It was a cold misty morning as Edmond continued his journey through the forest. The icy droplets of mist condensed on the broad leaves of the trees and fell to the muddy, moss covered ground. All around him, in addition to the sounds of birds in the trees, he could hear the sound of water dripping to the ground.
Usually when he carried his pack, the body heat he generated was enough to keep him warm, but this morning even with his heavy jacket on he felt the chill of the morning mist against his body.
As he walked, the trees began thinning and he started to come upon signs of civilization. Here and there he came upon farms and animal pens, and warmly dressed farm workers, out in the morning chill, beginning their tasks. Occasionally one would look up from their work at him as he walked by, but none spoke to him.
Edmond arrived at the hostel at about ten in the morning. It was an older building, much in need of a new coat of paint. It stood next to a highway, leading into Nimejen. He went into the glass front doors and up to the front desk. Behind the desk stood a young man, not much older than himself, with long brown hair and a goatee. Edmond paid for three nights in advance and took his things to the room he had been assigned.
The room slept eight. It was furnished with bunk beds with thin mattresses and upright standing storage closets. Two guys were still sleeping in their bunks. Taking one of the unoccupied lower bunks, he put his things into the nearby storage closet and quietly lied down to read. He planned to spend a few days here, relaxing after his four days of walking. He wished to do nothing more than sleep, read and socialize with some of the young women also staying at the hostel.
The book he was reading was a science fiction novel about human colonization of the galaxy. The humans had come upon a race of demon like creatures that had magical abilities. The protagonist of the novel had been plagued by one of these creatures that had entered his dreams and made him do things he didn't want to do, only to wake up and find that he had done them in reality. He laughed to himself thinking that maybe the old fortuneteller he had run across yesterday was one of these demons from outer space. It wasn't a very good novel, but it was the only book he had to read.
At noon, as the room's other occupants were finally waking, he decided he would go out and get some food. He left the hostel and went to a coffee shop down the street. Entering the coffee shop, he saw that it was relatively deserted, with only a few other customers. He ordered himself a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese, and he sat down in one of the big puffy chairs that were gathered around a small table, to contemplate his predicament. He wasn't completely resolved to have Sandra out of his life. While at times being with her could be troubling, all in all she wasn't all that bad. He did enjoy having sex with her. The way she was always willing to go down on him, the way that her face got all scrunched up and all the noise that she made when she came. It was these things that had made him fall in love with her in the first place. Her distance now was more than just geographical. Was he still with her now, he just didn't know, until she would talk to him? He looked at his watch. It was one thirty in the afternoon, so it would be five thirty in the morning back home. Maybe he would call her before she went to work in a few hours.
He thought about the wet dream that he had last night. It had seemed so vivid, as if that dark haired woman was actually real. It was obviously the fortuneteller, with her love card and her rose tattoo who had sparked the dream, since the woman in the dream also had a rose tattoo. And how the woman had insisted that they would see each other again soon. It was just weird. Not that he would mind meeting her in a dream again. It was just that he never had recurring dreams, and he didn't expect to now. Finding the earring in his sleeping bag had really freaked him out though. It was as if she really had been there with him. Where had she gone during the night if she really was there? Was she maybe some kind of ghost? He just didn't know. He laughed at himself for thinking such silly thoughts.
He took a sip off coffee and looked around him. Sitting in a chair next to him, working on a laptop, was a very attractive auburn haired, young woman. He hadn't noticed here there when he had sat down. She had shoulder length hair, pale freckled skin and small breasts. He checked himself, hoping not to get caught staring at them. Working on her laptop, she appeared to be just as oblivious to him as he had been to her sitting down next to him. After a moment she looked up, and he tried to use it as an opportunity to strike up a conversation.
"Cold weather we have been having."
"Yes, it was cold this morning," she said, looking back down at her laptop.
"Hi, what is your name?" he asked, hoping to get her to turn and talk to him.
"Rika," she said, flashing him her blue eyes.
"Hello Rika, my name is Edmond. It is nice to meet you"
"Nice to meet you."
"What are you working on?"
"I am working on a paper for my creative writing class."
"So, what do you do for fun around here?"
"Some times bands come to the bar down the street. But, mostly it's pretty dead around here. There is a band coming tonight."
"Cool, maybe I'll go see them. Are you from around here?"
"No, I'm from Norway."
"I am from, America"
"Yes, I know."
"How can you tell?"
"Well your accent for one thing. I am sorry but I really must get this paper done."
"Goodbye, I hope to see you tonight," Edmond said as he got up to leave.
"Goodbye."
Edmond decided to go back to his room. By now all of the other residents had cleared out, so he had the room to himself. He spent the afternoon reading his book, which, as he read, didn't get much better. As the afternoon wore on he became aware of the fading of the light coming through the window. Soon also he was starting to feel hunger. Sick of the dehydrated food, it seemed that he had been eating so much of in the last weeks, Edmond thought he would spend a few euros and have himself a nice dinner. He went to the front desk and talk to the clerk there, asking him where he might find a good meal around the hostel. The clerk advised him that there was an Italian restaurant and an American style steak house just down the street.
Though it might cost a few more euros, Edmond decided that he would try the steakhouse. Edmond had a steak and potato with sour cream and bacon bits. He also ordered a glass of the local beer to drink. Thoroughly full he left the restaurant and walked to the bar where Rika had told him the band would be playing. Things were already in full swing when he got there. The band was a three piece with a guitar, drums and keyboardist playing the bass parts. They were playing mostly blues songs.
He saw Rika and went over to talk to her. She was sitting with several other girls. He pulled up a seat to the table they were sitting at, and she introduced him to her friends, or at least she tried to. The music was very loud and it was hard to hear anybody talk, so he sat and listened to the music.
The singer, a very attractive black woman, was dressed in a black form fitting evening dress with thin red stripes and knee high black leather boots, came up to the microphone after the band had played a couple of instrumental numbers. She began to sing, clasping the microphone stand in her hands.
I come around in the evening after the sun goes down
I come around in the evening after the sun goes down
I am an evil woman baby, I'm the nastiest bitch in town
The truth isn't always the way that it seems
I tell you, the truth isn't always what it seems
I'll haunt your days, and torture you in your dreams
So if you want me around, I'll tell you how to behave
So if you want me around, I'll tell you how to behave
If you think you got me, you know I'll make you my slave
After the band had finished, Edmond, entranced by the singer, sat motionless, staring off into space.
"Hey, you there?" Rika asked, waving her hand in front of his face.
