As he walked through the halls, he passed by the playroom and numerous bedrooms with names written on the doors.
“There is so much happiness here,” Osiris whispered.
“You should see it during the day,” Eddy said as she entered the kitchen ahead of him.
Lighting some oil lamps, the room began to glow in a soft orange. “Would you be a dear?” she asked, gesturing to the open cast iron stove.
Osiris smiled as he walked forward, bending down to open the small door that held the wood and coals. Taking a breath, he blew out some of the fire from his head. Within seconds, the stove began to heat.
“I know you said not to ask, but you cannot fault an old woman for being curious. Tell me what has you so nervous, Osiris.”
Osiris stood up and walked back to Eddy, stopping when he reached her side. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she leaned against the wooden counter.
“I…” words had never been a struggle for Osiris, and yet at that moment, all of his eloquence seemed to escape him. “I have a woman in my home.”
Eddy’s eyes widened. “A woman? Ahumanwoman?”
Osiris’ shoulders sagged as he squeezed his hands harder. “I found her. She was hurt. The beings were leaving the forest and I didn’t want to risk them finding her, so I took her home in a panic, but now I have no idea how to get her out without one of the beings sensing a human. I don’t know what to do but, come morning, she will need food, and what if I ruined everything by bringing her back-”
Eddy grabbed Osiris’ hands, cutting off his ramblings as she held them in her own. “Breathe,” she said, “as much as you can, try to breathe. Everything will be okay.”
“She doesn’t even know that I am not human. When she finds out, she will think I am a monster.”
“Hush, Osiris. It is unfair for you to determine her reaction before you even give her a chance. Do you know how to eat a squash?”
Osiris tilted his head. “Pardon?”
Eddy chuckled. “A squash,” she started, dropping his hands as she rummaged through the cupboards, pulling out a large mixing bowl, “is a very large vegetable. If you try to eat it all at once, you will fail. You might even choke. The only way to successfully eat something so enormous, is to do so one bite at a time.” Eddy handed Osiris the mixing bowl and nodded her head towards the orange aprons, hanging on the wooden wall. “So, take this one step at a time. And that first step should be learning how to make something edible, so the poor thing doesn’t starve to death.”
Osiris smiled softly, some of his nerves settling enough that his head brightened. “What are we making?”
10
ELEANOR
Eleanor’s eyes slowly opened, the sound of someone knocking on the door in rapid succession filling the room, accompanied by the smell of freshly made pancakes and warm butter.
She sat up carefully, her head still feeling the effects of last night. Looking down, she realized she was still wearing her wedding dress. Only, it was no longer pristine. It had stains of dirt and grass, some drops of blood near her shoulder, and was altogether a wrinkled mess. If her uncle had been here to see her, he would surely spew his rage.
“Please put on the blindfold,” Osiris requested.
Eleanor looked to the bedside table, and sure enough, there was a black blindfold neatly resting atop it. She laughed softly. “Is this truly necessary?” Reaching forward, she picked it up and did as he asked. She lifted it to her eyes and carefully tied it around her head. “It is on. I am officially unable to see,” she teased.
“It is necessary,” he started, “I wish to speak with you, and you must eat.”
“How am I supposed to eat if I cannot see anything?”
Footsteps approached and she listened intently as they came closer, stopping just in front of her.
“May I touch you?” he asked, almost sheepishly. “I will bring you to the table where you can eat.”
Eleanor’s face began to heat as she nodded carefully. Not being able to see only made her focus on his voice even more. It was deep and raspy, and she was sure she could listen to him talk all day.
Why am I so nervous?
She carefully lifted her hand and after a moment, she felt a large hand wrap around hers. She let him gently pull her to her feet. Even in his movements, there was hesitation. As he placed his other arm around her waist to guide her, her heart seemed to skip a beat.
Eleanor followed his pacing, carefully taking one step after the other, turning as he put more or less pressure on her waist.
