"Let's get this over with."
She moves purposefully towards the door and out into the hall.
I follow her into this cavern of black tile with mirrors on every wall. White sinks line the outsides with vanity tables and cupboards beneath.
It is quiet, except for an echoing intermittent drip from one of the shower heads that line the centre of the room. There are two rows of five showers, each with frosted glass between them.
Clara drops all of the bottles which clatter onto a vanity table, breaking the silence.
"Turn the shower on," she orders.
I place the clothes away from the shower and inspect it cautiously. There is a lever at chest height which seems to be my only choice. I twist it left and hard right, but it does nothing. I pull it towards me and a steady stream of icy water falls on my head surprising me. I jump out of the water with a shriek. After catching my breath, I cautiously place a hand back under the water. The water is so clear that white bubbles form as it hits my skin. It is warming up! This is amazing! I step back under it so that my body and face are submerged. I feel the mud, sweat and sand start to pour from my skin and down the drain.
The water grows warmer and warmer until it is too hot. I jump back. Seriously! What is wrong with this thing!
Clara appears beside me and centralises the lever. She pulls it back further increasing the pressure.
"That's probably better." She states. "Also, just for the record, you are supposed to take your clothes off before you get into the shower."
Oh. That makes sense. I peel off the top layer which sticks to me as I struggle my way out.
"What are you doing?" Clara shrieks in a whisper.
I pull my shirt back down which is stuck awkwardly around my neck.
"You said I should take off my clothes."
"You were going to take them off in front of me?" she asks, her eyebrows crawling up her face in disbelief.
"Why wouldn't I?"
She looks uncomfortable and is looking anywhere but at me.
"It's ok if you want to leave me here. I'm sure I'll work it out. You have shown me so much already," I inform her.
"No!" She interrupts me. "I am not leaving my stuff here with you. You need the help." She mulls it over for a moment.
"You should take them off."
I shrug and go back to trying to take off my shirt. It takes a couple of goes but it eventually peels away from my skin. I then have the painstaking task of unwrapping my breasts from the cloth I wind around my body to hold them in. The relief that comes with it is worth it. I exhale with the pressure off my lungs.
By the time I have removed my pants the room is steamy from the hot water and the mirrors are covered in condensation.
Clara still keeps her eyes well above my head when she talks to me. Surely she has seen it all before.
"Stand under the water until I say so," she commands me.
I face the showerhead and revel in the clean water that washes over me. The water smells so fresh I open my mouth to taste it. The taste is amazing. I gulp it down.
"What are you doing?" Clara asks.
I turn to look at her.
"This water is delicious! Have you tried it?"
YOU ARE READING
A Shard of Glass
FantasyIf you were lucky, you were born in Darlington. When the great city walls finally gave way to the rising water, the people moved up. Their houses, now partially submerged became islands of salvation from which a new society was born. If you were n...
