Life, Death, and Strange Encounters

Isaac arrived only a minute later, surprised to find me already waiting. After I assured him that I had not been waiting for long, he gestured for me to take his hand, which I gladly accepted.

“So, how are we going to get to the cinema?” I inquired.

“I think we should take one of my cars.”

“ONE of your cars!? How many do you have?” My eyes were wide as saucers.

“Well, I have about… five.” He smiled sheepishly. “I just love speed, I can’t help it.”

I laughed at his explanation. “Just, go ride on the American Mountains or something!”

Reaching his garage, I looked around in awe. Next to his five amazing sports cars were three motorbikes - real metal tigers, powerful but slim. I imagined them rumbling to life beneath me. How much speed does a man need? Although, I could not help but to feel somewhat excited when fantasizing about me and him speeding down a highway with one of those hellcats.

I stirred from my dream when I felt Isaac’s hand on my back, gently guiding me towards one of his cars. We got in and began the ride to London. Isaac told me he owned a movie theatre there and that’s where we would be going. I was really exited, but yet a bit intimidated. The guy was so rich. It seemed impossible for me to even think he would look at someone as ordinary as me. But I was determined to not let myself ruin the evening with depressing thoughts. At the moment, he seemed to enjoy my company and that was enough to make me forget all about the doubts I was so accustomed to having. As a complete surprise to myself, I was able to supress all negative emotions and feel content during the ride.

Once in the theatre, Isaac wanted me to pick a film to watch. I wanted to see a horror film, one that I had heard was quite scary. This was not like me at all, my imagination was vivid enough to make up scary images even years afterwards. Did I have subconscious wishes that when I would get scared, he would hold me?

“You are going to get scared, love,” Isaac remarked with a smile on his face.

“No, I will not get scared.” I assured him.

“Yeah, right.”

Naturally, he was right. I did get scared. Half an hour into the movie, I was already holding onto his hand for dear life, hiding my face in his chest. My charming companion did not seem to mind at all, though. In fact, he put his arms around me to comfort me. His smell was intoxicatingly good, I wouldn’t have moved even if he had tried to push me away.

Although I had a great time and forgot all about the scary film, just enjoying the feeling of his strong arms holding me, I should have guessed that he would not keep from teasing me about my reaction to the film, since I had been the one who insisted on seeing it. When we were driving back to the mansion, he just could not let the topic go.

“It seems you were trying to break my arm in there.”

“No, I wasn’t! I was just a bit scared.”

“A bit? No, darling, you were completely freaked out. You are never watching horror films again, they are not good for your health.”

“My health? Oh, and what do you know about my health?” I faked an angry tone.

He took my hand. “I know that I don’t want you to get nightmares.” The look he sent me was so soft I could not look away. This guy was slowly killing me and he didn’t even know it!

My soft smile tried to portray the emotion in his eyes. “I won’t. I feel safe with you.”

When we were back at the mansion, Isaac, as the gentleman he is, escorted me to my door. I tried to hide a yawn, but failed miserably. “I think I must go to bed, I’m so tired.”

Isaac nodded, clearly noticing my condition. “Good night and sweet dreams, darling.”

“Good night, Isaac. Thank you.”

He kissed my cheek and it seemed as if his lips lingered for a moment, but then he turned around and went to his room, closing the door behind him. I sighed as I flopped down on my bed. He was too perfect to be true. And I was too happy for my own good. This wouldn’t last forever and soon my world would come crashing down, I was sure of it. I knew that I would regret letting my guard down, but Lucy’s advice was ringing in my head. For once, I decided to follow my heart and enjoy the happiness as long as it was given to me.

The next morning I woke up early, probably because I had slept so long the day before. I felt my stomach grumble and decided to go find something to eat after I finished my morning routine. I slipped out of my room and tip-toed quietly through the corridor and down the stairs. It must have been really early, since I didn’t see anyone on my way to the kitchen. I knew that we usually ate in the dining room, but I figured since it’s so early, no one would be there and it would be wiser to look in the kitchen. I pushed open the door and sure enough, a woman was mixing something in a pot on the stove. She looked up, startled when she heard me come in, but in a moment she smiled and motioned for me to come closer.

“Why, hello dear! You are early.”

“Yes, I figured that much, I didn’t see anyone walking around.”

“No wonder, it’s only 7 in the morning! I suppose you’re hungry.”

“Wow, it’s that early? This means I must’ve woken up at six or something like that. I really am hungry, do you have anything?”

The cook smiled. “Of course, darling, what do you want for breakfast? I’ll make it for you.”

My face lit up. “Really? In that case, I’d like some pancakes. I haven’t had pancakes in ages.”

She nodded and got to work instantly. I just decided to hang around, since I didn’t really have anything better to do and it was nice to watch someone else cook for me, especially a professional. The woman did not talk much during the process. Soon, she placed a pile of steaming pancakes in front of me, topped with ice cream and strawberry jam. The heavenly food made my mouth water.

Without wasting any more time, I dug in. After a while, I decided to pick up a conversation, so that I would not seem rude. “So, how long have you worked for Isaac?”

“I’ve been a cook for the family for 30 years already. The Prince’s grandfather hired me when he still lived here.”

I looked at her, puzzled. The Prince?

“What Prince do you mean? The singer, or…?”

She looked at me funnily but then something seemed to click, since her eyes went wide. “Oh no, um… I meant your friend Isaac. I just call him Prince sometimes, since he’s like… the King of the House or something.” She laughed nervously. “I’m sorry that I confused you.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” I said. Something seemed off about the way her eyes changed, but I shrugged it off and continued with my meal. I decided I was just imagining things. When I was done, I thanked her for the heavenly food. My new acquaintance told me to come back whenever I wanted.

Making my way back to the stairs, I decided to go and wake Isaac up. I was tired of being the only one awake except for the cook. Waking him up early seemed like a good way of payback for all the teasing he did the night before. When I reached the end of the corridor where our rooms were, I looked up and guess what I saw? Helena, with her ear against Isaac’s door! That girl was seriously creeping me out. Somebody should have had her committed to a mental insitution… It seemed as the right thing to do, since she was disturbing people around her and I was sure that acting this obsessively was not normal behaviour.

When the psychotic girl heard me coming, she turned around. I stared at her in bewilderment. “What on Earth do you think you’re doing?”

She seemed scared to see me there. Good. “I was just, um, checking if Isaac was awake!”

I rolled my eyes at her stupid explanation. “If he was awake, don’t you think that he would come out of his room?”

She pondered this for a moment. “You’re right. Then, what are you doing here? Trying to sneak into his room aren’t you? Trying to steal my man? Well, guess what, he wants me.” She pointed her index finger at herself for effect. Oh Jesus.

The situation could have hardly been more funny. “Get a grip. My ROOM is here.” I pointed towards where my room was. “Could you please go away now, I don’t want creepy people sneaking behind my door.”

She gave me a “Hmph!” and reluctantly walked away. She was probably only going because she was afraid of what I would tell Isaac. Thank God. I waited until she was out of sight and thought about what to do. I kind of reminded myself of Helena. Still, I knew that my intentions were purely to have some fun.

I slowly opened Isaac’s door. His room was dark, since blinds had been pulled over the window, disabling me from seeing much. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I walked towards his bed in the centre of the room. When I reached the enormous bed, I could make out his figure lying there, blankets thrown aside. He was only in his boxers and I couldn’t help but to stare. A few moments later I came to my senses and blushed a deep red. Isaac was gorgeous and I couldn’t help the dirty thoughts that came into my head. Finally, I shrugged it off and proceeded with my plan.

Quickly, I climbed into the bed and started to poke his ribs. At first, I wasn’t making much progress, his sleep seemed to be too deep – he just muttered something incoherent and turned the other side. I then switched to tickling. Finally, I saw his eyelids flutter and a smirk creeping to his face. The next moment, he grabbed my hips and flipped us over, so that he was half-way on top of me.

I looked into his eyes and my breathing became ragged. Was I imagining it, or was he leaning in? Was he going to kiss me? I saw his face coming closer and that look in his eyes… I could swear it held passion. Or was my mind playing tricks on me again? He was so close now, I could feel his hot breath on my cheek and his nose brushed against mine. I closed my eyes automatically and waited for his lips to reach mine…

…And then his phone rang. I opened my eyes, startled, as he let out a frustrated sigh. He drew away and reached for his cell phone on his nightstand.

“Hello, father. Yes, I was awake. What is the problem?”

He walked away and stood by the window. I decided to look around until he was done talking, I didn’t want to eavesdrop. After some time of browsing through some photographs on his desk, I was snapped out of my daydreams by a cold hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Isaac grinning down at me, still only in his boxers.

“Thank you for the wake-up call, love. Could you please go and wait for me in the library? I will just take a quick shower and get dressed, I won’t be long. Then we can think of what to do today. Okay?”

I agreed and quickly exited so that he would not see my discomfort at the situation we had just been in. The library was an interesting place and I hadn’t had time to actually look around much to see what kinds of books he had. When I reached the big wooden door, I pushed it open and walked straight to the first bookcase I could find. The books I found there did not interest me, they were mostly scientific. I went to the next one and that proved to be much more interesting. It seemed to be holding fantasy fiction, full of books about vampires, faeries and other mythical creatures. There were also many books about a place named Avalon. I opened the first one, titled “The Laws of the Kingdom of Avalon” and began to read. Whoever had written it seemed to really have thought the topic through. It was very realistic – written exactly as if this place existed. Strangely, the author had not been mentioned.

I was completely lost in the book, learning about the fantastic place called Avalon, until I heard a faint chuckle. Isaac was standing before me, now fully dressed, much to my disappointment. “I see that you found a book that you liked,” he remarked with a grin.

Nodding, I put the book back on the shelf. “This kingdom of Avalon is so interesting. You have many books about it.”

It seemed as if his smile faltered, but only for a second. “Um, yes… It’s a fictional place, supposedly existing in another dimension. I really enjoy reading fantasy.”

Having found a fellow fantasy-lover, I instantly started telling me all about my favourite stories about mythical creatures and magical places. My enthusiasm for fantasy seemed to amuse him.

“I wouldn’t have thought, really,” he commented on my remark about loving fantasy probably as much as he did.

I rolled my eyes. Again, he was teasing me. Fortunately, he changed the topic to our plans for the day, wanting to know if I had any ideas or preferences. Being totally clueless about our possible options, I shrugged. “What do you want to do?”

Isaac thought for a moment and then his eyes lit up. “I know exactly where I’m going to take you! I’m taking you to meet my very special friends. Go grab your jacket, we have to walk there.”

“Is it far?”

“No, but it’s outside the castle, just a few minute walk.”

Agreeing eagerly, I quickly ran back to my room and put on my jacket, then met Isaac at the front door. He grinned and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a blindfold. My eyes went wide. “No, Isaac, don’t –“

He laughed. “Relax, darling. I just want it to be a surprise. I’ll lead you, don’t worry.”

When the blindfold was secured over my eyes, he grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the warmth of the castle and leading me forward through the thin layer of snow that was covering the ground.

Soon, we came to a stop and I heard him open a door. He gently led me into the room and took off my blindfold. I looked around. We were in a big stable, and in front of us were boxes with about ten beautiful horses of different colour. I grinned from ear to ear. They were lovely! Isaac smiled, noticing my happiness. He took my hand again and led me forward to the farthest box. In it was a midnight black horse with a white streak on his forehead.

Isaac pushed me forward, so that I was standing directly in front of the horse, him holding my waist from behind. “His name is Cinnamon,” he whispered into my ear.

The horse, hearing his name, raised his beautiful majestic head and looked at me straight in the eyes. He was the most amazing creature I had ever seen. His eyes held wisdom and love. It seemed as if he already thought of me as a friend. I gently patted his head and whispered, “Hello, Cinnamon.”

Cinnamon was warm underneath my touch. I felt Isaac’s arms around me and inhaled his scent. I absentmindedly ran my hands through the horse’s soft mane.

“Johanna?” Isaac asked softly, after a while.

“Hmm?”

“In summer, when the lands are green and it’s warm, will you come and visit me? Then we could go horse-riding.”

“Of course, I’d love to. Cinnamon is such a wonderful creature.”

“I know… We should head back now; we’ve been gone for quite some time.”

“Really? I didn’t even notice.”

He chuckled. “Time goes by and we don’t always notice it. Especially if we are doing something we enjoy. I, for example, have no intentions of voluntarily moving from my current position.”

I laughed. “You like spending time with me?”

“I love it, darling.”

“Me too, but now that you mentioned it, we really should head back and check on Lucy.”

“You’re right. Let’s go. We can come back whenever you want.”