The Undertaker had been gone for hours and returned early in the morning. Even though the sun was peeking over the horizon on earth, it always remained pitch black. . . the way he preferred it. He sat down at his large desk and reached for a book, eager to continue his reading. He didn’t even bother removing his long black robe since he had to again go out in a few hours, but he did push his hood back so he could read the book better. He was so caught up in his activities that he had failed to check on his guests. Only when he heard a choked gasp from the far corner of the room did the memory come back to him.
He quickly stood up, his gaze glued to the corner covered in shadows. She was pressed up against his wall and slowly moved into the corner as he came closer. She looked like a frightened doe cornered by a hunter. He quickly moved in front of her to prevent escape and to his surprise, she slid down the wall in defeat until she reached the floor. She huddled at his feet, looking up at him with large horror filled eyes. She only looked up at him for a second before ducking her head down and bringing her arms up to cover her head. He could see her trembling and wasn’t sure what to do. He knew that she needed to be back in bed for her skin was still gray. As the two of them stayed there, the cat came down the stairs and sauntered up to the girl and rubbed itself against her bent leg, purring happily to see that his friend was awake.
Kristen looked up with her arms still covering her head to see her cat in front of her. The relaxing sound of its purr somehow soothed her racing heart. After it had rubbed itself repeatedly against her leg, it went to the scary man and sat next to him, looking at her with his round yellow eyes. Kristen gulped and slowly looked up at the man. On top of waking up in a house she was unfamiliar with and seeing this man appear out of thin air, the thought that this was her brother playing a trick on her ran through her mind. Tears welled up her eyes as she looked up at the huge man.
"Please. . . don’t hurt me. . ." she choked in a weak voice. The man bent down in front of her and she scooted closer to the wall. She had expected him to talk, but instead he reached out to her, quickly grabbing her upper arm and lifted her off the floor in one fluid motion. As soon as she was raised up from the floor, she shut her eyes and held her breath, expecting to be slapped or punched. But to her surpise, she felt two large hands rest on her shoulders, turning her toward the staiircase that she had just decended and pushed her forward until she began to walk. His hands never left her shoulders as he guided her down the hallway and to the room. Her hands were pressed against her belly in fear and her eyes were wide as they walked.
Kristen still thought that he was somehow connected to her horrible brother. She thought briefly of fighting him, but he was much larger that her brother and wanted to see where he was taking her. He ended up taking her to the pretty room that she had awakened in. The thick carpet quieted his footsteps as he crossed the room and set her down on her feet next to the large bed. As soon as felt his hands leave her, she quickly moved away from him. A man of his size could easily snap her in two, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him.
The Undertaker let the girl move away and read her thoughts. He wanted to ask her why she had such a fear toward her brother, but thought that this would not be the appropreate time to ask. Instead of talking, he looked at her and pointed to the closed bathroom door.
Kristen slowly made her way to the closed door, and while keeping one eye on him, she reached down to the doorknob and turned it until she heard a soft click then pushed the heavy door opened. Her eyes left the man in order to gaze at the large bathroom. Her bathroom had been small and cramped. This was large and welcoming, almost a feeling of peace. She heard him move behind her and turned to see him leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
She ran to the door and opened it to insure that he did not lock it. She flung the door open to see the dark hallway and sighed in her relief. She re-closed the door and returned to the bathroom, stepping into it and closing the door behind her. She walked up to the large bathtub that gleamed in the firelight from the lamps and nearby fireplace. She slowly circled the tub, admiring it’s smoothness and gold trimming. It was free of any cracks and imperfections. Her hand slowly slid over the smooth silver faucets, admiring the way they sparkled. She glanced at the closed bathroom door, hoping that the large man wouldn’t decide to come in. She found that she was holding her breath as her hand rested on the handle for hot water. She slowly turned it and clear warm water came gushing out into the tub. She expermintently stuck her hand under the running water, feeling the warm water run over her hand. She quickly put the stopper in the drain and straightened, again looking at the door before she lifted her old t-shirt over her head.
Copyright 1999 by Lady Serria