Stacy--Part Twenty-Seven

Splog # 102

Twenty-Seven

   Stacy took a bite of her sandwich and then picked up the bottle to examine it. There was a cork embedded in the opening so she was prevented from taking a sniff, which had been her first idea, to see if she could identify the liquid by its odor. She shook the bottle a little and remarked an explosion of tiny bubbles on the surface. She took another bite and then placed what remained of her impromptu sandwich on the spot from which she had taken the bottle. With a free hand, she now easily removed the cork and placed the opening to her nose. The smell of grape juice, as she had been expecting (and hoping). She glanced over the expanse of dishes but spied nothing into which she could pour the refreshment. She looked closely at the bottle. It looked clean, so she wiped her hand around the lip and then raised it to her mouth.

   Expecting the rich, sharp tang of grape flavor, she was quite surprised to receive the taste of clean, clear water. She stopped drinking and inspected the bottle again. The liquid was purple and it smelled like grape juice, but on taking a second draught, she found that it had no other taste than that of plain water. It was undeniably refreshing and quite pleasant, as water is when one is thirsty. But it definitely came in a misleading form! She managed to get the remainder of her sandwich into her mouth with a final bite and that's when she spotted the envelope. She had nearly reached the point where the second golden loop connected the lid to the cauldron and there, balancing on the curve of metal, was a white envelope. She placed the bottle next to a plate of small cakes and went to the envelope and picked it up. Written on the front, in large black letters was: "StaC".

   She looked at this superscription for a few moments and then took a leisurely survey of the landscape. She was completely alone, as far as the eye could see. She glanced above her. The sky was still empty. She returned her eyes to the envelope. That was her name. Well, most of it. It looked odd without the "y". And with a capital "C". But it struck her that, in a funny kind of way, it made sense. Separate the "C" and read it as a second syllable, and the writing on the envelope pronounced her name - Sta-C.