Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
The room seemed to spin, the basement walls closing in as the weight of Pavel’s words pressed down on me.
I remembered the taste, the warmth, the bond I felt each time I drank from my mouse. And the milk had been sweeter and sweeter with each swallow.
Addicting.
More than just nourishment.
And each time I placed my mouth upon her nipples, it had felt like a ritual.
A sacred connection between us.
“No.” I shook my head at Pavel. “I do not want the reason to be the milk—”
“Why not?”
“Because I still will not stop drinking it.”
“Dear God! Are you insane?!” Then, Pavel turned to the little girl. “Why am I asking him? Of course he is insane. I have known this fact, since we were kids.”
I scanned the space, looking at the basement with new eyes. “I am in my mouse’s mind.”
The concept was overwhelming, unfathomable. Yet, as I looked at Emily’s peaceful form on the basement floor, the truth of it resonated within me like a struck chord.
I lifted my view to the little girl. “Why is my mouse on the floor?”
“It’s always that way. When she comes to sleep, it is here.”
“But why not on a bed?”
“She was born here on the floor, right in the blood.”
I leaned my head to the side. “Whose blood?”
“His blood.” She hugged the lion tighter. “The nasty man.”
Pavel cleared his throat. “I am sorry, but Emily being on the floor is not important. Get us out of here, Kazimir.”
I lowered my view to the little girl’s stuffed lion. “That lion should be much bigger. Fluffy, yet ferocious.”
She curved her small lips into the sweetest smile.
“Do you know how to make it bigger?”
She shook her head.
“One day, we will figure that out.”
“Alright, Kazimir.” Pavel frowned. “You have your answers. Now let us go—”
“We are not going anywhere.” I held up my hand. “If I am here, then this means something.”
“Means something?” Pavel hissed. “What are you talking about?”
“Perhaps, the Universe or God—”
“It means you are a stubborn fool for going against the witch’s warning. That is it. There is no deeper spiritual meaning to your idiot ways.”
I studied the little girl. “You do not think I should wake up my mouse?”
Worry covered her face. “Maybe. . .it will wake you up too and you will leave.”
“Oh.” Pavel blinked. “Then, perhaps you should wake Emily up.”
“Or. . .” The little girl stared down at her lion.
I quirked my brows. “Or?”
“You may live here forever.”
Pavel rubbed his forehead. “Which means that I will probably live here forever.”
I glared at him. “What is wrong with you?”
Pavel touched his chest. “Me?”
“You are dead. Stop worrying about yourself—”
“I am not as dead as you understand, and this reality.” He gazed around. “I do not want to be here. If I am to haunt you, it is your mind, not hers.”
I turned my gaze to the gray walls. “This is her. . .mind. . .”
“Yes.” Pavel bobbed his head. “So, let us go. Now.”
I stood there, unable to move.
On one hand, the urge to wake Emily, to pull us both out of this surreal mindscape, tugged at me with the urgency of survival. In fact, the thought of being trapped here forever, in the depths of her psyche, was horrifying.
What if this moment were my only chance to escape, to go back to the tangible world where I understood the rules, where I could protect her with muscle, guns, and might instead of wading through the murky waters of her subconscious?
But then, there was the other, more daunting path.
Staying.
The possibility that there was a reason I was here, inside her mind, couldn’t be ignored.
What if this was a rare opportunity to mend something broken, to understand and heal aspects of Emily that were otherwise locked away from me, from even her alters?
Was there damage done that I could undo, secrets I could unearth that would fortify her psyche in the real world?
What-ifs and maybes gnawed at me.
Staying could mean getting stuck—or worse, causing further damage to her.
But leaving so fast. . .what if leaving meant missing the chance to fix something crucial, something vital?
Think. You must think. What is the right thing to do?
Sighing, I considered all of this some more.
If I stayed, delved deeper into this obscure world, I risked becoming an unwelcome intruder in her inner sanctum.
But if I left without helping my mouse, would I ever forgive myself for the missed opportunity to understand her better, to heal her?
Never. I would hate myself for being a coward.
Pavel watched me. “No. No. I do not like that look on your face, Kazimir.”
The little girl widened her eyes, probably not sure of what Pavel was thinking.
“Kazimir.” Pavel pointed at me. “Listen, cousin. There is no other option for us, but to leave. You are not Alice. This is not Wonderland. We will not be going on an adventure. I think that you must wake yourself up somehow.”