Traffic had lightened enough that Melissa only heard an occasional car passing.Traffic had lightened enough that Melissa only heard an occasional car passing. Jeremy slowed down and turned off the paved road. The car bounced along a dirt road for about 15 minutes and finally stopped. He got out of the car and came around to Melissa's side and opened her door. "Can I take this mask off now?" "Not yet, just a few more minutes." She could smell the scent of pines and a wood fire burning. Jeremy took Melissa by the arm and guided her towards her destination. She could hear a small brook splashing in the background. She stumbled slightly on the flagstone walkway. They stopped walking and Melissa heard a sliding door open. "Step up" he said and as she did, she felt the warmth of the fire she smelled earlier. Jeremy shut the door and led Melissa closer to the fire. He stopped and turned to Melissa, "You may take off the mask now." As Melissa lifted the mask, she saw that she was in a room with a stone fireplace against one long wall and the opposite wall had open shoji screens overlooking a Japanese garden with a small stream. The floor was of polished hardwood with tatami mats in front of the fireplace. |