Strangers & Secrets Page 4

  I am not like the usual guys. The house stood as an evidence for his words. She stood there distracted by the out-of-place beauty.

  The giggling sound woke her up from the reverie. She looked to her side. A little girl in red floral dress was chasing a butterfly around the tree. Her curly hairs flung up and down.

  The little girl approached the butterfly cautiously. The blue color in its wings made it easier to spot around the grass. She bent forward keeping her hands together forming V-shape. The wings closed and opened slowly like a predator waiting still for the prey. Her hand bowl closed as the butterfly tried to escape. She brought her half opened hands toward her face. She giggled when the wings fluttered in her nose.

  In a flash, she pushed the butterfly into her mouth. Her hands cupped her mouth, pushing it completely inside. A tiny piece of wing stuck out of her lips as she began to chew slowly with a doubtful expression.

  She spat out with a disgusting face, wiping out her lips using her palm. She spat out again and again with a funny expression.

  “Hello there” Miss. 55 approached the little girl.

  Little girl looked at her with a sickening face. Her eyes traveled from top to bottom at the woman’s attire.

  “Do you live here?” The woman in black asked handing over a tissue.

  Little girl yanked it, stuck her tongue out and vigorously rubbed it.

  “Who are you?” Little girl asked while handing over the tissue back to the woman.

  “Throw it away”

  Little girl’s hand began to crunch the paper. “Who are you?”

  “No one” The Damsel in black pointed the villa type house behind. “Do you know-”

  “Dutch your name?” Little girl interrupted her with curiosity “- or you are afraid of giving your name to me?”

  Hearing such line made her eyebrow fly high. “How old are you, dear?”

  “I’m Pour” She showed four fingers at her face, emphasizing it. “and I’m not dear. Don’t call me dear. Do you like jum-one you don’t know calling you dear?” Her tone became serious.

  “Okay, I get it” Miss. 55 studied her before continuing the question. “Do you know whose house is that?”

  She glanced at the house. “Oh, dutch Devil’s home”

  “Devin?”

  “Mmm” she nodded back. “E-ij my temporary boyfriend. E promij me e will bring me to mall but didn’t. Daahie-lee E will chay he will ij-pend time with me but e-ij jo biji. Ditch time I will definitely break up with him”

  Miss.55 laughed inside hearing this girlfriend’s problem. She looked at the house again. She noticed a young girl staring at her from the right side window on the first floor. “Who is she?”

  “Dutch jhenandra, ij sij-ter”

  “She looks too young to be his sister. Do you know how old is she?”

  “How old are you?” Little girl asked keeping her arm on both sides of her waist.

  “I do not remember.” She knelt down to the little girl’s eye level, keeping her face pretending to be guilty.

  “Itj ok” Little girl patted her shoulder. “One time I forgot my mom’j name, and I was jo jad. My mom jed, people jum-time forget everything when they love deeply”

  “What is your name?”

  “I’ve to go. My mom is calling” and she ran into the house next to the tree.

  The same night followed the same navy car. The street looked dark and lonely after midnight. She got off the car. She camouflaged in the moonless night as she walked like a shadow without its owner.

  Halfway through the street, she stopped near that house. The lights on the front gate gloomed in golden color. The lullaby of crickets was her only company. She looked at the bay window. Everything was pretty dark. She walked along the wooden fence, pushed the small gate. It opened without any noise.

  She looked at every window as she approached the red door. She took a fresh shining key from the pocket of her burka. She inserted it into the keyhole and turned it around. The door obeyed to her command. She entered inside lifting her veil as she is home.

  The gate lamp helped her see the silhouette of everything inside the hall. She took every step with extreme caution. Her black cloak made her invisible without much doing. She glanced at the kitchen to her left, moving the curtain as she tiptoed toward the hallway next to the stairs. She reached the door on her right. She turned the knob like a slow-moving clock and opened the door enough to peek inside.

  She spotted him. Devin was sleeping in his bed, flat on his back facing the other side.

  She brought the door back to its place once again with the same patience. She returned to the hall taking out her cell phone. She went near the shelf in the corner. The flashlight shined from her phone as she took the pictures around the hall.

  She looked at the pictures before leaving the hall. She went for the stairs. The wooden board and the thudding foot noise slow downed her climb. She glanced below through the rails as she reached the first floor.

  She went to the room on her left. She used her cellphone’s display light to see the path. The door didn’t budge when she turned the knob. She returned to the room on the other side.

  The thundering sound from the sky made her stand still for a moment before reaching the door. She opened the door with half mind. The green door surprised her with welcome.

  The lightning flashed the room through the window. The thunder followed as she aimed her phone. A contour of lonely bed and a wooden rocking chair near the window appeared. The black and white photos in the wall next to bed captured her attention. All the frames had the photo of a young girl standing next to a bearded guy in different places.

  The door began to close slowly with a creaking sound. She grabbed the door from shutting itself. The shelves and tables stood empty without any accessories. There was nothing else to spend more time.

  She exited the room, climbed down the stairs. The abrupt shadows in the hallway formed by lightning stalled her movement. The sound of rain began to fill from a distance. She studied the floor below her before moving. She reached the ground keeping her phone back into her pocket.

  She went inside the kitchen. The curtains in the bay window across the kitchen waved at the breeze. The dining table across the window had half drunken water glass with empty plates. Her shadows traced long inside the kitchen from the fence light through the bay window. The kitchen looked clean with shining utensils and glossy reflective cabinets.

  She toured inside the kitchen. The Fruit bowl on the island looked fresh even in the dim light from the gate lamp. She approached the stove, turned the knob on gas range. The blue flame from burner brightened the kitchen. The warmness hugged her in the chilling rain. Her hand found the next knob. The room glowed further. She gazed into the bonfire, looking over her encounter with Devin.

  She looked at the utensil tray next to her and drew a long slick chef knife. She caressed the knife, checking its sharpness with her index finger. She placed the knife’s edge into the fire. It slowly began to turn black as she walked across the island.

  She pulled open the freezer door of the refrigerator. The bright light blinded her. She pressed the knob near the door, making the light fall asleep. The freezing air came pouring out. The packed meat and ice cream bucket were occupied in it. She picked the ice tray and closed the door.

  She kept it on the island and picked up the knife from the stove. She sliced the ice cubes with the hot knife. The ice allowed the knife to enter like a birthday cake. She plucked a big cube and dropped it into her mouth.

  She turned down both the flames and walked out of the kitchen holding ice cubes in her mouth.

  She entered his bedroom with the knife. The lightning flashed through the window behind his bed. She looked around the room. The shelves were stuffed with oversized books. The book on the reading table read “Women in Italian Renaissance”.

  She turned toward him, relaxing her fingers around the knife. She walked toward the bed. Devin was sleeping deeply. His eye
s moved rapidly under the lid. His chest raised and dropped on each breath. His right arm hung freely on the side of the bed. The thunder that followed disturbed his REM sleep.

  She pulled her cellphone, aimed at him. The lightning from the window revealed the blood stain on the bed sheet next to his arm.

  He tried to turn toward his left. His stuck right arm didn’t allow and brought him back to his original position. More bloodstains on his arm caught her attention.

  She walked toward his side, glanced at his struck arm. She followed the trail of blood on his arm. It reached his wrist. Her eyes caught something else entirely. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A small hand from under the bed, holding his wrist tightly. The lightning helped her to see clearly. Its fingernail punctured through his skin, leaking blood on the floor.

  She bent down carefully, trying to investigate further. The blood flew from his wrist, reaching the other hand from under the bed before falling into the floor. The duvet on the side of bed concealed the space under the bed.

  She bent down, rising the blanket. A thin smokey picture came into view. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It wasn’t real. She saw a young girl in white gown lying under him. Her protruding belly almost touching the base of the bed. Her body looked like a mountain fog in the lightning flashes.

  Her mind paused in frozen shock over the surreal image she witnessed. This wasn’t a person. This was something else. She dropped the duvet slowly, walked in reverse toward the door. Her eyes disagreed to blink as it focused on the barefoot below the bed. Her hand searched for the door as she gazed ceaselessly at the bed.

  She felt the door behind, pulled open without turning. The knife slipped from her grip. She turned quickly before the gravity could trigger the alarm. Her hand followed the knife as it nosedived. The sharp edge of the knife got wrapped by her finger before reaching the floor. The knife began to swing forward by the momentum.

  It was too late. The pointy edge kissed the floor with slight clink before she pulled back. She shut her eyes tight, took a deep breath before she turned toward the bed.

  She froze at what she saw. The curtains in the window flew widely and the young girl was standing next to the bed, staring back at her. She glowed in the moonless night. Her eyes shined in golden color. Her flying hairs made 55’s hair on the nape raise. Her both hands were holding her 7-month belly. The white gown flew on her petite body, fluttered to its side and more than that she was smiling at her.

  Miss. 55 stood there, appalled by her appearance. It was a haunting smile. She raised her phone, aiming at the strange beauty in front of her. She pressed the button on the screen. The flash from her phone and the natures flash gave a luminous glow to the young girl in the picture.

  The room fell silent. The innocent smile from her lips turned dark. The golden eyes burned with intense. She closed her eyes and screamed at a very high pitch.

  The sound almost cracked the glass bottle on the table. The sound was too extreme. 55 closed her ears with both the hands dropping the knife and her phone. She turned toward the door, pushed it with her shoulder. The door slammed shut hard.

  The young girl began walking toward her. Her noise grew louder on each step. 55 felt the blood dripping from the corner of her ears. The high pitch cry came from inside her mind. Closing her ears didn’t do any help. The pain began to spread across her head. She couldn’t take it anymore. The thunder and the scream gave her a feeling of head about to explode.

  The pain grew more and more as the moment passed. She couldn’t handle anymore. Finally, the cry escaped through miss. 55’s mouth. Devin woke up, startled at her scream.

  “STOP IT!!!” He yelled over their scream.

  The sound fell down. She pulled open the door, ran toward the hall breathing heavily. She grabbed her burka, ripped it open, making it easier to run. She ran past the kitchen, reaching for the door.

  The carpet below her feet pulled back suddenly, making her legs fly backward. Her face slammed the floor hard. The ringing sound echoed in her ears, rendering the pain with utter shock.

  She pushed herself up, saw Devin standing behind her. His eyes looking around the hall, his arms waving across, his lips constantly moving. Her vision played to and fro with blurriness. She couldn’t hear or see clearly.

  “She is the one” The Devin’s voice came over the ringing noise in her head. She couldn’t stand. Her head kept spinning.

  She pulled the door open and ran for her life. The opened burka flew backward like a long coat as she stumbled out toward the gate. Her vision cycled through various levels of blurriness. “Don’t run, wait” came the voice from behind. She followed the lights in front of her. She grabbed the door, pulled then pushed. It didn’t obey.

  She swung her leg over the gate, placing it on the top of the pillar, next to the lamp. She jumped across, pushing with other hand on the other side pillar.

  A dark colored car approached from her left. A familiar voice spoke from the driver seat. The image of her friend sharpened in her eyes. She got herself into the car. “Hospital, now” She worded catching her breath. She looked at the reflection in her side view mirror. A dark contour moved across the fence lamp as her eyes silenced and the world darkened.

  Chapter 5

  MISTAKE OF WAKING UP

  She struggled to open her eyes. A blurry vision of people flying around appeared. She saw two nurses pushing her stretcher along the aisle. The lights on the ceiling passed one after another as her eyes refused to stay open.

  It was blurry yet glowing everywhere. The little girl in the red dress was chasing the butterfly. “Who are you?” The little girl asked her. Her voice echoed in the emptiness surrounding her. “Who are you?... What is your name? Who are you?” The voice was on endless loop. “Who are you?... Who are you?... What is your name?” The overlapping voices went deep and disturbing. The little girl morphed into the young girl in the white gown. She smiled back at her. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Sworn of blue butterflies flew out from her.

  Miss. 55 opened her eyes. The bright walls in the morning light blinded her. She first glanced at the liquid dropping at a sequence in her IV. She saw her friend Mia sleeping on the chair with her head resting on the shoulder. Seeing her tiredness brought back the blackness once again.

  She was looking at her journals. Devin came at her, asking “Have we met before? Do I know you? I’ve seen you somewhere before” He peeled the bandage in his wrist. The scars turned red, widened, morphed into a red smile, the innocent smile of the young girl.

  She saw Mia smiling down at her when she opened her eyes. She realized it was a different room, more familiar room – her own bedroom. She looked at her friend. Her unusually large eyes were red.

  “How long was I -” She felt too tired to talk.

  “Three days”

  She tried to push herself up. Her week hands failed to hold her. The pain on her back spiked as she struggled to sit up.

  Mia held her back, helping her sit on the bed. She adjusted the pillow behind her before letting her go. She grabbed the coffee from the side table and handed it over to her.

  She took the cup inch by inch near to her mouth. Each movement dialed the pain to peek. She blew the vapors and took a sip finally. The hot coffee flew through her throat giving a refreshing energy to her. She fought hard to keep her eyes open.

  Mia stood in front of her with her hands held together like a maid expecting an order from their master. She looked skinnier in the baby green t-shirt and pencil fit denim. The Powerpuff-girls poster in her t-shirt had not-so-wider eyes than hers. She noticed the eyes on her sad face filled with confusion rather than sympathy.

  “Did you also hurt your head?” 55 Asked.

  “No” Mia shook her head like a child.

  “Then how come your nose is flat, Anim(e)ia” She asked keeping the cup on the table.

  Mia broke down in tears, fell forward and hugged her tightly. Her laughter and tears surprised miss. 55. “
I’m sorry. I was so worried”

  “Hey, it’s okay” She patted her back, but she cried even more.

  Miss. 55 couldn’t hold even the weightless body of her friend. “I, Can’t, Breathe” She said each word exhaling with a huge effort.

  Mia let her go. “I’m so sorry” she said wiping the tears. “You want anything?”

  “Yes, what happened?”

  Mia sat down next to her. “You went to his house and –”

  “NOT THAT” Her voice became louder than usual. “What happened to you?”

  “You are just confused” Mia pushed the hair away from 55’s face.