Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

AMY TAN
Wyatt, and Wendy. Heidi cared for Roxanne and Dwight, and Moff
hovered over his son. The past few days had shaken them to the
depths of their souls. For a while, it seemed impossible that they
would be able to provide any relief beyond water, which they poured
over their senseless charges to quell the brain-damaging fever. And
when their patients’ fever was exchanged for bone-shaking chills,
they wrapped their arms around them, and rocked and cried. There
was nothing more they could do.
While returning from the loo one day, Heidi caught two old grand­
mothers feeding Wyatt and Wendy a strong-smelling liquid. One of
the women explained matter-of-factly what she was doing, but Heidi
understood none of it. The woman drew out some leaves from a pouch,
pointed, and smiled, as if to suggest, “See? I told you. It’s only this.”
Heidi inspected the leaves. They were green and feathery, looking
very much like parsley or cilantro. She took a leaf to Black Spot and
asked him what it was. “It is good,” he said. “A plant, I am knowing
the Burmese name, not the English name. But it is medicine for jun­
gle fever.” Heidi next sought Moff, who was sitting quietly next to
his son. The boy was unconscious and moaning. She dropped the
leaves in his lap. “What do you think this is?”
Moff picked them up, looked at them, with their slim bifurcating
stems, then smelled them. “Ah yes, the telltale balsamic fragrance. In
the States, you see this growing around garbage dumps and along the
sides of roads. Also known as sweet wormwood, Artemisia annua.
There are many species of Artemisia, and this one I’ve never seen be­
fore, but the leaf structure is characteristic. Grows fast and turns
into a plant the shape of a soft-limbed Christmas tree. The fragrance
is also typical.” He put a leaf in his mouth and smacked his lips.
“And the bitter taste. Where did you find it?”
“One of the old ladies made some kind of concoction and was giv­
ing it to Wyatt and Wendy to drink.”
Moff’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant! Dear God, she’s absolutely right.
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