Konrad and Alexandra (pdf) - Rolf Gross

her hands during her examination.
What was going on? Had she all of a sudden acquired supernatural powers or was
Gocha acting through her? She peered at the old witch, who was busily preparing another jar
of her heat-producing concoction. She had not paid any attention to the man or her. The old
man was still sitting before Alexandra. She put her hands once more around his swollen knee
and made him get up. The nonplussed man assured her once again that he could move his
knee and the pain was gone. He walked away.
Alexandra shook her head and then sat staring into space. She suddenly felt tired to the
point of giddiness.
"What is it, Alexandra," asked Claudia, concerned, "are you unwell? Maybe we should
rest a few minutes, you have been working for three hours without stopping."
Claudia took her outside. They sat on a low wall in the schoolyard.
"I need a cigarette."
One of the men offered Alexandra a cigarette. She inhaled and blew a smoke ring.
"Claudia, something very strange has happened. I cured this man’s arthritic pain by
doing no more than holding my hands around his knee. It cannot be possible, this is witchcraft."
Claudia stared at her and then started to laugh. "A year ago my skeptical father
investigated a woman who claimed to be a faith healer. He never found out how she did it, but
there was no question that she was able to heal certain ailments, especially arthritis. You must
have accidentally discovered the same trick. What did you do?"
Alexandra could not explain it, she had done nothing outside the normal. She had just
held her hands to this man’s joint.
They sat for a while, trying to recover.
"You know, I will ask Gocha. I am curious what she will say."
Gocha tilted her head, and raised her hands. She was entirely unimpressed. "Yes,
doctor Alexandra, you have healing powers. Did you never notice them before?"
Alexandra shook her head, this was entirely new to her.
"Your head is too big. Your sharp mind is in your way," said the old woman. "Today your
mind is tired, it was late last night and you have been working very hard and so your hands just
took over. Why don’t you stop working for today and come to Adishi and spend the night with
me? I will show you how to quiet your mind and strengthen your hands."
Alexandra told the remaining crowd to come back tomorrow and closed the clinic.
Konrad frowned when Alexandra told him what had happened and that she would spend
the night at Gocha’s place.
"Is black magic finally claiming you?"
Tired as she was, Alexandra lost her temper. Her head was as clear as ever. She was
still able to tell true medical results from glib fakes. Claudia and she had both seen the arthritic
man walk, without a limp, from of the school house, pain free. If she could learn how to repeat
this cure, black magic or not, she could help many people for which academic medicine had no
better remedy than aspirin and hot baths.
"Are you not interested in seeing the spectacular twelfth-century Tevdore paintings we
have discovered in the churches?"
She was not to be swayed from her calling. Right now she had to learn as much as she
could from the old jadukali.
Alexandra persuaded Claudia to come along as a skeptical observer, hoping that Gocha
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