Immortal Ash

Chapter 3

Already on the road, Lena called to say that she couldn't go: one of the twins had fallen ill. Sonya murmured the obligatory words of encouragement and hoped that her son would recover quickly. But her friend doomedly objected that the second one would follow the first one and suggested that Sonya invite someone, since it was impossible to cancel the reservation.

"Who would I invite?"

"At least nephew."

It was a good idea to invite Alexei and his girlfriend, but they had their own plans.

"You'll still have the house. Don't push it, maybe tomorrow both sons will wake up healthy and you'll come here," Sonya finished on an optimistic note. Lena only hummed incredulously and promised to call later.

Tanya sent a voice message: she emotionally rambled that she was delayed because her boyfriend's car had broken down. 'We'll be there tomorrow! No way today!' - Tanya announced, trying to shout over some mechanical noise. Apparently, she was in the workshop.

Stepping outside the hotel complex, Sonya dropped her glasses. The glasses were instantly covered with a spider web of cracks, and she had taken the spare ones out of the glove compartment when she put them in the car for repair, and had forgotten to put them back.

"No glasses, no friends, the vacation was off to a great start!"

Fortunately, there were no problems with the registration. The attendant gave Sonya the keys and confirmed that the other two houses would remain reserved for her friends for those days. Sonya thanked her, asked about the location of restaurants with terraces, where she could take her dog, and took a map of the town with the places of interest marked on it - just out of politeness, because she was unlikely to be allowed into the monastery and churches with Wolf.

Her mood improved considerably when she entered her cabin. It was homey and cozy, peaceful and good. The bedroom window looked out onto a vast flower bed, the living room - onto a green meadow. Sonya put her bag on the floor and sank into the armchair: it was comfortable. Wolf immediately laid down next to it, indicating that it would be his place. Things weren't going to turn out so badly after all! Even if she spent the weekend here only in the company of a dog and a book, it would be a great vacation.

Sonya took a quick shower and changed into clothes comfortable for walking. Wolf, who pretended to doze off but was watching her movements, got up as soon as she said, 'Let's go!' She leaves the car alone.

Sonya decided to leave the car in the yard and walk to the town: both she and the dog could use some exercise. Walking along the road, along which she was sometimes overtaken by local cars, she once again decided that it was incredibly nice here. But when she entered the private sector and saw the forest darkening behind it, she involuntarily tensed.

She had not lied to Eugenie - neither in their last meeting, nor in others - that she remembered little of what had happened. Now it was difficult to understand what she had really seen then, and what she had only dreamed in the succession of nightmares that followed that day.

Wolf sensed the change in her mood, or was wary of the unfamiliar scents, but suddenly he stopped, raised his front paw, and sniffed. And then jerked toward the woods.

"Later, Wolf, later. I'll take you," Sonya promised.

Soon they entered the historical part of the town, walked along the narrow shadowy streets to the 'core' - the square. Once the bustling bazaars had unfolded here, but now the terraces of restaurants converged here in petals. Sonya sat down at a vacant table, and Wolf habitually nestled at her feet.

When they brought her a salad and a pot roast of veal with mushrooms, she suddenly felt a stranger's gaze on her. Sonya looked up and saw that a man in jeans and a polo sat down at a neighboring table. Though he didn't take off his dark glasses, she somehow realized that the stranger was looking at her. For a moment she thought the man was going to turn to her with a question: Sonya was already used to Wolf attracting attention. If she was paid for every question about whether or not it was a wolf, she'd make a million in no time. But the man was clearly not watching Wolf, but her. Sonya was slightly embarrassed and jerked her shoulder as if trying to shake off the insistent stare. Fortunately, at that moment a waitress came to the neighboring table and the man was distracted by the order.