Was it getting dark yet?
Frank slid an arm across silk sheets to find something, an indentation or warmth, anything to prove it wasn’t a dream. Fingers smoothed cool emptiness.
He got up and stood naked at the window. A red sun falling through stag-headed oaks. The gravel drive ruddy in failing light.
Perhaps he should go. Pulled on his jeans, tee-shirt, boots, aviator jacket. Time to take off, fly this mausoleum. His motorbike with the broken kick-stand waiting against the stable wall in the courtyard.
Where had she got to?
His parents would be worried. Mum would have tried to phone by now. No signal. Where was he, did he want food put aside for him? The usual fuss. Christ, he was eighteen, what did she expect?
A fox shrieked in the woods.
Frank shivered, looked reluctantly at the bed, looked on the floor for his clothes, looked at the heavy gold ring on his ring finger. He didn’t remember that. Pulled at it but it wouldn’t budge. Some kind of crest. Red gold. He went to the washstand, spilt water from the ewer into a fancy bowl and scrubbed at his hands. The water stringed with old blood. Scrubbed his fingernails with lavender soap. More blood. Dabbed at the crusted over scabs on his shoulders. What the fuck was this?
Perhaps he should go. It was getting late. He wanted his home, his own bed, familiar things. Light.
A breeze sneaked in at the window. Heavy drapes billowed like funeral barge sails. Were those figures in the shadows?
He remembered the taste of musty wine, voices in his head, her naked breasts swaying, cool strong hands on his shoulders, black lips smiling.
Eyes like a tiger.
—
©2008 Bill West
Bill West lives in Shropshire, UK. He is a member of a number on-line writing communities and is Group Host for the WriteWords Flash Fiction One Group. His work has appeared MicroHorror, Kaleidotrope, Every Day Fiction, Static Movement, Twisted Tongue, Zygote in My Coffee, FlashQuake, Heavy Glow, Bewildering Stories, 52 Stitches and other places. www.writewords.org.uk/bill_west
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Tags: Bill West
March 9th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Oh, this was very good, Bill. Chilling.
–dj
March 19th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Thanks DJ !