His touch was like drinking a potion, Lydia registered as Shenyo steadied her. She drank from his strength, although sparingly, not wanting to drain him. Together they entered the empty house.<br/><br/>Lydia was struck by how homey the place was. Ever creature comfort waited as if it were like the witch’s house from Hansel and Gretel of old lore. She looked around at the inviting bed. There was nothing musty or dusty about it, nothing to suggest that squirrels had made nests in the feathers.<br/><br/>Something was a little off, a bit foreboding, but still she stood, staring around, seeing nothing amiss. The house was empty of that she was sure. There were not hidden eyes to stare at them. Then Shenyo called her attention to the lack of personal items here. No paintings of the inhabitants. No written journals or account ledgers. No clothes in the closet or in the drawers on the bureau. The house was waiting for life.<br/><br/>Shenyo laid down on the bed and soon drifted off to sleep but Lydia paced the room, sticking her head in the hall way listening for sounds of activity. There was none. Once she heard the voices of passersby drifting on the wind. She edged to the window and peered out. A group of people were passing by, very far, hugging the treeline as if they were not willing to approach the yard or the house. Bits and pieces of conversation drifted up<br/><br/>‘”I dare you to touch the haunted house.”<br/><br/>“No such thing as haunted. You are either alive, dead or a noble. That’s all.”<br/><br/>“Fat lot you know.”<br/><br/>“There is a curse on the land. My daddy told me. Even a false step on the grass will condemn you.”<br/><br/>A push, a shriek and bawdy laughter fading away. Lydia stepped away from the window. Shenyo looked peaceful. She was beginning to find that she craved his touch. The desire was a new feeling. The touch made her calmer, steadier, stronger, more confident. She reckoned it was caused by his magic.<br/>Giving in to her exhaustion, she crawled on the bed and curled up at Shenyo’s back. She hestitated twice to put her arm around his body but finally gave into the urge. Peace flooded her and Lydia slept.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>