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disease, or correct birth defects.  And, finally, healing tanks do not work on Clan Jasani.  They heal very quickly on their own, but there are times when a Healer may be all that lies between them and death.”
    “I see,” Berta said.  “Healers sound like miracle workers.”
    “Yes, I think that in some ways, they are,” Talinka said.  “But the truth is, Berta, that I asked my cousin to come here for your sake.”
    “My sake?” Berta asked in surprise.  “I am not ill, Talinka.  At least, not that I’m aware of.”
    “No, you are not ill,” Talinka assured her.  “But my understanding of the aging process in humans leads me to believe that a strong Healer may be able to reverse it.”
    Berta stared at Talinka for a long moment, unable to think of a single thing to say in response to such a stunning statement.  “Did you ask your cousin about it?” Hope asked when she saw that Berta was speechless.
    “I did,” Talinka replied.  “He said he would like to find out.”
    “Why?” Berta blurted finally.  “Why would you ask him, and why would he be willing to try?”
    “As you know, we are Empaths, Berta,” Talinka said after considering her answer carefully.  “We feel the emotional pain, the happiness, and everything in between of those around us.  Restoring your youth to you would be like giving you back something of what was stolen from you.  I believe that you deserve that gift, as does my cousin, Jareth.  Unless you do not want it.”
    “Can healing such as that erase scars?” Berta asked, striving for a casual tone.
    “No, I’m afraid not,” Talinka replied.  “Scars cannot be healed, Berta.”
    Berta nodded, hiding her disappointment. “What’s the catch?”
    “No catch,” Talinka replied with a smile.  She was not offended by Berta’s question.  She understood the woman too well for that.  “Your happiness is all the reward we seek.”
    Berta stared into her coffee cup for a long moment, her mind racing with the implications of what Talinka had just offered her.  After a time she shook her head.  “I need to think about this,” she said.  “Do you mind?”
    “Of course not,” Talinka replied.  “It is completely up to you, Berta.  This is your life, and the choices are yours to make.”
    ***
    After they’d approved the plans for the Rami houses and Talinka had returned to Bride House, Berta went into her room and closed the door behind her.  She sat down on the edge of her bed, and stared at the drawer in her nightstand.
    Choices.  Decisions.  Options.  These were the most difficult aspects of her new freedom for Berta.  In the beginning, just trying to decide what to eat from the amazing number of available options in Hope’s kitchen had been overwhelming.  She’d gotten much better over the past months with everyday things like that.  But big decisions, like the one Talinka had just offered her, took much more thought.
    Finally making up her mind she reached down and opened the drawer, and picked up the neatly folded navy blue sweater within.  She unfolded the sweater, revealing a small ball of yarn that exactly matched the color of her eyes, still attached to the bottom of the sweater.  The sweater had been sitting in the drawer for weeks now, only a few stitches from completion.  Now, she’d decided, was the time to finish it.
    She picked up the knitting needles which still held uncast stitches stacked along their lengths, wrapped a length of yarn around her finger, and began knitting.  She worked slowly and deliberately, keeping her mind focused on her task instead of allowing it to wander as she usually did when she knitted.  When she finished the final stitch she reached for a pair of scissors and clipped the yarn with shaking hands. 
    She stood in a field of tall, blue grass, the sun shining brightly in the lavender sky.  She looked around, but saw nothing else.  Just grass, sky, the sun, herself.  She looked down and saw a