Jennifer eyed the mattresses on the floor with gratitude. This beat sleeping outside when it was cold.<br/><br/>"Greetings, seekers," a mellow female voice called from the doorway.<br/><br/>Jennifer turned to see a woman of indiscriminate age addressing them. This woman was dressed in a flowing patchwork skirt topped with a black velvet vest over a green tee shirt. Her hair was black and held back from her face by a headband that circled her forehead. Her kind grey eyes were void of makeup in a smooth face. She reached out with both hands in way of welcome.<br/><br/>" I am Olivia Desert Rose. You are safe now, from this world that has had you in bondage. Evening meal will be served shortly. Make yourselves comfortable in here and join us. The bathroom facilities are located one by the stairs both upstairs and down if you would need to clean up before dining."<br/><br/>Jennifer nodded and asked. "Ummm. When do we leave on the retreat and where are we going for that?"<br/><br/>She smiled and said, "Dinner will be served shortly." and left the room.<br/><br/>Jennifer shrugged and took the clean bedding from the shelf and made up her bed. Max looked a little out of his element but followed suit and soon both of their single mattresses on the floor were make up neat and tidy. Jennifer went into the bathroom and washed her face and hands. She took a brush out of her back pocket and pulled her braid loose, groomed her hair and rebraided the black mass. A knock on the door made her turn.<br/><br/>A girl was waiting outside, doing the dance that indicated she needed the toilet now!. She smiled at Jennifer but piled into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Jenn smiled at took her brush back to her room. There she found Max pacing the floor but otherwise clean shaven and waiting to go eat.<br/><br/>In the dining hall a long trestle table was set up with backless benches on either side. There were about 15 people seated and passing a pot of soup and a platter of what smelled like freshly baked bread. Jenn and Max slid on the end of the bench  where a service of  white stone wear plates and bowls marked their spots. The soup was rich with chicken, zucchini, potatoes, green beans and corn. The bread was whole wheat and had been slathered with real butter. Jennifer took her spoon and was about to dig in when a bell rang.<br/><br/>All the diners put their hands in their laps and silence enveloped the room. An air of reverence filled the space and Olivia Desert Rose held out her hands in benediction. No words were spoken. Only the beating of hearts spoke. The silver bell chimed again and the group fell to their tasks. To Jennifer, there had been no food this good since she was a little girl.