Trisha lay in a coma on life support, her parents crying near her hospital bed. Time was running out and the decision to discontinue the life support was being discussed. But unknown to her family and doctors she wasn't dead, but trapped inside, ins...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Daylight shined through the guest chamber window and crept its way across the stone floor to the foot of the chair Trisha was curled up in. She was still awake, and emotionally depressed, as she sat watching the last embers glowing in the large fireplace. She hadn't slept a wink in the dream world. That would only take her back to the real world, and she wanted to avoid that nightmare. She felt dirty from the previous 24 hours and wanted a bath. A knock came from the adjoining servant's room where her chamber maid, Nina, had spent the night.
Trisha looked up and smiled. "Come in Nina." Nina had breakfast. She felt her belly growl. How she could be hungry and satisfy that hunger in a dream was a mystery to her. Her chamber maid placed the food upon the table. The platter lid was removed and showed its contents of hard-boiled eggs, slabs of ham, and bread. She also had a coffee percolator. She got to her feet and went straight for the coffee and poured herself a cup. It was very hot and black just like it was out of her dad's thermos when they sat in the middle of the woods in the truck waiting for it to get light enough to go deer hunting. She smiled at the memory as she sipped the scalding cup of coffee while sucking air in to help cool the liquid. A trick her dad had taught her. Her memory was coming back in pieces and this made her hopeful she was getting better. Though she still couldn't even remember her mother and father's name, even her own last name, or where she lived.
She invited Nina to eat with her again. It was too much food for her and she wanted the company. She needed distraction from her real world worries. Nina accepted happily and Trisha suspected that was probably why so much food had been made. She smiled at her new friend. Taking a slab of ham and placing it on her plate Trisha asked, "Nina, where can I bathe? I feel so gross. I could really use a bath."
"I will take you to the lake after you have finish your breakfast. It isn't far, only a 20-minute walk up above the village. I know of a secret spot of warm water that bubbles from beneath. Everyone else waits until mid-day. No one will be there." She told her. Trisha was hoping for a modern bathroom and tub, but she guessed Nate wanted to be as medieval as possible in his dream castle. But she desperately wanted a warm bath, even if it had to be in a lake.
When they had finished, Trisha changed back into her white strapless short mini stretch crepe gown and black leather studded buckle boots. Though she felt dirty and gross, she would look good just in case one certain person showed up on the way. Plus, when there was another girl around, she got competitive. Especially if that other girl was as beautiful as Crystal. She really liked Crystal, but that changed nothing, a character flaw she couldn't help.
Nina and Trisha made their way out of the castle but the knight commander required them to take Fluffy with them for protection, who had only been knocked out the night before in his battle with the Vordak. That coupled with the fact that guard towers in the castle, village, and mountain sides were on high alert watching for any sign of the Vordak. They would give them early warning if the monster came anywhere near the kingdom. Bringing the giant wolf was a compromise they had to make, to keep the guards from following, and Trisha had grown found of the big brute, anyway.
