bath. I’m going home to get you some dinner. You must be starving. We can finish our talk then,” Jesse said.
“Okay, thanks,” she said as Jesse shut the door. Presley looked around the small dark room. She ran her hand against the claw-footed cast iron bath tub. The back of the tub slanted upward and the inside was made of white porcelain. The outside was finished with a shiny grey iron material. The light from two candles flickered against the dark wall.
As Presley quickly undressed, she noticed there were red velvet flower petals floating on top of the water. They were like rose petals in appearance, soft and silky. She sank into the tub and held the petals in her hands. She smiled, knowing that Jesse had placed them in the water for her. She washed her hair and body with a bar of unpleasant smelling soap. As she sat in the water she tried to wrap her mind around everything that had happened to her. The questions in her head bounced around shifting from one thought to the next. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath through her nose, reminding her mind to slow down.
“Who is Manna?” she whispered. “How am I going to get out of here and what are these strange forces that are outside of this town?” She watched as a spider climbed the log wall. She noticed how murky and dirty her bath water had become. Disgusted, she quickly got out of the tub and dressed. She blew out the candles and walked back to Paulette’s house.
≈≈≈≈≈
Soon, Jesse walked in with the stew and bread and noticed Presley in her nightgown.
He began to stutter nervously, “W-w-w-where do you want this?"
Paulette giggled at him as she grabbed the two bowls and handed one to Presley. She took the bread from under his arm and walked into the kitchen to cut it up.
“Are you okay?” Presley asked him, as she braided her long brown hair.
“Yeah. Sorry. It’s just that you are so beautiful,” he said. He knelt down beside her and took her hand. He gently turned over her arm and brushed his finger over the small, dark birthmark. The birthmark she had always tried to hide.
Embarrassed, she pulled her arm back.
“I know that you don’t know me, but let me just ask you… are you feeling what I’m feeling?”
Presley’s eyes grew big and she was taken aback by the question. She was at a loss for words. She tilted her head as she tried to determine if he was crazy. She knew Jesse was coming on to her and thought that he was a bit overbearing. He wasn’t like anyone she had ever known. Definitely not cocky and arrogant like Tyler. He was more confident than cocky. Before Presley could answer, Paulette walked back in with the bread and handed a piece to her.
“Thanks,” Presley said, watching as Jesse quickly stood up and anxiously ran his fingers through his thick hair. Some of his hair fell loosely around his face.
“How old were you when you came here?” Presley asked him, trying to change the subject.
“Came here?” he laughed. “You make it sound like I had a choice in the matter. I was eighteen,” he said with an endearing gleam in his eyes.
“And so you stay eighteen?” Presley questioned.
“Yes, we all have stayed the same age we were when we came here. Nobody ages. Nobody gets sick either,” he said.
“Then nobody dies?” she asked mystified.
“No, we can still die, many have died. We just don’t have sickness and disease. Some have died from accidents. Others died trying to find a way back home, and some have been captured by the Manes.” He looked at Paulette in a disappointing way. “That’s why I was so angry with Paulette for sneaking out of here the way that she did. As long as we stay within the walls of this town we are safe. We have a unique protection here that guards us from outside forces, the forces that inevitably want us all dead."
“What are these forces?” Presley asked, unsure if she truly wanted to know.
“The Manes. The evil spirits,” whispered Jesse.
“The
“Okay, thanks,” she said as Jesse shut the door. Presley looked around the small dark room. She ran her hand against the claw-footed cast iron bath tub. The back of the tub slanted upward and the inside was made of white porcelain. The outside was finished with a shiny grey iron material. The light from two candles flickered against the dark wall.
As Presley quickly undressed, she noticed there were red velvet flower petals floating on top of the water. They were like rose petals in appearance, soft and silky. She sank into the tub and held the petals in her hands. She smiled, knowing that Jesse had placed them in the water for her. She washed her hair and body with a bar of unpleasant smelling soap. As she sat in the water she tried to wrap her mind around everything that had happened to her. The questions in her head bounced around shifting from one thought to the next. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath through her nose, reminding her mind to slow down.
“Who is Manna?” she whispered. “How am I going to get out of here and what are these strange forces that are outside of this town?” She watched as a spider climbed the log wall. She noticed how murky and dirty her bath water had become. Disgusted, she quickly got out of the tub and dressed. She blew out the candles and walked back to Paulette’s house.
≈≈≈≈≈
Soon, Jesse walked in with the stew and bread and noticed Presley in her nightgown.
He began to stutter nervously, “W-w-w-where do you want this?"
Paulette giggled at him as she grabbed the two bowls and handed one to Presley. She took the bread from under his arm and walked into the kitchen to cut it up.
“Are you okay?” Presley asked him, as she braided her long brown hair.
“Yeah. Sorry. It’s just that you are so beautiful,” he said. He knelt down beside her and took her hand. He gently turned over her arm and brushed his finger over the small, dark birthmark. The birthmark she had always tried to hide.
Embarrassed, she pulled her arm back.
“I know that you don’t know me, but let me just ask you… are you feeling what I’m feeling?”
Presley’s eyes grew big and she was taken aback by the question. She was at a loss for words. She tilted her head as she tried to determine if he was crazy. She knew Jesse was coming on to her and thought that he was a bit overbearing. He wasn’t like anyone she had ever known. Definitely not cocky and arrogant like Tyler. He was more confident than cocky. Before Presley could answer, Paulette walked back in with the bread and handed a piece to her.
“Thanks,” Presley said, watching as Jesse quickly stood up and anxiously ran his fingers through his thick hair. Some of his hair fell loosely around his face.
“How old were you when you came here?” Presley asked him, trying to change the subject.
“Came here?” he laughed. “You make it sound like I had a choice in the matter. I was eighteen,” he said with an endearing gleam in his eyes.
“And so you stay eighteen?” Presley questioned.
“Yes, we all have stayed the same age we were when we came here. Nobody ages. Nobody gets sick either,” he said.
“Then nobody dies?” she asked mystified.
“No, we can still die, many have died. We just don’t have sickness and disease. Some have died from accidents. Others died trying to find a way back home, and some have been captured by the Manes.” He looked at Paulette in a disappointing way. “That’s why I was so angry with Paulette for sneaking out of here the way that she did. As long as we stay within the walls of this town we are safe. We have a unique protection here that guards us from outside forces, the forces that inevitably want us all dead."
“What are these forces?” Presley asked, unsure if she truly wanted to know.
“The Manes. The evil spirits,” whispered Jesse.
“The
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