Meanwhile downstairs, Ann was still seated on the same couch, only a few pages further along in the book than she had been when Kim and Gwen left her. At first, she was too distracted listening to Gwen’s tour from afar to pay attention to the pages. After the pair went upstairs Ann could no longer hear them, but even then her mind kept wandering.
Something about the chessboard in the corner of the room kept drawing her eyes to it. It was a fairly nice wooden chess table, but there was nothing unusual or noteworthy about it. Which made Ann’s unexplained curiosity all the more frustrating to her. She forced herself to stare at the book, but after turning the page twice her gaze strayed once more.
As she stared at the chessboard, an image appeared in her mind. Seated on one end of the table were two girls about Ann’s age. In front of them they had arranged twelve pawns as though they were playing checkers. On the other side sat a young man, who only had one piece in front of him. It was a king.
Ann watched as the two sides took turns moving pieces. It seemed like the object was simply to avoid having the pawns captured by the king. Each time the boy jumped a pawn and removed it from the game, both girls giggled, while at the same time Ann felt an odd rush of arousal. The girls didn’t seem to mind losing, and by the time the last piece was captured Ann’s face was completely flushed.
In the blink of an eye the scene vanished from Ann’s imagination, leaving behind the vacant chessboard. The girl was confused for a moment, but her confusion gave way to panic when she saw where her hand had strayed during that time. Ann curled up, mortified, hoping neither Gwen nor Kim had witnessed her indiscretion.
Tue Oct 19 04:25:35 2010
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