Elrich Saga Yellow Springs Book Two

Chapter 38 I Think I Made a Mistake and I Meet Bob

Chapter 38 I Think I Made a Mistake and I Meet Bob

I tried going to bed early. It wasn't happening though. I'd lay down and close my eyes and my dreams kept waking me. First it was five dead men laying on a platform but they'd been left there a while. Rotten much like the Undead. I kept seeing them stand up and then they'd turn and just look at me as their bodies rotted in fast motion.

Then I had dreams about being chased in the woods by something, but then I'd turn around and nothing would be there. I knew it was there but my eyes didn't see it. Pure terror filled me and woke me up again.

The third dream was of my Gran. We were sitting in the kitchen and she was washing potatoes in the sink. She sat them down in front of me and I began to peel them. I kept peeling potatoes until I realized I'd peeled fifty potatoes but when I looked in the bowl there was only one potato. That wasn't enough for two people so I kept peeling, but no matter how many I peeled there was only ever one in the bowl.

I decided to tell my Gran the problem and that was when I realized I wasn't in the kitchen anymore. I was at her funeral and I was alone. I only needed the one potato.

After the last dream I was feeling emotionally spent. I took a hefty dose of Nocturn Syrup ignoring my brain telling me it was a bad idea after what I'd seen that day. I needed sleep, needed to not dream. I was feeling more alone than ever and I just needed to sleep. It worked, I was passed out within minutes and I was dream free the rest of the night.

My Monster Tamer mentor showed up at the Inn at the buttcrack of dawn. He showed up at my room door and woke me up. I wasn't certain who let him in so early since there wasn't another soul in sight.

The elderly man looked like Methuselah or perhaps a crazed hermit who lived in the woods. He had long scraggly white hair with an equally scraggly beard. His eyes were blue and clear and though he smelled a bit like a hay barn he was pleasant enough.

He introduced himself as Bryant. Then introduced his monster, Bob.

Bob was a large fat Green Ape. Bob extended his hand and offered a handshake. Then he climbed up on my bed and laid down. Seemed like it was too early for Bob. I thought Bob had some sense. Bryant was one of those dreaded morning people.

Bryant was kind enough to wait out in the hall while I dressed and got ready for the morning. There was no budging Bob though. I didn't blame him. Amisi seemed to agree and had gone back to sleep on my pillow.

Dressed, I debated on if I could just lock the door and crawl back into bed. I'd told Bryant that I was supposed to meet Ave at the Guild this morning and that we were going to do some training and exterminate some Undead if we ran into them. I'd been hoping for another few hours sleep, but no.

Bryant was being paid by the Guild to spend the entire day with me no matter what I did. He was my shadow and I was to go about my everyday life while he instructed me on the ins and outs of having a monster in an inhabited area. From dawn until eight tonight we'd be attached at the hip and I didn't have many other options in mentors so suck it up buttercup.

I opened my door again with a sigh. There stood Bryant, pastry bag in one hand and tea in the other. Not that I wasn't grateful but it looked like I was eating on the go today.

"Thought you'd like to have a bit of a wake-me-up," he handed me the bag and the tea. "So what is first for today?"

"The Guild. I've got business there."

"Great! The Guild is a good place to start," he smiled. Bryant was missing most of his teeth but he still managed to make the smile charming.

We got Bob and Amisi up and around and went to the Guild. The sun was just starting to pop up. It was still mostly dark out and there was a slight frost in the air. Too damned early. I sipped my tea to keep me warm as well as to wake me up.