by Jai T J
Her phone buzzed. She put it on speaker and kept in on her chest. “Hello Mia”
“Hey, is this a right time?”
“Yes, go on”
“I got a new job”
“Okay”
“It’s in Taiwan”
“What?” Yuleika yelled, spitting the string. She pushed herself and sat with the phone in her hand. “You want this job?”
“Yes” Her tone was guilt-filled.
“Oh. So when are you leaving?”
“This Christmas”
She awed at the reply. “That is so soon. Do you want to - ?” Her face saddened hearing the answer yes. “OK then, fix a date and I will take care of the rest”
“We’ll talk in person. Today evening” She turned off the phone as her father came down the stairs. He was in a partially unbuttoned blue shirt with Grey t-shirt underneath.
“What happened?” He asked as he sat next to her. He pressed the mute button on the remote.
“Mia is moving to Taiwan”
“She really was a good friend to you”
“She is. It’s hard to replace her” She rested her head on his shoulder.
“Everyone has to go somewhere”
“I know. It’s just happening too fast”
“Did you decide?”
She closed her eyes. “She will come. I’ll discuss everything with her then”
“You have to be strong. Now more than ever”
“I can go along with her. There is always a way and now I want to be with her”
“Do you want to or do you have to?” Her father asked.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not going to” Her tone saddened
“What happened to your findings?”
“Another dead end. Both the prison warden and the friend guy were dead. Possibly murdered”
“Any news from Krish?”
“He is still working with his fellow advocates. He said he will be back by next week”
“So how do you feel now? What are you thinking? Do you want to continue?”
“I am not going to quit this time. I want answers. I’m losing more than I have”
“You might be failing in that case but you are showing some progress in yourself” He grabbed the bowl full of popcorn from the table in front of him. “If you pause that, it will be hard to come back again”
“That’s what I was trying to do with this dead-end case. But now I don’t know what to do”
He picked a piece of popcorn. A whole strand of popcorn came, linked in a string like beads, forming a loop. He put that edible garland around her neck, and he plucked few pieces from the bowl.
She put the chain of snack in her mouth and began chewing. “Sometimes when people get frustrated they go and play with children. Do you know why?”
“They help us forget our problems”
“Yes, that is one reason but the thing is, children are new to this world. If you show something simple like a magic trick, they will love you. They admire you which will give you a feeling of some kind of power over them. You are awesome, you are great, you are some kind of exotic visitor to them. Their admiration makes us special”
“Why are we talking about children? I’m not planning on having one”
“It seems you already got one” She raised her head, looked at him, puzzled.
“I’m talking about Devin”
“He is not admiring me. He is afraid of me”
“You are considering him as beneath you. You can use that to your advantage”
“How?” She brought the next popcorn in the thread into her mouth.
“He has already created an image of you. Now paint the picture even brighter. You can see yourself once again”
She nodded thinking over the instructions. “What you did yesterday was surreal. Is that what you meant by suicide?”
“That comes later. No, I was just testing”
“Your friends weren’t even there. What made you go with him alone in the dark?”
“I wanted to see his true face”
“and?”
“I was disappointed”
“You were expecting him to hurt you?”
“I wasn’t expecting. I was hoping”
“It’s understandable. You have become addicted to your pain. You couldn’t accept the world as it is. Now you want everyone to have a motive to do something bad. You can live in your reality or you can come back to this fantasy but always remember your mistakes. Never repeat them”
“I’ll work hard on that”
“And next time, be more careful and do not trust him”
The cluster of dresses sat idly in her closet. She picked her iconic plain black burka. She inserted her right arm into the sleeve, brought the dress behind as she tried to put her left one.
She saw the key lying on top of her clothes. She picked it up, traced the letter ‘R’ embarked on the key chain. First step is always harder. Her father’s word came to her mind. She wanted to, but something was preventing her from doing it. She looked at the mirror to her right. The word “#Go suicide” written over the mirror in dark reddish lipstick brought a light of confidence in her.
She searched the closet, pulled out a faded blue denim from the bottom, hidden under the pile of clothes. It was a leap of faith for her.
She stood in front of the mirror, in the cloth she picked. The body-hugging white t-shirt and low hip jeans looked elegant. She picked the black leather jacket from the hanger and donned it.
She opened the drawer and picked up a shiny, reflective cooler. She admired herself over the strange unusual changes on her. She looked alien to herself. She pulled open the bottom drawer. A series of footwear stood in pairs. She pulled out the brown murky leather boots.
She stood taller after tying the laces. She looked at the stranger in the mirror, feeling uncomfortable. She zipped up the jacket and picked the key and her burka then walked out of her bedroom.
The light in the garage blinked twice before illuminating the place. The muscly animalistic bike stood in the center. She came near to it, touching the seat, her finger traced the metal body. She placed the helmet on top of the tank.
She swung her leg across the bike and sat astride. She brought her feet to the foot bar, squeezing the tank between her legs. She inserted the key and pushed the bike forward. The stand pulled back, and she took the weight in her legs.
The Bike came alive in her first kick. The burst of sound from engine echoed loudly. She pulled out her phone, swiped across the screen and pressed an icon. The garage door slowly began to slide open. The rays of morning light intruded the garage. The warm light on her skin, the chilling atmosphere, and the vibrating engine gave an ecstasy feel to her body. It’s better than sex, the ad said. It’s true for women.
She twisted the throttle again and again. The thumping noise grew louder on every twist. She donned the helmet, pulled the gear and launched out of the garage.
The front gate began to slide shut as she came out of her home. She made her way into the wet road. The water scattered from the puddle as the bike stomped into it. The tire jerked over the unearthed stones on the road. The bike kept shaking on the uneven road. The classic giant refused to obey her commands.
The road transitioned into a smoother surface. The magnificent beast slowly came under her control. She shifted the gear and shot herself ahead. Her hair flew backward, waving in the upwind. She looked at the side view mirror. Her glass and the mirror formed an infinite tunnel reflection.
She came to the street junction, meeting the main road. The tight traffic and the honking noises made her uncomfortable. She felt everyone’s eyes staring at her.
She raised the accelerator and drove past all the vehicles in her way, making them vanish out of her view. Her heart synchronized with the beating of the engine. Many eyes disappeared as soon as it came. She steered through the narrow maze among the moving cars.
The number in the signal read 62 as she halted. Two boys
in a Scooty stood next, their eyes fixed on her. Nothing kicks a man in the groin like this. She throttled the accelerator. The thumping sound overlapped the other horns.
The guy in the back seat whistled at her. She kept her face stern and her eyes front. “Hey” the same guy called her. “You like riding like men, huh?” they both chuckled.
The digital number was showing 59. She couldn’t hold for that long. She pulled the gear and drove across the vehicles coming from the side. “Hey! Hey!” The voices came and vanished quickly over her engine. She zigzagged through the narrow path between the cars.
She raised her speed in the empty road ahead. She floated in the air, projecting herself in the horizon. The road began to turn dry under the tires. She rode in the middle of the road, passing over the white strips.
After an hour-long journey, She finally reached the street she intended to go. She stopped the bike opposite to the hauntingly picturesque house. She turned down the engine. Her ears relaxed on the sudden silence. She removed the helmet as she approached the gate.
She stood there, looking at the empty window on top. She imagined herself as Gretel getting lured into the candy house. She pushed the white wooden gate open. She cautiously entered, keeping her eyes at the windows.
The menacing red door looked down at her. She Walked through the cobblestone path and reached the entrance. Finally, she knocked on the door.
Chapter 12
UNWELCOMED GUEST
“That’s not true” Mara said arranging the bowls on the rack.
“Believe me. And also when she grows up, everything she says going to be ‘zexy’” Devin said wiping the plates with the cloth.
“Oh, that’s not lisp. It became her habit. She tried that day and spelled the words without the sibilant sounds. But she has grown comfortable in this way”
“You can train her. Kids might bully her because of that”
“She knows how to handle a bully. That’s one less problem to worry about”
“I still can’t believe it. She is barely four but talks literally like a matured girl. Maybe some kind of personality disorder, I guess” Devin handed over the bunch of clean plates to her.
“Say that to her, we will see what happens”
“Then I have to sleep in the street. Already they are tag teaming against me. I don’t know how she became friend with Senandra”
“She said they made a promise to each other”
His eyes widened. “What kind of promise?”
“Relax, nothing like yours. Just a friendly one”
“What is it?”
Mara looked outside her window. “There is someone at your house”
“Don’t change the topic, Say it”
“Seriously, there is someone standing” She kept the plates in the holder.
He came near the window, saw outside. “Who is that?” She asked
“I don’t know” He saw someone knocking on the door. He couldn’t identify from behind.
“I think she came in that bike”
“I don’t know anyone who – ” He noticed her glancing at the top left window. “I don’t believe it”
“What?” She asked with curiosity
“It’s her”
“That’s her?” Mara tried to get a better look “OMG. She is too hot for you”
“Shut up” He threw the wash towel, walked out of the kitchen.
He came out of the house, walked across the street. The shiny bike stood blocking his way.
“Yuleika?” She turned around. Her new appearance confused him. She looked taller than him in those boots. The goggles on her head shined with green tinted rays. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to speak”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I did”
He searched his pockets. It was all empty. “Anyway, I can’t let you in. Do you want to go somewhere?”
“I didn’t come here to speak to you. I came for her” She looked at the window above her.
“Wha... You came to speak with her? She will not allow you. I don’t know what she will do but I know one thing. I cannot stop her this time. So please leave - ”
The door slowly opened behind her. His forehead wrinkled, his eyes dilated. The burst of air came out, striking her nape. Oh, this is bad. He stood there with a lump in my throat.
She turned around, saw the entrance to the strange world. The house looked gray and darker despite the bright morning. She felt a strong smell of candy coming out of it or it could be her imagination.
She took her first step, entering the spot that almost killed her in the first place. She looked at the floor. She thought it was the carpet which pulled her back but the floor was hardwood. She searched for her. There was nothing strange in that gloomy hall. The door began to close behind her.
He stopped the door and entered inside. She walked past the kitchen, towards the hallway. She paused near the stairs. He caught a glimpse of Senandra’s white gown crossing on the top of stairs.
“I need to speak to her” She said looking at him.
“I think she wants the same”
She began walking up the wooden stairs. He stood there watching as she made her climb.
She vanished behind the wall and continued by the slamming sound of the door. He listened keenly and made his climb. Only the noise made by his shoe on the creaky stairs came. He approached the room. There was nothing but the pitch dark silence.
Minutes began to pass as he waited outside the room. He began to lose patience and horrible thoughts came to his mind. The silence was so strong. He stood there for next few minutes alone.
He startled by loud shattering noise of glass from the room. He turned the knob, pushed the door. The door didn’t budge.
“Senandra!” He yelled, knocking the door. The door gave away as he pushed. They both stood staring at him. Yuleika stood next to the door and Senandra was next to her bed. The oval shaped mirror frame was on the floor, broken to myriad pieces. He looked at senandra and then at her. He noticed the tears peeking in Yuleika’s eyes. She had a shocking reaction on her face.
Yuleika walked past him, got out of the room and climbed down the stairs. “What happened?” He asked senandra, closing the door behind.
She shook her head. “Nothing”
“You didn’t do anything?”
“No” She sat in the bed.
“Why?”
“She is waiting downstairs. Go and speak to her”
He took the dismissal. He turned and walked out of the room
“Devin” He looked back
“You are right” A tiny smirk appeared at the corner. “She is the key”
The door shut at his face. That smirk spoke a lot. He knew it was a dangerous news.
He came to the hall, looking confused. He saw her standing near the couch, staring at the closed door. She turned around as she heard him approaching. “What happened?”
She too shook her head. “Nothing”
“Are you alright?”
She stood there, blatantly looking at her front. Her eyes were on him but her mind was lost.
“She didn’t do anything?” His voice showed his concern.
She closed her eye, shrinking the lids tightly. “She did” Her face turned into painful expression. “I wasn’t expecting THAT. It was too strong to endure”
“Please, Sit down” He went to the kitchen, picked up the glass and poured the water in it before returning. She was standing in the same spot. He gave the glass to her.
She kept staring at the floor, pondering deeply. “What happened?”
She looked at him and strode out of the door. She went for her bike donning the helmet. She pushed the side stand as she climbed on and inserted the key. She saw him standing near the door, with the glass of water in his hand. She kicked the starter and vanished from his home.
Devin took a sip of hot coffee. The sound of heavy rain gave a soothing effect to him. He was standing in fr
ont of the window, drawing a three huge mountain, one behind another with his finger by erasing the fogs off the glass. He swooped down his fingers, adding thick long rainy streaks, striking in a curved path. The Grey clouds on the background gave a snow cap look to the mountains.