A basket instead of the monster? Where did it go? Did it turn into the basket?
She shook her head to erase that thought. There's no way it'd turn into a basket. This wasn't a fantasy movie. It was reality
Avril sat up on the forest floor and looked around. No sign of the monster. She also looked up at the trees but it had completely disappeared. Her heart raced. She was certain it would pop out of her mouth any second. She gulped down and patted her chest to reduce her heart beat but it even increased.
She got on her feet and battled with her legs to stop shaking and stand upright. She wanted to turn the opposite direction and make a run for it but her curiosity got the better part of her. She began to walk towards the basket, limping as she went. She reached it and stooped low. She wanted to open it but so many 'what ifs' began to flow into her mind.
“what if this is a booby trap? A net could fall out from somewhere and have me trapped”
“what if there's a snake inside? I hate snakes!”
“what if this is some sort of Pandora Box?”
She closed her eyes and opened them almost immediately. She was so scared and didn't know what to do next.
A cold breeze blew and the trees began to swing their leaves. Some dried leaves flew in the breeze and fruits began to fall.
She shivered and hugged herself because she felt cold. That was when she realized that it was already sunset.
How would she find shelter? She already deduced that it was going to be a very cold night. How would she not freeze to death before sunrise?
Avril rubbed her arms and legs. She thought of going back to the cave she had woken up in earlier but she was scared. Scared that the monster would come back for her. She looked back at the basket and opened it without a second thought. She gasped when she saw what was in it
“blankets?” she exclaimed
She pulled it up and it was truly a blanket. A red, thick blanket.
How in the world did it get there?
She peeped into the basket again and saw that there were other things too. One by one, she brought them out.
One pack of crackers, a small bottle of water, a match box and one little chocolate candy.
Her confusion defied explanation. She didn't even know what to think. She wasn't sure whether she saw those things for real or it was hallucination since she wanted them.
She put them back into the basket and stood up with it. If it was her hallucinating, then she would hallucinate for the rest of the night.
She soon found a place where she could rest for the night. It was like a thick bush umbrella. A tree branch had intertwined with another branch of a tree and the leaves had made a thick roof just above the ground. The floor of it was covered with dried leaves and surprisingly, it was like someone deliberately plastered the ground with leaves. She used a stick to push all of them aside, she would use it to make fire.
She looked left and saw dried branches scattered around. She immediately picked them and arranged them in a stack.
Under the bush umbrella which was now very brown and neat, she spread the blanket. Then she made a fire using the dried branches and the dried leaves. Satisfied with her work, she sat on the blanket and smiled happily. The fire was bright and lit up the entire place. It was also very warm.
Avril picked up the pack of biscuits and stared at it.
“I don't care if you're not real. Neither do I care if you're poisoned. If you're going to kill me, fine. If you're going to turn me into a monster too, fine. All I care about is, I'm so going to crunch you!” she said and ripped the pack open. She took out about five at once and dropped the pack. She ate and drank water then took two more. She threw some more sticks into the fire and laid down.
She could see beautiful twinkling stars through the tree's leaves. She felt at peace. Totally forgetting her fears and where she was at. She was alone but not lonely.
She wanted to stay up and continue looking at the stars but sleep drifted in and she was soon sleeping soundly.
Few hours into her sleep, a cobra crawled up towards her leg. She unknowingly move it and touched the snake. The aggressive reptile jerked its head towards the leg but before it could strike, huge sharp claws pierced through its body and picked it up. Blood covered the claws and the snake began to wriggle aggressively and trying to bite whatever was hurting it.
Another claw ripped off its head from the body and threw them both into the hot coals.
It snarled and looked down at the Sleeping Beauty. After staring at her for long minutes, it turned and walked back into the darkness on all fours.
***
Freddie threw the blunt of his cigarette into the ash tray beside him. He had already smoked three sticks and was on to the fourth one. He was beyond frustrated. The past three days felt like hell for him on his own ship. He had lost five million dollars because of a stupid fight. A very stupid fight.
That anger almost made him throw those two men overboard too. But he needed them. He was short of men so he couldn't afford to loose two more.
He didn't let them go scot free though, they paid for it.
Freddie sighed and lit the fourth cigarette. He took a drag and puffed out thick smoke. Then he left the place he was standing and walked through different hallways until he got to the cell. He opened it and looked at his two men. They both had bloodied faces with swollen lips and cheek.
“boss” one of them managed to mumble
“you're hungry? Come eat chicken with me. I'll have chef Raph make some chicken soup” Freddie said and grinned at them. They looked at each other, scared he was just teasing them and was going to beat them up again.
“come on, it's been three days already. My anger has subsided. I won't hurt you anymore” he said and walked into the cell. He stretched out his hands to both of them.
“come on, I have something to discuss with you” he said and urged them both to grab his hand. They stared at each other again and he sighed. He was getting impatient.
They took his hand and he pulled them up.
“go get yourself cleaned up and treated. Get the girls to treat your wounds then tell them to assist Ralph in the kitchen. When you're all ready, meet me outside” he stated and walked away.
The two men limped away too. They were still not convinced he wasn't going to kill them but they were too scared to not do as he said.
Chidi and Nana dressed the men's wounds and went to the kitchen to cook. They had not gotten over Avril's death as they thought she had drowned. Freddie had tried to console them even when he was visibly upset and frustrated.They were sober and hardly said anything. But they were thankful that Freddie did not treat them illy the way he had done before Avril came.After cooking, they set the table and called on Freddie and the men, then they left to eat the remnants.The two men were still very scared. Freddie appeared cool and calm outside but they knew who he truly was inside. He was a monster, a murderer who has no conscience.“come on, sit. The food might get cold” Freddie said to them as they approached the table.They looked at each other again and gave nervous expressions. Freddie saw it and he chuckled but decided to i
A talking dog-like animal. Great! Just great! Just when she thought her life won't get any worse.How on earth did it learn to talk? Could it be a human in a Halloween suit?No. It looked too real. Way too real.“I'm waiting for you. Come on, I haven't had breakfast yet” Dakar said and she gasped and moved back with her butt on the ground“no wait... I didn't mean I would have you for breakfast. I just meant, I wanted breakfast. I don't skip my breakfast. I don't eat humans. I eat fruits and vegetables and sometimes fish and meat. But I'm going to eat omelette and bread today. Care to join me? You look hungry”He began to walk towards her and she screamed and kicked her legs as if it could send him away“get away from me you dog! Get away!” she screamed“Ahh... First impression they say, matters a
A vast green land with beautiful plants and trees arranged neatly and in order. A large waterfall was in sight and there was a beautiful flowing river beneath it. The river had different branches with huge and small rocks around it.Birds flew about, beautifying the atmosphere with their colourful feathers and singing too.Avril was sure there were lots more to see but the place they stood wasn't high enough to show the whole view. She however, loved the little she already saw.“Swing down with this. It's fun” he said and tugged on another rope.“How many ropes do you have here?” she asked in a very low mutter. Even her shadow wouldn't hear her voice.“Actually, I have six. Three at the entrance and three here. One of the three is for emergency situations” Dakar stated“What?” she asked in surprise. Had he heard
They passed the waterfall and walked through a path in a flower garden. They then passed by a cherry garden and then a grape vineyard. Finally, they arrived at a mountainous area with small and large mountains. It was a greenland and was covered with trees and plants. Something caught Avril's attention. It was a tall stature of a man in the middle of the valley between about three mountains. The statue portrayed a broad chested man, shooting an arrow. He was shirtless and wore only a loose skirt that reached his knees. His hair was in a ponytail and he had a type of drawing on his shoulder. The drawing wasn't clear from the distance Avril and Dakar were at.“Is this place some sort of lost city?” she asked“Why do you ask?”“It doesn't look like a place that should be on a deserted island. It looks like a place that was once inhabited”&
Avril took the dress and gripped tightly onto the neckline then sat on the floor, with her back resting against the stone wall. Her emotions were a mixture of terror, delight and curiosity. Terror, in the sense that he (Dakar), was some sort of mystical creature that predicted her coming and was ready and waiting for her, to do her bad maybe. She could be some sort of sacrifice.Delight, in the sense that someone or something wanted her and waited for her. And even made her a dress. It was the first time she received kindness from someone who wasn't her mum or dad. Even though she wasn't sure if Dakar meant good for her, she was overly filled with delight that she received kindness from him.She then hummed as she remembered something.“Dakar is not the only one who's shown me kindness other than my parents. Freddie, Nana and Chidi were also kind to me” she muttered and bit her lower lip. She ag
Lying down on a soft bed and staring into the smooth rock ceiling of what was now her room, Avril was lost in thought. Her conversation with Dakar during the afternoon was still playing through her head.So he was trapped on the island, cursed. And hoping she would break him out somehow. She had asked him how she was going to break his curse and he said he too was clueless. She had to figure that out on her own. In order words, they both were stuck on the island until she liberated them.“This is sick” she muttered and turned over on the bed, lying facedown.Soon she drifted off into the land of sleep and only work up hours later when she heard tappings on her door. She rubbed her eyes and looked out the open window, it was already dark. She stepped down from the bed and walked to the door. She opened it and stared at Dakar questioningly.“Sorry to distur
Avril got up early in the morning and stepped out of her room. The lights in the living room were out and the windows were shut. She went outside and inhaled the cool and fresh morning, island air.She went and sat at the foot of the huge statue and looked around.“So, I'm stuck here forever” she muttered and supported her chin with her right palm.“Well, I suppose I could get used to it. This place is beautiful”She got up again and took a long walk round the whole valley and even tried climbing the mountains. She also went to the waterfall and watched beautiful little birds, fluttering around and chirping.After about two hours of her morning stroll, she went back to the house and was surprised to see breakfast.“Oh my! I thought you really disappeared, Avril” Dakar exclaimed immediately he saw her. He was placi
Chapter 15 A few seconds after Avril woke up, she heard footsteps that definitely belonged to Dakar, coming towards her door. “What now?” she groaned and tossed in bed, not wanting to get out anymore. She hoped he was just walking around but her hope was dashed when she heard him knock. At first, she refused to answer and feigned sleep. But he kept knocking loudly and she reluctantly pronounced a yes. He had sharp hearing and he heard her. He pushed the door open and walked in holding one of Avril's clay trays. “Morning! It's a bright day!” he mused and stood beside Avril's bed. She peeked at him with one eye and saw him holding the tray. She opened her eyes fully and raised a brow questioningly. “Your breakfast, ma'am” he announced and lowered the tray so she could see the contents. It contained two plates covered with two other plates and a clay mug of Avril's invention.