What if We all Cared?

Celeste longed for a tall glass of iced tea . . specifically her grandma’s special southern sweet sun tea brewed in the kitchen window year-round and so good it was almost a religious experience! Grandma’s tea was not elegant. It was delicious in it’s sheer simplicity. And so refreshing!!

Celeste thought about the hotel’s surreptitious penchant for eating away at people’s lives . . especially the lives of women and children. A penchant like Capt. Kirk‘s for discovering new inhabited planets. A family of secrets worse than dungeons and dragons with the hidden doors and catacombs and rituals too gruesome to speak of!

Celeste took a deep breath and tied her shoes. Then she surveyed the room for her personal possessions. . all accounted for! She moved towards the glass door and peeked around the curtain and all looked clear. She slowly and quietly opened the door and slipped out carefully pulling the door shut again. No one was around . . “thank God”, thought Celeste. She moved swiftly yet silently to where she and Allen had agreed to meet. Soon pandemonium would break out at this sad old hotel when they realized she knew their secrets And had escaped!! She wanted to be long gone by then.

As Celeste neared the old bridge near the woods she saw Allen’s car and almost broke into a run. There he sat behind the wheel fiddling with his cell phone, looking up every now and then. She waved as he looked up and he hopped out and walked towards her.

“Hey, you ok?” Allen asked.

“Yeah, but let’s talk once we’re away from here!!” then she gave him a huge thankful hug, climbed in his car and breathed a long sigh of relief. “We need to have a long serious talk . .” Celeste said as they drove away.