Read Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 02 - Dark Carnival for Free Online

from
thirties to nineties, some with minor elements like a bad cold, to more serious
conditions like psoriasis.
    The
first person I recognized as Sarah, the homeless woman from outside the
convent.  She ambled up to us, grinning, but a little shy around me.  “You sure
you don’t want your money back, Miles?” she asked.  “I still got it.”
    Miles
smiled at her.  “No.  You can keep it, Sarah.  Why don’t we get you fixed up
now?”
    She
removed her coat, setting it carefully aside on one of the small pews, and then
offered her elbow to Miles.  “I think I slept on it wrong last night.”
    Miles
uncorked his small vial of holy water, turned it upside down while holding his
index finger over the lip, and then turned it right side up.  He cupped Sarah’s
elbow with one hand and, with the other, he rubbed a drop of holy water onto
the joint and said the Our Father prayer.  I had heard Clothilde recite
prayers in her healing sessions.  She always said them in Cajun French.  Miles
recited them in English.  She seemed to say the words with more reverence than
he did, and it made me wonder if Miles believed them.
    All
was quiet for a moment.  Miles had his eyes closed in concentration.  Sarah
eagerly fixated on her elbow in his palm.  Her eyes darted to me every few
seconds.  I smiled politely at her.  She seemed nervous to have me there, but
returned the smile, revealing the same charming gap I remembered from earlier.  The
people in line craned their necks to see the miracle taking place a few feet in
front of them.
    The
whole process lasted maybe a minute.  After the prayer, Miles was perfectly
still, eyes closed.  I wondered what it was like, to feel that healing force.  I
recalled the time Lyla healed the dog that Lucas ran over with his truck.  When
I touched her hands, they were very hot.  It was the same with Clothilde when
she healed Lyla after the roof of Savoy’s cabin collapsed on us in Lake Martin.
 But I didn’t know what that power would feel like coming through me, from my
core being.  I didn’t know if I truly had it in me.
    When
Miles was done, he opened his eyes.  He looked almost like he had just woken up
from a short nap, like he could have been nodding off a moment ago, but now
alert.  “All better?” he asked Sarah.
    “Sure
is, Miles!  Thanks!” she beamed.  She turned around, grabbed her coat and then
addressed the line.  “I’m better!”
    The
people in line gave a polite clap, happy for Sarah.  The next person stepped up
to the altar.  He was a man of about forty who explained in a thick, raspy
voice that he had polyps on his throat.  Miles once again took a drop of holy
water from the vial.  He made the sign of the cross on the man’s throat and
placed a hand over it.  He said another prayer and concentrated for a couple of
minutes.  When he was done, the man was healed and thanked Miles with his new,
smooth voice.
    I
was truly amazed.  It was hard to tell with Sarah if she was cured or not, but
I heard this man before Miles laid his hands on him and heard him now.  Clothilde
couldn’t heal anyone that quickly.  I had often seen return clients with the
same ailments, albeit less severe than the last time they came to Clothilde’s.  But
I had never seen anyone healed right on the spot, except Lyla, and that had
taken a lot out of Clothilde.  She had fainted from the energy being pulled
through her.  Miles was barely affected.  I only noticed a hint of tiredness
behind his eyes after he healed the man.
    The
next person was a woman who looked to be in her sixties.  She came up to us
with her right hand clenched around her left wrist.  “Carpal Tunnel,” she said
to Miles.  He gave her an understanding nod and then turned to me.
    “Ready
to take this one?” he said.
    My
eyes widened and I felt my face flush.  “I don’t know.  I’m not sure what I—”
    He
grabbed one of my hands and had me place my other hand on the woman’s wrist.