in the city all that time, the lack of fresh air and
all…maybe when a man gets out into nature, he feels so much more for the first
time, say…that is, his body might experience a whole new spectrum of…”
Oh, for the love
of... That wasn’t where I’d meant to head. “That is,” I tried again. “Of taste,
and scent…senses, little parts of his body he’s never used, suddenly waking up,
now that there’s something to stimulate them…”
I cursed myself
silently .
“I think you’re
right,” Merrick said simply, and turned away to continue on.
I grabbed my own
face, scowling fiercely before I shook my limbs out and rushed to catch up to
him.
For the rest of
the morning, we gathered mushrooms that grew under great sheets of bark.
Merrick cautioned me never to eat a mushroom I didn’t know, or any plant, for
that matter. He shared a few terrible poisoning cases he’d witnessed for good
measure. As if that were necessary – a city boy like me would never eat
anything in the woods without specific instructions!
“Were you an
apothecary before you stopped being human, sir?”
“No.”
“When did you
start?”
“Soon after.”
“You’ve been doing
this for two and a half centuries, then?”
He nodded. We were
heading back to the cottage now.
“You’re still
interested in it?”
“I have not done
it continuously.”
I looked at him
curiously. “Oh? Did you try other trades? What else did you do?”
“I do not
generally work. I do what pleases me.”
“How is it that
after two and a half centuries alive you end up in a stone cottage in the woods
outside an American colony?”
“I wanted to be
alone.”
And yet he’d
gotten himself an apprentice? I left off questioning to puzzle over this, having
still too many inquiries to choose the next one for that moment.
I did the usual
chores when we returned, and took my usual bath. I was reading at the table
when Merrick excused himself to go into the cave.
“How big is the
cave, sir?” I asked as he passed the table.
“It’s quite
large.” Merrick said. “And it joins a network with several exits. I will show
you some time in the future.”
No hurry. Not
that I wasn’t curious, but it was rather creepy. I watched Merrick disappear.
Merrick came up
after I’d gone to bed. I was having a bit of trouble getting to sleep, too busy
worrying about staying on my side of the mattress. It was not the most restful
night, all in all.
Chapter 11
I was a secret
wreck.
Day after day, I
tried to cure myself of my feelings for Merrick.
But each day, he
was the same kind and gentle host, the same patient teacher with the same
smooth, magnetic voice. I was drawn to him. It didn’t matter that he still wore
his hood most of the time. I wanted to curl up in it, nestle my face in the
neck of it and play with the folds.
What the hell. I
was smitten. Smitten .
And then on
occasion he would remove his robe and I would see his perfect face, and each
time my eyes wandered to his well-shaped shoulders and I would remember how his
muscles had felt in my grip and be overwhelmed by a terrifying certainty that
it had not been a dream, that night when he’d touched me. But then I would be
distracted again by his calm and brilliant eyes, and the surprising smile that
came without warning, and the soft, pale pink lips.
And then he would
lie in bed beside me and I would suffer. How I suffered! I was suffering !
And so it truly
seemed like a merciful act of God when one night, while Merrick worked quietly
in the main room and I lay struggling to sleep, a young woman came calling with
an unusual plea.
“Master Merrick,”
she implored in hushed tones, her voice wearied and distorted by tears. “I
cannot go on this way. I beg you.”
“I’ve told you
before, Jessica,” Merrick said, his tone as stern as I had ever heard it. “I
will not entertain such notions.”
I nearly tuned her
out. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard a
all…maybe when a man gets out into nature, he feels so much more for the first
time, say…that is, his body might experience a whole new spectrum of…”
Oh, for the love
of... That wasn’t where I’d meant to head. “That is,” I tried again. “Of taste,
and scent…senses, little parts of his body he’s never used, suddenly waking up,
now that there’s something to stimulate them…”
I cursed myself
silently .
“I think you’re
right,” Merrick said simply, and turned away to continue on.
I grabbed my own
face, scowling fiercely before I shook my limbs out and rushed to catch up to
him.
For the rest of
the morning, we gathered mushrooms that grew under great sheets of bark.
Merrick cautioned me never to eat a mushroom I didn’t know, or any plant, for
that matter. He shared a few terrible poisoning cases he’d witnessed for good
measure. As if that were necessary – a city boy like me would never eat
anything in the woods without specific instructions!
“Were you an
apothecary before you stopped being human, sir?”
“No.”
“When did you
start?”
“Soon after.”
“You’ve been doing
this for two and a half centuries, then?”
He nodded. We were
heading back to the cottage now.
“You’re still
interested in it?”
“I have not done
it continuously.”
I looked at him
curiously. “Oh? Did you try other trades? What else did you do?”
“I do not
generally work. I do what pleases me.”
“How is it that
after two and a half centuries alive you end up in a stone cottage in the woods
outside an American colony?”
“I wanted to be
alone.”
And yet he’d
gotten himself an apprentice? I left off questioning to puzzle over this, having
still too many inquiries to choose the next one for that moment.
I did the usual
chores when we returned, and took my usual bath. I was reading at the table
when Merrick excused himself to go into the cave.
“How big is the
cave, sir?” I asked as he passed the table.
“It’s quite
large.” Merrick said. “And it joins a network with several exits. I will show
you some time in the future.”
No hurry. Not
that I wasn’t curious, but it was rather creepy. I watched Merrick disappear.
Merrick came up
after I’d gone to bed. I was having a bit of trouble getting to sleep, too busy
worrying about staying on my side of the mattress. It was not the most restful
night, all in all.
Chapter 11
I was a secret
wreck.
Day after day, I
tried to cure myself of my feelings for Merrick.
But each day, he
was the same kind and gentle host, the same patient teacher with the same
smooth, magnetic voice. I was drawn to him. It didn’t matter that he still wore
his hood most of the time. I wanted to curl up in it, nestle my face in the
neck of it and play with the folds.
What the hell. I
was smitten. Smitten .
And then on
occasion he would remove his robe and I would see his perfect face, and each
time my eyes wandered to his well-shaped shoulders and I would remember how his
muscles had felt in my grip and be overwhelmed by a terrifying certainty that
it had not been a dream, that night when he’d touched me. But then I would be
distracted again by his calm and brilliant eyes, and the surprising smile that
came without warning, and the soft, pale pink lips.
And then he would
lie in bed beside me and I would suffer. How I suffered! I was suffering !
And so it truly
seemed like a merciful act of God when one night, while Merrick worked quietly
in the main room and I lay struggling to sleep, a young woman came calling with
an unusual plea.
“Master Merrick,”
she implored in hushed tones, her voice wearied and distorted by tears. “I
cannot go on this way. I beg you.”
“I’ve told you
before, Jessica,” Merrick said, his tone as stern as I had ever heard it. “I
will not entertain such notions.”
I nearly tuned her
out. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard a
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