//------------------------------// // Wings // Story: Touching Rainbows // by dontexistanymoresorry //------------------------------// The doors closed, and the patter of rain became dull, like someone tapping their fingers on a book. And the interior of my home became viewable. God I take this place for granted sometimes… Marble tables, gorgeous mahogany furniture, imported couches and chairs, glass chandeliers. Ya know, it’s not much surprise some people really don’t like me, or feel comfortable around me. I mean, it’s just so much, it’s such a large house, filled with so much extravagant furniture and utilities. Rainbow looks up, and glances around the mansion, taking in every minute detail. I guide us to the left, into a large room. The room has a tall ceiling with well decorated wallpaper. The room smells like a room would after a florist walked through. I guide her to a couch and lay her down on her stomach. I hear footsteps, quickly accelerating and growing in volume, like a one man stampede. “Master Parmen! What—who is that!” Mrs. Harem says. She’s the house butler, like the mom I never had. She’s around 40, and looked a little like Mrs. Weasely from the Harry Potter movies. Maybe it’s just because of her accent and hair. I’d known her since I was a baby, so naturally I call her “Mum”, it just feels. Natural. “Mum! This girl was hurt in some explosion, I don’t know what- Species she is, but she needs help. Can you grab the first aid?” I urgently say to her. She nods her head and runs out of the room to find the kit. “What are you going to do?” Rainbow says softly, clearly exhausted from the recent occurrence of events. “I’m going to try to find out what’s wrong with your… wings… And see if I can help.” I respond. Rainbow smiles, and closes her eyes, I sit down next to couch, facing her. Her hand shoots up at blinding speeds, and she clasps my her hand to mine. “Please help, it hurts so much.” She says, her voice quaking slightly like a fuzzy image on the television, coming in and out of clarity. My eyes begin to water, I don’t know what I CAN do. These are wings, not a leg, not an arm, not a neck, wings. “D-Don’t worry Rainbow, you can trust me, I’ll fix you up.” I say, I’m not sure I believe it though. “Master Parmen! I have the First Aid!” Mum says. “Thank you so much Mum!” I say as I grab the First Aid kit. Immediately I search for the painkillers. Got em’. “Here Rainbow, open your mouth and swallow these, it’ll help you pain.” I say moving my hand towards her mouth, she opens her mouth and pour the two painkillers in to her mouth. Okay, there’s gotta be some injury somewhere on her wing, or joint connecting her wings and back. Okay, let’s take feel. I move my hands down to her right wing, and I lightly squeeze it from tip to joint. No winces, no sudden movement, no discomfort. I move to the next wing, and repeat. As I reach the joining of wing and back, she ark’s her back in pain like she had back at the Glen. I instantly release. “Be careful Master Parmen, we mustn’t be careless.” Mum says calmly, reassuring me in a sort of backhanded way. “I think she landed on it funny. It looks like it was twisted too far. I think all I can do is bandage it tightly once I position it in a way that it can heal.” I say as I reach back into the First Aid kit and grab some gauss, surgical tape, and elastic fabric wrap. “Rainbow, this may hurt, a lot, but it’s going to help you heal, it’s all I can of to help.” I say to her, “I need you to stay as still as possible for me.” “I-I’ll try.” I take the gauss and put in around the joint, she winces a little. I then unravel the wrap, and hold it in my mouth, as I slowly move her wing into a more suitable position for the healing process to occur, I hope. She grits her teeth and her eyes fasten shut. I then, elevating the wing with one hand, take the wrap, and place it underneath the wing. I lower the wing, and then acting as quickly and as precisely as I could, wrap the remaining fabric around her wing tightly. She lets out a cry of pain, as he eyes shoot open and tears trickle from them. I fasten the wrap down with the surgical tape. Again, her hand shoots to mine and she grips it with great strength. “Never said it would hurt that much!” she says through gritted teeth. “Sorry! Really, I just didn’t want- I didn’t know- I thought maybe- If I-” “Oh shut up, I knew it would hurt, I was just hoping for a better welcome wagon than that.” She says jokingly. “Heh. You should be fine for now, but you need rest. You look cold and exhausted.” I respond. “Pardon me, Master Parmen, but I do believe perhaps we should clothe her first.” Mum adds innocently. “Oh, yes, correct you are! Do we have any clothing for her?” “There’s plenty in the basement from the clothes drive. I’d say she qualifies as a legitimate candidate for the charity. And surely the will not miss the clothes they haven’t seen! Let me go grab some, I will be back shortly, you stay with her and comfort her, Master Parmen.” She says as she makes her way back out of the room again, in much less of a hurry this time. I had completely forgotten about the lack of clothing. Got caught up in the moment of her wings and all. They’re absolutely magnificent, simply marvelous, they seemed to expand as she would flex them, and they did nothing to off balance her stance. They could contract to be as small as a back pack, and expand to be as long as her height! I wonder if she could actually fly with those, I wonder how fast. “Back Master Parmen, I grabbed two sets for now, I figure that should suffice for today. We can collect more later for her, maybe even let her decide!” Mum says entering the room with a dark midnight blue hoodie, a grey tee-shirt, baggy grey cargo pants, and a pair of slim jeans. “Thank you so much Mum, this is brilliant.” I say, reaching my hands out to retrieve the clothes, she blows right by me with a funny smile on her face. “Uh-uh-uh! A strange man dressing up a defenseless girl, human or not, I’m not letting you get away with that!” Mum says in a perky tone. Rainbow went to sit up, a thousand thoughts rushed through my head, and I acted in the nick of time, I twirl around and face the opposite direction of Rainbow. Mustn’t look, it would be indecent, and Jesus Christ Kit she’s not even human! Well, let’s not be judgmental here, let’s stay open and more ambiguous. “Done, lookin’ beautiful ma’am!” Mum says to Rainbow. I turn to face them both, Rainbow was wearing the cargo’s and hoodie, apparently Mum had cut some holes for Rainbows wings to exit from, rather well done for what was probably only five minutes max. Needless to say Rainbow looked great. “Looking good! How do you feel? The wing I mean.” I say to her. “Better, a lot better, thanks.” She smiles, wow, her smile shines brighter than her hair by a landslide. It did not matter that it was raining outside, there was no damper on the mood. She was dry in this rain anyway. Metaphorically speaking of course. “C’mon, I’ll show you to the guest bed room ma’am” Mum says as she grabs Rainbows arm and guides her up the stairs. Wow, I think I really did something good today. I hope she gets a good sleep, If she’s rested it will be easier for her to try and tell me just where exactly she’s from. Maybe we can shed some light on this. I head over to the couch and re-pack the First Aid kit, place it on the coffee table. “Well.” I say to myself, “I know what I’m not gonna’ be when I grow up. A Doctor. It sucks.”