I could just after the illness. I think Mum was right, and the mountain air has been good for me.

But Steve, something still just doesn't seem right. I lost something in the fever, I think. I feel like I forgot something that was terribly important. There was something I was supposed to remember. A poem, maybe. Because no matter how much I try, all I can remember is "On the Day of the Dead" and "On Cadfan's Way where the Kestrels call.".

The doctor said that it was normal for me to have some memory problems when the fever was as high as mine was. But that doesn't make it better. I need to find out what I forgot. And I can't talk to Mum about it, because it will only make her worry. I've worried her enough, I think.

But I found out something here. No one has ever heard of Cadfan's Way, but there is a church called St. Cadfan's. It's a bit of a walk, but I think it should be fine as long as I take plenty of rests. I want to try going there tomorrow.

Comments

[realmoflaw]

[The parchment is a bit crude and slightly damp, as if it had been exposed to seawater, but the ink is otherwise intact, handwriting neat and deliberate.]

I apologize as it seems your letter did not reach its intended recipient. This reply is mostly to inform you of that.

[There's a larger dot of ink at the beginning of the next sentence, as if the pen hesitated on the parchment.]

As I am somewhat familiar on the subject, I want to reassure you that extreme fever can cause some memory loss, but the effects are temporary. Whatever it is you've forgotten, it's highly likely it'll come back before too long. Stop straining yourself, stay hydrated, and make sure you eat right. Deficiencies will only make the problem worse.

[lightbranded]

[The response comes back neatly written on lined paper from a school notebook. ]

Thank you for letting me know. I hope it didn't cause any inconvenience.

And thank you very much for the advice. It is terribly frustrating being able to almost remember. Every day, it seems like I somehow know things without knowing how it is that I know them.

[realmoflaw]

Not at all. I sent it on its way again, but there's no guarantee it will even make it to land.

[Though how it got to him at all is perplexing. Is it like the weird calls?]

Best thing to do is take care of yourself and not force it too hard. Your body is the most important thing to worry about. If it breaks there'll be no helping your memory at that point, and just because you're recovering doesn't mean the illness can't relapse.

There might, however, be things you can use to trigger remembering.

[lightbranded]

Thank you for that. Perhaps it will make it to Stephen after all.

I will. Its why I'm here, after all. Mum sent me away to the mountains to recover.

But I still want to try.

[realmoflaw]

What could be so important about this poem? Or was that lost as well?

[lightbranded]

I don't know. I just know it was important and that someone was trusting me to remember it. It feels like it might have been the most important thing I have ever known.

[realmoflaw]

[Law can certainly relate. His reply comes later, the ink darker as it pressed harder into the parchment.]

I can't help you. The terms in your letter were unfamiliar. [There's a scratched out bit here as if he wanted to have more to say.]

[lightbranded]

Thank you for trying, anyway.

What was unfamiliar about my words?

[realmoflaw]

Cadfan's Way, or St Cadfan, and Kestrels. Neither of which are used on any island I've been to.

[lightbranded]

A kestrel is a kind of bird. A small falcon. Cadfan is a bit more difficult, But I think it must be referring to St. Cadfan. He was an abbot who lived near here in the sixth century.

[realmoflaw]

I'm not that familiar with birds, I guess. If I were with my crew I'd ask one of my men, but... [There's a slight, thoughtful trail of ink.]

Not unreasonable to assume it is involved. History often hides such secrets until they can no longer be avoided.

[lightbranded]

Your crew?

[realmoflaw]

Yes. I'm a captain. Although circumstances have me away from them right now.