Free Enchanted Again by Nancy Madore

in surprise, but then a grateful smile came over her tired features.
    “You’ve been a rock through all of this,” she observed. Impulsively she kissed Jane’s cheek before she left.
    It wasn’t until the following day that the tests came back conclusively that Carol had not suffered permanent damage to her spine and that, with hard work in rehabilitation, she could indeed expect a full recovery.
    The news affected everyone differently. Jane was overjoyed. Mary, once the worst was over, reverted to her old attitude of open envy, marveling cynically over the unbelievable good luck that Carol possessed. Harvey was optimistic and encouraging, fully focused on Carol and her healing.
    Carol, who had been anxious but full of hope while waiting for the test results, suddenly became dejected upon hearing this news. She could not understand how people could call her fortunate or how the news of her condition could be interpreted as good. An extended period of laborious effort stretched out before her, impossibly dull and difficult, all for the purpose of getting her life back to where it was before the accident. She fell into a deep depression and seemed to grow more lethargic every day. She refused to begin her treatment, insisting that all she needed was a different doctor. The hospital staff became patiently disapproving, while Harvey and Mary were becoming openly frustrated. Only Jane remained unwaveringly sympathetic, spending hours upon hours by Carol’s side, providing a never-ending supply of consolation and reassurance. Even Carol’s inane and shallow chatter, which she would normally have found grating, Jane endured good-naturedly, even seeming to enjoy it and responding in kind. Meanwhile, Carol’s condition continued to deteriorate, and no one seemed certain about exactly what to do.
    One night, long after visiting hours were over at the hospital, a shadow fell over the sleeping body of Carol. It hovered motionless over her for perhaps half an hour.
    In the dark room the woman stood staring at Carol thoughtfully. After a long while she removed a necklace from around her own neck and carefully placed it around Carol’s. Then she leaned over Carol’s body, very close—so close that her lips hovered just above Carol’s, and she could feel her faint, regular breaths brush against her face. Very gradually, and with exceedingly subtle, almost imperceptible little gasps the woman began to inhale Carol’s breath, pulling it in between her lips more and more vigorously as she went, until she was actually extracting the air from the deepest part of Carol’s lungs. While she did this, the woman willed Carol to let go, concentrating all her energies on pulling Carol herself out with the oxygen she was taking from her body. The woman continued in this way for a very long time, pulling Carol’s breath in purposefully and straining single-mindedly to subdue and capture Carol’s very soul.
    Carol came suddenly awake, but she did not struggle. She stared up in stunned surprise into the face of the woman bending over her. The woman stared back into Carol’s eyes without faltering. In fact, it seemed her resolve was strengthened by Carol’s sudden waking. She drew the breath from Carol’s lungs even more violently, pulling with all her might while her eyes burned into Carol’s, effectively forcing her will into Carol’s consciousness. The woman labored tirelessly and resolutely without giving even the slightest consideration to failure. Carol’s body shuddered with small, involuntary jerks as she gasped for the air that was being drawn out of her. At length the woman could feel Carol beginning to yield and once again she sucked in her breath with renewed force, doubling her efforts. Carol simply stared up at her, motionless and dazed.
    There was a slight but definite release all of a sudden, and the woman felt an overwhelming thickness in her throat and lungs as she drew in one last long breath and everything that came