Thirty-nine

Iris Miller

I felt strange when I woke up. First, I assumed that Malaki was going to be there with me. Second, it was as if I had extra weight or something. I was struggling to get up off of the bed and I couldn’t figure out why. “Oh my goddess!” a voice exclaimed, and I glanced over to see Celestine standing there with wide eyes. I jumped, aware that I was naked, with only a bed sheet to cover me.

“Celestine,” I said, “what are you doing here and ...