Witch's Marsh Will I ever see heaven again?

"Sorry, for my harsh words," Sarah apologized in drunken sincerity. "I have a bit of aversion towards water. You see, the one, who left a hole in my scruff attempted to force me to drink a whole lake," in other words - she had almost been drowned. Her lungs disagreed - during worst of coughing fits it felt as if there was no end of lake water that was still lodged inside alveoli. 

"What do you offer?" Sarah had no faith in medicine, did not believe that it would help her the least, but was in a good mood to humour her niece. The intentions of strangers left you always guessing, but she trusted that Ibis's worry was truly genuine. "Are you on your own here?" she asked next.