The Blind And The Serpent

Chapter VI

Cecil wakes up sitting on the wooden floor, with his shoulders covered by a thick blanket, Alessia was huddled and with a furry blanket covering her up to her shoulder. He feels her weight lying on his leg and avoids making sudden movements so he would not wake her up. He waits almost half an hour and realizes that he may have woken up too soon; he folds his blanket and carefully raises her head to move his legs aside and place the blanket for her to use as a pillow.

His legs feel numb and he is unable to force them so he is compelled to wait a few more minutes, he realizes that he hadn't showered before going to sleep so there was dry mud on his feet, even though he felt gross, he didn't feel bad. That night, everything he had learned about Alessia was worth a single night of no showering, he believed she would think same.

Cecil gets up and feeds the animals as Alessia instructed him to do in case he woke up earlier than she would.

Cecil realizes that maybe it will take her a while to wake up, he covers her with that blanket she was using as a pillow, takes her in his arms and decides to return to the temple, he feels the soft fabric of her clothes and the sweet smell of her hair as he walks outside. He has some difficulty opening the door, being careful not to hit her head on the frame. When he opens the door, he feels the cold morning air in his bare chest and shivers, an opaque light invades his vision.

Cecil go back over the path he took with Alessia last night, his memory and sense of space make it easy for him to go through that forest. Despite the fact that she said to he was a mazy place, they walked straight forward all the time so he thought he was able to go back there without her help.

While walking in the forest he wondered what he was doing there, what happened in his life to take him there, to be in love with the Medusa herself, or Alessia as he met her. He had never stopped to reflect that he was dealing with something far beyond his comprehension, she is older than he is even able to imagine, even though he believed her, he never realized that she was practically a deity, with powers that he had only heard in tales, he didn't really know what think of her.

He had deep feelings; she had already reassured him about the future, but what about the present? How difficult would it be to deal with a daughter of titans? What would he do if she realized the situation you were in, she being a deity and he just a person, with a nine-five job? These questions were stuck in his head and he forced himself to trust what she said, because according to Alessia, there was no chance that she would return to Greece, her place was there and with her was the only place he felt like belonging, where he wanted to be.

He feels the ground change, it is the ground of the grove, at that moment he realizes that he was on the right path and for a while those thoughts he had, give way to a slight pride. Cecil takes a deep breath, smelling the flowers and move on.

Entering the temple, he puts her on the bed and covers her with the furry blanket. He goes to the bathroom with his backpack, picks up some personal hygiene items, brushes his teeth, washes his face, his muddy feet and goes back to her room, there was a chair beside the bed, he sits meditatively, repeating what he had thought of in the forest, it lasts some time until Alessia wakes up, stretching.

- Good morning, Alessia – says he, softly - did you sleep well?

She looks around, observing the place she is and replies in a hoarse voice:

- Good morning, dear... - she yawns and turns to Cecil's side - I slept well, yes, but the barn floor as a mattress and your legs as a pillow make a bed much more comfortable than mine - she gives a fading laugh and question - what time is it?

- Around eight in the morning – says Cecil – and it's still cloudy and cold.

She opens her eyes as much as she can, her vision was sensitive and even though the room is illuminated by a half-light, it is uncomfortable.