looks.”
They ate mousaka in the square, seated outdoors under an unbelievable full moon and
then went back to the hotel and made love. It had been a perfect day.
In the morning Catherine and Larry drove around the lovely countryside, exploring
the narrow road that wound along the lake, running along the rocky coast for a few miles,
then drunkenly weaving its way back up again into the hills. Stone houses were perched
on the edge of the steep mountainsides. High above the shore set back in the woods they
caught a glimpse of a huge whitewashed building that looked like an ancient castle.
“What’s that?” Catherine asked.
“I have no idea,” Larry said.
“Let’s find out.”
“All right.”
Larry swung the car onto the dirt track that led to the building, through a meadow,
past grazing goats and a shepherd who stared at them as they drove by. They pulled up in
front of the deserted entrance to the building. Up close it looked like an old ruined
fortress.
“It must be a leftover ogre’s castle,” Catherine said. “Probably out of the Brothers
Grimm.”
“Do you really want to find out?” Larry asked.
“Sure. We may be just in time to rescue a maiden in distress.”
Larry gave Catherine a quick, strange look.
They got out of the car and walked up to the massive wooden door with a huge iron
knocker fastened to the center. Larry hit it several times and they waited. There were no
sounds except the buzz of summer insects in the meadow and the whisper of the breeze
through the grass.
“I guess no one’s home,” Larry said.
“They’re probably getting rid of bodies,” Catherine whispered.
Suddenly the huge door began to creak open slowly. A nun dressed in black stood
facing them.
It caught Catherine off guard. “I—I’m sorry,” she said. “We didn’t know what this
place was. There’s no sign or anything.”
The nun regarded the two of them for a moment, then gestured for them to enter.
They stepped through the doorway and found themselves in a large courtyard that was the
center of a compound. There was a strangely still atmosphere, and Catherine suddenly
realized what was missing: the sound of human voices.
She turned to the Sister and said, “What place is this?”