I was surprised by how good I felt in mind and soul, having unburdened myself of a tragic life’s story. Sissitrix was a great listener, and now that I had shared a deeply personal truth, they were even more inclined to explain their plans.
My warehouse quickly became our place of work, but it still felt like my home. While they worked and much activity ensued, I retreated to my private, hidden mezzanine high above the polished concrete floor, crawling along poles, using a ladder, and finally, some spikes in the walls to get there.
I was chilling to avoid getting in anyone’s way when Sissitrix wriggled through a vent that was the only access to my hideaway, grinning.
“Why is it so hard to get into your home, Unseen?”
“I prefer to defend myself by not being discovered, and if I am, only one person at a time can squeeze through my main door. It gives me a chance to fight or escape.”
“Okay… but it is somewhat dangerous for me to climb up here to see you, unaccustomed as I am to throwing myself around like a gymnast.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I could install a code-activated elevator, but it’s your choice.”
Sissitrix looked around my mezzanine floor, which was roughly the size of a tennis court. I had a kitchen area, well-appointed with a Wolf cooker, installed by Chance Bill Esq. My living area was a mix of soft furnishings, an eighty-inch TV for the rare occasions I watched something, and a small bar for milkshakes with at least one hundred mixer bottles for flavors.
They pointed at my kitchen and sat on a wooden stool lined up to a ceramic mosaic-tiled breakfast bar. I took pride in my home, not least of all because it was a sanctuary, far from the Sin Street madness in which I was infrequently immersed.
“How did you get that cooker installed, Unseen?”
“Money and a blindfold. Bill arrived on a Royal Enfield motorcycle, followed by a van. He and his team did a great job.”
“You have a beautiful home.”
“It’s all been paid for by me fucking people.”
They spun on the stool, beaming, reaching for my hands, which I willingly gave because I had a growing friendly disposition for them.
“That’s what I wanted to discuss with you.”
“About me fucking people?”