- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 1)
- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 2)
- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 3)
- The Twelve Days of Stella (Part 4)
“Travatas?” Stella asked, trying to determine what might be in the bag. “What are you—““Aaaack!” he screamed, dropping the bag and then quickly retrieving it when it started to wriggle away. The bag grasped firmly in one hand, he glared at Stella. “You scared the crap out of me! I didn’t think anyone visited the temple anymore.”
Stella arched a brow. “Neither did I.”
“Oh.” He gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry. I guess you were here first.” Reversing course, he backed toward the door. “I’ll go. Let you finish your, uh—“
“No!” Stella blurted, then readjusted her composure. “I mean, you’re welcome to stay. It’s a public place.”
Troy glanced at the bag. “Um, I think I should come back later.” The bag wriggled again. He muttered, “Or maybe not at all.”
Now she was more curious than anything. What was in that bag?
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she insisted, crossing the temple until she stood in front of him at the entrance. “You’re obviously here to,” —she gestured at the wriggling bag—“make an offering of some sort. You should present it.”
Arms crossed over her chest, Stella stifled a laugh at the miserable look on Troy’s face. He looked like she’d asked him to kiss a frog. But she wanted to know what was wriggling inside that bag, so she adopted her most intimidating look—she had many—and waited. She could sense him weighing his choices. Although she could read his thoughts if she tried—a power she had inherited from her ancestor goddess—she preferred watching and guessing. Made her feel ... more human.
Finally, his shoulders slumped.
“Okay,” he said. “If you’d wait outside, this’ll just take a second.”
Stella shook her head slowly. “No thank you. I won’t be in your way.” She stepped aside and gestured into the temple. “Go ahead.”
To his credit, Troy didn’t waver. He clenched his jaw, gripped the bag tighter, and stalked across the limestone floor. When he reached the section of the mural that represented Asklepios, the god of medicine, he knelt down and pulled at the opening of the bag.
Stella couldn’t contain her gasp when a small green snake slithered out.
Tune in tomorrow for the next installment. [Part 6]
Hugs,
TLC
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