True North

by S.M. Winter

he did his best to cover with his hand and a cough. With his other hand he held a tiny woman close, who was also beaming at me. She was stunning. Tiny and perfect, she came up to the man’s chest, roughly a few inches shorter than my average height. With a blonde pixie cut and bright blue eyes she was everything I wasn’t with my dark lanky hair and bookish looks. I could only imagine what I looked like. Over the last twenty-four hours I’d slept fully clothed and probably hadn’t showered in days.

  As my eyes fell upon the final person in the room I thought dully about being thankful I’d brushed my teeth before going downstairs. Though the other two were beautiful and obviously deeply caring for one another, the man who I studied now seemed their opposite. He glowered at me as if he despised my very existence. While his dark hair matched my coloring, it hung shabbily. He’d cared for it at some point in the last couple days, but perhaps had experienced an altercation with a lawn mower recently. It shot off in crazy spikes as if he had dragged his hands through it often, curling lightly is random disarray.

  As if sensing my thoughts, he ran his hand through it and grimaced. Stubble covered his chin and dark circles ran under his bright green eyes. His disheveled appearance almost made me feel better about my seemingly homeless attire. The intensity of his stare and scorching dislike had me breaking eyes contact and coughing. I looked down at my feet and noted that I didn’t even have shoes on. I wiggled my toes lightly as I noticed some of my toes poked out of holes in my socks.

  “Well,” I sighed. “If this really is my delusion, how do I get a shower and some new clothes?”

  “Still think this isn’t real?” The disheveled man demanded. “You’ve been attacked several times in the last couple days, felt actual pain and outsmarted a doppelganger. How is this a delusion?”

  “There have been plenty of studies of complete mental breaks where the patient completely immerses themselves in an alternate reality because they cannot live their lives for whatever reason,” looking back at him I was confused by his anger. “I thought perhaps pain would waken me from this decidedly nightmarish delusion, but since it has not then I must be more immersed than is usual, but which is also documented. Being stuck in your own mind is a rarity but not improbable. Especially when compared with the reality which you present to be real.”

  I chuckled to myself at the thought. Though he seemed annoyed still, I caught a glimmer of respect in his eyes.

  “I apologize,” I cleared my throat, the sound gravelly from disuse. “I do not speak often. The gravity and tenor of my speech pattern has been termed off-putting in the past. However, I think I shall make an exception in this instance since it is my fantasy and I will be hard pressed to offend figments of my imagination.”

  Laughing fully, the giant mocha beauty stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. Not realizing how much I needed the connection, I teared up slightly, and hugged him back.

  “Thank you,” I told him sincerely, wiping the impromptu moisture from my eyes. “I didn’t realize how much I needed a hug.”

  “Not a problem child,” his deep voice boomed around the room and the tiny globes danced in excitement at the sound.

  “Don’t mind Chauncy,” the woman stepped forward and offered her hand. “I’m Valerie.”

  I was inordinately happy to see that my height assessment was accurate. She was just a few inches shorter than myself. It felt shallow, but I was excited to be taller than her. Anyone who was that gorgeous needed to be shorter than average. I took her hand and smiled.

  “Hello,” I said. “I would introduce myself, but I have the distinct feeling that you all know me.”

  “That would be true,” the disheveled man stepped forward next, but did not extend a hand. “I’m Alexandar.”

  Something told me it was a good thing we didn’t touch yet. Electricity seemed to crackle between us.

  “Yes,” I agreed approvingly. “You are.”

  I realized too late that I had spoken aloud and my embarrassment was clear on my face.

  “Did you know that most mammals have a gland at the top of their nose, called the vomeronasal organ? It’s believed this detects the pheromones related to sex and triggers an involuntary response,” I smiled awkwardly while internally I cringed.

  Great save Tab, I thought.

  Alexandar’s frown deepened, Chauncy chortled in delight and Valerie stepped forward taking my hand.

  “I think we are going to be great friends,” she told me. “Can you feel it?”

  “Yes,” I replied honestly. “Though I’m not sure I should trust my feelings as you all did just kidnap me.”

  “Kidnap you?!” Alexandar exploded.

  Attempting to take a step back from the anger, I tripped and fell back into the chair. Thankfully, Valerie was still holding my hand and gentled my fall. I looked up at her gratefully. Though this seemed to be my delusion, it has not helped my grace.

  “Now Alex,” Chauncy cautioned. “What else is she going to think after the last couple days?”

  “I don’t know,” Alexandar muttered under his breath, then louder. “But at the least she could be grateful that we SAVED her.”

  “She seemed to be working through things well enough,” Valerie defended me. “It wouldn’t have been long before she figured out how to kill the beast. I have faith in her.”

  “Thank you,” I nodded. “I think.”

  “You’re welcome,” Valerie smiled airily at me. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  “Yes please,” I sighed in relief.

  “Yeah, you look like a disaster,” Alexandar retorted.

  “You don’t look so comely yourself, sir,” I replied. “You may consider a hot shower of your own.”

  Chauncy seemed to break into uncontrollable laughter as Valerie swept me out of the room. A last look over my shoulder had Alex turning and punching the giant, only to be descended upon by the globes as if they were a hive of bees protecting their queen.

  “Well,” Valerie said as we walked down a dark hallway lit by torches. “That was quite an impression you made. Let’s make him eat those words.”

  “I believe that would be remarkably pleasant, Valerie,” I slipped my arm around hers and continued down the hall.

  “Please, call me Val,” she told me.

  “And you can call me Tabbie,” I patted her arm with my other hand. “It’s odd, I feel more at home with you in this delusion than I ever have in my real life. I think I like it here and I feel it may be remiss to return, though reality may eventually come crashing back.”

  “Sooner than you think,” Valerie agreed.

  Bathing in a hot spring was something I’d always wanted to do. To feel the naturally hot water flow over my naked body and float as if no one and nothing mattered. Who knew I’d just have to go crazy first.

  I giggled aloud and listened to it reverberate off the cave walls. The hot springs smelled of sulfur and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, and it felt absolutely wonderful. I’d dreamed of one day traveling to Japan with my sister and experiencing an authentic Onsen. Perhaps one high up in the mountains, surrounded by snow.

  At the moment however, this hot spring was just what I had needed to clean myself and feel rejuvenated. The small underground cave was filled with the soft flickering light of torches and the rushing sound of a river that echoed down a different corridor than I’d come in through. It was a soothing experience that would be hard to recreate in my bathtub with some white noise.

  Before today, I never would have floated naked in the pool. I would have modestly asked for a bathing suit, out of fear that someone would walk in and see my nakedness. I don’t even like to look at myself in the mirror after taking a shower. Avoiding looking at my reflection I would towel off, dress, and then assess the result. I wouldn’t consider myself a prude, not in the slightest. I understood the mechanics of sexual encounters, but due to my crippling awkwardness had not had the opportunity to experience them first hand. I believed in sex before marriage, esp
ecially if you wanted to truly test your eternal compatibility. Statistically, more than fifty percent of marriages fail. In my opinion if couples believed in testing their relationship as rigorously as their new cars, they might know whether they were meant to be together.

  But what did I know? I’m just a virgin, who has never had anyone care about me enough to attempt bridging my awkwardness. I’ve found that most men find my awkwardness an oddity, when I finally open up enough to try talking I usually find myself staring at their retreating backs. I wish I could blame my unquenchable thirst for knowledge, but I enjoy learning new things too much to place blame there.

  Hearing a noise, I dipped my body down so that I was treading water. A shiver ran through my body, regardless of the heat that surrounded me, as I made eye contact with Alexandar.

  “How long were you staring at me?” I asked, curious rather than accusing.

  “I...” His face flamed a deep red and I surmised that a long time was probable.

  Rather than feeling shame at the thought of someone staring at my naked body while I was deep in thought, I felt an odd sensation. Almost like a rising bubble in my stomach, glowing and radiating a deep sense of satisfaction. I smiled with the feeling and watched his face grow even deeper. I saw that he was holding a towel and a new set of clothing.

  “Are those for me?” I asked moving to the side of the pool to hold the rock and steady my fast beating heart.

  “Umm...”