GALSYR

Small But Mighty

     Whilst lying down, Arraya tried to make sense of everything that had happened, only she found it too much to cope with.

     She must have drifted to sleep, because she didn't hear anyone enter the room until someone coughed.

     On opening her eyes, there was a tall, stern-looking woman in her mid-fifty's, with short, curly white hair, wearing a grey, woollen pants suit, her shrewd brown eyes staring pointedly at her from the other end of the bed.

     Ms Gloria Draelon...? Arraya's jaw dropped. She looked exactly as she imagined the head of the SSFC would, when she'd written the character.

     "Well Miss Templeton, I think you've had enough leisure-time. Are you ready to start working?" Her cold tone made Arraya shudder.

     "Excuse me...?" Leisure? Working? "What are you talking about?"

     "Get up. There's a change of clothing on the end of the bed. I'll be back in 5 minutes. I'll expect you to be ready, and we can begin." Arraya more-or-less blinked, and she was gone.

     Well what did you expect, a welcome committee?

     Standing up, lightheaded at first, she shivered; the room was freezing. Lucky she was still wearing her woollen socks and slippers, as there were no shoes provided. Arraya slowly got changed into the warm, grey tracksuit pants and a black T shirt with a fleecy lined matching jacket.  

     After pushing back the long strands that had fallen over her right eye, she looked around the room.  How about a bathroom? There was no other doors bar the exit.  Funny, she hadn't thought to include one of those. From now on she was going to make sure she wrote at least one in all her stories.

     Opening the exit-door, she poked her head out, there was one long white corridor, no other doors and no one in sight, she decided to go right. Arraya had just closed the door and taken several steps when the ice queen's voice, behind her, stopped her in her tracks.

     "Where do you think you're going?" 

     Where did she suddenly appear from?

     Turning back around, Arraya stood her full five foot eleven inches. There was no way she was going to cower at a character she'd created. "I was looking for the bathroom."

     "You have one in your room." She opened the door and held it until Arraya walked through. The look of disdain on Gloria's face, said it all.

     "Bathroom!" As soon as Gloria spoke, a door suddenly appeared in the opposite white wall and opened, revealing a modern bathroom.

     "I don't remember writing that."

     "You didn't." Ms Draelon stated

     "Oh..."

     As much as she would have liked a shower, she refrained, a quick wash would have to do. Although she looked longingly at it once more, before she walked back out the door.

     Arraya took a step into the room and paused, her huge stunned eyes trying to take it all in... How long had she been in that bathroom?  The room had changed completely.

     The starkly furnished room had grown somewhat in size and was now a well-equipped kitchen, dining room and office.  A chef hovered around the oven.

     Then, looking closer at the futuristic décor, she exclaimed, "I definitely didn't write this."

     But you should have.