Two weeks later"Hey, Ian. Come on in," I said while trying to be as cheerful as possible and he just quietly followed me upstairs, to my room.He sat on the chair near the desk, right opposite to me while I plopped on my bed. We sat in silence, my gaze fixated at the floor and my fingers softly drumming on the sheets. Ian's face was buried in his hands tiredly and he slowly looked up.It was like we were mirroring each other's expression. Dark circles underneath our eyes, my eyes were puffy while his bloodshot and a strange kind of sadness looming over our faces. The sadness of losing our own mothers and the respective guilt of not spending enough time with them. This kind of sadness we often saw lingering over Clark's face, but it was too common on him. It was too surreal on us, the people who were always smiling and grinning."How're you doing?" I asked Ian while he shifted uncomfortably on the chair."Not good," he said honestly and we both sighed. "What about you?""Not good," I
One month laterI hurried outside my arts class when I got a call from accounting and commerce course classes saying that their lecture for today was cancelled. I sighed in relief and thanked them. The past month had been hectic for me because of the number of small courses I was signing up for. As promised to dad, I had to make this year fruitful and productive by not wasting time in netflix, but actually working hard.My shoulders slumped in exasperation as I sauntered towards the lemonade stall run by the local kids and drank two cold glasses of sweet lemonade. Since the lecture was cancelled for today, I looked forward to snuggle under the sheets and sleep for fifteen hours straight until my alarm would ring again at exactly six in the morning for my cycle of classes to begin.I strolled on the streets with a hunchback and yawned while the people of the town glanced at me in sympathy. I gave a sardonic laugh, surprised by how things changed so suddenly. Months before, nobody would
Five years later"Hey! Let me in, you assholes! I'll make sure you all are fired! Hey, Let me in!" I yelled and thrashed in the arms of the guards who prevented me from entering the posh building."Don't bite me!" one of the guards roared in alarm as I tried to bite him."You will never change, will you?" I heard a deep, raspy voice from inside the opulent passage way and my head jerked up."Why, you want me to?" I barked while clawing at the guards still holding me in place."Of course not," Clark appeared in a crisp, dark suit and sauntered towards me."Tell them to let go of me! I swear I'll bite this one's dick off--- ""Leave her," Clark ordered and the guards reluctantly left me which made me fall down on the floor with a loud thud."I'll make sure you all are fired, each one of you," I snarled with deliberate emphasis and it looked like they didn't believe me because they muffled their laughter. I huffed, got up, dusted my tuxedo and snapped, "You tell them, Brownie!"Clark coo
"Georgia," Clark drawled while switching on the lights and I turned rigid.I was caught red-handed, surreptiously stuffing frozen, crusty cupcakes while sitting by the fridge in the dark corner."Mmph I-I cagrrrnt hemnlp!" I exclaimed through my mouth stuffed with cupcakes and tears of choking streamed down my cheeks as I started beating my chest rapidly.Clark immediately was crouched by my side, rubbing and patting my back while handing me a glass of water."You alright, Georgia? Do you need more water or anything else?" he asked in concern and I burst out in tears while trying to shove another cupcake in my mouth in pity which Clark gently took it from me."I don't even know why I'm crying!" I blurted out and Clark pulled me into his arms while muttering about how it was all going to be okay. I cried against him while clutching his t-shirt, unconsciously wiping my snot on it, but he cared less. He was busy trying to calm my raging hormones as I sniffed while complaining about how s
My dearest grandmother strutted through the door without any greeting, her sagging chin held high up and her red coloured lips drawn into a thin line. She was nearing eighty years and still was dressed ostentatiously in a tight, black mini-skirt, red tube top with a denim jacket, fishnet stockings and black sandals with block heels. She thrusted the innumerable paper bags which contained gifts for her great grandchildren to the nanny and me and brushed past me like she owned the damn place.Robert was dressed modestly in a striped shirt and trousers as he emerged through the door. My dearest grandmother was already complaining about the crummy place and I stood frozen on my spot, flabbergasted by their sudden arrival. Robert hugged me and then Clark while patting his back affectionately, talked to us for a few seconds and I managed to crack a smile, until my grandmother called him dramatically like those old-fashioned wives calling their husbands in soap operas.As Robert strode towar
[Please read the author's note at the end]"What does the fox say---""You lazy ass! Clean the damn carpet and shove it downstairs!"I heard the faint voice of my mum coming from the kitchen. I quickly removed my headphones and threw them on the ground in a heap. That dusty, old Chinese carpet hadn't been cleaned in ages but nobody cared about it, except my dear mum. She was distracting me from my extremely vital job which needed a tremendous amount of focus and concentration.I was trying to do acrobatics by hanging on my mother's long, red, silky scarf, which was suspended from a hook on the ceiling. I was high up from the floor and it was a risk, but it was fun. Yes, seriously I needed a mental check or whatever, but I truly wished to perform in a circus one day. Girls generally of my age had sexual fantasies, but my fantasy was merely to get into a circus which was surreal. I just wanted to make people happy."And who would do the laundry? Your d---""Ah . . . I will do it later!
O n e a n d h a l f m o n t h l a t e r"Mum?" I stood by the window and gazed at my mum. She was standing on the street as she waved at me, her figure was blurry yet looked so real. I climbed over the window, ready to jump at her since I just wanted to hug and hold her. I positioned myself on the roof and at that very moment the bell rang of my house, bringing me back to reality.My feet slipped but I quickly held on the nearby pipe to keep me stable and sighed loudly. I could have potentially broken some bones if I had jumped. Damn! I was imagining stuff again. I didn't tell this to anybody or people might send me to the asylum assuming that I had lost my leftover sanity.I cautiously crawled on the roof and hopped in my room. I went to the bathroom and opened the shelf. I popped the round colourful pill for headache and swallowed a glass full of water. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead and I heard the bell ring again. I quickly splashed some more water over my face and hurried
I followed Greta as she led me into the living room. The passage was dark, with creepy art pictures which were dull and boring. Pictures were meant to be full of colour and brightness, but everything was just the opposite. On normal circumstances, I would analyse the paintings and look carefully at the intricate designs and patterns, but these pathetic geometrical figures were no where near my ideas.Greta wore her cool shades and said, "Clark is upstairs in the corner, left room. He is probably taking a nap. Wake him up and do not let him out of your sight. He's a troubled child."I nodded and watched her disappear into the dark passage. I heard the door shut and sighed. The curtains hid all the light which would enter into the room. I pulled the curtains and smiled internally when the sun rays kissed my tanned skin.This house definitely was not a little kid's home. There were no milk bottles or toys to be seen around. I looked over the shelves and saw some bills. I read the name an