Albertus had a thorn in his foot…
It wasn’t a particularly large thorn, but it was in an awkward place, and after three days of limping about and complaining about the state of the world’s vegetation, he finally went to see Wendy.
Wendy removed the thorn in approximately four seconds. She cleaned the little wound, gave his foot a gentle rub and pronounced him good as new. Albertus tested it, grunted his thanks and headed for the door.
But Wendy had noticed something else. Albertus always looked terribly cross, with his heavy eyebrows drawn together and his mouth turned down at the corners. She wondered if he might be unhappy, or perhaps lonely. Albertus assured her that he was neither, although he was beginning to feel rather irritated.
Wendy took this as confirmation that something was wrong. She suggested a little massage to relax the muscles in his face, and Albertus reluctantly sat down again. He knew Wendy liked to be useful, and she had looked so pleased at the prospect of another little improvement that he hadn’t quite the heart to refuse. Besides, her hands were wonderfully gentle, and the massage was rather pleasant.
Wendy worked carefully around his forehead and cheeks, smoothing the deep creases between his eyes. Every now and then she asked him to relax his jaw or lift his eyebrows, and Albertus obliged, although he drew the line when she suggested practising a smile.
“There’s nothing wrong with my face,” he grumbled.
“Of course not, dear. I’m just helping you feel better.”
Wendy suggested he think about something that made him happy. Albertus thought about sitting alone on his favourite bench, eating a sandwich in peace, and his face softened a little.
“What are you thinking about?” Wendy asked.
“Being somewhere else.”
Wendy sighed and began suggesting exercises to improve his outlook on life. Albertus thanked her for the massage, declined the exercises and went home to his bench.
Wendy watched him leave, shaking her head sadly.
Then she wrote something in her notebook.
Albertus: foot healed. Face — further treatment required.
