Swarmed by Pond Simone

Author:Pond, Simone [Pond, Simone]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Ktown Waters
Published: 2016-06-23T04:00:00+00:00

17

(still 8 days remaining)

Harper comes to my room sometime after lunch and announces, “It’s time to start getting ready.”

I glance at the clock on the nightstand. “The party doesn’t start for another six hours.”

“Like I said, we have a lot of work to do. When’s the last time you bathed?”

“In the river yesterday.”

She eyes The Portrait of a Lady in my hands. “Some preparation for your role tonight?” She laughs.

“Isabel Archer has a lot of grit. I admire her commitment to independence, turning down marriage proposals left and right.” I toss the book onto the bed and reluctantly get up.

“This will be fun. I promise!”

“You’re entirely too excited about this. I should warn you, I’m not exactly the corseted beauty type.”

“Not presently, but I’m going to turn you into the belle of the ball.”

Harper’s blond curls are bouncing all over the place and her charming smile is too beguiling to contest, so I concede and follow her into the bathroom. Steam rises from the claw-foot tub and sifts through the room like fog. Harper adds some flowery scented oils to the water, smiling as she inhales deeply. I remove my boots and clothes, feeling a little shy about being naked in front of her. But she isn’t bothered in the slightest. Definitely a girly girl. And I’m definitely out of my league. I dip one foot into the tub, and the water scalds my skin. Harper nudges me to keep going until my entire body is submerged. I’m surprised my top layer of skin is still intact. But after a while the temperature feels good against my sore muscles and I start to relax.

“Part of the preparation ritual is calming the body and mind,” she says, pouring water over my head.

Streams of warm water trickle through my hair, and I lean back and rest my head, letting my legs stretch out. The rich fragrance of gardenias and jasmine wafts around me, lulling me into a peaceful state. Harper combs through my hair with a gentle touch, while she hums a tune from the old days. The melody sounds like an Appalachia mountain ballad—dulcet and soothing.

“What is that?” I ask.

“Wildwood Flower. It reminds me of you.”

I laugh and glance her way. “You just met me.”

“The words remind me of you…

I'll twine 'mid the ringlets of raven black hair

The lilies so pale and the roses so fair

The myrtle so bright with an emerald hue

And the pale aeronauts with eyes of bright blue…”

I smile sheepishly. “That’s sweet of you to say. I’ve always thought of myself as more of a brick-and-mortar type of gal.”

She hands me a sponge and a bar of soap. “You’re awfully hard on yourself, Kalli. It’s difficult to soften and be vulnerable if we’re always so critical of ourselves.”

“Soft? Vulnerable? Who has time for that nonsense?” I quip.

Harper grins. “Those things don’t make you weak. They make you stronger, regardless of circumstance.”

I stand up and start to dry off. “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have time restraints hanging over you like an albatross.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.