Soon the two were in front of Zephyr’s house. In the light of the flashlight and the light coming from the windows, Seth could see that there were a wide variety of flowers growing in front of the house. The had the untamed growth characteristic of weeds, but the variety of colors on display had Seth convinced that Zephyr must have tended to the garden somehow. Flowering vines also crawled their way up the front of Zephyr’s house around the doors and windows.
The inside of the house was just as quaint as the outside, with trinkets and house plants aplenty, all in a sort of organized chaos that seemed to affect every surface except the floor. “I just lit a fire in the living room,” Zephyr told Seth. “Go on in there and take a seat right next to it. You need it.”
Zephyr made no mention of where the living room was, but in a house that small, it wasn’t hard for Seth to find it. He heard the sound of crackling firewood coming from his left, and stepped through the threshold to find Zephyr’s living room, with the promised fire and some chairs close to it. He didn’t see a television or any sort of electronic entertainment, which didn’t surprise him giving everything else he’d observed about Zephyr so far. But he didn’t give it much thought, as he tiredly but hastily made his way toward the chair closest to the fire.
Seth basked in the blaze’s warmth for what must have been about ten minutes before he thought to check whether his phone was still working. Pulling it out of his still-damp pocket, he was thankful to find that not only did it turn on, but he had reception in Zephyr’s house, so he’d be able to receive the call when the tow trucks were close. With a sigh of relief, he pocketed his phone again and sat back in his chair.
It was about another five minutes until Zephyr finally joined him in living the room. “Comfortable?” he asked.
“Very. Thank you so much for letting me in here.”
“Of course. I apologize for not joining you sooner, but I had to tend to dinner. I always cook for the whole week on Sunday night so I can have leftovers for the rest of the week, but I made sure I can offer you some too.”
“Oh, my, that’s… thank you so much.”
“Of course. After everything that’s happened to you, you deserve some good fortune.”
“You’re a good person,” Seth said, prompting a giggle out of Zephyr.
“That’s awfully generous of you. Can I offer you anything in the meantime?”
“Oh, you’ve already done so much for me. I couldn’t possibly ask you for more.”
With a smirk on his face, Zephyr bowed his head in acknowledgement before saying, “Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes. I hope that’s enough time for you to dry off.”
“Me too.”
The next 20 minutes passed much more quickly than Seth expected, as he sat in front of the fire enjoying the heat. Serendipitously, as soon as the last bit of moisture left his clothes and he realized they were completely dry, Zephyr came in and said, “Dinner is ready!”
Seth’s legs were a bit stiff after sitting down for so long, especially after how long they’d been cold and clammy. But after some effort, he managed to stand up and follow Zephyr into the kitchen, where there was also a table where they could eat. The table had already been set for two, and there were two plates, each with a modest portion of what looked like… “Lasagna?” Seth asked.
“Vegetable lasagna, specifically.”
Seth had never had vegetable lasagna, although he knew he wasn’t a fan of vegetarian dishes in general. But he wasn’t going to criticize a free meal offered to him in his hour of greatest need. So he merely smiled and nodded and sat down at the table. “I bet lasagna stores really well. Good choice for something to make for the whole week.”
More Than Offered
Start from the beginning
