Story
The pavements and roads held across, buildings leaning against each other. The sky was pitch black; the streetlights formed dark shadows of whoever crossed them by. This particular night, all the lamps had ceased their shower in a symphony. Sounds of beats could be heard but none seen. I was there, right there, standing by. If you’re wondering who I am, that you’ll get to know sooner. But at this moment, I was a spectator. Two women by the dark of the road tumbled by. They had ragged breaths, hasty steps as they walked in. I do not think they needed any light, as they walked quite confident of where they were to. I did what I had to do. I followed them by. This interests me, they smelled of something familiar, and I had to see what it was that connected us. I saw them cross a bridge. I heaved a sigh from all the work I had been doing. They turned back, and I could see their eyes lingering on me. They did not mind my presence or they did not see me at all, either could be true. The older girl looked like she was in her late twenties. She wore a pink dress that reached her knees and a brown cardigan over it. Now that the light of moon reflected through the water, I could see a bit of them. The little girl could have been around thirteen. I saw the girl obsessively look at the water. Her body leaned over the rims od the bridge. I waited for the older girl to pull her back, but the older girl herself stood in lifeless manner. If I had to stop her, it would be too late. Seconds tricked by, I waited for the deed to take place. I think life snapped back to the older girl. She pulled back the little girl so hard that they both fell mid bridge.
“I won’t let you. You cannot.”
“It has to. I cannot live like that. “
“we’ll find a way. “
“There’s no way.”
“Not if you don’t help me”.
The older girl gave a promising look I must say. They continued their walk to the other side of the bridge. After a few steps, was a cottage. It had dim lights on the reception. I could see couple of men lurking around the doorways. The girls made their way through it.
As soon as the receptionist had laid an eye on the girl, he made a call.
“Room 234 “he spoke as he looked up and down at the little girl. The little girl shrinked closer to her sister. They walked upstairs to the silence. I followed them upstairs. I wondered if they’ll look at me the same way they looked at those girls. However, nobody batted an eye. These girls went up through the stairs.
A man in his thirties had opened the door. He did not speak a word, just opened the door wide and waited for them to welcome themselves in that strange room. The Room 234 had two spaces. The older girl sat next to the man while he looked at her. She signaled her younger sister to sit away.
“So, you’re here afterall?”
“I am.,” said the older girl.
“I told you; you would not go far; you’ll have to come to me today or tomorrow” said the man smiling with these golden teeth out. It was either that he did not brush or something else that provided the colour.
The girl looked with her eyes out. I could not say if she was nervous or planned to live with this man double her age. Her legs agitated; I could see her hands putting into fists.
The man saw no response to his statement and so continued to speak, “your little sister, is she? She’s pretty. A little less than you though. Hey, you want to sit near me little girl? I have all the chocolates you might need”.
It was a mocking tone, and it did not sound well. It had proved to make more of an effect on the older girl as she grew an inch affectionate to this man.
“Would you like me to pour you a drink perhaps?” said the older girl standing up and drawing close to him.
“That sounds well” the man replied. The older girl poured in the ice, and then the poured in the drink. On the rocks you, see? He took a sip and then a gulp. He drew closer to the girl.
“Leave me.” shrieked the older girl.
“Oh, now you’ve got a voice I see, what if I don’t? you’ll run back to the other side of the bridge? Go ahead. But how would you live, where’s the money?” said the man while he tightened his grip over her hand pulling her closer to him.
“Please don’t do this, you promised something better.” Said the young girl.
“Oh, and you did too, shall I have- “the speech was disrupted by a heavy push. It has caught the man off guard. The little girl had gotten on her legs and pushed the man away.
“You shall see!” the man had been angered. He went from the older to the little sister. His hands gulfed around her neck. She struggling tried to loosen the grip.
“You want my hands on you as well, don’t you?” said the man in outrage.
“Please leave her, please leave, she doesn’t know who you’re, she is small, please, please, see it would not be good if she dies. It would not be good. You’ve a wife and kids.” The older girl whimpered as she tried to take the man’s hand off her sister’s neck. To my surprise the man’s hold had loosened. What the girl said had made sense, didn’t it?
He got up from the ground and sat back on his arm chair. His drink had started to get warm. Who likes their drink warm? He gulped it down in one go.
“Ayy woman, come here, be mine, else you know.” He warned the older girl. She got up and walked to him little by little. He caressed the locks on the side of her head. Her face was the last thing he saw before his head dizzied.
The room was circling round, and the man could not see anything. His soul was loosely wrapped in a wretched cloth. I had trouble taking it, as even me, found it filthy. I did not know if this kind of lifeless day would be wished by anyone, the way he knew he was drowning in alcohol, whereas it was his own soul that emptied him like a rotten boat.
All I know that this man was missing three teeth when his body was found. The two girls were nowhere to be found. They left a while ago, letting the man sleep in peace, or perhaps rest? It is now that I know. These girls smelled of me. They smelled of death.
©poetic_flo
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