Where the Light Dims

"So you think just because you buy me a drink, I am going home with you?" She paused for a moment, but only for that moment, "It's funny, cause I did not see an obligation lable pasted to the side of this glass when I accepted it. What is with you men now-a-days, you think that you buy me a $3.00 drink and away we go to your home or some junky motel off of the highway!"

She saw that he was smiling the whole time that she was ranting and raving, and this made her angry. Her frown lines began to appear as she drew her eye brows together, "And just what is so funny, sir?"

The man had taken a moment to soak in her beauty, "Nothing, I was just... hmm... I was just thinking of something, that is all." "Well," she said, "didn't anyone ever tell you that it is rude to ignore people when they are speaking to you? So tell me again, what is it that you do mister.. uhm, mister" She paused stumbling to search her already intoxicated brain for an answer of his name. "Mr. Bulldron. That's me, just Mr. Bulldron."

Bulldron, she had thought, what kind of name is that? "Right, Bulldron." She gave out a slight chuckle of disbelief. "Believe what you will, but that is the name given to me at birth, and that's the name I have carried with me." Mr. Bulldron had said rather nastily. "No need to get uptight Mr. I was only amusing myself." she told him.

Mr. Bulldron had taken a sip of his scotch and placed the glass back onto the bar top. Glancing in the mirror behind the bar, he could see that she was staring at him intently. "Mr. Bulldron, I hope that you do not think that you are going to get out of it that easy." Mr. Bulldron had turned to face the young woman. Once again fixating on her appearance. She had soft, wavy hair of red. Her pale skin encompassed rosey checks, red lips and bright blue eyes. No matter how bright the blue of her eyes shown, there was still an air that hung about her, giving way to a saddened young lady. A lady who had obviously been through a rough time. "Mr. Bulldron?" her questioning words broke through his train of thought. "So what is it that you do? For work I mean."

He could not let her know the true nature of his 'work'. Thinking quickly, he had responded, "It's top secret miss. If I tell you, then I'll have to kill you." They both had a good laugh. He watched as she lifted her glass to her lips and slowly sipped from it. The mirror picked up a lot that was going on in the bar, yet, for his eyes she was the only thing visable within it. It was strange to him that she would close her eyes while sipping from her glass.

With his hand cupped around the base of his glass, "So miss, tell me, what is it that you do?" She took one last sip from her glass and placed it on the counter top of the bar. She swivled in her chair just right so that she would be facing him, she sighed and simply said, "I was an actress once upon a time. But that is long ago."

As she swivled back around in her chair to face the bar, she had raised her hand and began waving as she shouted to the bar tender, "another round. Here! Hey, another round over here!" The bar tender had dismissed her completely. "Stupid bar tender anyways!" she had mumbled under her breath as she had brought the glass up to her lips. Closing her eyes yet again before taking a sip of the glasses contents. "Yuck!' she had shouted, "Why, this is not my drink at all. It is water! Someone replaced my drink with water! Who would do that?" Her eyes darted around the room. Suddenly, the bar had emptied fastly, and she had hardly noticed the drop in the noise level. It was strange for sure. she knew that the bar had been full only moments ago. Now all that remained here were her and her company, Mr. Bulldron. Oh, and that little old man who sat in the back corner at a little round table hardly big enought for two. She could bearily see the old mans face, for it was masked between the poor lighting and the scruffy hat that enveloped his head. She had given the old man a quick glance, and instantly in her mind knew that he was less than fortunate in his time.

she turned back to see the young man who had shared in company with her this evening, only to find that he had gone, and so had the bar tender himself. "Hello?" she had shouted. "Mr. Bulldron? Anybody?"

She could feel her heart race, pounding harshly beneath her chest, as she got up from her seat and began to search the bar for them. She drew in a deep breath and rounded the corner of the bar. No one there. She slowly made her way across the bar to the bathrooms. She knocked on the mens door. "Mr. Bulldron? Mr. Bulldron, are you in there?" She strained, with her ear up to the door to try and hear something, anything. Nothing.

"They've all gone miss." A soft voice spoke. She spun around to see where the sound had come from. It was the little old man sitting in the corner of the bar still. She stared at him intently as the old man slowly raised his head until his gaze would meet hers. "It's no use, ma'am, no one can hear you now."

"What are you talking about? Who can not hear me?" She had asked in disbelief. "Anyone, miss." The elderly man had replied. "Nonsence!" She told the man, "I have just had to much to drink. That is all. I must have fallen asleep at the bar, and the bar tender had not noticed me. That is it. I fell asleep." She began heading to the front door when the old man shouted to her, "It's no use ma'am, you'll never get out."

She dismissed his warning and attempted to open the door for herself. She gave the handle a few jiggles. She checked for the lock. "I don't understand it," she had said confused, "there is no lock on the door, yet it wont open." She suddenly filled with fear. She turned around and began shouting at the old man, "What kind of trick are you playing? This is no longer funny. I wish to go home now. Open the door!" The man remained as calm as he had been through this whole sherade, and simply stared at her. "Didn't you hear me? I said open the door. Open it now!" She smacked her palm down on the table closest to the front door as hard as she could. She was hoping it would give the old man the impression that she was more angry then she was scared.

"Calm down miss, getting angry never helped no one." The old man had told her in his soft tone. "Now come and take a seat, we can talk this through." She began shaking her head back and forth, "No. No! I will not sit. I want out of this place."

She began searching the walls and knocking on the wooden pannels. She could hear the old man chuckling. "What is so funny?" She demanded. "You!" He replied. Her frown lines once again had become visable when she drew her eye brows together, "Me? What on earth is so funny about a lady trying to save herself?"

His laughter now came to a hault as sincerely asked her, "Saving yourself. Are you sure about that miss?"

Confussed by his question, she went back to knocking on the pannels. "There is no way to leave miss." The man had informed her. "You can never leave. We can never leave." What was the old man rambling about, she wanted to know. "And just why is that, sir?"

The elderly man had lifted himself from his seat. "Well ma'am, you see, I've been here for, well I'm not quite sure how long. But I can assure you that I have tried exactly what you are doing now, and I had the same luck that you have."

"You mean to tell me that you have been stuck here, where ever this is, for a while?" she had questioned. He noded, "Yes ma'am, that's what I said isn't it?" That was more of a statement then it was a question. "Just where do you suppose we are, sir?"

Taking his hat off and holding it close to his chest, "Well ma'am, I couldn't say for sure. I think that we are in hell."

"Hell, sir? Do you honestly expect me to believe this lie?" She turned to knock on another wooden pannel.

"You see ma'am, the way that I figure it, this is my hell. Nothing to drink sept' water. Nothing to eat. No company. 'Course till you came along that is. It's awfully dark in here...." He had paused. "I saw you the moment you entered this bar miss. I watched ya sit right there in that seat." He said pointing to where she had sat at the bar. "You looked kind of fuzzy when you entered. I heard you talking. Mostly mumbling at first, but then it became more clearer, as you had too." He stared at her, waiting for her reply.

She had thought for a moment on the truth behind this man's words. "Has this ever happened before?"

"Yes ma'am, sept' none of them came clearer to me like you did. I'd watch them come in here, drink them some, and out that door they would go."

"This door right here?" She had asked while pointing to the front door. "Yes ma'am, that be the door."

Franticly, she pounded on the front door while shouting for help. This had continued on for some time. By now, the elderly man had taken his place back in the corner of the bar, at his tiny table. He watched her as she had no results to her favour. She sat in a seat near the door, there was silence and it began to fill with sobs.

Finally, the man had spoked and broke the weeping silence. "Ma'am, can you remember why you came here tonight?"

She thought long and hard, "No sir, I can't. Why can't I remember?"

"It's like i told you ma'am, the way I figure it, we're in our own hell. Relivin' our worst sins."