Surrealan in mist form. She looked back at her shivering kindred soul. She had to get him away from the others.
She saw John take a hesitant step forward. He was going to the school. That was not where she wanted him to go. He needed to head to her place. Not knowing what else to do, Jasira jumped in front of John and told him to stop. He walked through her.
Jasira pressed her lips together in frustration. She turned around. She noticed John had stopped walking. He was scanning the area with a baffled expression. Had he felt her? She had an idea. Smiling, she walked up to him.
John was confused. Why did he suddenly feel a wave of warmth hit him? The fragrance of vanilla was strong. He surveyed the area. A few children played in the distance, kicking a raggedy-looking ball around. Several warriors patrolled the high walls, above and below. The stable man was tidying up the space around his barn. And the farmer and his wife were setting up their fruits and vegetables for sale.
None of it could explain the sudden decrease in cold. John’s teeth stopped chattering. The warm air was filtering through the layers of his clothes. Unexpectedly, the warmth disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“What the…? No!” John spun in place.
He did not want to grow cold again. He reached out and felt the air, looking like a blind man trying to find his way. He felt foolish doing it, but he was tired of being cold. Ah! He found it—a warm spot. John quickly stepped into the middle. The warmth touched his cheeks. He sighed. It disappeared.
“Damn,” he swore. He reached out again.
He found it. He lost it. After a few minutes, John realized he was nearing the small house next door. Was the warmth coming from the house? Or was the warmth leading him to the house? John decided it made no difference. Ghost or not, he was not staying out in the cold any longer. He went to the house and knocked on the door.
Jasira was already inside. She waved her hand and the front door opened. John felt the warmth from indoors immediately touch his cheeks. He hurried inside, not wanting the precious heat to escape.
The smell of vanilla filled his nose. He quickly slammed the door shut, then apologized. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t want your heat to escape.” He turned around. “Thanks for letting me—” he stopped talking.
No one was in the room. He called out. No one answered. Strange. His sights paused on the vanilla scented candle. Someone must have lit it. He scanned the two-room house. The place was immaculate, like he had glimpsed through the window. Whoever lived there was a tidy person.
John paused at the table and inhaled. The candle’s smell eased the tension from his muscles. He took a seat on the wooden rocker positioned under the window. The kitchen was small but cozy. The only pieces of furniture in the room were the rocker and the small table with four chairs.
John reached for the top button of his jacket. He was no longer cold. In fact, he was getting hot. With a smile, he took off his jacket and two of his three shirts. At last, he had found a hot spot on the planet. He had to meet the owner and beg them to let him stay until Bogdan returned from his trip.
He heard a loud growl. John grimaced at the thought of leaving the warm house and returning to the cold castle to get something to eat. His stomach rumbled again.
“Growl all you want. I’m not going out there right now.” He sat back in the rocking chair and closed his eyes. He ignored his hunger and enjoyed not being cold.
A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and scanned the kitchen for something that looked like a refrigerator. He hoped the owner would not mind if he had a snack. He found no refrigerator. He searched inside the cabinets. They were all bare. Odd. There was no stove, but a fireplace with a medium-sized cauldron. His eyebrows lifted. He hoped whoever lived there was not a witch. He disliked witches as much as ghosts.
John re-entered the second
She saw John take a hesitant step forward. He was going to the school. That was not where she wanted him to go. He needed to head to her place. Not knowing what else to do, Jasira jumped in front of John and told him to stop. He walked through her.
Jasira pressed her lips together in frustration. She turned around. She noticed John had stopped walking. He was scanning the area with a baffled expression. Had he felt her? She had an idea. Smiling, she walked up to him.
John was confused. Why did he suddenly feel a wave of warmth hit him? The fragrance of vanilla was strong. He surveyed the area. A few children played in the distance, kicking a raggedy-looking ball around. Several warriors patrolled the high walls, above and below. The stable man was tidying up the space around his barn. And the farmer and his wife were setting up their fruits and vegetables for sale.
None of it could explain the sudden decrease in cold. John’s teeth stopped chattering. The warm air was filtering through the layers of his clothes. Unexpectedly, the warmth disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“What the…? No!” John spun in place.
He did not want to grow cold again. He reached out and felt the air, looking like a blind man trying to find his way. He felt foolish doing it, but he was tired of being cold. Ah! He found it—a warm spot. John quickly stepped into the middle. The warmth touched his cheeks. He sighed. It disappeared.
“Damn,” he swore. He reached out again.
He found it. He lost it. After a few minutes, John realized he was nearing the small house next door. Was the warmth coming from the house? Or was the warmth leading him to the house? John decided it made no difference. Ghost or not, he was not staying out in the cold any longer. He went to the house and knocked on the door.
Jasira was already inside. She waved her hand and the front door opened. John felt the warmth from indoors immediately touch his cheeks. He hurried inside, not wanting the precious heat to escape.
The smell of vanilla filled his nose. He quickly slammed the door shut, then apologized. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t want your heat to escape.” He turned around. “Thanks for letting me—” he stopped talking.
No one was in the room. He called out. No one answered. Strange. His sights paused on the vanilla scented candle. Someone must have lit it. He scanned the two-room house. The place was immaculate, like he had glimpsed through the window. Whoever lived there was a tidy person.
John paused at the table and inhaled. The candle’s smell eased the tension from his muscles. He took a seat on the wooden rocker positioned under the window. The kitchen was small but cozy. The only pieces of furniture in the room were the rocker and the small table with four chairs.
John reached for the top button of his jacket. He was no longer cold. In fact, he was getting hot. With a smile, he took off his jacket and two of his three shirts. At last, he had found a hot spot on the planet. He had to meet the owner and beg them to let him stay until Bogdan returned from his trip.
He heard a loud growl. John grimaced at the thought of leaving the warm house and returning to the cold castle to get something to eat. His stomach rumbled again.
“Growl all you want. I’m not going out there right now.” He sat back in the rocking chair and closed his eyes. He ignored his hunger and enjoyed not being cold.
A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and scanned the kitchen for something that looked like a refrigerator. He hoped the owner would not mind if he had a snack. He found no refrigerator. He searched inside the cabinets. They were all bare. Odd. There was no stove, but a fireplace with a medium-sized cauldron. His eyebrows lifted. He hoped whoever lived there was not a witch. He disliked witches as much as ghosts.
John re-entered the second
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