I opened my eyes, my head was wrapped in cloth, The wound still hurt really bad.

Looking at the roof which had some herbs hanging from the ceiling.

And around the stone room, was a small chest and on the walls pegs were hammered on to hang clothes.

There was a smaller table by the mat I was sleeping on.

"I need my drugs.

I tried to stand up. "AHHHHHH!"

My head was in pain.

There was no chance of me getting out of bed. My foot was twisted up and my arm was broken.

A woman walked into the room.

I leaned up. The woman pushed me back onto the mat.

She spoke a language I couldn't understand.

But it seemed familiar, The Lady didn't want me to sit up.

I laid there looking up and she started to crush tiny herbs together. She carefully unwrapped the cloth on my head. She then took the little cream she made and placed it over the wounds on my head.

The cooling sensation took away most of the pain.

Which is all I could ask for at the moment.

She then walked out and closed the door to the room and I laid there and closed my eyes.

I'm unsure about how much time has passed, but I must have slept throughout the night.

Being morning outside when I woke up, I could see the sun beaming into my room. Which gave the room a nice warm feel.

My clothes are nowhere to be seen.

My ankle wrapped up, I tried to move my toes.

It hurt but I was able to move the big toe.

Which was a good sign.

The craving hit me hard and my stomach started to hurt.

I vomit on the ground.

The lady heard me and ran into the room.

She threw some sand in the vomit and walked over to me.

She wiped the sweat off my forehead.

She then walked out into the hall.

when she returned to the room she had with her a small green bottle.

She lifted my head and poured the drink into my mouth.

I felt all that pain drift away.

I turned to lay flat on the mat, and she smiled.

She started talking.

I couldn't really make out all what she said but I figured out that language,

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The language she was speaking was Latin.

I haven't spoken Latin since I was a child.

With my grandmother.

I tried a basic greeting in Latin.

"Hello?"

The woman turned and smiled.

And she responded with the same greeting I used, I pointed to the little green bottle on the table. The woman looked to the bottle,then back at me she

Spoke the word Mekonion. Then she looked at the bottle giving it a point. "Mekonion."

I nodded. She smiled and reached for the bottle and opened the top and placed the bottle on my lips. I took another drink.

The drink helped out a lot, the pain went away and I fell asleep. While she cleaned the mess on the floor.

In my sleep, I heard a distant voice speaking to me it sound faintly familiar,

I can recognize that voice…

I know that voice, "Grandma!"

I woke up from my sleep sitting up, it was sometime in the evening.

My foot felt a lot better. The same goes for my head. As for my arm it was wrapped up and splinted, and still carried a stinging feeling, good thing for the Mekonion.

Before I could take another drink from the small bottle.

The woman entered the room with food and water again.

What I can tell was a meat stew from earlier and some well water.

I ate, it was really quite some time since I last ate. This stew was the most amazing stew I ever had in my life. The rye bread tasted really good even though it was a little flat and hard. Eating with one arm was tricky.

I slowed down letting the bread sit in the soup. And taking bites from it, once the soup was soaked up in the bread.

The woman smiled and started speaking to me in Latin. Saying what I'm assuming is the word for soup.

"Soup" I spoke and grinned

She smiled and nodded "soup."

Then I held up the bread and she said the word for bread.

Then I held up the cup of water.

I pronounced the words after she did.

With her subtle corrections to the mispronunciation of my words.

I smiled the feeling of speaking Latin,

Brought me back. Back to a simpler time in my life.

I smiled at the woman. "Thank-you."

The woman nodded and got up and walked out of the room. "Good night, sleep well."

She spoke before leaving the room.

The funny thing is I was able to remember that phrase. Also I didn't reach for that bottle. I finished my cup of water and laid back. And eventually fell asleep.

I awoke on the mat,the pain was there, the nausea, the sweat I got up and used the pail to take a crap. Then I stood up.

I reached for the bottle but it wasn't on the table.

I called out no answer.

Then the lady walked in and I asked for the green bottle.

She shook her head.

I Questioned " please I need that drink, you don't understand." Literally she didn't.

She showed me the bottle and it was empty, fresh out. I tried to stand up. I had a slight pain, but I could walk. My arm still wrapped up and splinted.

She helped me put some clothes on.

Which were more of a poor person's clothes.

She opened the door to the hallway. I walked out into the hallway, using the wall to walk. Every door opened to a different room with a different person dealing with some sort of sickness or injury.

"Am I in a hospital or house?"

There were many rooms and the lower level had a kitchen, living area.

I walked out into the street. It was busy, There were a lot of different people.

Including people in chains, soldiers patrolling the streets. Vendors, buildings, this was the city of Rome.

The smell was awful.

I walked down the street, looking at the buildings, ancient Rome, why am I here?.

The lady who helped walked past. I followed her down the street, to the vendor.

She asked for the green bottle.

The man handed her three bottles.

She had a pouch full of coins.

The merchant took the bag of coins and eyed out the amount then. Nodded and she turned and walked back with her bottles.

She made eye contact with me.

And I followed her back.

We walked through the entrance to the house. She pulled a chair out for me to sit at the kitchen table.

Then continued to grab some stew that was cooking on the fire. She poured us both a bowl.

I watched her then thanked her for her kindness.

And she smiled.

"Asmay"

I looked at her. "Asmay?" She nodded and pointed at herself, "Asmay."

I smiled and pointed at myself. "Hank."

I took another mouth full of soup.

Delicious.

"Hank."

I looked at Asmay and she spoke while moving her hand like a walking person.

I'm assuming she's asking where I came from so I told her.

"I'm from the future."

The blank stare she returned proved this whole language gap is not good.

What does it matter anyway?

I'm here in Rome. I'm just gonna try not to die.

Asmay stood up and walked to the door of the kitchen and closed it then she walked to a bookshelf and brought out five books.

Asmay carried the books to the table and she brought her chair over and sat beside me and opened the first book. It was a picture of a man and a woman with the written word for them underneath, Asmay started to pronounce the word first, then I would repeat.

Asmay is trying to teach me to speak Italian.

I reached for the bottle but before I could take hold of it, she moved it out of my reach. I had no choice, I'm going to learn Italian.

End of chapter 007 Hank Part 2

Dark Base written by Travis Willier copyright 2021