Elevation for Eve, and an encounter with a stranger (Episode 3)

CROSSING the Straight Road, Eve stared up at the building, all glass and steel and newness. She walked around the building a couple of times before figuring out the right way in. There was a sign downstairs that said, ‘Waterfall Suite closed for private function’.

She glanced for a security guard and walked across the tiles, her shoes squeaking out her arrival. She looked around quickly and pressed the ‘up’ arrow, hopping on one foot while she waited for the lift. The clock in the hall said 19:20. Fourteen floors to choose from — and she was swept all the way up to the top.

The lift doors opened and cool air flowed in. Eve stuck her head out. She could hear music and voices coming from down the hall. Out of the panoramic window, she could see all the way to Macroom. The sun would set way out in West Cork tonight. She had never been this high up before. She looked at the cars moving below on the street, like a computer game. If only it was that easy to go places.

She spied a door with a symbol of a woman on it, and in the room beyond, the tiniest little towels, mini bars of soap, and tiny hand lotions. They wouldn’t miss a few.

The tap water was lovely and warm. She was sweaty after her walk from the city, so she grabbed a towel, dampened it under the tap, and locked herself in a cubicle to wash. The air in the toilets was cool — a change from the muggy Cork evening.

Eve put the toilet cover down and sat back with her head touching the marble tile. It was so quiet, so nice and quiet.

Eve thought back to when she was a small girl, when her mother took her to work with her. The bathroom was the first place she went to in every house. All the lotions and potions fascinated her. She used to rub creams onto her face and walk around saying she smelled like a giant peach. Her mother had worked so hard — and for what?

Eve’s eyes began to close, and she fell asleep, clutching her bag to her chest.

******

Shit. Where am I?

It was dark. She groped for the latch, and then felt along the wall to the main door. The door opened with a bang which echoed, and her eyes widened as she looked out of the window. It was as though someone had caught a million diamonds and scattered them across the city, then lashed thousands of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires on top.

The treasure chest of Cork gleamed and twinkled before her eyes.

Eve placed her hands on the floor-to-ceiling glass and leaned her forehead on it, her breath fogging over the city like a mist. It looks so nice from up here. If only it was as nice down there.

There was a loud bang from down the hall —Eve saw lights underneath the door. She pushed it open. A young man with a baseball cap was clearing a table covered in trays of food. He yelped.

“Ya scared the bejasis out of me, girl — where the hell d’ya come from?”

“I got locked in the toilet. I only got myself out now.”

“I checked them toilets earlier — d’ya not hear me shout?”

“No, I had... had headphones on,” Eve lied, wondering if she should run or help him to clear up. She hesitated a moment, then took the plunge. She had to know.

“What was going on here? What were the lights I saw earlier?”