By the time I awoke, it was dark. The room I found myself in was very different from the one I had stayed in the night before. I stretched, finding myself on a bed made of soft fur blankets. Laying back, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the ability to lay down. Unlike the room I had stayed in the night before, this room had solid walls on each side, and only small openings for windows. Most importantly, it did not sway back and forth. The floor seemed more solid as well, with no holes to see through.

I scanned the room for a door. There was a doorway to my right, next to a window through which soft moonlight streamed. Looking out of the window from where I lay gave me a view of the twinkling stars outside which shone above the dark outlined tree tops. An animal skin cover hung over the doorway.

Despite my predicament, the scene felt rather serene and gave me some time to collect my thoughts. Where was I? who were these people? How would I escape? It seemed an impossible task.

As I was laying back in the soft fur blankets, thinking about how I might escape, a movement from the side of the room caught my eye. I jumped a bit in surprise, looking over at the door. The door flap moved aside and someone walked in. As they passed by the window in the moonlight I could see that it was the red haired girl from earlier in the day. Her robes flowing gracefully around her as she carried a small tray in her hands.

"Hello?", I said, sitting up a bit more. My voice cracked somewhat as I realized my throat was parched. I cleared my throat, hoping to sound a bit more confident. I had never had much luck with women, especially beautiful ones. Now, being surrounded by beautiful women, I felt very outside my element. This anxiety only increased as the girl came closer, kneeling beside the pile of blankets I was sitting in.

She couldn't have been much older than 20. Her age made me think of the students I taught -- which now seemed a lifetime ago. I'd never crossed any lines with the girls in my classes, but it would have been impossible not to notice them. Yet the women here had a beauty about them that was almost ethereal when compared to those from home, and this girl had even more of that quality than the others.

Smiling, she held out the tray to me. I reached for it but she instinctively pulled it back, a soft smile on her face. It was a message to me to be sure, but it was a contrast to the mocking looks I'd been used to getting.

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I blinked, "Malo" I said.

She knelt patiently, staring at me.

"Mandu.... Malu....Minu....", I sighed with frustration, smelling the aroma of the food that was just outside my reach. I never was any good at languages. I had taken Spanish in high school and it had been a struggle.

The girl let out a giggle. It was probably the cutest giggle I'd ever heard. "Masu", she said.

"Masu", I said, forgetting my hunger for just a moment at the sound of her giggle.

She handed me the tray, which contained a plate with food, a glass with some sort of drink, and a metal utensil resembling a fork.

“Thank you” I said, smiling at her. She smiled back and waited patiently, kneeling beside me with her hands folded neatly in her lap as I ate.

The food was delicious. It was a mixture of some sort of meat with a potato-like vegetable over rice with a dark colored sauce which tasted similar to a curry. It was impossible to know the color for sure in the relative darkness of the room. The drink was water. The water tasted the same as any other water which provided a welcome familiar flavor.

As I ate my food the girl pointed to herself. “Adrelia”, she said. Pointing to herself again, she said, “Adrelia”.

I blinked, watching over at her as comprehension flashed in my mind. Pointing to myself I said, “Jon. Jon.”

Adrelia smiled, “Adrelia” she said pointing to herself. “Chon” she said pointing to me.

“Jon”, I said.

“Chhhon”, Adrelia struggled to make the sound. I smiled back, nodding. It was close enough. Beaming with pride at her success, she smiled back.

During the meal she began teaching me different words. Fork, glass, head, hands, eyes, nose, floor, ceiling. I found myself enjoying the time with her. I was not used to being in the company alone with a beautiful woman, giving me her undivided attention like this. As my anxiety started to fade away I found myself eating more slowly, hoping it would keep her longer. It was also nice feeling like I had a friend of sorts here after all I’d been through.

Adrelia was a good teacher. By the end of the meal I had learned a couple dozen words. Should would stop and point, asking me what each thing was. Eventually she moved on to simply asking where things were and making me point. Thus, I learned not only what things were called, but also how to ask questions using the simple phrases “Where is the” and “What is”.

By the time the meal was finished, it was already dark and I could hardly see. Adrelia collected the items on the tray and walked to the door. I could barely see her outline in the doorway. Before she left I heard her say something with the word “Chon”, which I could only assume meant, “Goodbye Jon”.

I lay in the fur blankets for some time after that, staring up at the dark ceiling. I wanted to leave. I needed to be free, but I had to admit that her company was nice. Even though I was fairly certain she had only been there out of obligation it still felt good to have the company. It took some time to fall asleep, my mind racing between thoughts of escape and that of Adrelia.