Enar's Vacation - Open Beta

Chapter 6

1293 Words

This is a beta version of Enar's Vacation. Changes can - and probably will - be made as a result of reader feedback. I hope you'll enjoy it and I hope you'll take the time to give me some feedback. It will help me make this story the best it can be.

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Stupid was what he was - stupid and ungrateful.

He'd so looked forward to taking a long, soothing, shower after the climb up the hill, but of course he couldn't do that. They had no showers here. They didn't even have running water. He knew that. He'd known it all along.

The realization he wouldn't be able to shower for an entire week had come as something of a shock to Enar. Rationally, he'd known that they didn't have running water and showers here, but at the same time he hadn't realized he wouldn't be able to shower and now he felt bad. He was disappointed that he couldn't get a shower and he felt stupid for not realizing sooner.

Rolf had explained how his oldest son still living at home, Erik, had brought in water for Enar to wash in. The boy had even gone to the trouble of heating it up somehow - although that was a while ago so it had probably cooled off a little now.

Enar knew he was being ungrateful. His host family had tried their best to make sure he was comfortable and he'd just snubbed their efforts. What if Rolf had seen how disappointed he was? He'd tried to keep a straight face; he really had, but he'd been so tired. He still was.

Enar sat on the bed in the little sleeping chamber and hated himself. He was a fat, stupid, ungrateful townsperson and he had no business being out here in the anetacht where people were happy and lived in harmony with nature.

Tomorrow he'd get a ride back to Irnrad and go home again. They'd all be better off without him. At least then he could have a shower and he wouldn't be any trouble for anyone.

His belly rumbled.

He stared down at it. What? A yawn forced itself out of him and he stretched his arms as far as they could go. His jaw nearly fell of its hinges.

Maybe he'd feel better after a meal and a good night's sleep? The bed seemed nice enough and Rolf had said something about food, hadn't he? He did need to freshen up though, shower or no shower.

His luggage lay on the floor where the children had left it. It had earned itself some new dents and scratches but overall it didn't look bad. It looked used; like it had been around - been places, seen things. Okay, so maybe it didn't, but he imagined it did and it made him feel a little better about his situation.

Enar knelt in front of the suitcase, flipped it open and rummaged through its contest until he found his towel. He stripped out off his clothes, and, with the towel around his waist, made his way to the washroom.

Rolf had shown him the burrow, how to light the oil lamps in each room, and left him to get settled in and freshen up. All things considered it was a nice burrow; it even had a round door, just like in old journal movies.

The door opened up on a little hallway into the hillside. On each side laid a room: his bedroom to the right, and a little kitchen on the left. Further in, down a short staircase, lay the washroom, well apart from the other room.

The washroom was small and mostly empty. Functional and dull, it was a place you wouldn't spend more time in than you needed, which was probably just as well, because, why would you?

Despite two candles and an oil lamp the washroom still felt darker than either of the other rooms. Then again, both of the front rooms had little round windows that let in light from outside, while the washroom didn't.