The Nightmare Game (38 page)

“Do you think it’s going to come to that?”

“I doubt it. Once Geoffrey’s jealousy fades, and
it always does eventually, I’m certain that he’ll warm up to you. If you decide
to stay, you’ll just become one of the group, as accepted and embraced as any
of the rest of us are. Hey, when everything’s said and done, I’ll bet that the
two of you will even become fast friends.”

“You’re probably right, Ben,” I agreed, my
statement a hollow one, for I did not feel the words at all. To me, Geoffrey’s
apology rang shallow and I could not shake the feeling that it was all for
show. But it didn’t really matter, for I no longer cared about Geoffrey’s
opinion of me. He’d proven himself to be an ass and it would take a long-term
effort on his part to change my mind. All I needed was for him to be civil to
me or, barring that, for him to leave me alone. I felt bad for Ben, though,
because it must have been embarrassing for him to have to make excuses for the
most important person in his life. For Ben’s sake alone, I hoped his prediction
would come true.

Within minutes, we arrived again at the fountain.
I stopped for a moment to take another glance at the mansion, because from this
vantage point I could see the entire back of the house, whose lovely
antebellum-style facade reminded me of a perfectly iced wedding cake, with its
white paint, scrollwork trim and smaller third floor conservatory dome. While
stately and quite large for a plantation home, the mansion’s comparatively
modest exterior continued to belie the embarrassment of riches and wonders that
it held inside, and no matter how I looked at it, the outside of the manor
still seemed too small to be able to accommodate the palatial dimensions of its
own Great Room. Earlier today, I thought that I was starting to get the hang of
the prerequisite acceptance of the fantastic that this place demanded, that I’d
actually managed to make peace with the obvious deviations that the estate not
only held, but of which it proudly boasted. Now once again, however, these
impossible discrepancies began to bother me, for I found the assault to my
reason simply too overwhelming to ignore. I could not get past my own sense of
logic and no matter how hard I tried, I could not accept these patent offenses
to the laws of physics. But what chance could I possibly have to decipher such
a complicated puzzle? I shook my head, recognizing that the oddities of the
strange place in which I’d found myself were far beyond my poor talents and
abilities. I was no rocket scientist, and yet I doubted that far sharper minds
than my own could find rational explanations for these curious physical
incongruities that were so dizzying. They were the stuff of science fiction,
not of real life. I had little choice but to accept these wonders, didn’t I?
After all, if logic had any meaning here, the endless hallway that Ben had
shown me could not possibly exist. I realized that my only real option was to
let go of conventional thinking, relinquish all reason and surrender to the
bizarre. As hard as that would be, I knew I would have to do it if I wanted to
live here.

“Still trying to make sense of the place?” Ben
said.

“Is it that obvious?” I asked.

“Yep. It’s written all over your face,” he
answered. “You might as well give it up because it’ll only drive you crazy if
you keep trying. Take my word for it and just accept it for what it is.”

“That’s pretty much the conclusion I came to.”

“Ashley, I wish that I had all the answers and
could explain to you what makes this place tick, but to my dying day, I know
I’ll never understand it myself. To be honest, I don’t think that we’re meant
to comprehend. I prefer just to call it a miracle and let it go at that,
because it’s the only real explanation that fits.”

“I suppose,” I answered absentmindedly, not
budging.

“So, sunshine, are you ready to keep going or do
you want to stare at the mansion some more?”

“No, I guess I’m ready to move on,” I told him,
opting to abandon further speculation. If Ben hadn’t been able to solve these
mysteries in all of his years here, what possible chance did I have?

“C’mon, let’s go take in the swimming pools next,”
he suggested. “I think you’ll find that section very relaxing.”

We made our way down the left path this time,
which, with the sole exception of the statuary, was identical to the first, and
continued past an identical archway in the hedges until we reached our
destination at the opposite side of the boundary. It was an exhilarating sight
which there met my eyes, for rather than the single swimming pool that I’d
envisioned, what instead lay before us was a high-end, upscale water park in a
tropical paradise of stone, rock and foliage.

“How do you like it?” Ben asked.

“I’m flabbergasted!” I exclaimed, breaking out
into a big smile. “I could never have imagined anything like this! It makes me
want to run back to the mansion, grab a bathing suit and make a bee-line back
here to swim.”

“Why not spend tomorrow afternoon out here? I
don’t think we’ve got anything planned yet.”

“Great! Honestly, Ben, out of everything that
you’ve shown me on this estate so far, this looks like the most fun. My inner
child is doing cart-wheels.”

“I was hoping you would like it,” said Ben, happy
with my delight. “I figured that eventually I’d show you something appealing
enough to make you not want to leave.”

“I think you have found it.”

“Ah, a true temptation at last. So tell me Ashley,
when it comes to enticing you to stay, have I done my job well?”

“Very well indeed, Ben. This spot is your best
selling point yet by far, second only to last night’s incredible fountain of
youth.”

“Fabulous! I have to say that this is one of my
favorite spots, too. Hey,” he said with an impish smile, “since you like it so
much, why don’t I give you the full sales pitch and tell you everything that
this area has to offer.”

“Sounds good. Go ahead, sell away, “ I played
along. “But I must tell you, sir, that I am not prepared to buy into this just
yet. You must still convince me.”

“Certainly, certainly,” Ben said, stifling a smile
as he deepened his voice and jutted out his chest. “As you can very well see
here, madam, we have quite a few pools and Jacuzzis in all shapes and sizes to
fit your every need. Most are out in the open air but we have several in
grottos for any time you might desire that little bit of extra privacy. Some of
our larger pools have diving boards of varying heights, while others have
waterfalls and water slides. We have both still water pools and high-current
pools, depending on how much of a work-out you might desire on any given day.
And down behind the pool area,” he pointed, “you can’t see it from here, is a
stream that feeds into our lake. The activity of stream is up to you; it can
have a mild current if you’d like to inner tube or you can set it to the
‘rapids’ setting if you prefer to white-water raft. Now, those kiosks scattered
about, the ones covered by white canvas, are for equipment. The small ones by
the pools have towels and water floats. The larger ones by the stream and lake
also have everything from inner tubes to small boats. So, madam, may I assume
you are interested?”

“Marvelous, marvelous,” I teased. Ben’s imitation
of the overzealous salesman was incredibly convincing and I was trying not to
laugh. “This is all fine, of course, but tell me sir, have you no beach?”

“Oh, the beach is on a different part of the
estate.” The game was over. Ben was serious.

“You’re kidding,” I said, impressed. “I was only
joking when I said that. I had no idea that this estate was that large.”

“It’s huge,” he answered. “When I first arrived
here, it was smaller. Back then, it was completely surrounded by woods, but
they’ve moved further out now.”

“I know I’m going to get a real kick out of using
all of this stuff,” I said. “But in a way, it’s kind of a shame that so many
trees had to get cut down, especially in this day and age.”

“Oh, don’t give that a second thought. The woods
were never cut down. We still have the same trees and bushes that we had back
then. They just moved out further to make room for things like this water park,
the beach and the sports area.”

“Trees don’t move,” I replied.

“Around here, they do; our foliage is very
accommodating. The woods actually retreated because we needed the space.
Ashley, I told you things are very different here. I know it takes some getting
used to, but remember, on this estate, nothing is impossible.”

“You’re right, it does take some getting used to,”
I replied, wondering at which point my feelings of confusion would begin to
yield to those of entitlement.

“I know, it’s a real trip,” Ben continued, “but
it’s a ton of fun once you get the hang of it. And remember that once you join
us and become an official member of our group, if there’s anything that you
want or need that we don’t have, don’t be shy about asking for it. I can assure
you that it will appear.”

“Anything?”

“Well, virtually anything. For example, if you ask
for a person, like a boyfriend, for instance, that will take time. Arrosha will
always wait until you’re really ready for it and then she’ll make sure she’s
found just the right person to match you with. It’s one of the reasons that
Illea and Ricky are still so happy. Oh, but there is one major limitation that
I do need to mention, and that concerns animals. Arrosha does not allow animals
or pets, so if you want to go to a horse race, a duck pond or a petting zoo,
you’ll have to do that in the city.”

“Oh, now that is a shame.”

“Yeah, I know. I’d love to have a pet, too, but we
have such an embarrassment of riches, who are we to bitch, right? Anyway,” he
continued, “it’s starting to get a little late, so we’d better get going soon.
Wanna say ‘hi’ to the others before we leave?” he asked.

“Sure.”

We walked up to the pool nearest the entrance,
where Ricky and Illea were swimming, while Robert conversed with the three
strange women in the hot tub next to it.

“Hey, guys,” said Ben.

Noticing our presence, Ricky and Illea smiled.

“Enjoying the grounds, Ashley?” Ricky asked.

“They’re incredible. It’s nice to have such a
beautiful day for the tour,” I answered.

“It’s like this most of the time,” Illea said.
“Weather on demand, you know.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Ben explained it to me, but
I’m still finding this place hard to believe.”

“Ashley!” exclaimed Robert, waving broadly. “It’s
so wonderful to see you again.”

“Oh, hello,” the three women said in unison as
soon as they saw us. They stared at me for a full minute before the first of
them said, “Robert told us how lovely you look today.”

“Oh, yes, you do look very pretty,” the second
agreed.

“Indeed, indeed,” remarked the third, “I must say
that he was quite correct in his assessment.”

The three of them continued to peer at me, then
smiled oddly and licked their lips in unison.

“Uh, thank you,” I responded, unsure of how to
react, for these women still made me nervous. I found the tone of their
compliments too suggestive and maybe even a little sinister and wondered why
their peculiarities did not seem to bother the others. Fortunately, I was
relieved of the responsibility of any further response when Robert stepped out
of the Jacuzzi, grabbed a towel on his way out and with finesse, wrapped it
about the lower torso of his well-chiseled body.

“Would you like something to drink, Ashley?” he
asked, walking up to a statuette that held a jug in one arm.

“Oh, yes, I’d love something,” I replied,
realizing I was getting a little thirsty.

“I forgot to point the drinking fountains out
again, didn’t I,” Ben said. “Sorry. Remind me from time to time, will you?”

“That’s okay, Ben,” I told him. “I didn’t even
realize I was thirsty until just now. Power of suggestion, I suppose.”

As I began to walk over to the fountain, Robert
flashed a warm, sunny smile my way and said, “Don’t worry, Ashley, I’ve got it.
Just stay right where you are and allow me.”

He turned to the statuette and pulled its free
arm, tipping the jug and causing the water to flow. He picked up a glass that
sat on a table by the fountain and filled it. Then he walked over to hand it to
me.

“Here, my dear,” he added, staring intently into
my eyes. “Have this one. I’ll pour myself another.”

“Why, thank you,” I said shyly.

I quickly drank the water, feeling once again the
vitality it bestowed, but not the feeling of complete peace that I’d come to
associate with the liquid. I supposed it was because I was a little nervous,
for Robert stood next to me, staring, gauging my reaction.

“Thanks again,” I mumbled shyly to Robert as he
took the empty glass from my hand. I had no idea what else to say.

“I’m here to help, my dear, any time you need me,”
he replied sweetly.

I smiled at him, somewhat amused. On any other
man, these attempts to be suave would have been cheesy, but underneath all of
Robert’s raw elegance there stood an undeniable innocence about him that made
his flirtations more than a little cute. I liked him and found him not only
handsome and charming, but quite adorable as well. So why then, I asked myself,
was I not responding to his advances? Were his overtures simply a matter of
just too much too soon? After all, I was only beginning to get my footing in an
environment for which the word ‘quirky’ would have been a vast understatement,
while Robert, it seemed, had already made up his mind that I was the one for
him, a conclusion which he had most likely reached long before I ever turned up
at the manor’s doorstep. If I were to be perfectly honest, however, the real
issue bothering me went far deeper than simply feeling rushed. For some strange
reason, Robert’s attentions made me a little nervous, as if they were trying to
force my mind into a place to which it did not want to go. Whenever he was
around, I felt an anxious need to remember my past. Now had my memories decided
to surface willingly and without protest, I would have been more than delighted
to have them stirred, but such was not the case, for it was with great
stubbornness that they resisted, refusing to come forth, continuing to evade me
without relief. This persistent refusal scratched away in annoyance at my
subconscious, causing a nagging tug that I found most distressing.