downstairs. There were no windows, which made the room seem even smaller. “You will find towels in the linen closet.” She pointed at the door between the living room and the bathroom.
“I think I’ll take Leo’s suggestion and have a shower,” I told her.
“Take your time. It could be several hours before they return.”
My spare sets of clothing were only slightly less dirty than the ones I was wearing. I didn’t relish the idea of wearing any of them once I was clean. “I don’t suppose you have anything I could wear until I can wash my clothes?”
Assessing my torn jeans and grimy t-shirt and hoodie, she nodded. “I am sure I can find you something.” She disappeared into her room for a few moments and returned with a light blue button up shirt and loose black trousers. They weren’t my usual casual style, but it was better than nothing.
“Thanks. You don’t happen to have a washing machine handy, do you?”
“Of course. Give me your clothes and I will take care of them for you.”
“That’d be great.” My gratitude wasn’t feigned. She waited in the hall as I stripped down. I took the extra clothes out of my backpack and dropped them on the pile on the floor. Wrapping a towel around me, I scooped up the dirty clothing. Sophia turned around when I opened the door. I handed her my small bundle of clothing and she disappeared downstairs.
Stepping beneath the spray, I took a long, hot shower and felt a lot better when I finally shut the water off. A week’s worth of grime was gone and my hair was squeaky clean again. I used my cheap comb to tame the tangles then borrowed Sophia’s hair dryer. I automatically braided the sides then plaited them together at the back. I liked the style now, even though it had just been for convenience to start with.
Pulling on my only clean set of underwear, I donned the shirt and trousers that I’d borrowed from my host. I had to roll the hem of the trousers up a few times, but it didn’t look quite as ridiculous as I’d expected.
Returning downstairs, the door at the end of the wide hallway was standing open. It was a tiny laundry and Sophia was transferring my clothes from the washing machine into the dryer.
With nothing else to do, I entered the front room and started browsing through the shelves. Seeing a book about angels and demons, I grabbed it and sat down at the round table. I still wasn’t entirely convinced that I wasn’t hallucinating all this. Just in case it was real, learning more about the supernatural world couldn’t hurt.
₪₪₪
Chapter Nine
Sophia entered the room some time later with more tea and a plate of cookies. I glanced up, thanked her and returned to the book. She didn’t linger and left me to read. I heard her bustling about inside the kitchen, but the sound faded as I became engrossed in the book again.
I knew very little about heaven and hell. My mother had been religious, but she’d never pushed her beliefs onto me. Given my stubborn nature, it had probably been wise of her. I believed in God, but figured he’d given up on us a long time ago. I couldn’t really blame him for washing his hands of us. Giving us free will seemed to have been a colossal mistake. Humans were the most selfish and destructive creatures that had ever been created.
Angels on the other hand, were pretty close to perfect, or so the book said. They’d also been given free will, but since they lived in heaven, they hadn’t been exposed to the same temptations that humans had. Lucifer had been the first to rebel. An overblown sense of self-importance had been his downfall. God had cast him out and Lucifer, or Satan as he was commonly called now, had taken a third of the angels with him. Their holy grace had changed after their expulsion and they’d become unholy demons.
Being sent to hell had twisted them from the beautiful and flawless spirits that they’d once been. Some had managed to escape from their prison and now lived
“I think I’ll take Leo’s suggestion and have a shower,” I told her.
“Take your time. It could be several hours before they return.”
My spare sets of clothing were only slightly less dirty than the ones I was wearing. I didn’t relish the idea of wearing any of them once I was clean. “I don’t suppose you have anything I could wear until I can wash my clothes?”
Assessing my torn jeans and grimy t-shirt and hoodie, she nodded. “I am sure I can find you something.” She disappeared into her room for a few moments and returned with a light blue button up shirt and loose black trousers. They weren’t my usual casual style, but it was better than nothing.
“Thanks. You don’t happen to have a washing machine handy, do you?”
“Of course. Give me your clothes and I will take care of them for you.”
“That’d be great.” My gratitude wasn’t feigned. She waited in the hall as I stripped down. I took the extra clothes out of my backpack and dropped them on the pile on the floor. Wrapping a towel around me, I scooped up the dirty clothing. Sophia turned around when I opened the door. I handed her my small bundle of clothing and she disappeared downstairs.
Stepping beneath the spray, I took a long, hot shower and felt a lot better when I finally shut the water off. A week’s worth of grime was gone and my hair was squeaky clean again. I used my cheap comb to tame the tangles then borrowed Sophia’s hair dryer. I automatically braided the sides then plaited them together at the back. I liked the style now, even though it had just been for convenience to start with.
Pulling on my only clean set of underwear, I donned the shirt and trousers that I’d borrowed from my host. I had to roll the hem of the trousers up a few times, but it didn’t look quite as ridiculous as I’d expected.
Returning downstairs, the door at the end of the wide hallway was standing open. It was a tiny laundry and Sophia was transferring my clothes from the washing machine into the dryer.
With nothing else to do, I entered the front room and started browsing through the shelves. Seeing a book about angels and demons, I grabbed it and sat down at the round table. I still wasn’t entirely convinced that I wasn’t hallucinating all this. Just in case it was real, learning more about the supernatural world couldn’t hurt.
₪₪₪
Chapter Nine
Sophia entered the room some time later with more tea and a plate of cookies. I glanced up, thanked her and returned to the book. She didn’t linger and left me to read. I heard her bustling about inside the kitchen, but the sound faded as I became engrossed in the book again.
I knew very little about heaven and hell. My mother had been religious, but she’d never pushed her beliefs onto me. Given my stubborn nature, it had probably been wise of her. I believed in God, but figured he’d given up on us a long time ago. I couldn’t really blame him for washing his hands of us. Giving us free will seemed to have been a colossal mistake. Humans were the most selfish and destructive creatures that had ever been created.
Angels on the other hand, were pretty close to perfect, or so the book said. They’d also been given free will, but since they lived in heaven, they hadn’t been exposed to the same temptations that humans had. Lucifer had been the first to rebel. An overblown sense of self-importance had been his downfall. God had cast him out and Lucifer, or Satan as he was commonly called now, had taken a third of the angels with him. Their holy grace had changed after their expulsion and they’d become unholy demons.
Being sent to hell had twisted them from the beautiful and flawless spirits that they’d once been. Some had managed to escape from their prison and now lived
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