Curious Changes in Her Routine

She awoke from her slumber. Sleepily she sat up as the sun shone into her room. The particles danced in the light as she tried to adjust her eyes. Her lonely sighs filled the still room as she got out of bed.

She was thankful that she felt no pain last night. Some nights she’s in agonizing pain for a bit and then it suddenly goes away as quickly as it comes. She doesn’t know what it is, or what it’s from. She just knows that sometimes it’s unbearable.

Her contentment, though present, lacked something. She had felt a different and interesting sensation a few weeks prior while in the shower. It empowered her sexually. She had never felt such a rush… that she could remember. It almost felt as if someone was watching her… her true love perhaps? It couldn’t be. If it was him, he would have made himself known. She knew he was out there, somewhere. He had to be. All the books she had read of love everlasting… This lonely existence couldn’t be her life forever.

She turned on the water and as it warmed, she felt it slide down her body. It wasn’t the same. She wished the heated sensation would return to her.

After her shower, Rosemary walked naked into the dining room and picked up a book. She had wished her life had such passion as Sadie did in the novel she had recently read. She was a sensuous vixen ready to pounce. Rosemary, however, was not. She had been in, what she felt, a living painful prison. She could not physically pass beyond the gate. It didn’t take her long to figure this out. And though for a while she was happy in her existence, she knew she was missing something in her life.

Occasionally she would be cleaning or reading, and the tingles would come over her. They would stay for a while, and then they would stop as quickly as they came. Perhaps she was going mad from lack of companionship. She didn’t know how long she had been there. She didn’t even remember her life before being in this cottage. Bits and pieces revealed themselves in her dreams, but she would forget them all once she woke up. The dreams she would have after being in pain much of the night, however, she would remember those. She would see herself sitting in a corner of a dark room crying and feeling very lonely.

She shook off her thoughts and sighed as she looked around and found her silk robe and walked to the large clock to wind it. The boy would be here soon with her daily basket. Every day, at exactly 7:55am a boy of about ten or eleven in age would bring her a basket that contained all the food she would need for the day, and she would give him the empty basket from the day before. Sometimes there would also be flowers, or another book, or something special she would like.  Rosemary didn’t remember when it started, it was simply always this way.

He never spoke. She tried. She yelled, she asked a dozen questions, she cried, she pleaded. She even pushed him once. He would simply look at her and nod. Eventually, she gave up and simply nodded back. Once she thought she even saw a smile in return, but she wasn’t sure. He could go in and out of the barrier. So why couldn’t she? After she realized her imprisonment, she tried to walk out with him hoping to trick the enchantment, but of course, it didn’t work.

She also noticed that her surroundings would change occasionally. The mountains were always the same, but the paths and the trees around her cottage were different. What was the cottage hiding her from? Or rather, what was the cottage hiding from her? She would wonder at times, but essentially, she gave up and accepted her life. She hoped that one day it might change. One day…

She hadn’t felt that tingle in a week or so and wondered if she’d ever feel it again.

The knock on the door took her out of her thoughts and she grabbed the basket to give to the boy, but when she opened the door, a short, pear-shaped older woman stood there with her basket. Rosemary gasped at the change and was speechless.

“Are you going to let me in Rosemary?”

'She knows my name.' She thought in awe.

“Yes, of course. How rude of me. Do come in. Please.”

As she walked pass, Rosemary noticed her straight shiny shoulder length black hair with flecks of silver throughout.

“I know you have many questions. But you cannot ask them. Tomorrow, there will be no drop off. There’s enough here for 2 days.”

Afraid to talk, Rosemary nodded and took the basket from the woman.

She smiled and started walking towards the door. “Tomorrow will be different. We’ll see how it goes this time.”

“This time?” she put the basket down and walked toward the woman.

“No questions, my dear Rosemary. That was your rule.” She waved her hand as if to brush off the questions.

“My rule? Do we know each other?”

The older woman chuckled and hugged her tightly. “No questions.”

Tears came to her eyes as she felt the first human contact in what felt like forever. Her hug felt so familiar.

“I don’t even know your name.” she blinked the tears back.

The woman smiled sympathetically and repeated, “No questions. Your rules, Love.” as she walked out the door.

Rosemary stood on the front porch and watched the woman walk down the path to the gate then leave. The clock chimed 8 and stole her attention and when she looked back, the woman was gone. She ran to the gate to see if she was still in sight in either direction, but she had disappeared.

The day dragged and the encounter with the woman perplexed Rosemary. So many emotions ran through her as she processed that morning. Why would this be her rule? Were there others? Did she truly want to be alone? She barely ate and couldn’t even keep up her normal routine. She was happy to finally see the sun go down so she could sleep and get to tomorrow faster.

She looked around the living room and sighed. All the books that the boy brought were ones she loved. All the food and flowers were what she loved. Did she really put herself in this purgatory? Frustrated with her rule, but excited for tomorrow, she headed for bed in hopes of answers.