EMBRACE OF MISTS by Sowmya Latha (important of reading books .TXT) 📕

me rose. It was not an easy job to go far away from Jacob. A man like him would never be born but he was not born for me too. But I am no one to him and he had actually shown it to me. Nights were far worse than days. In my room where no one was there to watch me or to spy me, I cried. I took my shower and changed into my nightdress. Before I slept I listened to Jacob’s voice which I had recorded once when we were together. This has become my habit because his voice put off all the nightmares giving me a peaceful sleep.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, I heard my window rattle. I went to it and opened it. Fresh cold wind blew in. I went back to my bed and pulled over the sheets upon me. Suddenly I felt a pair of heavy hands on my neck. The hands strangled me until I could not swallow my breath. I stumbled on the bed trying to push the hands off me but one hand strangled me while the other made sure I made no sound. The blanket was still covering my face firmly and I could not see his face. I was suffocating out of breath. My legs turned and twisted trying to get up. I felt I could never get a small amount of air. Finally I left hope and closed my eyes. I lay still, pretending to be dead. Slowly the hands stopped pressurizing me. They opened my blanket and made sure I was dead. Then the man jumped out of the window in a jiffy. I opened my eyes and breathed in fresh air. I coughed and ran to the window and looked out. I saw a boy as tall as Jacob running towards a car. The car went as quick as lightning.

I blinked through the streetlight. I felt I had been in a dream. If my throat was not aching I would have felt it as a dream. Suddenly I realized a familiar scent. Scent of Jacob in my room. The next moment I bit my lips. Why would he do that to me?

The next day, when I reached school, it was late already. I entered the classroom to find the front seat empty. Disappointed, I hurried through my notes before professor Margartte would ask me questions as a punishment to latecomers.

During lunch, Bianca was sitting next to me.

“Bia.” I touched her hand.

“Yes Emi.”

“Can we go out this weekend?” I asked her.

“Why don’t we all go for trekking?” Harry intruded our conversation.

“But where? There aren’t any mountains nearby, fool” Joe added.

“Mountains are not the only place for trekking. I will take you all to a wonderful forest nearly twenty miles from here” Harry exploded with enthusiasm.

“Do you really know it?” John enquired.

“Of course yes. And who all gets into it?” he lifted his palm outstretched.

“Me” said Joe and kept his palm over Harry’s.

“Me too” said John. He looked at Annie and she kept her palm over John’s.

“Yea…right. Me too. As long as we don’t get lost” said Bianca. She pulled my palm right above her’s.

“None can go without me yaar” said Eric.

Finally we planned our day and fixed it on Sunday. I did not sleep at nights fearing that the strangler would return. I closed my windows and doors shut. I even thought of sleeping in my aunt’s room but I would have to give her the reasons. I would rather die alone than taking her for a company. I played Jacob’s voice again and again to stay awake all the nights.

It was Sunday. I packed my bag pack with food for everyone and bottles of water. The bag was quite heavy but I did not mind. I wore my jean and a T-shirt along with a pullover. Harry picked me up at my home and our little pack drove until a forest was seen. It was not so thick but dark. Harry pulled over the engine when we reached the end of the road.

“Get down guys. The car cannot go any further and we have got to walk” Harry said. We all got down while Harry opened his bag and took out a cover.

“Here, have these. You may need the daggers for your safety. If any one of us gets lost we shall use these whistles to signal others.” We feared his words at the thought of the danger.

“Come on guys…Lets start the adventure” Joe stepped forward.

Annie, Bianca and I caught hands with each other while the four boys took the lead. We got into the forest but we could find no animals except rats and birds. Slowly we left our fear and started enjoying. The boys played wrestling while we girls cheered. We explored many areas of the forest before we became tired.

“Hand me those sandwiches Annie” Harry asked her.

“Wash your hands, you dirty” said Eric.

“Not as filthy as yours” Harry made a face at him. The boys tumbled upon each other while John and Joe joined them. It was fun watching them. We ate our lunch and lied on the grass to rest. Slowly every one of us fell asleep.

I could hear a sound. Sound of someone cutting the tree. I was standing right at the foot of the tree, bounded to its trunk. The tree was slowly swaying, losing its balance. I tried to get off the tree. I felt someone approaching me with a strong knife. He placed it on my neck and slowly blood gushed out of my veins.

I got up. What a terrible dream it was. I stood up and saw the others in a very exhausted sleep. I did not want to disturb them. I slowly walked past the trees following the sound of the leaves whispering through the wind. Suddenly I felt something wrong about the place. I leaned on a tree suppressing my fear when someone drove the knife towards my chest. But before the knife could pierce me, I moved an inch reflexively leaving the knife stuck onto the tree. I saw a sturdy man standing before me, his eyes masked.

“Wait!! Who are you??” I cried to him but he laid his strong hands on me.

“It should not matter you, child.” He showed his broken teeth smile and took hold of my neck. He tried to choke me to death. I had no hope of defeating the killer. My hands were free and I searched my pockets for the dagger that Harry had given me. In another instant I stroked him across the knees and stomach. Not expecting me to be armed, he fell down on his knees holding his stomach. I pushed him to the ground and blew the whistle with all my might.

“Jacob! Why did you let me do this task?” he spit the words onto the ground. I looked at him, frozen. Jacob? Jacob sent him? To kill me? I was frozen to move an inch. The killer limped his way into the forest.

“What? What happened Emi?” My friends found me and rushed towards me. I pointed my finger in the direction where the strangler had limped off. The boys ran there but returned finding nothing.

I returned home and lied on my bed. Was it true Jacob tried to kill me? Emi don’t be a fool. Why would he? Why? Why? Why? No answers for my questions.

I called to Jacob’s home, but someone perhaps Valentina, answered my call and informed me that he had gone out on an urgent work. I can never go out and come back safe hereafter. I have no one to protect me, now that my protector had turned out to be the one to destroy me. I was sure I smelled Jacob’s scent the other day. Why would my Jacob ever want to kill me? I would die for him if he asks me himself. Why would he trouble to murder me? I love you Jacob, with all my heart.

MELINDA

 

October 1996, New York

Everything was ready for the wedding. One night when we were having dinner, Lina got up.

“Can we postpone the wedding after Christmas?” she asked us. Everyone blinked.

“Why” Mike asked her. Clearly Lina had not discussed this matter with her fiancé.

“Mike, first you have to find yourself a job. The police would be in search of you. Before that we must get a bail for you. So much work is there. Let us postpone our marriage dear” she told him. We remained silent.

“I think she is right” said Alvin. “We had better get a bail for you first, Mikey. You should never get separated from her after getting married, brother”.

I could not understand what they were talking about. Why would the police want to find Mike? I knew Jared was involved in ill deeds but had Mike too committed a serious crime? Why does he need a bail? Jared avoided my look. I could not raise my questions to him that night. In the morning everyone had gone out. Jared to work, Jacob to school and Lina to the hospital. Mike left saying he was going to find a job for him. Alvin had taken Lina’s mother to the hospital for her check up. I cooked the lunch for them and waited for them to return home. In the afternoon after coming home, Alvin wheeled her to her room. I followed them into the room. Alvin slowly carried the old lady and made her lie on the bed and he covered her with the blanket.

“Now close your eyes and get some sleep. You look awfully tired.” He held her hands for a while and hummed a soft tune until she fell asleep. He gently got up from the bed and gestured me to step out of the room. He closed the door behind me and smiled at me.

“Poor thing. Let her sleep for sometime” he said to me.

“But she did not have her lunch” I reminded him. He looked at me surprised for a moment and then lowered his eyes.

“I don’t mean to hurt you but I didn’t expect you to have prepared the lunch for us. So I made her eat outside before coming home. Sorry Melinda” he regretted.

“Oh that’s ok. So you ate too?” He nodded slowly. I felt disappointed.

“But I don’t mind another round” he winked. I laughed and set out the plates for both of us.

“So you loved Jared at the first sight?” he enquired. I pretended that I did not hear him and I did not answer him.

“Who proposed first?” he continued. I was busy with my stew. He stopped eating and looked at me.

“Why do you have tears? Did I hurt you?” he asked urgently. What? Tears in my eyes? I brushed it off with my little finger.

“Allow me to answer” Angel came forward.

“No. Leave it to me” I stopped her.

“Melinda?”Alvin called me.

“It’s nothing. Just dust” I replied him and he dropped the matter.

“What do you do for a living?” he changed the topic and I was grateful for him.

“I paint. I sell my paintings at the exhibits. It is enough to feed me” I replied him.

“Ah yes. Jared told you paint. Only few have such talents” he smiled.

Nervously I asked him, “What do you do?”

“I am a photographer. I work for the local magazines and I don’t have any specific time to work. I do my job given to me and I am paid for it.”

“Can I ask you something?” I started slowly. He looked at me with his dark brown eyes.

“Why does Mike need a bail?” I asked him and curled my lips.

“Didn’t Jared tell you?” he asked curiously. I looked somewhere avoiding the question. He remained silent thinking.

“That’s a long story” he started and told me about Mike murdering a person and Lina being caught as guilty. About the accident and Lina curing him. About their love and their holidays. I was stunned to speak anything.

“I think Lina is wonderful” I said