The good doctor brushed his hands, dusted himself off, and resumed his position with the others around the fire place. He even took a brief moment to pat the leprechaun on the head, but then quickly recoiled at the foul smell which did not delay in transferring to his hand.
"I'm terribly sorry about that", he said to no one in particular.
"Tetanus," he explained casually, on observing the questioning looks of the others, "A horrific disease, and more than a mite uncomfortable. But I'm all better now."
"But how..?" began the
@GreenWizard.
"Oh," explained the good doctor graciously, "Although I've never really looked into it myself, it's apparently caused by a bacterium named Clostridium Tetani, or Clostrid, to his nearest and dearest. Clostrid prefers to hang out in soil, dust, manure... and leprechaun saliva".
@Sam91 looked shocked. "You mean the Green Wizard caused your disease?"
The doctor waved his contaminated hand, with the air of someone apparently so used to contracting life-threatening diseases from leprechauns that he no longer thinks more about this than he does about putting on a hat.
"Think nothing of it, Sam91," explained the doctor, "or should I say... Samantha" he continued, looking briefly at LaSorcia.
"Actually, Sam91" corrected Sam91, "Samantha... uhh... is no longer with us, as you can see."
"Quite." agreed the doctor amicably.
"Samantha..." asked the doctor.
"Sam91," corrected Sam91.
"I have a favour to ask", requested the other.
"Be careful", whispered
@LaSorcia to Sam91, as the doctor continued.
"Please get on with it Doctor", begged
@DavidFirth, "I have a plane to catch".
"Well, the Pharaoh and I have had something of a disagreement", the doctor continued, "and, despite my skill, wit and various combat abilities..."
At this, LaSorcia nodded, as she had been secretly impressed with the doctor's victory against the Philistines.
"The odds of my defeating a Pharaoh and his entire army are less than I would like to put a wager on..."
"And so you want to hide out in my museum of taxidermy for a week or so, until the heat dies down?" asked Sam91 hopefully.
"But the embalming process - won't it be quite difficult to reverse, you know, when the heat does die down. I mean, if the heat ever does die down. What if the heat doesn't ever die down?" she continued.
"Uhhh. Actually, I was hoping to avoid the embalming process altogether", explained the doctor.
"I was thinking that I could be packaged into one of these nearby cargo crates here, and be mailed to your museum of taxidermy, and by the time the heat has died down, in a week or so for example..."
"Done and done!" exclaimed David Firth, as he quickly boxed the doctor into the freight container.
"Quickly", he called to Sam91, "Fill out this consignment note and have it sent to your museum."
"But will we hear from him while he's enroute?" enquired
@christine40.
"Who cares?" asked LaSorcia. "Online friends come and online friends go, but who can turn down the offer of a Sphinx-free week?"
@*LILAC nodded her head in quiet agreement. It was for the best.