The Nightmare Game (46 page)

“Yes, you really have. And I’d also like you to
know that I appreciate your making me feel so welcome and wanted.”

“I was honored to act as Arrosha’s official
representative. I really do want you to have a better grasp of the massive
wealth of all kinds that she’s trying to give you. We here exist as living
evidence of her compassion and her love. You know, Ashley, before meeting
Arrosha, I never believed that anyone as powerful and beneficent as she even
existed upon the earth. Since she came into our lives, our dark days are over
for good. I’d like yours to be, too.

“This is a truly beautiful life that we live here,
full of the kind of freedom that only Arrosha can bring. It’s a freedom from
fear, poverty and uncertainly. It’s a freedom from any kind of darkness that
has ever besieged us, regardless of whether it came from outside or from
within. Our lives are filled with perpetual sunlight now. And I know that I
don’t just speak for myself when I say that we really want you to stay and join
us in that sunlight.”

“Thank you, Ben. You’ve certainly given me a lot
to think about.”

“All good, I hope.”

“Definitely.

“I’m glad I could help.”

“You certainly have. And thanks to you, I’m very
much leaning in the direction of staying. I really do love it here, Ben. I
mean, I’d be crazy not to, right?”

“That’s wonderful to hear, Ashley, simply
wonderful.”

It was at this point that we became silent again.
The soft, comforting cadence of the porch swing as it swept back and forth was
the only sound in the otherwise still evening. The quiet was thorough enough to
seem unnatural and I realized that I missed the sound of crickets chirping, a
sound I normally associated with warm nights. The silence reminded me once
again that Arrosha did not allow animals in her domain, and I found this
disconcerting. But I was just being finicky, wasn’t I, to miss the one thing
that was not allowed in this otherwise overflowing cornucopia of delights, so I
decided not to dwell on that one thing I found lacking.

I gazed instead at the sky, which had grown dark,
alive with bright stars twinkling in all but the west, where the long sunset
was finally coming to an end, the last few bright red streaks mixed in with
deepest purple the only remnant of the day remaining. No longer engrossed in
Ben’s stories, I noticed for the first time that a few lampposts in the grounds
that had not grabbed my attention earlier were now lit. As if to join them, the
Spanish-style lanterns hanging from the porch ceiling had turned on one by one,
flooding the porch with their soft, amber light. The bothersome nagging of my
memories from earlier had finally ceased at last, leaving my mind in welcomed
peace. Other than the lonely absence of the sounds of nature, everything here
was so perfect, everything seemed so right.

This quiet continued as Ben remained deep in
thought, worry lines upon his brow. I couldn’t help but wonder if, despite his
protests to the contrary, he was still concerned about Geoffrey. While I wanted
to comfort him, I was at a complete loss as to what to say. I had nothing to
offer and even if I had, I would have felt awkward about disrupting his
reflections. Fortunately, I didn’t have long to ruminate about the matter,
because soon I heard voices and laughter coming up the walkway that lead up to
the porch. It was Ricky and Illea returning from the pool, towels wrapped
around them as they ran up the steps.

“Hi guys!” Ricky said.

“Hey, you two! Still gabbing?” Illea asked as they
walked up to our swing

“Just finished,” Ben answered. “I’ve been trying
to convince her to join our little ragtag group of misfits.”

“What’s to convince?” she said, smiling. “It’s
great here, Ashley. Join us, you’ll love it.”

“Yep, it really is great here, that’s for sure,” I
answered non-committally.

“Turning in for the night?” Ben asked her.

“I’m just going up for a minute to dry my hair and
get dressed. Ricky and I are going to go bowling tonight.”

“Listen, Babe,” Ricky said as he kissed her on the
cheek, “don’t rush. Stay here and talk. I’ll get changed and go down awhile.
See you in the bowling alley in a little bit, okay, hon?”

“That’s fine,” she answered, returning his kiss.
“Go ahead. I’ll be there in a while.”

As Ricky entered the mansion, Illea asked, “Hey,
either of you to wanna join us?”

“Probably not,” Ben told her. “I’m just going to
sit here a little longer and then I’m going to find Geoffrey and see what he
wants to do tonight. I think he might be mad at me for not spending enough time
with him lately. I have a feeling that all entertainment is going to be his
choice for quite a long time to come.”

“Yeah, he’s gonna make you pay through the nose
for ignoring him,” she said. “Ben, do you have any idea about what’s crawled up
his ass lately? He’s been in such a weird mood these days.”

“He tells me he feels like I’ve been neglecting
him,” Ben answered.

“Yeah, right. Poor Ben, I feel for you. You are so
whipped.” Illea then turned to me and said, “You have to understand, Ashley,
that Geoffrey is Ben’s full-time job.”

“What can I say?” Ben shrugged.

“I know, you love the guy. Personally, I think
you’d be bored stiff without the drama he injects into your life. Okay, so
you’re out for bowling tonight. Ashley, how about you?”

“Thanks, Illea, any other day I’d love to, but I
think I’ll just turn in early tonight. I’m starting to feel tired.”

“Day after the purge,” she remarked. “I gottcha.
Well, see y’all later. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” I said.

“‘Night,” Ben said.

“By the way, Ben,” Illea turned and said as she
walked into the house, “I hope that Geoffrey forgives you soon.”

“I’m sure he will,” he yelled after her, “after
I’ve done enough penance. He always does.”

As soon as she left, I got up from the swing, and
putting my glass into the cup holder in the swing’s armrest, I told Ben that I
was going to turn in for the night.

“I’ll see you first thing in the morning,” he told
me. “After we do what we need to do, I probably won’t be seeing you very much
except when Arrosha needs me. It’s time for me to tend to Geoffrey now.
Besides, I’m sure you’ll like a few days off just to relax and take it easy.
And if you have any more questions after tomorrow morning, just grab whoever’s
handy and ask.”

“That’s fine, Ben,” I said. “I think I’ll just
make it a low-key day tomorrow. Maybe if I spend some quiet time by the lake,
something of my past might even come back to me.”

“That would be very nice. Whatever the case,
though, I hope that your reflections will lead you toward a decision to join
us. We sure would like that a lot.”

“Thank you, Ben. And thanks again for the tour.
Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Ashley.”

It was alone that I walked through the French
doors back into the mansion, dutifully pausing before entering the house proper
to exchange my outside shoes for the requisite indoor slippers. Even that small
chore took effort, though, since for some curious reason, I’d become suddenly
exhausted after leaving Ben’s side. Too bushed to take the stairs, I stopped at
the elevator. Water. That’s what I needed, more water. Those last couple of
glasses didn’t seem to pack enough punch to do the job. Not knowing where any
nearby water fountains were, however, and too tired to walk back to the porch,
I realized I’d just have to wait until I got up to my room to pour myself
another glass. Bummer.

Before I had a chance to press the button for the
elevator, I heard the low hum of its motor as the cage descended. When it
reached the ground floor where I stood waiting, the door opened and out stepped
the Three Sisters. Silently, I groaned, for even though I was now aware of
their situation, I was just too drained to be in the mood for their particular
brand of weirdness.

“Hello, Ashley,” they cooed in unison.

“Um, hi,” I said, making minimal eye contact,
trying hard not to encourage conversation.

“We’re going for another swim,” the first said.
“Would you like to join us?”

“A night time swim. It’ll be ever so wonderful,”
chimed the second.

“Yes, so very wonderful. Please do join us,” the
third agreed.

“Thanks,” I excused myself, stepping into the
elevator as I spoke. “That sounds really nice, but I’m just about to turn in,”

“I hope you stay here with us,” the first
continued, not taking the hint.

“Please stay with us,” said the second.

“If you stay, you can play with us. Often,” said
the third, as if that were something I would ever find appealing.

“It’s very lovely here,” the first began again
before I had a chance to beg off. “You know, we were terribly unhappy until we
came here.”

“We were separated from each other, so very often,
“ added the second.

“But here we can be together. All the time,”
remarked the third. “We never have to be apart again.”

“I’m happy for you,” I responded, trying to be
nice.

“You look so very pretty now,” the first
continued. “More than pretty, really. You look… delectable.”

“Delectable, oh, yes,” declared the second.
“Tasty, even, I might add.”

“Indeed, indeed. So tasty that we could just eat
you up!” chirped the third.

“Quite, quite,” they giggled simultaneously.

Despite Ben’s explanations concerning the Sisters,
I was still taken aback by their odd comments that passed for compliments.

“Okay. Well, listen, gals,” I replied, with as
little enthusiasm as possible, hoping to put a quick end to the conversation.
“I’m really worn out from last night’s purge and it’s been a big day for me, so
I’m just going to make it an early night. Bye for now.”

“Good night then, our sweet Ashley. Sweet and
pleasant dreams,” they said in sing-song unison as they strolled off, holding
hands.

I watched them walk away in lock step as I closed
the elevator door and pressed the “up” button. Even though Ben had said I would
get used to them eventually, I highly doubted it. The manner in which they
always spoke either in turn or in unison seemed eerie to me; and no matter how
open-minded I tried to be, I still could not shake the feeling that there was
something definitely unhealthy about the three of them.

Once upon the second floor, I headed for the
bedroom. The door was open and Illea, dressed in a fifties’ style bowling
outfit, was standing in front of the full-length mirror, pulling her hair up
into a pony tail. For the first time, I noticed the music box to her right, the
one used for her transformation ceremony. It caught my eye because it was out
of sync with the rest of the furnishings, having a distinct old five-and-dime
store quality. Covered by a cheap laminate that had peeled away in places, it
was old and worn and obviously often handled. Nevertheless it still seemed much
loved, such as a child’s beloved doll or stuffed animal.

“Hi,” she said upon seeing me. “I’m almost
finished here. I’ll be out of your way in a jiffy.”

“Take your time,” I replied, feeling my energy
level rise again as it had when I was with Ben. “Don’t hurry on my account.
Illea, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Of course not. Go ahead.”

“I ran into those three women again at the
elevator and can you tell me, are they always that strange?”

“The Sisters? Oh, yeah. All the time.”

“Do they always have to talk in sync like that?
It’s so weird.”

“I know, it’s creepy at first, isn’t it? They
definitely take some getting used to.”

“That’s what Ben said.”

“I know. It was my mantra for two months after
their arrival. I’m just starting to get used to them now.”

“And they’re always together?”

“Definitely. They’re pretty much joined at the
hip. Arrosha says she’s going to individualize them one day when they’re ready,
and I hope this doesn’t sound cold, but personally, I can’t wait. Oh, well,”
she said, putting down her hairbrush, “at least I don’t have to share a room
with them. I wouldn’t mind, except that they’re always on the prowl, if you
catch my drift.”

“Oh, so I wasn’t just being paranoid about their
intentions, then,” I replied.

“Are you kidding? No way. As a matter of fact, the
only other thing they’re ever interested in is hearing stories all the time.
Now, some of the others, especially Robert, Ben and Geoffrey, are great
storytellers, but me, I’m not much of one. Besides, it’s just too much work for
me to have to entertain a group of adult women on a constant basis.

“I hope you don’t think I’m being bitchy, because
I tried very hard to make friends with the Sisters when they got here, but I
finally had to give up. They’re just not interested. It was kind of sad, too,
because after all of these years with just the guys, I was badly in need of
some female company. Honestly, Ashley, you have no idea how relieved I was when
you showed up. It’s so incredibly nice to have another woman around here that’s
actually right in the head. You seem so normal, do you mind that I’ve already
designated you as best friend?”

“Not at all,” I said, happy with the notion. “I’m
completely flattered.”

“Great. Now we can dish. So tell me, while we’re
on the subject of the Three Sisters, have they asked you to ‘play’ with them
yet?”

“I got an open invite at the elevator.”

“Boy, that didn’t take long. Listen, don’t feel
singled out. They invite everybody to ‘play’ with them. They’re really not that
picky.”

“Well, doesn’t that make me feel special,” I
laughed. “Seriously, though, how should I handle it? They kind of frighten me a
little.”

“I know they can be off-putting, especially at
first, but don’t let them scare you. They’re harmless for the most part. First,
remember that they don’t have any real interest you, so if talking to them gets
to be too much, just tell them that Geoffrey’s looking for them. It’s fast and
it’s foolproof. They’ll leave you so fast, it’ll make your head swim and
they’ll spend up to an hour looking for him.”

“Isn’t that a little mean?” I asked.

“Not at all; it’s definitely worth their while.
Once they find him, unless he’s with Ben, which is less and less these days,
he’s always up for a good ‘play’. ‘Play’, by the way, is the expression
Geoffrey invented for, well, you know. The Sisters actually picked up that word
from him.”

“Somehow, from what Ben’s told me, that really
doesn’t surprise me.”

“Yep, that’s our Geoffrey,” she smiled. “Horny as
a little monkey in heat, just like those three,” she said, tilting her head
toward the direction of the bedroom next door. “Always realize that even though
those girls go around asking for company constantly, they don’t really care if
they find it. If they don’t have anybody else to join in, they’ll just go ahead
and ‘play’ amongst themselves. I would have thought that they’d be pretty much
‘played’ out by now, but I’m starting to think that’s an absolute
impossibility. And I’ve never seen anything act as a deterrent, either. I mean,
they’re always at it. We even have to chaperone them in public when we go into
the city. Yep, when it comes to ‘playing’, they’re true soul mates with
Geoffrey in that arena.”

“And Ben doesn’t mind?” I asked.

“Ben’s exceptionally good at turning a blind eye
to where Geoff’s concerned. Besides, the Sisters are almost a moot point
because nobody, but nobody’s ever going to get between those three women.”

“Ben and Geoff’s relationship seems to odd to me.
I mean, I still don’t get it.”

“It definitely is odd, especially these days. But
there’s really not much to get. Okay, here’s the dynamic with those two:
Geoffrey does exactly what he wants, when he wants, and Ben puts up with it.

“It’s a shame, too, because Ben’s a real
sweetheart and the most loyal friend you’ll ever hope to find. And he’s a total
dream man for those of the gay persuasion. Not that he’d ever recognize it,
because he’s too busy being monogamous. He’s faithful to Geoffrey to a fault,
not that Geoffrey actually deserves it.”

“He did mention that Geoffrey wasn’t exactly the
faithful sort,” I said, trying to be diplomatic.

“No shit. He’s what Ben calls ‘complicated’,
although I’d find another word for it, like ‘dead’, if he were my boyfriend.
Geoff might be emotionally gay, but in every other way, he’s what you might
call ‘multi-sexual’. And that’s putting it nicely. Now, he’s always minded his
manners around me, but Geoffrey’s the sort that will basically screw anything
that isn’t nailed down. No, I take that back. He’ll screw it
especially
if it is nailed down. He’s so bad, in
fact, I’ve often joked that I would pity any poor extraterrestrial that might
have the rotten luck to land upon our lawn. Since it looks like you’ll probably
be staying here for good, you should be aware of that.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. I
know I don’t have to worry about Geoffrey hitting on me. He doesn’t seem to
like me much.”

“I wasn’t going to bring it up, Ashley, but I
noticed that. It is so weird, he’s never reacted to a newcomer that way before.
I don’t know why, but he’s had an attitude toward you since you came here, even
when you were in that coma or whatever it was you were in. But last night,
well, I just wanted to slap him, he pissed me off so bad. He’s been pretty
caustic to Max, our bartender, a lot lately, too, but Max never had a very good
attitude to start with. But you, I don’t know what he’s got against you.”

“Ben says he’s jealous because he’s been spending
so much time with me.”

“Yeah, I know that’s the official story and I wouldn’t
tell Ben this, but I don’t buy it for a minute.”

“You think it might be something else?”

“You bet I do. I think it’s got more to do with
that bug that Geoffrey’s had up his butt lately than with jealousy. Ashley, he
wasn’t always like he is now. I mean, even taking into account Geoffrey’s
infamous ‘restlessness’, as Ben likes to call it, the two of them were quite
the fabulous pair until Geoffrey started changing. Lately, he’s been treating
Ben like shit and he never used to do that before. I mean poor Ben; I just love
him to pieces and I feel so bad for him these days. It’s really hard to see him
suffer just because Geoffrey seems to have forgotten what side his bread’s
buttered on anymore.

“Now don’t get me wrong. I love Geoffrey and
absolutely adored him until just recently. He’s meant the world to me ever
since I got here. I guess you could say that whereas Ben’s always been the big
brother I never had, Geoff was always like this outrageous, irreverent,
over-indulgent uncle to me. He spoiled me rotten and he had this way of making
everything seem exciting. He used to be so naughty but so nice at the same
time. He’d entertain us all for hours because he was so charming and witty.
Sure, Geoff’s always been a little irreverent and a bit of a black sheep, but
he was always so much fun. But then, several weeks ago, he started being less
and less fun. It was really subtle at first, but he gradually stopped acting
like the Geoffrey that I knew and loved. I mean, it was weird, almost like he
was being taken over by pod-people or something.”

“And Arrosha didn’t notice?” That was something I
still could not fathom.

“No, he’s had her fooled completely and Ben
wouldn’t let me or anybody else here tell her. Ben’s incredibly protective of
Geoffrey, so he wouldn’t let us breathe a word to her. To be honest, Arrosha’s
the only one that he really minds his manners around these days, and he’s an
absolute angel with her.”

She shook her head, obviously frustrated.
“Geoffrey’s such a turkey. I hope he snaps out of this funk pretty soon. I
don’t like new Geoffrey. I miss old Geoffrey and I want him back. I really wish
I knew what was going on in that warped, pointy little head of his.

“Oh, well,” She let out a deep sigh and shrugged
her shoulders. “I guess that’s all the dirt around here that’s fit to print.
And just listen to me, rambling on and on. Sorry, it’s just that I’ve never
really had a woman friend before to talk to and I guess I got a little carried
away.”

“Hey, don’t apologize. I love intrigue,” I told
her.

“Well, anyway, enough about us for now. Let’s talk
about you. I’ve been dying to ask you all day how your essence trip last night
went.”

“I thought it was incredible,” I told her, “but I
don’t remember too much of it anymore, except that it was pretty trippy.”

“So you enjoyed the ride?”

“Definitely. It was a real blast.”

“I’m so glad to hear that. I was worried about
you.”