* * * *
The night progressed. I was cozy under the sheet, comforter, and blankets. I listened to the manor grow quiet and still as night closed around me. No more howls or the sounds of bats. Within those calming minutes, Von Shelly joined me on the bed, positioned at my side, face- and stomach-up, on the sheets and puffy comforter and numerous blankets. He extinguished the lantern to his right, filling the bedroom with complete darkness. He lay with his hands crossed over his chest, similar to how a dead person might lay in a coffin.
Together, we lay side by side and listened to the wind howl outside, licking at the manor. Some of the air found its way inside the edifice and twisted against my body. I told Von Shelly, “It’s freezing tonight.”
“The cold is a sanctuary here. It has alway
