Witching Hour (complete)

(15) A shower??

Then:
'Thank you,' I snarl at him. I smile at the lady in the shop and walk up to introduce myself.

'Ah yes, Alana. I heard you were around! Nice to meet you, I'm Ghislaine,' she says.

'Nice to meet you,' I say as I shake her hand.

Now:
'So, this is the shop?' I ask.

'Yes, yes. I know it isn't much, is it? But it is all we need, so it is enough,' she answers.

'Do you run it on your own?' I ask her.

'Oh no, no. I am just a cashier if you'd like to say it that way. Two men bake the bread in the morning and I put them in the shop and help them out. The whole village runs the bakery. Every now and then you will bake bread for the day too. It works the same with the work on the land,' she answers.

'Okay, so here I will get my bread,' I mumble.

'So.. so what about vegetables and everything? Is there something like a market? And what about clothing? I can't keep running around in my mums old dresses, and a new pair of shoes would be really nice...' I think out loud.

'Wo, wo, slow down sweetheart. You will have enough time to organize all the things you just said. On our trainingsessions I will take you past everything you need to know and help you out. Just pick a bread you like and make yourself some lunch, because Christine is probably waiting for you,' Joshua says.

I pick the first bread that looks like I like it, Joshua is already walking away. I mumble a goodbye and run after him.

'What's up, sweetheart? I hoped you could find your house from here,' argh, do you still have to mock me about that?

'Oh you mean the house thay I have been living in for maybe a week or two, that stands in a village that I just saw for the second time?' I answer him sarcastically. He turns around, opens his mouth and closes it again. At least he waits for me.

'Okay, I'll bring you home, but make sure to remember the way we are walking, so you can find it if you need it,' he says. We walk for maybe two minutes before I see the house again, my house now. As we are walking I try to remember as much as possible. That little weird window over there, a small pond, a statue and a blue house, a stark difference between all the cottage-like houses in the village. I didn't encounter any other remarkable points.

'Thank you for walking with me. Do you want to stay for lunch?' I say to Joshua when we walk up the little perch to the front door.

'No thank you, I'll be heading home, take a shower. You should do so too, good for your muscles,' he answers.

'Waaiittt, you have a shower? I only have a bathtub that I need to fill with water by hand.'

'We need to look at that then, another time. Now, go eat your lunch and try to bathe in something nice and warm,' he says before he walks away. We greet each other, then I open the door. Michael and I walk in and together we walk through the hall to the kitchen. I lay the bread on the counter.

'I think Christine isn't here yet,' Michael was the first to break the silence.

'I guess so. First, I am going to get some water and heat it up. Then I will make lunch and boil some more water. By the time I am finished eating I hope to have a nice tub of water,' I say to him.

'Sounds like a plan, I'll get the fire going,' he answers.

'Thanks,' I say back. I get the bucket, it was still on the stove. Then I walk outside and pump up some water. Are you even supposed to boil water in a bucket? I don't know. It worked last time, but maybe it's quicker to divide the water over pans. I have four pits, so four big pans it is. After opening and closing some cabinets I find the pans where I was looking for. Let's heat this shit up.

After quite some time I finally have enough water for a bath. I could have eaten lunch twice if I wanted to, but I wasn't humgry. Just as I was ready to slide in...

*knock knock*
'Are you there Alana?' I recognize Christine's voice, who else would it have been.

'Michael, will you let her in?' I ask. He nods and stumbles down the stairs to the door. I hear them talking for a while, then they walk to the kitchen. I start scrubbing myself hastingly.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Hey all,

Sorry for the long wait. I have 6 upcoming deadlines and 3 exams the coming month so I have been kind of busy. I hope you enjoy it! If you have any tips, tricks, things you want to say, please leave a comment. I look forward to your reactions!

Love,
Me