Escape From Reality Read Online Free PDF

this island, and this castle.” He looked around the room
with such fondness that Leila believed, for a moment, the castle belonged to
him.
    “I’ve worked
here since the beginning; I know all the secrets.” With a measured step and a
broad smile, he walked toward her. “But now, as you well know, giving away all of
the secrets, especially at the very beginning, ruins the story.”
    Dominick walked
to the door, hand resting on the large handle. “The fire is banked for the
night and needs no further attention.” He glanced at the hearth as if to
confirm his words. “It’s not so much for the warmth, although we do get a
freshening breeze at times, but to ward off the ever-present dampness. You’ll
be expected in the great hall for supper shortly. Bottom of the stairs, to your
right.”
    He left her
standing in the middle of her room, the door closing softly behind him. After a
moment, she retrieved her bag and stepped toward the bathroom.
    Reflexively,
she glanced at the heavy wooden door, as intricately carved as the door to her
room. Rather than finding a man and woman in an embrace, she saw a pair of
swans, their arched necks gracefully entwined, floating on a calm pool beneath
weeping willow trees. She stared at the door, willing the figures to move, but
the placid swans remained immobile, heads bowed.
    Finally
stepping past the swans, she walked into the bathroom. It was a cavernous
space, and as Dominick had said, anachronistic. The walls were rough-cut gray
stone, the window no more than an arrow-slit filled with tiny panes of leaded
glass.
    But the
fixtures were state-of-the-art, surfaces covered in rich marbles and granites,
almost invisible glass doors covering the shower. Leila glanced longingly at
the deep bathtub, sighed, and turned to the vanity mirror.
    Ten minutes saw
her ready, or as ready as she felt she could be, to meet the most inspiring
person in her life. Her clothes were more or less clean, a bit wrinkled from
travel but still presentable. There would be time later to explore the
offerings in the dressers and wardrobe.
    The great hall
was enormous, a coffered ceiling rising over twenty feet above her head. Leila
let her eyes travel over the room, taking in the stained glass windows, glowing
softly in the candlelight. Suits of armor stood between the windows, glowing
dull silver.
    “Welcome, Leila.”
    The voice
seemed to come out of nowhere, but she recognized it instantly and turned with
a stifled gasp.
    “Oh, Ms. Bullard.
I…I didn’t see you there.” The woman seated at the head of the table rose,
coming toward Leila.
    For all her
diminutive size, Cheryl Bullard was an imposing figure. Dressed in her
customary skirt and flowing shawl, she held out her hands toward Leila.
    “I’m sorry,
dear. I know it all must be a bit overwhelming.”
    Leila took Cheryl’s
hands and was rewarded with a brief kiss on both cheeks along with an embrace.
    “Come.” Leila
was released and Cheryl turned, indicating a chair for Leila.
    “You must be absolutely
famished. We’ll have our supper and then I’ll give you your first assignment
and homework before you rest.”
    Leila took her
seat, placing the linen napkin across her lap. “Assignment?”
    Cheryl waved
her hand. “Nothing too stressful, I can assure you. The plan for the week will
be very simple; we meet once a day for tea or dinner, discuss your writing and
overall progress, and I give you something to take away, to work on, usually
overnight. There’s a table outside of your room; just place your pages there
and they’ll be brought to me. I’ll review them…”
    “Pages?”
    “Yes, there are
no computers or Internet here, just paper and pen. I don’t want you distracted
by anything but your own desires and thoughts. You need to truly connect with
your writing. Let yourself get caught up in the beauty and mystery of your own
mind, Leila. That is a place where fantasies come true.”
    A door suddenly
opened behind Cheryl and