The children were not getting better. What was more, pimples began to appear on their chests. They complained of headaches and developed a fever of around 38.5. Edwin knew what this was, chickenpox.

But how it happened was a mystery. Vaccines were mandatory for everyone, even the homeless. It was one good thing their current king has enforced after his own firstborn son died.

The three should have been vaccinated. So, he rounded them up and begun questioning them.

“Ok, how did you three avoid getting your mandatory vaccines?” Asked Edwin as the three sat with eyes half closed on the sofa.

“Easy, the nurses at the clinic didn’t want to waste good vaccines on street urchins. They get paid only for giving vaccines to taxpayers, and we didn’t pay any taxes,” said Ben with a shrug. Then he groaned and rested his head on top of Rael’s shoulder.

“That is…what in the world is wrong with this country!” Screamed Edwin, and that got the three boys fully awake.

“What is right, you should ask. And I will tell you. The minimum wage, which is the highest in the two continents and keeps raising. The mandatory vaccines, thanks to king Valyr. And the soup kitchens, of course, those are only for those who have been left without a roof for no longer than three months. So, you see, Eddy, there are three reasons why Duria is not complete crap,” said Hadrian. He held up three fingers and waved them.

“And the Surian Theocracy doesn’t even have two of these things, although their soup kitchen is for the entire homeless period,” added Hadrian after a moment of thought.

“Duria is a shithole, I know. But darn it all, children not being given their vaccines is just…how could these nurses face themselves in the mirror each morning?” Said Edwin, and he fell on the couch and hugged Luciano, who leaned on him.

“Eddy, shouldn’t you be more careful? I mean, you are the healer here, but isn’t this, whatever it is, contagious?” Asked Hadrian.

The vampire had vague memories of being covered in pimples once, a ton of years ago. But was it puberty or this? He was not sure.

“It is chicken pox. The children have to stay inside and so do we. If Myrna gets an outbreak, we will be chased out of the city. Healing three children in a carriage is not my idea of proper medical procedures,” said Edwin.

“Besides,” he continued as he instinctively placed a hand over Luciano’s forehead. “I went through chickenpox when I was little. I did have a vaccine, but it only helps you go through the sickness easier. It does not protect you. And with me being raised in a clinic, getting infected was just a matter of time.”

“Eddy, I’m itchy,” said Rael, and he began to scratch himself.

“Stop that,” said Edwin as he took a hold of the boy’s hand and placed it back on the child’s lap. “You might get an infection. Ok, Lucy. First lesson about treating chickenpox. The nails have to go.”

“I’ll go bring the nail clipper,” said Hadrian, standing up.

The children clipped their nails regularly and cleaned them every night before going to training, but Edwin needed to make sure they didn’t have anything sharp with which to scratch themselves.

After Edwin clipped their nails, both on the hands and the feet, he placed gloves over their hands and patted Luciano.

“Second lesson about treating chickenpox. Keep the patient clean and make him calamine,” said Edwin. “Come on, Lucy, I think we had lavender oil here somewhere.”

Edwin kept a well-stocked medicine cabinet, and there was indeed lavender oil inside. Then, he took out a package with green clay and sea salt.

“Now, Lucy, when working with clay you always use wood. Can you tell me why?” Asked Edwin. He was not missing an opportunity to teach the boy something that will stick in his brain.

“The clay won’t stick to the wood?” Asked Luciano. He extended his hand for a candy, but Edwin shook his head.

“While you have chickenpox, you have to avoid certain foods. Candy is crunchy, so it’s a big no. Furthermore, spicy, acidic and salty foods are to be avoided. But your answer was correct, so you get a hug.”

Edwin hugged the boy, who huffed in disappointment. The hedge healer smiled and ruffled his hair. If Luciano became a hedge healer, he would treat people who couldn’t always afford the treatment. He better not learn from now to expect a reward each time he did something right.

“So, you are not making us meatloaf for dinner like you promised?” Asked Luciano, his disappointment mounting.

“You will eat soft foods that are rich in iron to avoid anemia. Like spinach stew, pork liver and heart kebab, various bean soups, of course there will be plenty of steak too, so don’t scrunch up your nose at me, you tiny gremlin,” said Edwin as he flicked Luciano’s nose.

“I am not a tiny gremlin! You are a gremlin, Eddy!” Protested Luciano as he batted the hand of the hedge healer away.

“So, you agree you are tiny, Lucy?” Asked Edwin. Luciano stomped his feet and turned his back to his father.

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry. Don’t you want to mix the ointment? It would be like making a potion. Hm, but if you think it is too complex for you…” Edwin pretended to think it over as the child turned around with puffed up cheeks and laid a hand on the wooden bowl.

“I can make the ointment better than you! Let us see, first the salt, then the dirt and, hm…”

“First, ¼ cup of water for the base, Lucy,” said Edwin, and he took a cup from the drier and pointed at where a ¼ was. “Go fill it up.”

Luciano took the cup and went to the sink. He went to his tiptoes and turned it on, and then he filled it about halfway. Staring into the half-full cup, he tipped it over the sink’s edge and spilled some of it. Then he went back to Edwin with the water.

“It is a bit too much. Just a second,” said Edwin, and he emptied about half of the cup’s content in the sink. Then he handed the cup to Luciano.

“Ok, that needs to go in the bowl,” said Edwin.

Luciano tipped the cup and watched it as if he was handling flaming embers. When the cup was empty, he took it to the dryer and went back to the counter.

“Ok, now in this bowl,” said Edwin, handing the boy a new wooden bowl and a wooden spoon. “Mix 3 tablespoons of the green clay, or dirt, as you call it. Three tablespoons of the soda, that is the fine white dust. And one tablespoon of the salt. Then grind everything to a fine dust with the spoon.”

Luciano began counting. When he was counting the clay, he stopped at two and stared at Edwin.

“Uhm…”

“One more, Lucy. Three, the same as your age,” said Edwin encouragingly.

Luciano added the third tablespoon, and Edwin made a mental note to add counting lessons and basic math for the lesson plan of Luciano and Rael. And test Ben on his foundations too.

When there was dust in the bowl, Luciano stared at Edwin for the next step.

“Now add the water while stirring. You need to get a paste,” said Edwin.

Just as before, Luciano was cautious to not spill the water where it wasn’t about to go. When the paste was done, the boy pointed at the lavender oil.

“How much of that?” He asked, the spoon gripped in his small hand.

“Twelve drops. Do you want to count together, Lucy?” Asked Edwin. The boy blushed and nodded. Edwin grinned and added to the note to get the boys to play hide-and-seek, so they could learn to count.

The beige paste separated from the walls of the bowl with ease, and Luciano stared at it with something akin to awe.

“My first medicine, Eddy! I did it!”

Edwin wondered with what he could reward the boy, candy being out of the picture. Then, he got an idea.

“You did good, Lucy. Tell you what, after we get the ointment on your brothers and you, Harry and I will tell you all a story. Whatever you like,” said Edwin. When Luciano smiled at him, he knew that he had chosen the correct reward.

“But we need more ointment. That is just for you. Now, do you remember the steps?” Asked Edwin.

“Water, dust, lavender oil and then mix!” Exclaimed Luciano happily. Making medicine was not so hard, the toddler noted. Maybe soon Eddy was going to teach him the cure to some life-threatening sickness. And then he, Luciano, not Lucy, was going to become a real healer!