When they reached Leblue, a heavy summer shower greeted them. It was already past nine, and there was no sign of any human being around the fishing village.It was too dark to even look around the place.
Someone came in a car to pick up Moncee and he left without saying a word.
Shimlee: "This time around, you have really pissed him off, Keiro."
Keiro: "He did not talk during the whole journey, must have been busy cooking up some scheme to get back at me."
Shimlee: "That's because you were sleeping like a log throughout the ride.But never mind that. My grandma's inn is not very far away,let's just walk there."
Keiro: "Your grandma runs an inn?"
Keiro and Roju followed Shimlee towards the inn. The rain poured down heavily but luckily enough they had the capsule umbrellas that Roju had brought with him. They were tiny capsules that would turn into umbrellas after breaking them.
Keiro: "I am proud of you Roju!" She patted him on the back. So Roju could make such useful and harmless inventions too! Keiro imagined them going into the umbrella business, they would patent Roju's umbrellas and make them in different colored capsules and...
There was a sudden loud thunder with lightning and Keiro shuddered...It was closely followed by another lightning that illuminated an old fashioned building on top of a small cliff.
Shimlee: "That's my grandma's inn. It is called the Grand Leblue." Shimlee said pointing towards the structure on the cliff.
Keiro gulped.The whole place looked creepy, or was it because of the rain and thunder?
They walked up the cliff toward the inn. When they drew close, Keiro realized that the inn was larger than she thought it was. Keiro looked up and saw that it was built in a gothic style with huge lancet windows.
Keiro: "Rusa would love this place."
There was another lightning and in its light, Keiro saw a figure at one of the windows. She turned around to show it to her friends but saw that Shimlee and Roju had already walked inside.
"Wait for me...." Keiro ran after them. When they reached inside, they were helped by some workers of the inn with their luggage.
Shimlee: "Leblue is an old fashioned quiet place, most people go to bed early, let's just have supper without disturbing Grandma."
They sat down for supper around a large round table. Keiro looked at the person who was serving them, He was an old guy with long white hair and round protruding eyes. When their eyes met he smiled at Keiro showing his extra-pointy canine teeth. Keiro nervously smiled back.
Shimlee: "What's wrong?" Shimlee asked looking at Keiro who was not concentrating on her food.
Keiro: "I don't have much of an appetite..."
The waiter seemed concerned.
Waiter: "Is it because the young miss doesn't like fish but prefers meat? We can ask the chef to prepare it for you...We have already finished letting down all the blood from the body."
Keiro: "From the...body?"
Shimlee: "They have these traditions while cooking meat."
Keiro: "I see...It's alright, fish will do."
After supper, they made their way to the rooms.
Keiro: "I'll sleep with you..." Keiro tugged at Shimlee's sleeve.
Shimlee: "Now, don't be a baby, we have only single bedded rooms."
Keiro reluctantly went to her own room. She dragged her luggage inside and closed the door. The rain was still pouring down and Keiro lay on the bed, curled inside a blanket. From the dim light of the bedlamp, she saw the gothic painting on the ceiling of her room. It seemed to be telling a story in sequence. There was a picture of a woman with long hair that fell on her face.This woman seemed to be walking on all fours throughout the painting. In the last sequence she seemed to be walking straight, but without her head on her body.
Keiro lay awake the whole night.