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-
- WARNING! This work of fiction contains descriptions of sexual
- practices some people might find disturbing to read about. If you
- find that certain types of descriptive passages cause you extreme
- distress, press ``n'' now! You have been warned!
-
- This work copyrighted, 1991, (name withheld). Electronic transmission
- is permitted and the printing of hardcopy for personal use only is
- permitted, so long as the text is not altered, including disclaimers,
- and it is attributed to the alias Ladyhawke. Flames to
- wi.279@wizvax.methuen.ma.us
- **************************************************************************
-
- Ficta (Part 1 of 5)
-
- The door was open, and she had seen him drive off. Surely he would
- have a copy of his own books in his home! Why, she could slip in and
- take a look, and leave again, and he would never know.
-
- She did not know why this idea slipped into her head. She would never
- have thought of such a thing, usually. But it was true: here was an
- opportunity to read the very works she had been so frustrated in trying
- to find. A silly thing, to be unable to buy or borrow books, the
- author of which lived in one's own town.
-
- And it wasn't as if they were cult books, for which doing such a stunt
- would be attractive and daring, and something to brag about. They
- were on history, and academic theories; slightly dated texts at that.
- But what she heard of them hinted at great ideas which fascinated her.
- And the more trouble she had finding them, the more she wanted to see
- them.
-
- She walked right up to the front door, and went in. There was a study
- like area near the kitchen, lined with bookshelves. There, the texts
- of many authors were arranged in alphabetical order by authors name.
- For one brief moment, the name of the author whose house she was now
- in escaped her mind, but then, her eyes fell upon his name in the H's,
- and she beamed with pleasure. They were humbly categorized with the
- others, and were not set apart. They were slender, oversized books,
- hard cover in cloth, and they reminded her of the music scores she got
- from the library. She took the set from the shelves and carried them
- into the dining room.
-
- On the way there, she noticed a storage room, or pantry, and thought
- ``should he come back, I can hide in there.'' She tested the door,
- only to find that it could not close all the way. At least it would
- block her from view from the front door, and if he walked without
- looking backward, she should remain hidden. She then went to the
- dining room, and spread out the books. She took the first one in the
- series, and began skimming through it.
-
- Ah, but they were fascinating! She was soon drawn into the texts,
- reading them passages hanging on every word, gazing at the color
- plates of manuscripts she had never seen before. And his theories
- delighted her mind, she felt like singing, like crushing the book to
- her head as if she could push all the words into her brain at once.
- One part of her demanded she keep reading the way a thirsting man's
- body demands drinking; another part of her was so over charged with
- ideas and thoughts, she needed to lay the book down to digest and
- ferment the kaleidoscope in her mind.
-
- Then she heard him at the door. For a moment she thought of restoring
- the books to their place that he not suspect an intruder, but she
- realized she had no time for that. She whisked herself into the
- storage room, and pulled the door as shut as she could. She dared not
- look out the doorway, for fear he would she her as well as she saw
- him. She heard him enter, and sure enough, he walked by. But now he
- was in the kitchen, and could see the door to the pantry through the
- open-work bookshelves between them, and he had a clear view to where
- she stood, were he only to turn towards her. He could turn at any
- moment, or perhaps even see her reflection in some stray kitchen
- utensil. With that thought, she broke for it.
-
- She exploded out of the pantry, and in a few steps gained the door. He
- whirled as he heard her, but he was much older than she, and slower.
- The screen door crashed shut behind her as she burst from the house.
- She crossed the driveway, running along the house, and it was in her
- mind that she go around the house to the woods in back to make her
- escape. But then as she rounded the garage a dread thought came to
- her: he was a hunter, and he owned rifles, and kept them handy. Would
- her shoot her? Her skirt was white, like a swan; she remembered a
- story in which an archer shot his true love while she wore the guise
- of a swan, and in truth she did not know why she thought of that story
- in that second. But moved thus, she darted into the cluttered garage,
- to hide.
-
- He entered the garage, searching, and she could not catch a glimpse of
- him for fear of betraying her location; she could only crouch and
- wait. At last she decided she would break for it again. She sprang
- up...and found herself face to face with him, and he stood between her
- and the road. His face was lined, and weathered, his hair was white;
- his face showed no emotion. He seized her right arm, and pushed her
- towards the door to the house.
-
- She entered the house again, this time by the kitchen door to the
- garage. But to her surprise, there were people there, idly chatting
- and sitting about and browsing thought magazine on the coffee table.
- Perhaps they entered with him? He did not get a chance to say
- anything, for he was immediately hailed, and corralled by guests who
- just *had* to speak with him. And more people were entering. She
- found herself unescorted again. She wandered about, acting as casual
- as she could manage. After a while, she worked her way back towards
- the front door, and she espied a woman calling a cab company.
-
- She requested, in her most offhand manner, if the woman could ask that
- they send a cab for her too? And the woman did indeed. It was a
- short wait, when she saw a cab down the street. She stepped outside,
- unhindered. Walking down the driveway, someone asked,
-
- ``Do you know how to get to Civic Center?''
-
- She wracked her brains; ``I'm sorry, I've been away from the area for
- quite a while, and I can't remember the names of the highways...are
- you familiar with the county? You know the triangle? And the 23
- runs along here,'' she illustrated in the air, ``Right here is the
- Civic Center.''
-
- ``Thank you.''
-
- At the end of the driveway, there were three of her friends. They
- hailed her, and looked surprised to find her there, but she did not
- get a chance to speak with them for the cab pulled up, and she wished
- to dally no longer.
-
- * * * * * * * *
-
- End of part 1 of 5
-