Amelia Collapses

It was a cold winter’s night. The frost lay thick on the ground and the gnomes were cosily tucked away in their warm burrows deep underground. Winter time was story telling time, and after supper the gnomes from West Oak Root used to gather in the large living room. LongBeard was known as a master story teller, and he often used stories to teach them about new things. On this night, he decided to talk about the benefits of support in society. He also wanted to increase their medical knowledge by telling them a story about one illness, which humans sometimes seem to suffer from. The gnomes made themselves comfortable on the down filled poofs that were scattered about, while LongBeard filled his pipe with herbacco.

LongBeard cleared his throat and touched his nose with his left index finger. The room instantly went quiet, for they all knew that this was the sign that he was ready to begin.

“Welcome, my good friends. Here is tonight’s story:”


Amelia Collapses




The woman was standing on her front porch, staring at the winding road that led up to her house. Concern over the safety of her daughter was gnawing at her stomach. Her daughter, Amelia had gone to fetch the cows from the field and had not returned at her usual time.

Although the woman knew that the area was safe and that her daughter would come to no harm, there had lately been a decrease in Amelia’s energy. This was especially noticeable when she had to do chores which required her to walk long distances. From a happy, high energy girl, she seems to have changed into a quiet, rather lethargic child. It seemed as if she had to drag herself off to do her chores, rather than enjoying them as she used to. She often complained that her legs and joints were sore, but did not think it was painful enough to warrant a visit to the local doctor. The woman now regretted this decision, thinking that she should have used her common sense about the severity of the symptoms, rather than be guided by her daughter on this matter.

The woman frowned as she suddenly saw a car approaching. Cars were scarce on this road and this meant that it must be a very important visit. As it drew near, she recognized the doctor’s car, and her heart beat faster with anxiety. The doctor got out and from the passenger side assisted her daughter. She was leaning heavily on his arm for support. “Amelia collapsed while fetching the cows,” the doctor explained. “Young Peter, the herds-boy, saw it happen and called me quickly. I took her to the surgery and examined her thoroughly. It seems as if she has rheumatic fever and will have to rest in bed for about 6 months.”

At last the reason for her daughter’s decreased energy became clear to the woman. On the one hand she was relieved to know the cause, but on the other hand she was concerned about the meaning and implication of what the doctor was saying.

As if he could read her mind, the doctor said, “I will explain what it all means in a moment; let us just get Amelia to bed first.” They helped Amelia to her room and made her comfortable. Then he explained to both of them: Rheumatic fever is an illness which typically develops two or three weeks after an infection, such as a throat infection. It commontly appears in children between the ages of 5 and 15 and can involve the heart, joints, skin and brain. The illness is so named because of its similarity in presentation to rheumatism. We will treat the condition with medication and perhaps she won't have to rest in bed for quite such a long time."

The good doctor mentioned that he had already spoken to the farmer who lived next door. His son George would take care of Amelia’s outdoor chores, letting the cows out into the field in the morning and fetching them again in the evening. Their sister Delia had offered to come and help in the house or sit with Amelia if her mother needed to go into town. Peter would continue to look after both goat herds and for the time being would shut them up safely on their own farm at night.

“Last but not least”, the doctor said with a twinkle in his eye, “I had this same illness when I was a youngster and the one thing that made it bearable for me to stay in bed for so long were some drums that were set up across the bed for me to play on. I have such a set and will bring them over tomorrow. I will also help you with a few lessons to get you going. In that way I can also check up on you regularly.”

Amelia and her mother thanked him for his help. Their hearts were filled with gratitude towards their friends and neighbours who were so kind to them. They were, once again, relieved that they had chosen to stay in this village where people supported and cared for one another constantly. They smiled and hugged each other as they knew that everything would turn out all right.

Acknowledgement: baddog.com/2005/12/