It was supposed to be a good day. I woke up feeling energetic after a good night’s rest. For the first time in weeks, I dreamt of something positive instead of having vivid nightmares. After showering, I picked out a floral blue dress to wear around the house. It was quiet as it was a long holiday weekend. Everyone I knew were going somewhere, my family included, but I opted for a lazy day.
I couldn’t commit to waking up before sunrise and driving for hours to visit different places. The cloudy weather was good for spending a few hours, catching up on my reading while sitting on the wooden swing chair in the garden. I was in a good mood, so I cooked up a storm for one and ate while watching a documentary.
After a quick clean-up from the mess I made, I was ready to head to the garden when I heard my neighbours talking. Being nosy, I pulled back the curtain a little, just enough for me to take a peek. Clad in a pink dress was Jeanine from three doors down. She was talking to Maureen from next door. Both women were a few years older than I was and very often, they met right in front of my house.
I wished they’d meet at their house or the empty plot opposite the neighbourhood. They were in a deep conversation when suddenly they stopped and turned to look at me. Little did I know, I’ve pulled back the curtain a little too much that I exposed myself to them.
“Hello,” I waved to cover up my mistake. They waved back and signalled for me to join them. I shook my head but they were persistent. I didn’t have any choice but to join them. When I stepped out of the house, a cool breeze immediately greeted me. It was quite a quiet day aside from the two women talking excitedly in front of my house.
I walked slowly towards them and I heard their conversation on the couch that was on sale in one of the furniture shops not too far from where we lived. “What a nice day, huh?” I greeted them, feeling awkwardness rushed over me. “Yeah, we thought you wouldn’t be home,” Jeanine started.
“Almost everyone went for the field trip. They were packed into a school bus when it was still dark,” Maureen added. “No, I decided to stay back and relax,” I smiled. “Both of you not going out either?” “I’m just too tired,” Maureen replied folding her arms in front of her chest. “I hate such activities.” “I just love to stay at home and watch a movie or so,” Jeanine answered. Both Maureen and I looked at each other for a quick second, sensing that she was lying.
We knew her and her husband had been quarrelling for weeks and many times, other neighbours rushed out to see what was going on. “Chris and I…” “You don’t have to explain,” Maureen touched Jeanine’s arm. “Anyway, mama needs to enjoy a little more before it is too late. We’ll talk again soon.” “Yeah, me too,” Jeanine nodded and I agreed. I watched both women walked their separate ways. I looked up the cloudy sky to realize the clouds looked like fluffy marshmallows.
The empty plot in that neighbourhood was still under construction and there was nothing except stones and overgrown grass. It was probably going to be another row of houses. I was ready to go back to relaxing when a dark figure attracted my attention. He left the first house and continued on to the next one.
I walked towards him and saw him waiting in front of the door. “Hello again,” he acknowledged me. He walked right through me and walked to the house next to Jeanine’s. I followed him. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Waiting for time,” he answered shortly and walked to Jeanine’s house. The dark figure walked from one house to another. He stopped at all the houses in my neighbourhood for a few minutes with his head bowed. It was odd because he was supposed to wait outside a house instead of going to many houses including mine.
The dark figure wasn’t a stranger because I started seeing him at a young age and my grandmother reminded me constantly that it was a gift to be able to see the angel of death. I’ve seen him many times waiting outside the door and I knew he was there to collect someone soon. I thought my ability was a gift too until I met him that day when he hung out in my neighbourhood. Sensing something was not right, I called my family.
I was put on loud speaker as they were in the bus and I made up lies to make sure all my neighbours agreed to come home instead of continuing their journey away from the city.
After the call was made, I looked outside to see the angel of death. He shook his head and disappeared into thin air, travelling elsewhere to collect someone else. Carina Lim bears different messages through her fiction. These messages could be useful in life. She can be contacted at mermaidgal03@ yahoo.com
