All About Lyc.

Last month, I began the story of a graduation party, in which the characters are named after various homeopathic remedies and their personalities based upon that particular remedy’s “picture.” This is the continuation of that two-installment story.

Mr. Lycopodium guided Mr. Aurum to the food table, and then he looked towards the podium. He knew it would soon be time to give his speech, and he had been nervous about it for several weeks. He was prepared, though, and despite his anxiety he knew he would do fine.

Mr. Causticum and his niece, Calcarea phosphorica, had offered to be in charge of the barbecue. More than any other guests at the party, they loved smoked foods.

Calcarea phosphorica was always unhappy and discontented. She had been an irritable baby, requiring constant attention, and she didn’t start walking until very late. She often had growing pains that were especially worse during the night. In addition, not only did her teeth come in with difficulty as a toddler and much later than her siblings, but they seemed to decay as soon as they erupted. One of the soft spots on her head had never closed. When ill, she would crave bacon rind. She was often weak, exhausted and fatigued after an illness, and Mr. Causticum thought she appeared to be bored and unhappy most of the time. Her mother complained that she frequently had to stay home from school due to headaches or stomach pain. (This is why she had been available to go to Mr. Lycopodium’s graduation party.)

Calcarea phosphorica’s uncle, Mr. Causticum, shared the reputation of being very sympathetic with Miss Phosphorus. Despite this, however, he had trouble staying patient with whining and crying children. Usually Calcarea phosphorica’s friendly and open personality was enjoyable, but she would just as often complain that nothing was right. Looking at her uncle, she remembered that he had been quite handsome, with his dark hair and dark eyes, before the cold wind paralyzed one side of his face. She also knew he still wet his bed at times, especially if he got cold during the night. (He was a chilly chap, after all.)

Mr. Causticum was preoccupied with his own thoughts. He didn’t mind tending the barbecue, as he was sensitive about his warts, which were around his nails and on his eyelids, face and nose (and, as a child, on his toes). Mr. Causticum made sure he had a glass of ice water nearby, as he was just getting over a cough, which the ice water would promptly stop. If he got to his water too late, however, the act of coughing would cause a leakage of urine. (This appeared to be a problem with sneezing, walking or blowing his nose, as well.) He had a touch of laryngitis left and was still hoarse, so he welcomed the opportunity to not socialize.

Mr. Causticum’s rheumatism was particularly bad today, and he felt that familiar raw, burning pain not only in his joints but in his throat. Thinking of his pain made him remember Mrs. Causticum describing the heartburn she experienced during pregnancy as raw and burning, too. Unfortunately, Mr. Causticum lost Mrs. Causticum and his baby daughter during a difficult birth. No one at the party had suffered due to grief more than Mr. Causticum or Mrs. Ignatia, although Mrs. Ignatia’s loss was recent, and Mr. Causticum had been worn down from the prolonged effects of grief.

Speaking of Mrs. Ignatia, Miss Phosphorus, who was still visiting with Mrs. Ignatia, knew a little about her new friend from her previous talks with Mr. Natrum muriaticum (who was, you will remember, Mrs. Ignatia’s late husband). Mr. Natrum muriaticum, with whom Miss Phosphorus had worked, had been the only one to salt his food at the lunch cafeteria. Mr. Natrum muriaticum had always been a reserved person. On one rare occasion during lunch, however, Mr. Natrum muriaticum uncharacteristically opened up to Miss Phosphorus in response to her sympathetic listening.

That was the day that Mr. Natrum muriaticum described his wife as contradictory. He told Miss Phosphorus that Mrs. Ignatia always expectd Mr. Natrum muriaticum to be perfect, while she was frequently moody. He had said that Mrs. Ignatia would often laugh and cry at the same time. While many people thought that Mrs. Ignatia had a brittle manner, Mr. Natrum muriaticum had said that his wife was actually extremely sensitive and found it difficult to express her emotions. That was something the two of them had in common. Mr. Natrum muriaticum said that Mrs. Ignatia was “high strung,” with high ideals and expectations, and when things went wrong she would often blame herself. Miss Phosphorus, in line with her compassionate, thoughtful nature, decided to talk about light subjects that would not add to Mrs. Ignatia’s feelings of loss.

Mr. Nux vomica had arrived. This morning he woke up feeling like he had a hangover, so he walked directly to the coffee station to get a cup of caffeinated coffee. Then he scanned the refreshment tables for spicy foods and gleefully eyed chili peppers and a curry dish. As with alcohol, despite enjoying spicy foods, he often suffered after eating them. Mr. Nux vomica selected a variety of rich, fatty foods, which he ate at every meal. Unlike Miss Pulsatilla, he was able to easily digest fats and rich foods.

Grabbing an additional cup of coffee, he hurried over to sit with Miss Calcarea and offered it to her. She didn’t like coffee and politely declined. Mr. Nux vomica exploded angrily, “How could anyone not like coffee!” Offended, he took his seat in another sunny area, as he was always chilly. Miss Calcarea felt hurt by his remark and tone; she was quite impressionable and sensitive, a stereotypical co-dependent. She withdrew from the others because his remark embarrassed her, and she was afraid the other guests would notice. Placidly following Mr. Nux vomica with her eyes as he walked away, she noticed how lean and tense-looking he was, although he did look quite dapper. If only he wasn’t so irascible!

Mr. Arsenicum was beginning to get impatient, as the speech should have already started. People generally thought of him as the “gold headed cane” gentleman, as he was always thin, stylish and well-groomed. Mr. Arsenicum was always deeply pessimistic, and worried about his own and his family’s health. No matter who he spoke to at the party, he eventually talked about his health, desiring reassurance. While he could often look elegant and had great finesse, Mr. Arsenicum’s criticism and intolerance of disorder and imprecision made it difficult for most people to feel comfortable in his presence. Besides that, he was always worried about getting poisoned from bad food or pollution.

In the meantime, Miss Pulsatilla had returned to the refreshment table with the pastries and rich foods. Decisions had always been so hard for her! She felt especially weepy today, because she was premenstrual. Otherwise, she would have joined Mr. Lycopodium to assist with last-minute greetings, as she made friends easily and had the reputation of being a sweet-natured, shy, kind and yielding person. She hoped she could refrain from crying today. Her mother had always described her as an emotionally sensitive person, but Mr. Lycopodium, in his condescending way, often called her a cry-baby. It was so hard for her to not become tearful at affairs such as this! She took a piece of cake but decided not to eat the whipped cream topping, as it would inevitably make her feel nauseated. Miss Pulsatilla headed for her seat, just as she caught a glimpse of Mr. Lycopodium heading for the podium.

At the podium, Mr. Lycopodium surveyed all of his guests, who were looking at him. He savored feeling powerful with their admiration and respect. Yes, he thought, the party was going quite well.