Saje, part III

"What do I think about what?", Saje asked. She was feeling a little more confident. He doesn't seem to mean us any harm, she thought, But he does seem a little... crazy.

William exploded into laughter, falling out of the chair he was sitting in. "Ohoho!" He hooted, "You're quite right you know!" Ah yes he can read my thoughts! Saje remembered. "Yes, my dear, and when you're thinking of me I don't even have to pry... you tend to shout out your thoughts." Wiping away his tears he stood, dusting himself off. Still grinning, he continued, "I apologize... you two must be hungry. Feel free to dig in!"

"Now, I believe I haven't properly introduced myself. Well, properly in my sort of way. Though they call me William here in Ralenby, but that's not the name I prefer... my personal belief is that Shadow suits me." As he finished talking, he stepped back towards the wall. There was just the barest shadow there, but he seemed to completely vanish. Stepping back out he bowed. "Oh, no applause necessary!"

"Now, I know who you are, though you might not yet... but what is your name?" he asked Saje.

"Who I am? My name?" Saje was more than just a little confused. "Well... my name is Saje". She really didn't know what to do, and all of the sudden felt rather self conscious. Saje was dressed in some dirty rags - whatever scraps she could find in the trash, fashioned into a sort of loose tunic and breeches. That made it easier for her to pretend she was a male - they got bothered less. That's one thing this Curse... did he , call it Talent? is good for... Saje had found out that she could take the small scraps of fabric, put the edges together, and then do what she had done with the chair in her childhood. The threads would then weave into each other, making a piece of fabric with no seam.

"Saje," he rolled her name, testing it as one might test a fine wine. For some reason, that made her blush furiously, and she hid behind her bangs. Nodding, as if in approval, he sat down again. "Please, be seated."

The young boy who had been silent the whole time climbed up on a chair and yelled, "Food!" Then he began eating in earnest. Saje sat down, still blushing, and timidly reached for a piece of bread, which she began to nibble on.

Shadow stroked his chin and simply watched her, as he thoughtfully chewed on a piece of bread dipped in gravy. "Pin," he said. The child and Saje both stopped eating and looked at him. "What pin?" Saje asked. Dramatically extending a finger, he pointed at the child. In a deep voice he intoned, "Henceforth shall thy name be Pin, for thou art skinny as a pin! Eat child!"

With that he burst into laughter, and before long they were all laughing, it was so infectious.

After calming down, they ate in silence for some time. With a sigh, Shadow lifted himself from the table. "I have rooms for the both of you upstairs. Saje, yours is the first one on the right, Pin, yours is the first on the left." At the hallway he paused. "Any questions?"

"Yeah!" piped up Pin, "Waz my left?"

With a laugh, Shadow said, "I'm sure Saje can tell you... when you go up to bed, take the lamp from the table. Goodnight!" And with that, he disappeared into the shadows of the hall.

Saje turned to Pin, "Well, how does Pin suit you? Mr. Shadow didn't seem to care what you thought of it?"

Pin shrugged and took another bite of turkey. "Seemz ta fit me well 'nuf. En he did ask."

"Oh really? I didn't hear him."
"Course not, hezonly spoke in my head," he replied with a look as if Saje were the child.

"Oh," She said simply. Pin was still eating like it was his last meal. It may be his first meal, she thought to herself. She wasn't terribly hungry, but she was extremely curious. Standing up she stretched and began to look closer at her surroundings. Most buildings in Central had no windows, and if they did they were little more than holes in the wall. This room was one of the former. With a start she realized that she couldn't hear any noise from the square. Moving towards the front of the room she put her ear against the wall. Nothing! That was rather odd.

Looking around the room some more she realized that she couldn't see the door they came in. Well, he did say it was a secret door... but still! She looked around where she remembered coming in, but nothing. That's frustrating.

It was then that Pin yawned. Turning around she noticed his head was hanging low and his eyes were shut. Smiling softly she lifted him over her shoulder and grabbed the lamp. "I never took nofin!" Pin mumbled, "He gave all that food to me!"

Rubbing his back, Saje softly said, "Oh, of course... sleep well, little Pin."

It was unfamiliar being inside, and the lamplight sent shadows flickering in odd shapes against the wall. Making it to the next room, she saw a rough-hewn door to her right, barred tightly. That must lead outside. To the left was a staircase, and the rest of the room had plain walls, with nothing to see, so she began climbing the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she found Pin's room, and opened the door.

The sight was amazing to her. It was a room almost as large as her entire home had been. At the side of the room was a large bed with several soft blankets and real sheets. She lay Pin down under the covers and quietly left the room, leaving his door cracked. Stepping back outside she looked down the hall. There were four more doors on each side, and a door at the end of the hall. Saje was torn between exploring more and going to bed. Well, it should still be here tomorrow, She thought to herself, and opened the door to her room.

To Saje, it was like a dream. The room was larger than any room she had ever been in, possibly twice the size of the room Pin was in. There was a basin on a table with a pitcher of water, and an amazingly large bed. She was afraid to touch it, that if she did, she would wake up in a garbage pile and find out this was all a dream. There was a metal disc on her bed, about the thickness of her finger and about the size of her hand. Reaching out, she touched it, and she had the sensation of something metal roll up her arm to the back of her neck. It's quite alright, came Shadow's voice in her mind. It's called a thought-recorder. One can leave a thought recording in it that will play upon touch. You will be able to touch it again without the thought playing, but if you'd like to hear this again, simply think my name. I hope the room suits you, and Pin is comfortable as well. I doubt if you've ever had a bath, but if you'd like to try one out, just open the door there across from your bed, and you'll find another thought-recorder.

Saje thought the idea of a bath sounded interesting, so she opened the door and went in. This room was almost half the size of the bedroom. The room was covered with tile, and soft lamps gave off a dim glow. On one side was a large round basin filled with water. On the edge there were two knobs, and another thought recorder. On the other side of the room was a counter the full length of the room with several large fluffy towels, and a few pieces of fabric. There was also a large surface on the wall that Saje recognized as a mirror. Her eyes widened in fascination. One that large must have cost a fortune. Again she wondered what this dream was, and hoped she wouldn't ever wake up.

Touching the thought recorder, it gave her directions on how to use the bath. Take off your clothes, and climb in. Lift up on the red knob and it gets hotter. Lift up on the blue knob and it gets colder. Use the washcloth to scrub the dirt off. What a strange concept. Saje thought. She had never worried about the dirt before, after all, she slept in the garbage piles. Oh well! It's something new to try I suppose.

And with that she disrobed and climbed in.

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And that's where we must end for now! Perhaps more sometime later this week...