Chapter 6 – Descent: The First Step
Cassie ended up spending most of Sunday with me. It was well after lunch when we regretfully hugged each good-bye and she pulled her car out of my driveway. We knew that we would see each other again in less that twenty-four hours, but seeing each other at work was sometimes painful because we had to maintain a professional image there.
As I cleaned up the master bedroom, I heard a bump from the ceiling. I frowned because the memory of waking up to a loud bump the night before suddenly came back to me. What was the bump? Did an animal get into the attic somehow?
I went into the large walk-in closet and pulled the rope that released the drop down extendable ladder. I climbed up and opened the attic door and pulled myself up into the attic. As I looked around, I saw something that nearly made my heart stop. Kumiko was lying on the floor face down!
The shipping box that she had arrived in was still standing up, but the box flaps were open. What the hell had happened? I could have sworn that I had tied Kumiko securely! I walked over and picked up Kumiko. She was heavier than I remembered – or maybe it was because I was no longer so enraptured by her. I chanced a quick glimpse at her face and nearly dropped her in shock.
Her eyes were glaring at me!
There was no other way to describe it. Those crystal blue eyes that had once held so much mystery, compassion, and love now glared at me in anger and hatred. I blinked but the glare was still there when I opened my eyes again. Kumiko’s lips, which once were turned up in a lilting smile were now tightly flat. There was a dark smudge on Kumiko’s left cheek from where she had hit the floor. In an effort to avoid those glaring eyes, I examined the dark smudge. The outer layer of the silicone skin was scuffed.
I pulled a chair over and sat Kumiko down. Then I retrieved the silicone repair kit from the shipping box and proceed to clean the scuff mark. I managed to get most of it off, and only upon a close inspection could I detect the faintest of faint scratch.
Still avoiding Kumiko’s eyes, I carried her over and propped her back into the box. I had set up her stand inside the box and I had tied new restraining straps to the stand. As I tied Kumiko back up, and I noticed that the straps had no damage. They were not frayed and they had not been cut. That means that the only way Kumiko could have come loose was if the knots I had tied had come undone. Maybe I didn’t tie the knots securely?
I closed the box flaps and looked around the attic. Everything else was normal. I checked the large window by the front of the house. It was closed but the lock was not engaged. Was it possible that I had had an intruder? Was someone trying to steal Kumiko? Was that why she was so angry at me?
I shook my head violently. How could she be mad at me? She was a doll! I locked the window. This window was not tied in with the security system because it was assumed that since there were no convenient ledges that a thief could use on the outside of the house, it would be very difficult for a thief to get in through this window. Of course, someone could have used a long extendable ladder…
I decided to call the security company tomorrow to arrange to have this window secured. As I passed Kumiko’s box, one of the box flaps swung open as if blown by an errant breeze. I caught a glimpse of one of Kumiko’s glaring eyes. I shivered and headed back down the ladder. I better get some packing tape and tape up that box!
---
That night, I took a long hot shower. The house seemed somehow empty without Cassie. I exited the shower stall and fondly remembered some of the fun that Cassie and I had that morning in this very stall. Steam permeated the bathroom. Damn! I had forgotten to turn on the fan!
The main mirror was fogged up, but that didn’t bother me. I wiped part of the mirror and then froze when I saw the vague image of a figure behind me.
I snapped my head around. There was nothing there. What had I seen in the mirror?
I rinsed my face with cold water. Feeling a little bit refreshed, I took a cloth and wiped down the entire mirror. Maybe I was just tired? Or maybe I was still feeling guilty at packing Kumiko away like she was nothing? Maybe I should decorate the attic a bit so that Kumiko wouldn’t feel so lonely and discarded?
Have I discarded her? Was I tired of her? What was she to me anyway?
I got ready for bed and lay down on the large king sized mattress. It had felt so nice to have a warm living body to sleep next to. I found that I really missed Cassie. I couldn’t wait until next week when she could sleep over again.
---
My sleep was disturbed by sounds of bumps from the ceiling. There was even sounds of something metallic being dragged across the floor above me in the attic.
I literally jumped out of bed and looked at the clock. The display read 3:35am. What was that sound I heard?
Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to have disturbed Cassie. She was still sound asleep on the bed. The covers were pulled over her head and she looked as if she were sleeping on her back.
Wait a minute…
Cassie had slept over last night!
Who was that in my bed?
With trembling fingers, I pulled the covers back…
Kumiko was lying in my bed!
What the hell was going on?
Her eyes were closed and her hands were folded on her chest. She had her pajamas on – which looked normal, except for the fact that I had packed her away in the outfit that she wore when she was first delivered to me.
There could be only one explanation! Someone else was in the house and was playing games with me!
I turned on the overhead lights, feverishly hoping that Kumiko was just an illusion created by my sleepy mind and the dark.
She was not.
In the harsh glare of the overhead light, Kumiko was still in my bed. I splashed cold water on my face from the ensuite bathroom. Kumiko was still on my bed. Damn it! This can’t be happening!
I rushed out of the room. As I entered the hallway, I turned on the overhead light. The hallway was empty. I stopped at every room and turned on the light. There was no one in any of the rooms.
I managed not to fall down the stairs in my haste. I turned on all the lights in the living room, the dining room, the pantry, the kitchen and the family room. There was no one in the house.
That left only one place: the basement.
The basement was dusty and dark. It was the only place that had not been finished. I grabbed a flashlight from the pantry and opened the door leading to the basement. It was almost pitch black downstairs. I turned on the overhead light, but it shone weakly and only provided dim lighting.
I powered on the flashlight and started walking down the stairs. I felt an unreasonable fear grip me but I had to do this. The steps creaked under my weight and I panned the flashlight beam in wide arcs in front of me.
Nothing.
There was nothing but old furniture and piles upon piles of old cardboard boxes.
As my foot touched the cold hard concrete, an icy hand of fear gripped my heart. What the hell! I was a grown man! I’m not afraid of a silly basement!
But I was afraid. I couldn’t explain it but I had an unreasonable fear of the basement. Why?
I panned the flashlight around the basement and called out tentatively, “Hello?”
There was no response and the flashlight beam didn’t touch anything that looked remotely suspicious.
There was an ominous rumbling sound that caught my attention. I swung the beam towards the sound and saw the furnace and the water heater. My imagination was certainly playing tricks with me!
I climbed back up the stairs and tried to ignore my shaking hands and feet. I closed the basement door and some lingering traces of fear made me bolt the door shut. I went back upstairs and turned off all the overhead lights as I went. Back in the master bedroom, Kumiko was still where I had left her, which was of some relief. I left her there and went to sleep in the other bedroom. I resolved that would put Kumiko back in the attic in the morning before I went to work.
---
I got out of bed to the sound of an irritating beep. I reached up and my hand felt around for the alarm clock. Not only did it not find the alarm clock, it didn’t find the night table! I raised my heavy head up. That’s right… I wasn’t in the master bedroom…
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The sun was starting to rise and the events of the previous evening seemed like a distant dream. Was it a dream?
I stumbled down the hall and entered the master bedroom. The alarm was louder in here but the normally irritating beeping was suddenly pushed into the back of my mind. The bed was empty.
What the hell?
I smashed the Snooze button and then flicked the alarm switch to off. I splashed cold water on my face and then took another look.
The bed was still empty.
What the hell was going on? Was last night just a dream?
I pulled the rope in the walk in closet and climbed up the ladder. The attic was still dim but there was enough ambient light for me to make out the tall box in the centre of the attic. The box flaps were closed.
With hesitant steps, I walked over to the box and pulled the flaps open.
Kumiko was standing inside. She was held in place by restraining straps that tied her to her stand. She was wearing the demure white blouse and the mid-length skirt. Her head was cocked to one side and her face looked innocently inquisitive. Maybe it was all a dream?
I went back downstairs after double checking that the attic window as securely locked. I still didn’t know how Kumiko had gotten out of the box yesterday, but now I wasn’t sure if finding her in my bed last night was real or not.
---
I found Cassie waiting for me in the coffee shop in the main floor of our building. She greeted me brightly with a big smile.
“Good morning sleepy head! You look like you got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!”
She handed me a cup of coffee and I took a zip from it. “Good morning Cassie. Ugh, I feel as if a truck ran over me.”
“What’s wrong Nelson?” she asked with obvious concern.
“Nothing. Just couldn’t didn’t sleep that well.”
“Aww…miss me already?” she quipped with a twinkle in her eyes.
I felt a little better and said, “Maybe. The bed did feel awfully lonely.”
Her expression grew serious though. “I’m sorry Nelson. I loved staying over with you on Saturday, but I don’t know if I’m ready for more than that.”
I cupped her hand in mine and reassured her, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll take it one step at a time, right?” I certainly wasn’t ready for her to move it either. I still had unresolved issues to work out.
She gave me a light kiss on my cheek. “You’re so sweet Nelson. How did I ever find you?”
“Easy. I only sit
like ten feet from you!” We had both
decided that neither of us would move into
We chatted amiably for several more minutes before heading up into the office. We greeted several people in the office and finally made our way to our cubicles. We greeted the other members of the team and got down to work.
As for myself, I quickly found myself lost in my work. Ever since Cassie pulled me out of my shell, I had discovered that I really did enjoy my work. Before, it had just been a routine that I followed. These days though, I found that I actually enjoyed the challenge of working on new problems and coming up with different approaches and new solutions. Life was pretty enjoyable!