The brave little helper

Once upon a time, there was a kind woman who had two children. She had a gentle face, but a face that was scarred by warts. The only way to remove them was a surgical process. She was very nervous, but her older, more responsible child talked her into getting it done.

When they reached the hospital, the child squeezed her hand and said ‘Don’t worry Mamma, you will be fine!’. The woman felt choked with emotion. Once inside the operation theatre, the good Doctor re-assured them that there was no reason to worry. The woman lay back on the cold, cushioned, couch. The girl stood by her, smiling and stroking her hair.

The Doctor readied a long shiny tube-like instrument and connected it to the power socket. When she turned it on, the tip glowed red, like the eye of a monster. It made a dull, whizzing sound. The brave little helper watched the Doctor with bated breath.

With one short and swift stroke, the Doctor brought the tube-like instrument close to the woman’s face, and roughly nudged the biggest wart. The woman shuddered involuntarily, not in pain, but in momentary shock. A few seconds later, the wart fell off. The spot now looked pink, and blood began to ooze out.

The Doctor said, ‘Give me that roll of cotton-wool’. No reply.

‘Quick, please!’ No reply again.

The good Doctor turned around. Only to receive the fainting not-so-little girl, who was falling slowly and steadily into her arms!

The Doctor revived the child by splashing cold water on her face. And then scoffed at her for having been so very ‘brave’!

The kind woman refused to remove any more warts and took her daughter home immediately. And lived happily ever after.

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(That brave little helper was, if you haven’t guessed yet, Mi Mi Mi!

And I wrote this (and tormented you), because today, I passed by the clinic where we had been to that eventful day, many years ago!)