บท 60: CHAPTER 59

THE REGENT

Vanessa led him through the lobby, whose emptiness was a twin to the room he had been sleeping in. The rigidity of the wall shimmered like a scale, with foundation, looking as though it was carved out from the bedrock of mother earth. The floor was neat and sparkling, almost as if they were punished. It was obvious, intense sweeping and scrubbing kept it the way it was.

Jeff and Vanessa walked abreast silently, and from the corner of his eyes, Jeff could see the calm posture on Vanessa's shoulders. The comfort she found with the stone walls was admirable. Her being herself made the problems of the outside world abstract, almost as if they don't exist.

"How long have you stayed here?" Jeff dared to ask.

"Forever, I think. As long as I can remember. I was born here, nurtured and raised with the stones." She waved her hands, "This has always been my home."

"So, you've never been outside?"

The girl shrugged, "There is nothing out there, not for a gold anyway."