Elle had said he could come back the next day—but there was no night and day in the Underworld. He could only go at a time when he thought a full day might have passed, based on his own perception.
When Glenn next walked into Elle’s quarters, he was astonished.
“What’s wrong?” Elle smirked.
There was pus seeping from her right arm, which was wreathed in so many maggots that they were dropping to the ground.
“Why are you frightened, my primary physician?”
The bandage on Elle’s face had loosened and was soaked with pus. She slowly started walking toward Glenn as he stood there, stiffened.
“You will treat me again today, won’t you?”
Glenn was stunned. He didn’t even need to remove the bandages to tell that she hadn’t improved at all. Everything he’d done had been reversed in just one day, and it wasn’t that his treatment had been inadequate or that her condition had worsened.
Could maggots multiply like this in a single day?!
He treated her appropriately. He’d disinfected the wounds. There was no way flies could lay eggs that would hatch this quickly, and the skin infection was also progressing far too quickly. The only possibility Glenn could think of was that her condition hadn’t worsened, but that she had given herself new wounds. But no…there hadn’t been enough time for that either.
After all that treatment, she just returns to this state…
Glenn finally understood. For Elle, being half-dead was normal. Even if he treated her, she would just revert to the same state again.
He finally knew why the Underworld was “unchanging.” There was no point in performing medicine in this world. There was nothing Glenn could do for the Goddess that embodied death.
“Did…you know?” he asked Molly.
The severed head being held by her body closed her eyes. “Well, I had a hunch—”
“But…”
“I told you, I am the concept of death. This is my normal state. It’s not an illness or injury, and there is nothing a doctor can do. My body won’t change,” Elle said, pus seeping out of her bandages.
The maggots seeping from the bandages were falling off and dropping onto the carpet.
“Now then, primary physician. Treat me again today. My skin hurts from the maggots eating it. My senses are numb on my right side, but it can sometimes be very painful,” she explained.
Glenn was silent again.
“This is death. This is what everyone hates. You desired to see death and looked at me, and now I will never let you escape. You will continue to treat me in this Underworld for all eternity. You will continue to minister to my body, which will never heal.”
Elle smiled. She looked like she was enjoying herself. She looked like she was having the very time of her life.
So this was a trap. Molly had known all along—did she set this up so that Glenn could never escape? Was she just doing the Queen’s bidding?
No—that’s not it.
Glenn thought back on everything, pursuing that thread of doubt.
Molly brought me here because she really hoped I could treat Elle. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to bring me to the queen—she could have just left me in the outskirts of the Underworld forever.
Molly really did want Glenn to cure Elle. But could he even do that?
He glanced over at Molly, the thought reflexively occurring to him that he didn’t want to disappoint her.
I am a doctor, after all.
The type of patient didn’t matter. Elle was in horrible pain. She said she needed to face that pain.
I am a doctor, after all…
Glenn bit his lip.
“Dr. Glenn…” Cottingley was looking at Glenn, worried.
The fairies had been working desperately to save Glenn. The fairies were still calling him a doctor. And most of all, wherever he might be, Glenn always needed to be the best doctor he could for Sapphee’s sake. Even when she wasn’t there.
Even if the patient is death itself, I need to do everything I can.
Glenn bit his lip and looked the Goddess of Death in the eye.
“May I ask you just one question?”
“Fine. What is it?” Elle was smiling. She removed the bandage from her head to show him the necrotic half.
The right side of her face would probably never move again. She could only show her teeth on the left side of her lips. Even though it was distorted, Glenn thought she had a smile fit for a goddess.
“You said that the necrotic half of your body was painful. You also said that you don’t want anyone to see that part of you. So then…why do you look so happy?” he asked.
“Teehee, you want to know?” Elle still looked like she was enjoying herself thoroughly. “You promised me that you would treat me. As long as I am not cured, you can never escape. You must remain in the Underworld.”
Glenn looked confused.
“I love it when the population of the Underworld increases. Even if my right side is never cured, you will stay here, providing me with treatment that never ends. Now fulfill your promise, my primary physician. For all eternity, as a member of the Underworld,” she said.
Glenn let out a sigh. She was only happy to be gaining more residents of her realm.
“There is no chance it will work—but if you cure me, I will send you back to the living,” Elle chuckled.
She wanted to be cured. She would also honor her promise. She was perverse, but she did want to be treated. If that was the case, then there was only one thing Glenn could do.
“Mr. Cottingley, we will perform the same treatment as yesterday. Please bring me a bucket, tweezers, a knife, bandages, and disinfectant,” Glenn instructed.
“Oo-kay, Understood. However—”
Was there even a point? But Cottingley stopped himself before the asked that question.
“Wait… Why?” Elle stopped him.
“Huh?”
“Why are you going to treat me? Don’t you know it’s futile?”
“I don’t know if it is futile or not. I will start by disinfecting and protecting the wound as I did yesterday. Then, I will determine the root cause of your body behaving this way, and solve the issue,” Glenn explained.
Elle stared at Glenn, astonished.
“Root cause… A-are you joking? My body is like this because I am the Queen of Death—”
“That logic may be completely justified here, but I cannot accept it. I will conduct scientific treatment based on medical practice,” Glenn said as he started disinfecting the tools that Cottingley brought to him.
Elle gnashed her teeth.
“It’s a waste. No matter what you do it won’t heal. I can’t even imagine it being healed,” she argued.
“A doctor never gives up. So, I hope that my patients will also not give up.”
“I’ll bet that’s how you got the dragon!” Elle exploded.
She snatched the supplies Glenn was holding from him and kicked the bucket, plus Cottingley along with it. With each movement, more maggots dropped onto the floor.
“I’ve figured out your plan, Glenn! You’re trying to put me in a good mood to change my way of thinking, aren’t you? You think you can get back to the living world without curing me. Do you think I’m stupid?! I will never let anyone who has come to the Underworld out again…”
“No, I just don’t want to give up on treating you. I also want to go back to the world of the living. After I cure you,” he maintained.
“I’m telling you it’s impossible!” Elle was now crying.
She grabbed Glenn’s chest with her left hand, lifting him up. Her right hand was trembling, but she didn’t use it. It probably wasn’t strong enough to grab Glenn.
“Elle, stop!” Molly screamed. She grabbed Elle’s right arm with both her hands, but the Goddess’s hand did not react.
“I hate your face—that face that won’t give up on the living!”
“Yes.”
“Why? You are free. You are free to be a doctor here. Didn’t I give you a great room?! But you can’t go back. The dead can never go back… I will never accept someone leaving my kingdom!”
Glenn remained calm, despite her grabbing his chest.
It was like he could read Elle’s mind. Though she ruled as the Queen of the Underworld, she was only a child. Though she acted arrogant, she was lonely—a goddess who just wanted her Underworld to prosper.
That was why she couldn’t stand being rejected.
Leaving the underworld meant rejecting her—and she wouldn’t hesitate to use sweet promises about coming back to life to sucker in the dead. It made sense to Glenn. He now had the beginnings of an understanding of the concept of death—something he had faced many times as a doctor, but could never overcome.
“I will go home. No matter what.”
“I won’t allow it.” Elle moved her hand to Glenn’s neck.
“Ergh…”
“Queen Elle, calm down!” Molly cried.
“Errr.”
Both she and Cottingley, who flew to Glenn’s aid, tried to loosen Elle’s grip on Glenn. But her left hand was as strong as steel.
“You are already dead! If you are too immature to accept it, then I’ll just shut you away in the cold depths for all eternity!”
“Queen Elle!”
Glenn groaned. He was learning that having your neck wrung hurt, even as only a soul.
“Grrr…”
So, convincing her was pointless. Showing her the force of his will had the opposite effect on Elle from what he’d hoped.
Sapphee…
Glenn closed his eyes. He wanted to succeed in curing Elle, then go back to the living world.
I’m sorry… I guess I’m still no match for the condition of the Goddess of Death.
He struggled to breathe. It was strange, but through the darkness, he thought he could see a light, like a flame.