Halflit.net:Carousel

returned to examining the evidence that they had indeed come down the right fork which clearly they did not go down the previous night. Except there were no signs in the mud of the left fork that there had been anything passing that way for a week or so, the mud having a more or less unbroken lumpiness. “Charlie you know we took the left fork right?”

Charlie shrugged and shivered slightly from the damp cool air and being mostly soaked, “Don’t get so worried about it. It was hard to see it was so miserable last night, maybe we both just thought we went the same direction. Memory does funny things in groups.” He slogged over to where she stood and looked at the fork with some slight irritation on his face showing he wanted to believe what he said, but wasn’t sure he did.

“But the note Charlie, both of us remember the note.”

——-

Margarete stretched out languidly, barely altering the massive pile of blankets that covered her. She couldn’t for the life of her remember why she was awake, so she decided to go back to sleep. Except the phone began ringing again as soon as she closed her eyes and began drifting back into slumber. Who in the world would have this number? She’d just checked in last night and hadn’t called anyone. She was content to just lie there and let the phone ring, it was far too early in the day to be getting up, how inconsiderate people could be sometimes.

The phone it seemed had no intention of shutting up, the damned kvetch. Attempting to swim through the mountain of blankets only managed to prove to her how lissom she was not. As soon as she thought her arms were free and she reached for the phone and ended up sprawled out on the floor beside the nightstand. Throwing a wild tantrum she freed herself just enough to pick up the receiver and scream into it, “What the hell do you want?”

There was a brief bit of static like a delayed connection, long enough to giver her pause to think if she wasn’t angry, but she was so she didn’t even register it. “Hey Margarete, just checkin up on ya to see when you’ll be showin up.” It was Rook, couldn’t he at least have waited till a decent hour to call like 9 or 10?

“Do you know how damned early it is? I told you I’d be there around noon. How’d you get this number anyway? You stalking me?” As per normal her rage disappeared in a matter of moments. She normally didn’t get angry at all, but she loved her sleep.

“Hon, it’s almost eleven. You’re usually up long before now.” Rook’s grin filled his voice pleasantly. She had always enjoyed his accent too, was too terribly bad he decided to leave off the research they’d started in Germany to move to this little hide-away of his. “As to the number, you told me where you were stayin you great ninny.” She pressed the fingers of her free hand into her forehead. ‘Doesn’t mean you’re supposed to call me and wake me up…’ Then she registered the time he’d told.

“Oh right, and I’m supposed to believe you over my own…” One look at the clock caused her etiolate. Almost eleven indeed, there was less then a minute till. “…eyes. Ok so I slept in. Which does happen on occasion.” Her emphasis on ‘does’ was an attempt to cover the shock in her own voice. Margarete hadn’t slept in since before highschool, and here she was, a graduate student working on a thesis, waking up three hours later than her normal routine. She liked routine. Why did she feel so tired and lost at the moment?

Rook chuckled over the line, “Must be the beds in that there building, told ya you should have just come out the rest of the way last night.”

“I didn’t feel like trying to give a cabby directions in that onslaught you could have come into town to get me ya know.”

“And leave an empty house for my sister to find in the dark and gloom?”

“Everyone likes the dark and gloom don’t they?”

“Only those that spend their waking hours deep with in macabre books, and dark library basements. Need me to come pick you up? Rowen is off showin her mate about and exploring my property.”

‘Less cab fare for me.’ She thought as she responded. “Can’t say no to such a splendid offer. I’ll even let you buy me some coffee when you get here. You sure they won’t get lost in your fallow fields?”

“You know they won’t be fallow much longer, I just need to get the right gear…”

“And stop getting distracted.”

“Good point, so shall we convene in the lobby in about an hour and a half? That be enough time for you to get checked out?”

“You’re going to make me wait over an hour? The torture.”

Rook laughed heartily, “See you soon Margarete. I’m glad you decided to come.” He hung up his end. Margarete slowly hung up hers and fell back into the pile of blankets that surrounded her on the floor. Her body told her to take advantage of the time and get more sleep, but something told her she’d not be waking up before he got here if she did. Standing up and stretching again, she slowly went about waking herself up. Something she was not used to.