Ikshan's Library

25. Coffee and Croissants

Leno

We decided the city was too much for now but I have plenty to explore in the mansion. Carlos and Sonia protected it. Them working together was... intense. There was a lot of cigarette smoke. It was hard to breathe. But, actually, it was so intense I wanted to start smoking myself. Anyway, we cannot be located here. So I can take some time to settle.

The first night, Ikshan showed me a bedroom where I could sleep and asked me if I needed anything. I stayed at the entrance of the room, frozen. It was a beautiful room, welcoming and elegant. But the truth was I was terrified of being alone. What if I would not wake up or, worse, go back into the amulet? I shivered.

Ikshan's searched my eyes. "Are you alright? Maybe you should not stay alone for now."

I felt I could breathe again and I looked at them with gratitude.

Ikshan tried. "There's a sofa in the room that can be turned into a bed. I could... sleep there...maybe...if you want."

I nodded.

And that's what we did. And I managed to sleep. But when I woke up, I wondered for a minute where I was and I panicked. It came back to me fast, as I felt the delicate touch of the sheets, the warmth of the bed, and the soft light coming from the window. I was safe. Ikshan was not there, though.

I looked for them in the mansion and found them in the kitchen.

"Oh, you're awake," Ikshan said, worried. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to wake up alone but you were sleeping deeply and so I thought I had time to prepare breakfast."

"I'm fine. Thank you." I smiled at them and they smiled back.

We had breakfast in the courtyard, on this first morning, under warm blankets. The air was cold but I wanted to feel the wind on my face and to see the sky as much as possible. Ikshan brought me coffee and croissants, true Parisian style, apparently. It was delicious.

Everything felt new and I was overwhelmed with sensations, tastes, smells, and sounds.

I still do, actually. But every day is easier than the previous one. We've been here for a week now.

Every day, I let Ikshan tell me about objects I see in the house as we wander from room to room. I understand that the mansion is not an ordinary house. Elise is very old and there are traces of centuries of life dispatched all through the building. It still feels like a home, though: warm and cozy.

Ikshan tells me a myriad of stories about... I was going to say the past, but for me, it still feels like my future. And Ikshan's stories are so enticing, I feel like in a dream when I listen to them, innumerable images forming in my mind. I talk only to ask questions and I have so many.

Ikshan comments on the paintings, the books, the swords, the architecture, but also the lightbulbs, the plastic bottles, and cellphones. I must say I don't catch everything, but I understand more and more.

Sometimes Zoé joins us. She contributes with stories of her own, and of course with some sarcastic comments, generally at the expense of Ikshan. The rest of the time, she reads in her room.

They've also been teaching me English. I'm learning new ideas directly in this language and I can say simple sentences now. Ikshan told me why everybody referred to them as "they". The concept, I understood easily but the terminology and the context in this society are foreign to me and I listened eagerly to learn more about it.

Ikshan doesn't try to push me to talk and they're perfectly capable of occupying the conversation by themselves. So I listen. And the things I see around me seem a little less scary and a little more beautiful every day.