The Incident at Hartford Manor Part 2 (Patreon)

And here we have the second chapter. I don't have much to say about this one except that I wrote it all in a single day so if it's utter nonsense that would be why lol. Hopefully y'all enjoy regardless!

Squeaking in terror and whipping around Estelle huddled against the door, her eyes darting to every nook and cranny of the foyer in search of whoever, or whatever had spoken. She quickly found the culprit standing at the top of the stairs leaning casually against the banister and watching her from beneath a shadowed hood. Cloaked in ragged brown robes the figure was inhumanly tall even hunched over as it was and the disheveled garb shrouding it's form hid away every last feature save a hulking silhouette that only inspired more fear. Within the shadows obscuring it's face, or whatever horrifying visage it sported, were a pair of ever so slightly narrowed eyes. Shining the same sickly color as the monstrosity outside they watched her with unblinking interest, a strange sense of delight radiating out from that gaze. Were it not for the shafts of pale, wretched light pouring in from the windows around her she might have thought the figure was the same as the terror she'd witnessed at the edge of her property. With the presence of those horrid shafts of light bathing everything in a sickening glow she could only imagine what fresh hell she'd found herself in. What fresh horror was about to overtake her world and send her running once more. How long could she run before something finally caught up to her?

“W-Who are you?!” Estelle stammered. “Where am I-I?!”

“Nobody important and nowhere special.” The entity replied, pushing itself upright and descending the stairs with a tortuous slowness.

“What's going on?!”

“You're lost.”

A flash of anger surged through her as she heard it's flippant tone and felt the amusement radiating from the entity. But it passed before she could do more than scowl and when she spoke again her voice remained timid and tremulous, “I want t-to go home!”

“You will.”

“I will?!”

“Yes.”

“W-When?!” Estelle demanded, pushing herself upright as best she could. The entity reached the bottom of the stairs and approached with a strangely fluid gate, like it wasn't so much walking as . . . shifting across the floor. It wasn't at all how she expected such a massive figure to move and the oddly unnatural fluidity of it set her even more on edge. If that was possible. Flattening herself against the cold, reassuring wood behind her she did her best not to whimper as she asked, “C-Can you send me back?!”

“Of course. You're only supposed to be here a short while.”

“What?! W-Why am I supposed to be here? What's going o-on? Where am I?!”

A rasping, guttural laugh emanated from beneath it's shadowy hood as the stranger came to a sudden stop. It's head tilted to the side like an animal staring at something intriguing and after a moment a frightening sound filled the air. Estelle squeaked as the wretched intonation filled her ears and sent terror cascading throughout her body. She turned away from the figure entirely as it spoke, wincing at every unintelligible syllable humming in the air. Whatever ghastly language it uttered was unlike any she'd ever heard in her life. Though riddled with little scraps and fragments of languages she'd heard in the real world they were each and every one profaned, bastardized reflections of what she understood them to be. And though it couldn't have lasted more than a few moments by the time the figure was done 'speaking' to her in that horrid tongue she felt a strange sort of exhaustion swelling up withing her, a profound weariness that drained the life from her bones and sent her sagging against the door as she gasped for breath. The entity stopped before she could fully collapse but the end of it's wretched speech did nothing to diminish the weariness that'd infest her. She could scarcely keep her eyes open nor turn her head towards the figure as it shifted even closer.

“W-What did you . . . what did you just . . . d-do?”

“Answered your question.”

“I-I don't understand . . . I don't understand any of this . . . w-why am I here?! H-How did I end up here at all?! I-I didn't do anything to deserve this!”

The figure laughed again and didn't respond until it was looming over here, barely an inch of cold, dead air separating the two of them. “No . . . but you're here now . . .”

“Please . . .” Estelle whimpered. She tried not to look away but meeting the unblinking gaze of the thing standing before her was almost impossible, “Please . . . I want to go home . . .”

“You will . . .”

“I-I will?!” In a moment of boldness she managed to stare into the entity's lidless eyes, or whatever those glowing orbs might've been. A ripple of hope spread through her body and a flash of relief washed over her mind. “H-How?!”

“I'll wake you up.”

“Th-Then this truly is a dream? A-A nightmare?”

“Yes.” The figures voice was much lower, much deeper. Estelle felt a shiver run down her spine as that single syllable rumbled through her mind.

“H-How do I wake up?”

She stared fully into the stranger's unyielding gaze, hope and fear swirling through her in equal measure while the entity showed no emotion at all, save when it let out another chuckle. “You have to finish the dream.”

“W-What?”

“You have to finish the dream. Like the others before you.”

“I-I don't understand . . .”

“None ever do.”

Fraught with a strange sense of dread and happiness Estelle peered deeper into the entity's gaze, searching for any sign of humanity or warmth to latch on to. She found neither and yet she couldn't help but continue to stare. “What do I need to do?” Her voice was almost inaudible as she spoke and a rush of adrenaline surged unbidden through her body the moment the words left her mouth.

Another laugh filled the deathly silent space and the figure stepped back. Blinking as if for the first time in years Estelle's gaze darted around the room as a confused expression spread across her face. No longer were they in the foyer of Hartford Manor, somehow and through some trickery they now stood in a lifeless imitation of the sitting room. Her favorite place to spend her time and perhaps the most reassuring place within the grounds. Even standing within a horrid recreation of it was enough to send a faint glimmer of wistful nostalgia through her mind. When her eyes finally returned to the strange looming above her she found his faze and stared with all the strength she could muster. Dream or not there was nothing she wouldn't do to return home. To return to Preston and the life she missed so dearly the pain festered within her heart festered like an open wound. Yet when the stranger stepped closer yet again she couldn't help but tense. Everything about it's presence bearing down upon her filled Estelle with the same instinctive terror that'd gripped her very soul upon seeing that monstrosity in the sky. But it was tempered with an unspoken sense of comfort echoing from places unknown in her mind. The figure was the only thing that could help her leave. The only thing in whatever nightmare she'd found herself to seem even the least bit friendly. What else could she do put her faith, and herself in it's . . . care?

“What do I do?” She asked of it again.

Her words found no response from the inscrutable, shadowed entity standing before her and yet she felt not fear nor any great degree of worry. In her mind she was only moments away from waking up to the familiar comfort of her home. Perhaps even to the sound of her husband gently chastising her for falling asleep while they had guests. And the longer she stared into the stranger's pale, glowing eyes the more confident she felt in that belief. Though she couldn't begin to understand where such confidence came from. After several quiet heartbeats she remained certain even while the entity hadn't moved at all, it's gaze still falling squarely upon her face as she stood before it. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed as the entity lunged forward. Estelle couldn't so much as gasp before her body was enveloped by the hulking figure, it's arms wrapping around her as she was crushed into the coarse fabric of it's robe. It's hooded face swooped down and the glowing eyes she'd been so entranced by disappeared entirely. Her face soon followed suit as it was shrouded by the hood and the darkness within the cloth. A startled whimper burst from her lips as she felt warmth for the first time in what felt like centuries wash over her face. While the rest of her body naturally strained against the tight embrace of the entity holding her against it her face was a mask of relief and even contentment.

An instant later surprise and shock were etched into every like of her dumbstruck expression as something wet, slimy, and sinuous wriggled into the depths of her mouth. Gliding between her parted lips and sliding into the back of her throat it writhed and squirmed like a worm as it pushed into her throat without restraint. She let out a strangled cry as spittle and stomach bile erupted from her gullet in a torrid shower while every last nerve in her body tensed simultaneously. Before she could try to pull away from the tendril violating her throat and filling her mouth so completely she couldn't even bite down dozens more slid across her face to wrap around her head. Moving with the same undulating purpose the left gooey trails of warmth across much of her flushed, trembling skin before seeping into her tousled locks as they trapped her within their grasp. All while that first writhing tentacle continued to slither down her throat, her neck bulging outwards around it and her whole body convulsing as she was held immobile by it's arms. Within moments her entire head was enveloped in a squirming thicket of tendrils, their viscous fluids soaking into her flesh and sending ripples of something unspeakable reverberating throughout her body. The appendage gliding deeper and deeper into her mouth seemed to have stopped somewhere unfathomably deep within her. So deep it seemed to be straining against her taut belly. Unable to comprehend what was happening to her Estelle could only stand there in utter shock and barely feeling horror. Her mind scarcely even noticed the unpleasant cloth against which much of her body was pressed shifting as the robes the entity wore parted.

Unfortunately no amount of disbelief could prevent her from feeling the writhing, shifting mass of tendrils that lay beneath the figure's robes. Nothing in the world could spare her from the fascinated revulsion overtaking her every thought as hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of little tentacles squirmed against her body. Pulling and tearing at the thin red fabric protecting her skin from their touch they soaked her from head to foot in that same viscous liquid dripping down her face and oozing across her shoulders. Yet more indescribably conflicing feelings washed over her like waves lapping at the sea shore. Her mind struggled to make sense of it all, fruitlessly trying to understand everything that was happening to her in spite of the madness inherent in it. She simply couldn't stop herself from demanding answers even as her gown was torn away from her body and the countless wiggling tentacles now caressing her naked breasts and quivering stomach. A strange sort of pleasure rushed unbidden through her as the tendrils slithered across her large, puffy nipples while simultaneously uplifting and cradling the ample contours of her chest. She was pulled even tighter into the entity's 'body' the very moment her gown was little more than a pile of discarded cloth at her feet and the closer she came to the center of it's mass the more excitedly the tendrils seemed to shift. Enveloping more and more of her body with every moment they wrapped around her curvaceous hips and squirmed across waist as if eager to embrace her much the same as the figure's arms.

With a thoughtless, animalistic terror Estelle pushed back against the figure holding her. As stomach bile and spittle drooled from the corners of her mouth she sputtered and strained against the tendril embedded in her throat while furiously thrashing against the ones slithering across her body. No part of her rational mind understood what was going on or wanted any part of it. Fear and an inescapable need to flee were all she could think of an all she could focus on. And yet as hard as she thought she struggled her body did not react with the vehemence nor desperation she expected of it. Indeed her limbs barely moved at all despite how wildly her thoughts raged. The most violent reaction she offered as she was held against the entity's form was a wild shudder as the innumerable tendrils roaming over her skin seemed to coalesce around her stiffening nipples. Closing on her sensitive buds they almost seemed to suck on her areola as they moved with the same writhing intent. It was a sensation both unlike anything she'd ever felt yet wholly reminiscent of past experiences in the most maddening of ways and the undeniable pleasure echoing throughout her body as it occurred only further muddied the already murky waters that were her thoughts.

Comprehension proved even harder to come by when she felt the tentacles slithering across her lacy black thong begin to tug and strain against the last scrap of fabric preserving her modesty in much the same way they'd moved against her gown. Yet more of their incomprehensible slime seeped into her flesh, soaking the carefully trimmed tuft of hair above her sex and trickling down her outermost folds. The warmth of it paired with the revolting viscosity had the most peculiar effect upon her sex. One not at all in line with how her mind desired to react but one very much in line with how the rest of her body was reacting. Something warm and sweet smelling trickled down her inner thighs as she pressed them together, a single errant strand betraying her true feelings to the entity causing it all. Before it could travel more than a few inches one of the countless tendrils wriggling across her legs  intercepted the droplet. Wiping away the shameful evidence of her arousal it slithered even further between her legs, more than a dozen others following suit all across her body save of course her head. Estelle did her best to moan and fight back against the slowly encroaching mass of tentacles but her limbs remained as uncooperative as ever and nothing she could do seemed to change that. Before long tendrils as thick and as slimy as the ones wrapped about her face were sliding around the sensual contours of her body. Two had ensnared her waist like the arms of a lover, their gooey ends trailing across her back and buttocks with an almost fascinated slowness. Several more pairs had closed around her legs to caress and explore the full scope of her body in much the same way as the others.

Only the uppermost portions of her back and shoulders remained untouched by the many appendages slithering across her bronzed skin, undoubtedly thanks to the arms still holding her tightly against the rest of the mass. Yet even if those untouched regions had been smothered in slime and tentacles it would've meant very little to her in the face of a far more pressing, far more exciting, issue arising between her legs. Stripping away her thong and discarding it the same as her dress the countless shifting tendrils had unrestricted access to every part of her body. No matter what she might have done or what she thought to do the appendages and the entity they belonged to were so fully in control there was little hope of escape. But as dozens of slimy things rifted across her trembling sex to rub at her outer folds and squirm across her shamefully swollen clit a small, growing part of Estelle couldn't help but wonder if that was truly a bad thing. As her vulva was slowly spread open by the shifting masses and her thighs were moved by the far larger ones she felt the arousal she'd been denying ripple through her body. It sent a convulsive shudder throughout her limbs and a lurid squelching sound emanating from her swollen throat. For the first time since being enveloped by the stranger she felt her body shift forward ever so slightly instead of trying fruitlessly to pull away. Though an instinctive reaction wholly beyond her control the pleasure she felt as the tendrils glided with greater purpose and greater enthusiasm across her womanhood was undeniable. Upon feeling one find the entrance to her pussy and teasingly swirl about her quivering hole she very nearly let out a genuine moan. It was stifled at the last moment but she knew there was little chance of stopping the others welling up inside her.

The tendrils suckling at her nipples and sending bursts of pleasure coursing through her faster than she could react would've seen to that by themselves. But paired with the myriad others teasing and toying with her very sanity as she was pulled deeper and deeper into the stranger's embrace all but ensured she lost whatever composure she'd clung to thus far. As revolting as it was not even the tentacle buried in her throat was enough to stymie the arousal suffusing her. Though she wanted nothing more than to be revolted by the sensation Estelle couldn't stop a strange sort of fascination from overtaking her as she felt it writhe within her gullet. A heady mix of arousal and curiosity not unlike the times she'd explored her body as a young girl. Perhaps if she'd been less experienced in matters of oral pleasure she might not have been quite as susceptible to the eroticism born of that thick appendage shifting within her throat. But thanks in no small part to her own lascivious tendencies it was impossible not to draw many and varied comparisons to the times she'd spend pleasuring her husband and just how much she'd enjoyed every experience. She was so wrapped up in her own recollections and the way they blended effortlessly with her bizarre dream she hardly even noticed how effortless it was to breath in spite of what was filling her mouth and should've by rights suffocated her.

Each and every time she sucked in a ragged, tremulous breath it filled her lungs without any trouble whatsoever. And whenever those breaths were exhaled in a whimpering gust of hot air the emerged untarnished by the tentacle in her throat. Only the ones wrapped around her face and pulling her deeper impaired her breath in any way and their presence was almost forgotten as she panted with greater and greater frequency. That coy little tendril swirling about the entrance to her sex had finally grown tired of leaving her in breathy anticipation. With as little fanfare as everything else that'd happened it slipped inside her pussy in a sudden and wholly unexpected thrust. Estelle tensed and a moan tumbled out of her overstuffed lips as her inner walls were stretched far, far wider than she expected. What'd once been a small, manageable tendril had swelled into something thicker and longer than any manhood she'd ever felt. Hovering just at the edge of too thick for her body to handle it slithered deep inside her womanhood with random, wriggling movements all at once revolting and thrilling. Once again her body shuddered and reflexively pushed towards the mass responsible for her unexpected pleasure, her hips grinding ever so slightly while her inner walls sucked the appendage even deeper. It pushed back against her tightening sex, swelling even more and seemingly rubbing with a deliberate rhythm against her most sensitive places. Almost as if it knew what it was doing and delighted in making her squirm every bit as much as the multitude of tentacles brushing against her skin. A slimy knot of smaller tendrils wrapped around her clit in much the same way they'd wrapped around her nipples and with much the same effect.

Albeit amplified a thousandfold as ecstasy cascaded through her body the instant they made contact and only grew more pronounced with every passing second they remained. Within a few heartbeats her mind was awash with pleasure and the many, varied misgivings she had about everything happening to her were being washed away or drowned beneath the rising tide. And the harder she struggled against them the more furiously that pleasure seemed to arrive. Estelle didn't even notice the tendril gliding so amazingly deep into her sex it was fast approaching the entrance to her womb. Nothing had ever been so deep inside her before and by the time it was pushing against her cervix the merest impact of it on such an intimate, sensitive place sent wild shudders throughout her body. Moans spilled from her lips in an endless deluge much the same as arousal trickling down her thighs before being lapped up by countless writhing tentacles. More and more of which were slowly enveloped the rest of her body like so many arms holding her close. Nearly every inch of her impressive breasts was being teased and caressed by writhing appendages and so many were encircling her waist her lower half was almost as covered as her face. Though she felt the entity's arms vanish from her shoulders they were replaced so quickly with tentacles as thick and long as the limbs that'd vanished her mind scarcely had time to appreciate what was going on. Indeed her mind scarcely had time to appreciate much of anything as she stood there teetering on the edge of sanity.

There was no telling how long she might have teetered at that precipice unable to tip forwards or fall back into some semblance or rationality had the stranger continued as it'd been going on. Had it simply continued to tease her nipples and stimulate her clit while filling both throat and pussy with thick tentacles she very well could've recovered. Through sheer force of will and a desperate, animalistic determination to escape Estelle could have saved herself from whatever was happening. Or at least that's what her increasingly haggard mind claimed as it was flooded with arousal. In truth there wasn't a damn thing she could've done to stop her shameful ecstasy from reaching it's inevitable climax. At most she could only delay it a short while and further heighten the inevitable explosion that tore through her at the end. But even that was denied to her before long when, seemingly with no rhyme or reason, the pair of tentacles invading her throat and filling her sex began to shift. Not in the writhing, sinuous movements intrinsic to their nature but in a far more pedestrian yet no less remarkable fashion. Near simultaneously they withdrew from her body, each one sliding out at a steady pace that proved inexplicably too fast yet too slow for her aching body. And by the time nearly their entire lengths had withdrawn she was left feeling so empty and so unfulfilled she was almost begging for them to plunge back inside her once more. Estelle very likely would've done exactly that had the two not granted her deepest desire before the words could form on her lips. Flying back into the depths of her throat and pussy with identical ferocity both appendages glided back inside her only to pulled right back out again an instant later.  One retreated upon making contact with her cervix while the other retreated at the same point it'd stopped before. They surged back out of her while she was still convulsing at the impact of their initial return and by the time she understood what they'd done the cycle was repeating all over again.

What seemed like a haphazard burst of unexpected pleasure soon became a wholly unpredictable rhythm as the two tendrils quickly diverged in their speeds and force. Their perfect timing gave way to a wonderful barrage of disparate thrusts and unexpected retreats as both seemed to focus solely on their own avenues while the women they focused on could only convulse and squirm as she was ravished in the most bizarre way imaginable. Somehow the juxtaposition of everything surreal and impossible about her circumstances and the relative mundanity of being fucked in both her pussy and throat at the same time truly affected what was left of Estelle's waning sanity. The pleasure already threatening to drown her seemed to surge ever higher as random yet overwhelming waves crashed down faster and faster upon her. She didn't have the slightest inkling why her body wqas so susceptible to it all or how it'd even come to pass in the first place but as she stood there twitching and gasping for what was surely hours on end it was difficult to care. Whatever part of her mind still believed it was a dream seemed happy enough to enjoy the oddity and the very real feeling bliss coursing through her. Every other part of her rapidly waning consciousness was certain it wasn't a dream but couldn't begin to mount a proper defense against what was going on. It felt too wonderful and the slimy embrace slowly consuming her body was such a welcome change from the cold emptiness of the world she'd found herself trapped in it almost seemed worth the risk. Worth the infidelity and insanity. So long as she never had to return to the place she'd come from everything would be okay. Of course it was difficult not to think in such mindlessly simplistic terms as ecstasy crashed through her body and the viscous warmth of a thousand writhing tendrils wrapped around her.

The nearer she came to that toe curling, mind breaking release being offered so tantalizingly by her mysterious lover the more excitedly it's many tendrils wrapped around her body. By the time she was poised to tip right over the edge into that churning sea of pleasure nearly every inch of her was covered by the writhing mass. Her feet had completely left the floor, the heels she'd been wearing sat discarded beside the rest of her clothes, and only the barest hints of her voluptuous ass remained visible. But soon enough the tentacles had covered even that in their squirming desire to embrace her. And only after she'd been well and truly smothered by the sinuously shifting appendages was Estelle finally able to feel the ecstasy that'd been promised to her. Only after countless hours or even days of waiting for her bliss did she finally get to experience it. Whatever hesitation or fear she'd felt at the beginning was well and truly gone, nothing but satisfaction remained as she succumbed. Every nerve inside her body was set alight at the same time. Her eyes disappeared into the back of her skull while her spine arched so harshly she very nearly escaped the tendrils surrounding her for a single moment. A messy deluge of warmth erupted from her sex, arousal squirting out in a sudden jet as her inner walls spasmed around the tentacle still sliding in and out of her womanhood. Spittle and stomach bile sputtered from her lips in equal measure as the convulsions wracking her body traveled all the way through her to the very tips of her fingers and toes. But perhaps best of all the terror and dread she'd felt since arriving in that wretched place had disappeared completely. Among the endlessly crashing waves of pure carnal delight she felt only ecstasy and all that came with it. In a very real way she'd been saved from whatever horros were present all around her and the horror of how she'd been saved completely failed to register within her scattered mind.

But that wasn't the only thing her barely functional mind failed to comprehend. While her body was being assaulted from every angle by pleasure the tendrils within her throat and pussy had ceased their relentless thrusting. Each slithered deeper than they'd ever gone before inside her, the latter pressing tight against the entrance to her womb while the former actually managed to slip inside her belly. They swelled even more than before and a thick, mucous erupted from their tips. Spraying into her womb and stomach only moments apart their gooey discharge filled both to the brim within seconds and the toe curling warmth of the fluid suddenly swelling her stomach from two very different sources only added more fuel to the raging fire of her pleasure. Even if she had no earthly idea what was truly happening after being deprived of such feelings within the hellish landscape she'd been taken to enjoying it all again was enough to send her into fits of convulsions regardless of how much or how little her mind truly understood it. The walls of her empty womb and the walls of her empty belly were completely drowned in that strange fluid and before long they were stretching to accommodate the sheer volume being emptied within her. Although it was over in just a few seconds and the true scope of what'd happened remained entirely beyond her ken Estelle nonetheless reveled in that unexpected and unexpectedly amazing experience as much as she was able. Her consciousness was already fading quickly as the fiercest peaks and deepest valleys of her pleasure began to plateau in the wake of the tendrils cessation. Her mind didn't have any hope of recovering from what she'd felt and what'd been done to her even without the tender embrace of so many writhing tentacles to enhance her already spectacular afterglow. Darkness was already swallowing her up and without any strength to fight it she was taken within moments of it creeping in. Faster than she could ever hope to react it'd taken her away entirely.

“Darling? Darling?” A familiar voice called out. “Wake up darling. Our guests are asking after you!”

Estelle felt a soft, tender touch on her shoulder and immediately jolted away. Lurching to her feet and gasping she flailed her arms and nearly sent the massive stone basin she'd been staring into tipping off the table entirely. Preston just barely managed to stop it from falling and the moment it was secure he stepped in front of his wild eyed wife while she stammered, “Wh-Where am I?! W-What's going on?! How did I-I get here?!”

“You fell asleep dear!” He replied, his tone both soothing and amused, “I suspect you had a nightmare while you were away, I could hear your talking from the dining room!”

“Preston?!” Estelle panted. Finally looking at her husband she stared deep into his eyes and examined every last detail of his face as she cupped his cheeks. He barely had time to chuckle before her arms were thrown around his shoulders and she'd wrapped in the tightest hug she'd ever given, “Preston is it truly you?!”

“Of course it's me Estelle!” He wheezed. His arms closed around her as well, though nowhere near as tight. “Boy you must've had quite the bad dream!”

“Oh Preston it was awful! I . . . I can't even describe it to you!”

“Well you needn't worry darling. You're awake now. You're home. You're safe.”

Despite his reassurances and despite wanting to believe them more than anything in the world when she pulled away from him Estelle felt a twinge of fear like a splinter in her heart. “A-Are you certain? This could be a trick! Some illusion or madness! I-I have to be certain!”

“Estelle what are you—” The rest of his question trailed off as she bolted from the room and into the foyer. He followed her as quickly as he could, watching in utter bewilderment as she tore open the curtains of every window to peer outside. “What are you looking for?”

Staring up at the moon and the star filled sky she waited for something to happen. For some horrid thing to make itself known in the heavens. But as she stood there staring and panting like a mad woman nothing about the sky changed. No great monstrosity appeared to harangue her sanity nor chase her to the edges of madness. It was simply another beautiful night. “I . . . I don't . . . I can't . . . there's nothing . . .  there's nothing out there . . .”

“Of course there isn't . . .” Preston laid a hand on her shoulder and after a moment shifted into wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close, “Are you all right darling?”

“I . . . think so . . .”

“Perhaps you should use the restroom . . . a splash of cold water might calm your nerves . . .”

“Yes . . . yes you're right . . .” Shifting in his arms to face him she hugged her husband back and didn't let go for much, much longer than usual. “I love you so much Preston.”

“I love you too Estelle!”

When they eventually broke apart she kissed him on the cheek and pulled away, finally starting to believe she was well and truly home. That everything really had been nothing more than the most vivid nightmare she'd ever known. She slipped inside the nearest bathroom and turned the sink on without a second thought. Letting the cool water pool in her trembling hands she splashed it across her face several times, wholly unconcerned with her makeup, hair, dress, or indeed anything the water might've ruined. All that mattered was the sobering relief it offered. Estelle looked at her reflection in the mirror between douses, unable to push the memories of that horrid dream from her mind. No matter how warm and real everything around her looked she felt a strange sense of foreboding within her chest. An odd sort of underlying dread that refused to go away. After turning off the faucet and drying her face she looked back at the mirror and heaved a heavy sigh as her hands flattened against the marble counter top. Just as she was about to push herself away and leave to rejoin her husband and guests she let out a dainty little cough. Instinctively covering her mouth with one hand she coughed again soon after. Then again. Then again. Each time with a little more force and a little greater phlegm. Withing seconds she was hacking like a smoker, her face bent over the sink and both hands covering her mouth in some last ditch attempt to mask the sounds she was making.

Over and over and over she coughed without reprieve, growing more lightheaded with every moment she was denied any real breath. But just as she feared she might pass out a thick glob of spittle and phlegm burst from her mouth. It splattered against her fingers and immediately elicited a disgusted noise as she straightened. But when she pulled her hands away from her mouth to rinse them off she felt something wriggle against her fingers. The same slimy something that'd wriggled against her fingers when she'd submerged her hands within the basin earlier. When she should have been dreaming. A frightened yelp erupted from her lips and she flung whatever was in her hands into the sink while recoiling in shock. It landed with an audible smack but vanished from sight too quickly for her to see what it might've been. Staggering backwards until her back was pressed against the door Estelle gasped for air and held on to anything that might support her weight as she tried to make sense of what was going on. For several tense moments she tried to rationalize what she'd felt, what she was thinking. She tried to rationalize everything. Yet the harder she tried the less sense it made and the more insane it all seemed. Her breathing grew more labored by the second and the desire to run screaming from the room was nearly overwhelming. Moments before she found the strength to actually follow through she heard something from within the sink. A soft, almost inaudible chirping sound. Like a baby bird or some other sort of creature. For reasons entirely beyond her ken she was drawn to that sound  as if it were the cries of her own children.

Approaching the sink with no small amount of apprehensive curiosity she peered into the porcelain bowl to find a small, black orb no bigger than her thumb. It wriggled about leaving a slimy trail wherever it went and making that same chirping noise again and again. As it neared the drain Estelle felt a rush of adrenaline surge through her. Before she could even think about what she was doing she'd pulled the plunger behind the faucet and closed the drain. The thing in the sink chirped again and as her hand left the plunger she turned on the faucet once more. Another chirp, more excited chirp greeted her actions as cold water splashed across the orb and began to fill the sink. Without really knowing why she fiddled with the knobs to adjust the temperature until it was nice and warm. As if she were drawing a bath for one of her kids. As the water level rose and the thing was fully submerged something stirred within it's murky depths. Estelle leaned in closer to see what it was and after a moment an glowing eye appeared in the center of the mass. It blinked several times in quick succession and stared up at her with a strange sort of understanding. She sucked in a sharp breath as tears welled in the corners of her eyes and emotions flooded her thoughts. Reaching down into the water she extended a finger and tenderly brushed the creature. It nuzzled against her touch and she let out a watery chuckle. A tear fell into the sink a moment later.

Outside the bathroom Preston knocked on the door with a gentle but firm touch, “Is everything all right darling? I heard a sound!”

“Everything's fine dear!” She called back, still tenderly stroking the creature in the sink.

“Are you certain? You don't need any help?”

“None at all!” With a loving smile Estelle slid a hand beneath the entity and lifted it out of the water entirely. It's single eye stared up at her as she brought it towards her face, only to close as it gave a quiet little chirp. Softly laughing at the sound she carefully lifted the little creature up to her mouth, titled her head back, and swallowed it whole. “Tell our guests I'll be with them momentarily!”