popular, or less?’
‘More; much
more.’
He says it, I
think, with bitterness.
‘I couldn’t fail
to notice the bitterness there Iain,’ Lamia says with a low
chuckle. ‘As I suspected, it’s jealously you’re suffering from; the
resentment, too, that power has slipped out of your hands into
Stephanie’s.’
She gracefully
walks back from the cabinet, holding a glass of the potion in her
hand.
I’m a little
disappointed that it isn’t steaming, as you’d expect a magical
potion to be. It isn’t even fizzing.
It looks like
milk.
‘I can cure you;
I can make you happy one more.’
She hands Iain
the potion.
‘Drink,’ she
orders.
Iain gives me an
edgy glance.
‘You’re sure
it’s safe?’ he asks me.
I nod,
smile.
‘Course it’s
safe; I wouldn’t bring you here, would I, if I didn’t think it
was?’
Iain still
hesitates. The glass shakes slightly in his hand.
‘Please Iain,’ I
plead. ‘It’s the only way we can be truly happy!’
He brings the
glass up to his lips.
He tries it with
a sip.
I smile, urging
him on.
He drinks
more.
He drains the
glass.
Lamia takes the
empty glass from him.
‘It will make
you feel drowsy for a while, perhaps even send you briefly to
sleep; but don’t worry, this is all perfectly natural.’
‘Sleep?’
Iain already
sounds dazed. Anxious too.
‘It’s all
perfectly normal.’ Lamia’s voice is professional,
reassuring.
‘I’m tired, very
tir…’
He’s slouching
slightly in his seat.
He smiles, a
child-like smile, a sleepy smile.
He drifts off,
mumbling as if a little drunk.
He slumps limply
in his chair.
‘He’s asleep?’
Lamia asks me.
I
nod.
And then we both
laugh.
*
Chapter 21
Why are we
laughing?
Poor
Iain!
As I rise up
from my seat, Lamia throws her arms around me and hugs me closely,
lovingly.
‘It’s so good to see you again Panthia!’
Panthia ?
‘Mother!’ I
say.
Mother ?
‘Wow, your
subconscious is really playing games now Steph,’ Dave says
with an amused chuckle. ‘Just how many deep-rooted problems have
you got circulating around in that mind of yours?’
Lamia and I pull
apart with affectionate smiles.
Lamia glares at
Iain with obvious disgust.
‘It’s a good
thing you worked out he’d been in love with her after all,’ she
says, taking my hand tenderly. ‘It could have caused
complications.’
‘I haven’t felt
anything odd though,’ I say. ‘I don’t think it’s had any
effect.’
Lamia draws me
close again, standing directly in front of me.
She taller than
me. It could be the killer high heels she’s wearing.
‘It’s still
wiser to check,’ she says, locking eyes with mine.
Wow!
Seeing her eyes
like this is really unnerving.
They’re wide,
unblinking.
They really are
like deep pools of sparkling water.
‘Are you there
Stephanie?’ She says it kindly. ‘I know you’re in there
somewhere dear; so please make yourself known to me!’
*
What’s going
on?
How does she
know I’m here?
‘She doesn’t
really know you’re here, because she doesn’t really exist,
remember Steph?’ Dave explains.
‘If it really is
your subconscious we’re tapping into here, it obviously knows
you’re watching everything,’ Jassy agrees. ‘Although what Freud
would make of it, I’ve no idea.’
‘Come out, come
out, wherever you are,’ Lamia trills creepily.
Thankfully, she
pulls away from me once more.
Those eyes were
weirdly hypnotic, like they really were capable of drawing me
out.
Like you skewer
out a winkle from its shell!
‘Are you sure
you haven’t felt her trying to regain some form of control?’ Lamia
asks me.
‘I’m sure of
it,’ I reply. ‘She’s still safely locked away where she should be.
Well, ever since lover boy here was ensnared of course.’
I giggle
wickedly.
‘Hmn, not as
ensnared as he should have been, obviously.’
Lamia observes
the sleeping Iain intently, a new sense of admiration in
‘More; much
more.’
He says it, I
think, with bitterness.
‘I couldn’t fail
to notice the bitterness there Iain,’ Lamia says with a low
chuckle. ‘As I suspected, it’s jealously you’re suffering from; the
resentment, too, that power has slipped out of your hands into
Stephanie’s.’
She gracefully
walks back from the cabinet, holding a glass of the potion in her
hand.
I’m a little
disappointed that it isn’t steaming, as you’d expect a magical
potion to be. It isn’t even fizzing.
It looks like
milk.
‘I can cure you;
I can make you happy one more.’
She hands Iain
the potion.
‘Drink,’ she
orders.
Iain gives me an
edgy glance.
‘You’re sure
it’s safe?’ he asks me.
I nod,
smile.
‘Course it’s
safe; I wouldn’t bring you here, would I, if I didn’t think it
was?’
Iain still
hesitates. The glass shakes slightly in his hand.
‘Please Iain,’ I
plead. ‘It’s the only way we can be truly happy!’
He brings the
glass up to his lips.
He tries it with
a sip.
I smile, urging
him on.
He drinks
more.
He drains the
glass.
Lamia takes the
empty glass from him.
‘It will make
you feel drowsy for a while, perhaps even send you briefly to
sleep; but don’t worry, this is all perfectly natural.’
‘Sleep?’
Iain already
sounds dazed. Anxious too.
‘It’s all
perfectly normal.’ Lamia’s voice is professional,
reassuring.
‘I’m tired, very
tir…’
He’s slouching
slightly in his seat.
He smiles, a
child-like smile, a sleepy smile.
He drifts off,
mumbling as if a little drunk.
He slumps limply
in his chair.
‘He’s asleep?’
Lamia asks me.
I
nod.
And then we both
laugh.
*
Chapter 21
Why are we
laughing?
Poor
Iain!
As I rise up
from my seat, Lamia throws her arms around me and hugs me closely,
lovingly.
‘It’s so good to see you again Panthia!’
Panthia ?
‘Mother!’ I
say.
Mother ?
‘Wow, your
subconscious is really playing games now Steph,’ Dave says
with an amused chuckle. ‘Just how many deep-rooted problems have
you got circulating around in that mind of yours?’
Lamia and I pull
apart with affectionate smiles.
Lamia glares at
Iain with obvious disgust.
‘It’s a good
thing you worked out he’d been in love with her after all,’ she
says, taking my hand tenderly. ‘It could have caused
complications.’
‘I haven’t felt
anything odd though,’ I say. ‘I don’t think it’s had any
effect.’
Lamia draws me
close again, standing directly in front of me.
She taller than
me. It could be the killer high heels she’s wearing.
‘It’s still
wiser to check,’ she says, locking eyes with mine.
Wow!
Seeing her eyes
like this is really unnerving.
They’re wide,
unblinking.
They really are
like deep pools of sparkling water.
‘Are you there
Stephanie?’ She says it kindly. ‘I know you’re in there
somewhere dear; so please make yourself known to me!’
*
What’s going
on?
How does she
know I’m here?
‘She doesn’t
really know you’re here, because she doesn’t really exist,
remember Steph?’ Dave explains.
‘If it really is
your subconscious we’re tapping into here, it obviously knows
you’re watching everything,’ Jassy agrees. ‘Although what Freud
would make of it, I’ve no idea.’
‘Come out, come
out, wherever you are,’ Lamia trills creepily.
Thankfully, she
pulls away from me once more.
Those eyes were
weirdly hypnotic, like they really were capable of drawing me
out.
Like you skewer
out a winkle from its shell!
‘Are you sure
you haven’t felt her trying to regain some form of control?’ Lamia
asks me.
‘I’m sure of
it,’ I reply. ‘She’s still safely locked away where she should be.
Well, ever since lover boy here was ensnared of course.’
I giggle
wickedly.
‘Hmn, not as
ensnared as he should have been, obviously.’
Lamia observes
the sleeping Iain intently, a new sense of admiration in
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