2
915 Words
"Oh don't you f*****g dare"
I was shouting at Ethan after a terrible date, at our often meetup place, The Central Park. He also had Georgina, his very cute and understanding girlfriend, alongside him, listening to my torments.
"Are you for real? You didn't like Greg?"
He was taking glimpses between his phone for work, and me, who was enraged.
We three had our feet on the lake, entirely in the 'dont trespass' zone, with the grass under our butt, happiness of the wind and moody sun lay us in peace, where as I, as a contradiction was destroying the mood.
"Yes Ethan! Greg was a beast and he kept talking about animals and insects for christ sake. So you better just stop this, okay?"
"Already I have a ton of work and on top of that, this? No way maan"
"What work?", his brows raised as he tossed the phone to the side, "Your story ain't moving?"
Ethan, Georgina and Swan knew about my struggling life as an asipiring author. It was not an easy decision to give up the life as a producer and director in film making, after two hit films, to get back to writing. My career break was such a talk of the town, two years back, that I felt people would talk about me after death.
The hype died in a week, nevertheless, I was back to any normal life, with a tiny apartment I could afford so my savings tayed taut, while I managed to ground my wriitng skills back.
"Greg was a writer too"
Gue, short for Georgina, shushed him and turned her face to me.
Green eyes and small lips, she looked like a sloth.
A slow and lovely animal.
'I love you"
I held my breath gasping, when Ethan burst into laughter.
"I mean it, Vivian, nothing changes my love for you. And its not because you are Ethan's friend, you are mine as well. So do what you will. If you want to write, you write. If you wanna make films, give Swan a missed call and get back there. If you wanna enjoy, do it, its your life. You make the decisions, not another one", she gave Ethan a side eye and continued, "I for instance had to lose my very amazing job to be here with Ethan, and that was my choice, but neither of my parents agreed to it. Nonetheless, I am here, with you, having a family of five. What more would I want?"
Her paragraph my eyes sting.
I blamed it on the stingy wind and nodded.
She patted my knee and continued staring at the lake.
I had neither of my parents either now.
And she knew that.
"Besides you were telling me about some shadow, what was that?"
I cleared my throat. When I narrated, the minor detailings were also convinced, no matter how messy it sounded.
"Yes, I did. I could be so sure of it"
'Maybe Swan stalked you. She single for a while now"
I threw a tiny stone at Ethan, earning myself a valid "Ouch"
"No..it wasn't like her. It was a new.....strange feeling"
"Being stalked isn't a feeling, Vivian. If you saw him, you did."
I know.
But I didn't exactly see anybody.
Or maybe the frightful date had terrified my senses to an extent, I couldn't distinguish between strange and obvious?
"I should see if it happens again"
"Call 911 immediately", Gue spoke concerned.
"Nah, call me".
Ethan gave me a wink and sliced a finger across his neck.
"That guy won't survuve"
Gosh, I loved them.
It happened again.
As anticipated, the sounds of sirens filled my head, tinnitus walked in sectionally and the whole world zoomed into a darkness.
I was walking down the alley, after having taken a drunken Ethan and Georgina home. The same cab dropped me off at my stairs, which were a double distance walk of thirty five steps.
I was taking them one by one, when my body sensed danger.
It was like a sixth sense, a sort of alarm pinching my heart, echoing my ear that I shouldn't go inside.
The conditional adrenaline surge, when a rabid dog stares at you few feet away.
The agony of getting a signature from your parents, after a zero on your test paper.
How the animals feel when a tsunami is yet to strike.
Something of that sort.
I kept my head down, my fingers intact on a pepper spray I bought in a local shop, and walked each stair with caution.
An owl hooted with utter silence.
I stared at the houses on the way.
They were all dark and gloomy.
What was up?
Mrs Jane wasn't home either.
Funny.
I reached the final stair, and jumped to my house's door, searching for my key.
My leather bag showed its contents to a dizzy head; a lip gloss, random papers of storylines, pens of Mickey Mouse and a pendat of my mother's, with a W.
No keys.
I searched my pockets.
Fucking hell, they were empty.
I dropped to my knees.
How, when, what?
There was no way I left it at the park.
Or did I?
The ringing in my ears went to a hundred, as I searched for it, under the capret and the flower pots.
No way, since I never left them in such usual areas.
That is when I heard it.
A spoon clattering.
How the-
Was my house ................getting robbed?!
- Writer
