Page 10 of Spellbound
“Well, that’s not at all creepy. And I wasn’t ‘wandering.’ I was going for help.”
He gave a slight smile and shrugged, like he’d been joking, but I’d seen stuff online about the Appalachians and other mountain areas, and some of it was scary stuff.
“So, what do you do, Asher?” Ben asked.
“I’m a graduate student. I was a TA or Teaching Assistant at a college in Atlanta until recently. Until my accident. Then Ihad to quit, because they couldn’t give me any more time off to recover.”
“So, what will you do now, if you don’t mind my asking? Just focus on your recovery?”
“Not exactly. I mean, yes, I will, but I’m also going to be working on my thesis for my master’s degree. I’ve already started writing it, though I have a long way to go.”
“What’s it about?”
“It kind of revolves around the Confederate Home Guard. The ones who couldn’t serve because they were too old or too young. They were tasked with guarding the home front and finding deserters.”
“I don’t think that’s boring at all. Have you started the thesis yet or are you still researching?”
“No, I’ve made a start on the paper. Just barely. I have maybe twenty-thousand words or so, but it’s still all over the place. I’m having a little trouble. I may even start over once I’ve done a little more reading.”
“That seems like a shame.”
“Yeah, well…. How about you? What is it you do for a living?”
“I’m a magistrate for the Council. Are you familiar with that?”
“Not really, though I know my dad used to be one of those too. He’s been gone a while now. Something with the sheriff’s department or the Town Council, isn’t it?”
“No, not at all. Did anyone ever talk to you about his job?”
Before I could respond, a loud, rasping scream split the air, followed by a shriek that could have been made by a child. It was horrible and close by. It made me jump to my feet, my heart racing, because it was followed by another shriek, like something was being killed.
“Oh my God! What the hell was that?”
“It was a barn owl.”
“An owl? It sounded like a woman screaming. Or a baby.”
“That was loud, I admit. Some of the owls have nests close to the house, but they keep down the rodent population in the barn. They also kill and eat small mammals, so that last little shriek could have been a small rabbit.”
I shuddered. “It was terrifying.”
“You’ve had a long day, Asher. Why not go and lie down and get some rest? You’ll feel better in the morning” And suddenly the feelings I’d had earlier came back again, the ones I’d had the first time he’d told me to go inside, out in the yard as I arrived. It was a dizzying experience, like trying to focus when you’re drunk. A lethargy came over me, and an unwillingness to disagree with him. He was making good sense, after all. Iwastired, and in some ways, this had been a long, exhausting day. I was shaking all over after that thing screamed. Lying down sounded good just then. In fact, it sounded perfect. And somewhere just outside of actual hearing, there was a soft, soothing whisper inside my head, saying, “Sleep, rest, be calm.”
“I-I am tired. If you don’t mind, maybe I will go on up to bed. My leg is aching.”
“Probably the weather. Rosalyn says her arthritis bothers her more when it rains. I think it’s a good idea. Come inside and I’ll take you up to your room.”
I got to my feet, moving slowly and feeling drained and lightheaded. Ben guided me inside with a warm hand at my lower back and walked me up the wide staircase to the second floor. He opened a door halfway down the short hallway and ushered me inside, where a bed waited that had the covers already turned back. I’d never seen anything look so soft and white and inviting as those smooth, pristine sheets and plump pillows.
“Lie down,” he said, “You can unpack in the morning.” And then like in a dream, he was sitting me down and slipping off my shoes and socks and tugging off my jeans. It didn’t even feel strange in the least that he should see me in my underwear. He unbuttoned my shirt, looking down at me as he pulled it off, close enough that I could smell what was left of his aftershave, a musky, delicious scent. Oddly enough, I didn’t think anything he was doing was unusual. I swayed into him, pressing the side of my face against his chest, and he steadied me by putting his warm hands on my waist—on my bare skin. He was completely unbothered, like he did this kind of thing all the time. Only moments later he put me in bed in just my briefs and rolled me on my side, pulling up the quilt and turning off the bedside lamp. He laid his hand on my forehead, and I heard him say, “Sweet dreams.”
And that was the last thing I remembered.
****
Ben
I needed to interview Asher’s grandmother tonight, while he was out of the way, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.
