White Ribbon

<David pov>

After taking a quick shower, I ran out into the closet and changed into my nightclothes. I ran out, expecting to find Pearl asleep, but she wasn't even in the room.

I walked outside in the hallway in front of the room expecting her to walk here any second holding a glass of water. I walked back and forth in front of the room for about five minutes, then I went down to the kitchen where Mrs. Gray was washing the cutlery.

"Mrs. Gray, have you seen Pearl? " I asked.

"No, sir. But I think Mrs. Myers would be in the farthest guest room if not the master bedroom"The maid said, turning to me and bowing her head, then turning back to the unwashed cutlery.

"Okay, could you please give me the keys to the guestroom, Mrs. Gray?" I asked, going to stand by the door.

I stood there and waited as Mrs. Gray opened a cabinet and took out a tray full of keys. She looked around for a minute and picked up a ringlet of keys with a tag that said guest rooms.

[How many guest rooms do we have?!] I thought, looking at how many keys there were.

She looked through the keys for a second and took hold of one which had a white ribbon on it.

"Try the guest room at the other end first. Mrs. Myers usually goes to that room to vent." Mrs. Gray said, handing me the keys and going back to the unwashed cutlery.

"Thank you, Mrs. Gray." I said and walked out of the kitchen. I walked for a little while and then broke out in a run to the last guest room, which was on the left of the master bedroom at the end of the hallway.

The door handle, like the key, had a white ribbon tied around it. I turned the handle and tried pushing it to see if it was locked or not. Then, inserted the key and turned it hearing a clicking sound. I quickly opened the door a little and took a look inside.

The window was open and the curtains were fluttering in the night breeze. The room had white everywhere. Only the walls were a light shade of grey, as shone by the bright moonlight which was filling in through the open window. The dresser, table, mirror, and shelves all had white cloth covering them. Even the bed had a white canvas over it.

Pearl was sleeping on the bed covered with a white duvet. Taking the duvet off of her, I gently picked her up. Holding her securely in my arms, I walked out of the room, locking the door behind me.

I walked straight back to the bedroom and tucked Pearl into bed. After making sure she was comfortable, I quietly left the room and went back to the kitchen.

"Mrs. Gray, you can have the keys back." I said as I entered.

Hearing me, Mrs. Gray, who was mopping the floor, put the mop against a chair and walked up to me. Taking the keys from my hand, she slowly walked over to the cupboard and put the ringlet back into the tray with the other keys.

"Goodnight, Mr. Myers." Mrs. Gray said going back to the spot she was mopping and continuing her work.

"Goodnight." I said and walked back to the bedroom.

Laying down behind Pearl, I hugged her softly and drifted off to sleep.