Visions into Darkness

Part 1

Valarie awoke to someone banging at her front door. It was maintenance. She wrapped her blue cashmere robe over her slender body and slipped her feet into her 'Hello Kitty' slippers. She walked lazily to the door, brushing her dread locs away from her face. Her light skin flawless and hazel green eyes mesmerizing. She anticipated opening the door and giving the maintenance guy a piece of her mind.

"Do you know how long it's been since I put that ticket in? Just about two weeks now! Two weeks without hot water. I had to boil hot water to take a decent bath or take showers at my mother's. Do you realize how inconvenient that has been for me?" Valarie didn't waste any time going off.

The maintenance guy walked into the apartment with the same laziness as Valarie. He didn't say much as she rambled on. It wasn't like her to be so bitchy.

"It's really early." She spoke out loud as she glanced up at the clock hanging against the wall. Maybe she would go back to bed or maybe she couldn't. She excused herself. He looked up but didn't say anything. Valarie didn't want to be standing over him while he worked. Plus it meant she could avoid the inevitable butt crack moment...it happened all the time. The sounds of rumbling and whispering startled her. She walked closer to her patio door. She felt herself slipping away into a dark hole. Her body became drained. Then darkness surrounded her. Out of nowhere glimpses of faces appeared. In the dim light, shadowy figures moved about surrounding Valarie as she was pulled further into the dark hole. A hand grabbed her shoulder and started shaking her a little too roughly.

"Ouch!" She turned around and found herself staring back at Bruno. That was the name on his name tag anyway.

"Uh, are you ok miss?" he looked at her in a concerned way.

"Yeah why do you ask?" Valarie walked back into the room towards her kitchen. She acted like nothing happened. She poured herself a glass of water. She turned back to Bruno who was suppose to be repairing her water heater.

"Listen I don't have all day. I would really like to get back to sleep if you don't mind." Valarie shocked even herself with the tone she used.

"Yeah ok. You seemed out of it earlier that's all." Bruno looked back at Valarie and started back on the heater.

"Well...I'm ok now I just want to take a hot bath in my own tub." It was unlike her to ever be rude but she was playing the part exceptionally well.

"I hear yah lady. All I needed to do was turn the thermostat up. I can show you how to adjust it if you like. This way you don't have to wait around so long before you have hot water. I didn't turn it up to high due to it could cause the water to get scolding hot. So in the future you can change it yourself but I wouldn't recommend turning it up to high, alright?" Bruno instructed.

"I got it...thanks." Valarie responded in a nonchalant manner.

She walked over to the sliding door and peered out from over the balcony. She stepped out onto the balcony and lit a cigarette. She never smoked in her apartment. She hated the smell of cigarette smoke. Silly to be a smoker yet hate to smell the damn things. One day she would quit. She never revealed to her mom that she even smoked but Valarie knew her mom knew. Mothers have the intuition of just knowing what their children was up to well at least deep down inside they did. Valarie took one last drag on the cigarette before putting it out in the ash tray. Her fingers trembled and then the ground shook as she felt her body sway back and forth. Feeling someone watching her she jerked her head around and again noticed the strange look on Bruno's face. She rolled her eyes and he blew her off. Valarie could hear him call her a crazy bitch as he exited the apartment.

"Whatever." She mumbled under her breath.

Valarie didn't know what was wrong with her. She was seeing things while she wasn't asleep. A gush of wind blew past her. In shock she peered into the house there was dead silence all around her. She was confused. The room started spinning or was it she? She was so out of it she didn't know if she was coming or going. What's happening to me? She tried to regain her balance. Her muscles ached she longed for a hot soapy bath. She closed her eyes and imagined having a pair of big strong hands rub her down and then wash her long silky dread locs that hung down pass her shoulders.

"Enough daydreaming." Valarie made her way into the bathroom, she turned the hot water valve on and put the tub stopper in. She watched the water run into the tub getting higher as the steam filled the room. She awaited sitting in the bath water. One foot at a time she stepped into the hot water. At first she thought it was too hot even for her. Her body soon adjusted to the intense hot water. After the water rose to her desired level she turned the valve off. Only the sounds of the water sashaying back and forth as she massaged her legs with the bath sponge. She closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to have her body rubbed down with the sponge. Her soft skin being lathered with intoxicating bath oils. Valarie licked her lips, picturing her fantasy in full color. She sat in the tub for a few minutes before she found herself drifting off. She could barely keep her eyes open. Suddenly a sharp pain coursed through her abdomen. Her body weakened. Her legs quivered. Valarie tried to stand up but felt her knees collapse. She slipped and fell into the tub then everything went black. 

    Copyright© 2010 by Donnetta Williams