=:= Sidney =:=

He clenched his teeth as he fought through another wave of pain.

"You just stay there Ciara!" he called up to her after it passed. "I'm ok hun. You stay there where it's safe!"

Sid was laying on his side in the rocky gully. Ciara was four or five meters above him on the trail, and the poor kid was on the verge of panic. He could hear her hyperventilating, whimpering. She sounded like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

They were on another one of their trips, hiking and taking pictures. It was the third week of December, and while summer didn't officially start for two more days they were in the midst of another heat wave.

Sid and Ciara had spent the past three days here at Werribee Gorge, taking short trips along the trails then returning to their campsite afterwards. His knees had been acting up enough that he knew he couldn't do the whole hike, even though it wasn't all that far.

The past six or seven months his knees had been getting worse, and he'd finally reached the limits of what he could cover up and ignore using over-the-counter painkillers. Now even those short hikes had proved too much.

He and Ciara set out an hour ago, but only forty-five minutes into the hike his right knee had gone out on him. They turned around and he was slowly limping back, but he'd been putting too much weight on the left leg instead, and sure enough that knee went too.

Sid collapsed, and it happened at the worst possible spot. He went off the edge of the trail, down the steep rocky slope, and now here he was.

He couldn't move either leg. Trying had sent white-hot agony through both knees. He had a splitting ache in his head too and at times it was hard to see straight. He knew there was blood, and he was doing his best to make sure Ciara didn't see it.

The poor kid was beside herself with fear. She'd almost started climbing down to him till he shouted at her to stay put. He was terrified she'd slip and fall, but even if she didn't he was afraid she'd wind up stuck down here with him.

Sid took another deep breath and forced himself to sound calm. "Ciara, hon? Does your phone have signal? Can you call for help?"

He heard her fumbling with her little backpack then she cried "Grampa there's no bars! It doesn't work!"

Sid sighed. Hiking in the back-country was nice and quiet, but it had its risks.

Ciara finally started crying and her sobs tugged at his heart. It was all his fault, and he knew it.

He kept putting it off every time Cindy offered to help him. He was just as stubborn about seeing a doctor. Medicine, magic, either way he was a stubborn old fool who was afraid of it all. And he'd refused to let Cindy give him one of those protective magic tattoos. Even Ciara had one of those now, she was so proud of the little black kitty on her shoulder.

Sid wouldn't even wear the damn amulets Cindy gave him. They were at home in a drawer next to his bed. And now here he was in pain, broken and bleeding, while poor lovely little Ciara was crying her eyes out in fear and worry.

He took another deep breath. "Ciara! Listen to me ok? You have to go back to our campsite. You know where it is. Your phone will work there. Please hun, I know you're scared but I know you can do this! Go back to camp, then you can call Cindy and Zoe. Ok?"

"No!" she sobbed louder. "I can't leave you grampa!"

"Ciara you have to!" he shouted, and it came out harsher than he meant. The pain and stress were getting to him. "I'm sorry hun! You have to do this, I know you can do it!"

He could hear her moving around up there. It sounded like she was pacing back and forth, like she wasn't sure whether to go for help or stay with him. Finally she stopped pacing, and the sound of crying stopped as well.

After several seconds of silence, she called down to him "Are you sure you'll be ok there by yourself?"

For a moment Sid worried he was starting to hallucinate or something. Ciara's Irish accent was all but gone, and she sounded almost calm.

He took another deep breath then focused on keeping his own voice calm and level. "I'll be fine Ciara. Go back to the campsite. You can call for help from there. Ok?"

"Very well," she replied, and there was still no real accent in her voice. "We'll try and make it quick."

Sid called up at her once more, "Just be careful! Don't run! Be careful and watch your step!"

Ciara replied, "Don't worry Sid, I'll keep her safe."

That left him even more confused, worried he was hearing things. Still, he let out a sigh of relief as he heard her footsteps grow distant, then fade away completely.

Alone now, Sid tried to relax. He tried not to worry. Tried to feel certain that Ciara would be ok, regardless. She was young and strong and brave. She'd get back to their camp just fine, then she'd call Cindy and Zoe. Whatever happened to him, Ciara would be ok.

It was around noon when he fell, and the sun was beating down on him as he lay there. Between that and the pain, he was feeling parched. He tried to fumble around for his backpack, he had water in there, but the movement proved too much. He couldn't stifle the cry of pain as another wave of agony passed through both legs.

Sid gave up on the water, and just lay there waiting.

He quickly lost track of time since Ciara left. He had no idea if it had been ten minutes or an hour. Would she be back at the camp by now? Or was she only a hundred meters away? Or worse, what if something happened to her? If she fell or slipped...

Sid was just starting to panic when a familiar voice said, "Hi Sid. You look pretty rough."

He sighed in relief. "Cindy! Is Ciara ok?"

The small teen stepped into view, she was there in the gully next to him.

"She's fine, Sid. She's with Zoe, they're both back at the cabin now." Cindy replied as she looked him over with a worried frown.

Sid sighed again. 'The cabin' was what Cindy called her otherworldly refuge. He'd never been there himself, but he'd heard enough about it to know it was a safe place. And he was relieved beyond words to know Ciara was ok.

Cindy sat down on the ground beside him. "You weren't wearing the amulets, huh? They wouldn't have helped your knees, but they'd have stopped you getting hurt even worse when you fell. I know you're scared of magic Sid but..."

She shook her head slowly. "You know how serious this is? You're like... You could have died here. And worse, you'd have left Ciara here all by herself."

He grit his teeth again at another wave of pain. "I know Cindy. I'm sorry. Are you going to...?"

She sighed. "With your permission, I'll use magic to get you out of here, and dull the pain. It'll be enough to stabilize you so we can talk. Because we have to have a talk."

He nodded slightly, "Ok. Yes please."

The blonde's eyes flared with lilac-coloured light, and the gully faded away. A moment later Sid found himself laying on a sofa. There was a large fire burning a couple meters away, in a big round fireplace. His eyes widened as he realized he was finally here, in her 'cabin'.

He could still feel the pain in his legs and his head, but it was a dull ache now rather than the overpowering agony of before. He still couldn't move around much, the injuries had left him weak.

"Grampa!" Ciara cried from somewhere out of his sight, and from the sound of it her accent was back again. She quickly came into view as she ran up and hugged him.

Zoe put an arm around her and gently pulled her back, "He's ok Ciara, but he's still hurt. Let's give him some room, all right?"

The two of them backed away together and Ciara sat down on a large easy-chair at the edge of Sid's vision. Then Cindy stepped into view again.

The small blonde handed him a glass of water with a bendy-straw in it, so he could drink without sitting up.

Sid thanked her as he accepted the drink.

Cindy spoke quietly to him as he took care of his thirst. "Sid. If you're going to insist on running around acting like you're still young, then let me make you young again so your body can handle it."

He drank a bit more water then sighed, "I guess I don't really have a choice anymore."

"Of course you have a choice," Cindy replied. "I'd never force anything on you, Sid. You have a choice, but you're going to have to actually make it. You can't put this off any longer."

She sighed deeply as she continued, "Your knees are beyond messed up. You need major surgery, and your hiking days are probably over. If you won't let me help, then we'll get you to a hospital in Melbourne. Me and Zoe will take care of Ciara while you're recovering."

Sid closed his eyes. He knew she was right. At this point, at his age, he was looking at a long difficult surgery. Then months of painful recovery and rehab. It would be at least another year before he was fully healed. He wouldn't be going jogging or hiking again.

Or he could let Cindy use her magic. She could make him young and healthy. He could keep doing what he loved. And he'd be there alongside Ciara, instead of having to watch from a rocking chair on the porch while she left him behind.

Whatever choice he made though, he knew today was the day his life would change completely.

He drank the rest of the water, then finally asked "Could I have a few words with Ciara please? Alone?"

"Of course Sid," Cindy replied. She motioned to Zoe, and the two of them exited through a door on the far wall while Ciara moved to stand at his side.

He looked up at her and gave her a weak smile, "I'm sorry I gave you such a fright today, hun. You were brave though, and I'm proud of you."

There were tears in the girl's eyes again as she pouted, "I thought you were gonna die, grampa! I was so scared! Are you gonna let Cindy fix you now? Make you young again?"

Sid gulped, unable to hide his anxiety. "I would hun, but I'm afraid."

"Why?" she asked. "It won't hurt, and you'll feel better!"

"Would you like it if I was younger, Ciara?" He already knew the answer, but he needed to hear her say it again.

She nodded, "Yeah! We could hike and walk and travel and everything! Maybe we could even get bicycles and go on rides together too! You could be my big brother, or my big sister even!"

Sid coughed and blushed. Ciara was so enthusiastic about the whole thing, magic didn't scare her at all. She'd practically grown up with it. And he'd lost track of how many times she'd mentioned that 'big sister' suggestion. He never asked her where she got that idea from but she seemed to make a point of mentioning it any time the topic came up.

He thought the whole thing over again, magic or medicine. Surgery of sorcery. Both options still scared him. In the end, he just couldn't bring himself to make a decision.

After another quiet minute or so, he finally came to the only conclusion he could think of.

"Ciara? I'm going to let you make the choice for me. Please go and tell Cindy. It's up to you. Tell her what you think is best. Ok?"

Her face lit up with a wide smile and she nodded, "Ok grampa!"

Then she turned and ran off through that door on the far wall, where Cindy and Zoe had gone earlier.

Sid's heart started to race as he continued laying there on the sofa. He'd been doing his best to look brave for the kid, but now he was alone and he was scared half to death. He was already starting to have second thoughts. What was he thinking, leaving the decision in Ciara's hands?

Soon enough he was starting to wonder if maybe he should just tell Cindy to take him to the hospital instead. He knew he was waffling back and forth about the situation. He was still thinking about that when the small blonde came back into view.

She walked right up and stood next to the sofa. She had a compassionate look on her face as she addressed him.

"Zoe and Ciara are going to wait in the bedroom," she said softly. "Are you sure about this? Ciara said you left it up to her, and she told us what she wanted you to do."

Sid gulped again, then finally admitted "I'm still scared, Cindy. If it was up to me, I'd just keep putting it off the way I've been doing all along. And I reckoned, Ciara's the one who'll be putting up with me. Why not give the kid what she wants?"

After a pause he added, "And I trust your judgement. I know whatever Ciara told you, you'll make sure it's practical and uh... That whatever happens, it'll be ok."

Cindy nodded slightly, and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Ok Sid. Do you want to know what she -"

"No," Sid interrupted. "If you tell me, I'll just try and back out of it."

"I understand. Are you ready?"

He hesitated again. His heart was racing even faster now. "Will it uh... Will it hurt?"

She shook her head, "Not at all. It won't feel like anything."

He found that hard to believe, but nodded slowly "Ok then."

Cindy gave him another sympathetic smile and said "Just relax."

Sid gulped and nodded. He took a deep breath but his heart was still pounding. He was still looking up at Cindy when her eyes lit up with that lilac-purple glow and everything went white.

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