Rick felt something break free in his chest, a tight knot of shame that had been there for a long time. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me for telling the truth." But her eyes were warm. "Now it's my turn. Remember, you can ask me something. This trial goes both ways."
Rick thought about it. "Why did you stop bringing people to this garden five hundred years ago?"
Sylvia's face changed a little. "Because the last person I brought here died five hundred years ago."
"O-Ohh... I'm sorry to ask that... and also hear that." Rick felt uneasy hearing all the truths that she revealed.
"No need to apologize, jeez... seems like it's going to be hard for you to ask me the truth, huh?"
"Yeah, probably..."
Things really started to happen on Day Three.
"Tell me about your friend," Rick said. "The one who passed away."
Sylvia had been waiting for the question. As she talked, her fingers moved over the moss next to the bench in patterns. "His name was Therion."
