The Orphan needs care

The Orphan Needs Care:

It was raining heavily outside. Jared opened the front door to see whether the rain had stopped, half cursing the lightning and the rain. Jared was a man in his late thirties, he was wearing an apron above his normal dress, he was clutching a long kitchen knife which had stains of blood and fresh blood drops could be seen on his apron. He locked the door with his keys and kept the keys and knife on the table and moved upstairs. The door of the room was half closed, he slightly opened the room, allowing a beam of light to fall on the floor, and otherwise the room was dark.

A small whining could be heard, as if it was a silent cry. He put on the light in the room and a girl of nearly twelve years was tied on the bed, she was lying with her face facing upwards, her hands tied on both sides of the bed, as if she was in a cross and her legs were tied together with thick ropes. She was struggling to free herself but was unable to move much and a piece of cloth was used to cover her mouth, tied behind her head, which made her unable to speak.

Jared moved forward and removed the cloth from her mouth. She cried:”Please, leave me free, it’s paining. “

Jared:” You know I can’t do that. I can never let you free. I will bring you dinner, so stay calm. Even if you cry, nobody is gonna hear it over the rain and lightning, so don’t waste your energy. Don’t make me do something that I would have to repent again in my life.”

Jared quickly moved downstairs hearing the telephone ringing. He picked it up. There was a female voice on the other end:” Hey Jared, where are you, I thought you agreed to pick me up today.”

Jared:” Not today Ann, we can have a talk later.”

Ann:” But aren’t I supposed to meet Jenny today?”

Jared:” We can have this talk later Ann, bit busy now.” Jared hung up the telephone. He could see the adoption papers near the telephone. He read the words on the document ”….would be held responsible for physically, emotionally, mentally and financially supporting Jenny and…” He gave a smirk at the document, put his i phone headset enjoying the music and moved to the kitchen.

Ann drove her car near the front gate of Jared’s house. She stopped the engine and opened the door, the rain was heavy, and so she ran towards the front door. She banged on the front door to no avail. She took the extra keys of the house from her bag and opened the door. The rooms were dimly lit with candles as the power supply had either failed due to the adverse conditions outside or it was kept that way.

There was movement near the kitchen and Ann moved towards the kitchen, when she heard a shriek coming from upstairs, she stopped and listened to check whether it was some sound from outside which she had interpreted as coming from inside. The sound was coming again, as if someone was trying to move a heavy object, scratching against the floor. Ann quickly moved upstairs and in to the first room on the left from where the sound was coming.

Ann was shocked to see the scene in front of her, a girl was tied to the bed and she was struggling hard to escape, there were bruises on her wrists and legs where the ropes had tightened in her effort to loosen herself from them. She saw Ann coming in and cried out:”Please, help me before he comes back.”

Ann:”Are you Jenny?”

The girl nodded as if in agreement. She seemed too tired to even speak, her eyes were swollen due to crying and she was literally tired from her efforts to loosen the ropes that tied her. Ann quickly loosened the ropes; it was not an easy task as Jared had tied them really well. Ann looked in the nearby drawer and found a scissors which she used to cut open the ropes. Jenny leaned on Ann as if she needed a support after long hours being tied to a bed.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jared came rushing in to the room. He tried to get hold of Jenny, but Ann pushed him. He tried to thwart Ann and clutch Jenny, but slipped and fell to the ground. Jenny quickly took the scissors and plunged him in the neck. Jared cried out in agony, when Jenny plunged the scissors twice, and he was dead. Ann was awestruck.

Jenny:” I am sorry, he did all kinds of bad things to me, he adopted me and pledged that he would take care of me, but he didn't. Please help me.”

Ann was unable to utter words; she held Jenny close to her and moved downstairs. Jenny was almost swaying, as if she would fall asleep due to tiredness. Ann kept her bag on the table to support Jenny.

Ann:”Hey, don’t fall, do you want something to eat.”

Jenny mumbled feebly which sounded like a yes.

Ann:”Stay here, I will be back.”

Ann moved to the kitchen. She saw cooked chicken in a plate and an apron covered in blood near the counter, probably from cutting the chicken as chicken waste was kept in a nearby bag which also contained blood. She took the chicken and a loaf of bread from a nearby cupboard and went to Jenny. She was sitting on the floor with eyes closed. Ann touched her and she opened her eyes and took the bread from her hands and started eating quickly with the chicken. Ann turned to take her bag and found that the table was empty. Suddenly something cold plunged in to her back, it was sheer pain at first, blood flowing out of her body, and she was feeling numb, as she turned back. Jenny was holding a long kitchen knife with blood dripping out of it.

Ann:”Why?”

Jenny:” He adopted me to take care of me, now he takes more time for you. I cannot let that happen, so I destroyed every picture of yours in this house when he told he was going to marry you. I told I will kill you and so he tied me up. You don’t know how much an orphan has to suffer, an orphan needs care, love and I couldn't let that go away. If he can’t have time for me, then he shouldn't have time for anyone.”

Jenny was shivering while Ann was dead, in a pool of her own blood. Jenny took the bag from behind her and walked outside, in to the rain.

The Last Person to Stand--my short story

The last person to stand:

The dungeon was cold and was made with damp rocks, water flowing through the cracks and dripping on the floor, making sudden ripples of pools on the ground and the sound reverberating inside the dungeon. George was walking to and fro, anxious as he was, his hands were clasped behind his back and his clothes were shaggy and torn.

“Please help me, somebody please help me….”, he cried out to the dark corners of the dungeons, his voice deeply echoing in the empty tunnel, giving a grotesque effect to the whole scene. A mobile lay near him, the battery was drained off and it was switched off, he had made the last call to his cousin brother Robert telling to help him; he told he was trapped in a dungeon underneath somewhere in Italy, he was not able to say which one, the battery had drained and the mobile switched  off. He was sure his cousin would find him, but he was becoming desperate in the dungeon.

On the far end of the dungeon, there was a portrait on which was painted the dungeon, the central portion of the portrait was empty with little shade colouring as if it had to be completed later. George came and took his painting brush, he was about to do 2 strokes on the portrait, but thought of something and kept the brush down. He couldn’t draw the portrait, he needed some help. He needed Robert’s arrival and his escape from the dungeon.

A movement was heard on the other side, George silently listened to that, he was accustomed to the movements of rats inside the dungeon, but this sound was not feeble, but steady footsteps.

“Help me”, George cried out. A man in his early twenties came running towards George. He looked deeply worried by the looks of George

“Robert, you came at last, I thought I would be wasted here”, George was crying while he hugged Robert, the other man who came in to the dungeon.

Robert:”How did you get trapped here, were you preparing to do a portrait, I thought it would take me ages to discover where you are?” he looked at the portrait on the far end of the room.

George:” Yes, kind of my masterpieces it will be. The one painting you did in Venice is really praise worthy, many say they are better than the ones I have done in Florence. It was great indeed to hear that.”

Robert:”It was you who turned me in to a painter. Talents that can match with you are no longer in this world, am just a mere artist.”

George:” Humbleness is your greatest attribute. I wanted to give you a present for rescuing me from this dungeon.”

Robert:” What present?”

George took his golden coated brush from inside his robes and showed Robert. It was the most elegant and magnificent brush that George used for selected paintings he did for chapels or select personalities. No one was ever given the brush due to its uniqueness, the fine strokes they provide and the overall elegance and comfort in using the brush.

George:” Will you accept this my present?”

Robert:”Well, yes, I can definitely use this for the Assumption of Madonna, Looks from heaven painting am doing. It’s really nice of you to provide me this.”

George pointed the brush to Robert who gently moved forward to take the brush; suddenly a knife appeared in the other hand of George which he plunged in to the neck of Robert. Robert was awe-struck, blood flowing continuously from the wound, while he clutched his neck in disbelief and fell to the floor, shivering and asking:”Why?”

George began to laugh, as if he was mad:” It was I who taught you how to use colours and paints, but you tend to overshadow me. People say once you complete the Madonna, I won’t be needed by anyone as all will be following you. I can’t allow this. Twenty years it has been, I got the glory as the one who came to replace Da Vinci and Botticelli, the one who can make Michelangelo a run for his money, but you came and you think you can replace me, the one who created Venus: the beauty of a flower and Hades and Poseidon? This will be my masterpiece portrait: The last person to stand: Murder in the dungeon, I will draw this picture of your murder with this brush and will regain the lost glory I had. I will be the last to stand in the glory of Italian painters and your name will be forgotten.”

Robert closed his eyes and his breathing stopped, while George dipped the brush slightly in the blood and mixed it with his paint and moved forwards to complete his masterpiece portrait.

My short story---The Girl who never existed

THE GIRL WHO NEVER EXISTED

Lucy was anxious as she sat outside the Principal’s room, she felt restless on the cold bench, when she heard someone open the Principal’s door.  She saw a lady in her early thirties coming out of the room; she had a bandage on the right side of her head and looked both angry and sad. She was followed by a nun who wore the official white and black robes and said to her

“Teacher, we have to probe better in to the situations. I agree that a mistake was made, but it happened so suddenly and we have already informed his mother, she will be….”

The nun took notice of Lucy, who stood up seeing the nun and the lady approaching her. The nun looked at her apprehensively and asked: “Lucy?”

Lucy nodded, the nun looked at the teacher and she left the place, leaving the nun and Lucy behind. The nun opened the half door to her office and Lucy went in, the nun followed and said (gesturing the seat opposite her office table while sitting herself):” I am Sister Matilda, the Principal of this school. I had to call you regarding your son.”

Lucy: “Why, what happened?”

Matilda: “This matter is serious; to attack a teacher is the least we can tolerate here. Robert is a smart kid, there’s no denying it, that’s why we had no problems in admitting him here, but these kinds of behaviors….”

Lucy (half rising from the chair): “Rob attacked a teacher?”

Matilda:” We need you to stay calm. The lady you saw who just exited my room was his teacher Rose. Today in class, she found Robert looking towards the glass of the window constantly and even after repeatedly asking what he was looking at, he didn’t respond. At last when she asked by going near him, he threw the toy near him on her face, it missed her eyes and hit the forehead. As a matter of fact, he insisted that he didn’t want to do this but did it as a girl told him, but there were no girls sitting near him, so we had to call you. We would recommend you take him to a psychiatrist, we cannot allow him to continue here…”

Lucy: “But he is just a boy, may be…how can you do this to me? You know that I lost my husband only recently and have a tough time to raise him...?”

Matilda:” I know what you went through, but the safety of people here should be my primary concern. Robert is not talking to anyone after this and he just sits in his seat after we told that we were going to call you. I want you to take him to a good psychiatrist and give him better treatment so he can come back as a better person.”

Lucy could feel the tears flowing down her cheeks. She said ‘Thank you’ and left the room. She could see Robert, a boy of nearly eight years in his uniform, sitting on the bench she had earlier occupied. He was facing down. Lucy went near him and touched his shoulders. He slowly looked up and she took his hand. He stood up and they both started walking towards the corridor that leads to the schools exit.

Dr. Jones sat in his office facing Lucy who was anxiously looking at the doctor for answers.

Jones:” Well, I talked to Robert, seems like he couldn’t think much before he reacted. He didn’t mean to attack the teacher, but he needs proper treatment.”

Lucy: “Are you suggesting he is having mental disorders?”

Jones: “You should face this situation with a bit more courage; he is suffering from schizophrenia if I am not wrong. Robert is not able to say the difference between what is real and what is not. For instance, he says he saw a girl standing on the window sill outside his class asking him to come and play with him. He told yellow maple leaves were falling all around her and when the teacher told him to look away from the window, she asked him to throw the toy at her. He said he could just obey and had no other choice. We know that we don’t have any maple trees here and no girl could stand on the window sill either, so this is a character from his imagination. The accident his father faced may have affected him. Do you have anyone with this condition in either of the families?”

Lucy:” I don’t know doctor neither do I care. I want him to be normal. I want him back as he was.”

Jones: “We may need antipsychotic medication that can suppress dopamine receptor activity that will help him. Does he have problems in speaking or anything unusual that you can tell me?”

Lucy:” Well, he speaks less, especially after what happened at the school, he prefers to stay alone. At times, he just looks at me and whispers something and again gazes somewhere as if he is seeing or listening to someone or something. Initially I thought things will change, but things were not, that’s why I took him to the hospital and they suggested your name. Will he be ok doc?”

Jones: “Well, let’s keep realistic opinions here, I am prescribing the medicines, make sure he has them regularly and I would like to see him again after say a week or two. We may need psychotherapy, vocational and social rehabilitation later if needed, I assure you those will be just a matter of time. Moreover he needs patience, love and care from you and all, it’s a tough situation, so I would suggest you to take a week off from work and stay with him. He needs your care and support more than any medicine, keep patience with him.”

Lucy nodded, not sure how much she understood or how much she wanted to, while the doctor prescribed the medicines. She felt as if the world was going black all around her.

Lucy was reading a book to Robert; they were both lying on a bed. Robert was lying close to Lucy when he asked:” Will the sound stop Mommy?”

Lucy was surprised to see him speak bit clearly, though he sounded tired, she asked: “What sound dear?”

Robert (looking to her eyes):” The scratching sound…She is making it…She wants me to play with her…I can’t….”

Lucy held him tight and said: “All will be fine dear…The sound will stop.”

Lucy didn’t know what she could do, as far as she could hear there was no noise at all and the imaginary girl also was part of the illness, she really wanted all of this to end soon. She could feel deep breaths from Robert and understood that he fell asleep. She slowly placed his head on the pillow, kissed his forehead and went to the kitchen and took a coffee. She took a sip and came to the bedroom to find the bed was empty.

Lucy felt she would faint when she saw that the door to the balcony was open and she could see Robert on the edge of the balcony, hands stretched and about to plunge down. Lucy flung herself to the balcony, the coffee glass fell down and broke to pieces spilling coffee all over and got Robert just a second before he was about to fall, he was shivering and so was she, as she pulled him to the bedroom and closed the balcony door and bolted it. She was feeling breathless and tired. After placing the sleeping Robert on the bed, she fell to the ground and cried loudly.

Dr. Jones was tensed as he slowly paced around his room. He had received the call from Lucy and he had told that he will increase the doze of medicines for Robert; though he didn’t like the idea of increasing medicine doss for a child of eight years. Meanwhile he insisted that Lucy to never leave Robert alone and always keep him with her. Lucy was really freaked out and she wanted the sun to rise to take Robert to hospital. She sat on the verge of the bed, afraid to sleep, though her eyes felt tired and her head kept drooling, she yawned and kept her eyes open. Some lights were flickering and a clinking sound of metal could be heard. Lucy suddenly opened her eyes, she didn’t knew when she fell asleep, she could see Robert standing in front of her, holding a 6 inch kitchen knife in his right hand. He was staring blankly at Lucy.

Lucy:” Honey, what are you doing with that, it’s not something to play with, please, put it down.”

Robert: “She will kill you with this knife Mommy…She kills everyone with this knife, I need to throw it away. I can’t let her come near you.”

Lucy:” She is not here Rob…Listen to Mommy…put that knife down…take it easy…Look at Mommy…please.”

Robert:” I can’t Mommy, she is here.”

With a quick slash Robert plunged the knife in to his neck, on the left side; blood spurted out all over his clothes and the room.

Lucy:” No…..” She flung herself around Robert and pulled the knife out, the wound was deep and blood was flowing out. She tore open the bed sheet and covered his neck to prevent the blood flow. She half carried Robert and called for an ambulance over the phone. She didn’t know how she ran downstairs and opened the door, and within seconds an ambulance came. Two men shifted Robert to the ambulance and Lucy too entered. The ambulance left to the hospital.

The doctor came out of the operation theatre and looked at Lucy. His face was expressionless when he told the expectant looking Lucy :” I am sorry, we tried our level best, but the wound was deep and too much blood was lost. We lost him by the time he reached the theatre.”

Lucy fell unconscious.

The funeral of Robert was done in the local church Sunday morning. Lucy couldn’t sit at home and so she insisted that she would be in the church till evening, where she could see the freshly cut mound of mud, under which Robert was now resting. Dr. Jones had paid a visit saying that he never expected the illness to grow to such a big level in a short period of time. Around six, the priest came and said her that she has to leave. She left the church and went near the funeral ground to find that the ground was entirely covered with yellow maple leaves. More leaves were falling out from nowhere, as if maple trees were there, but no trees could be found.  Lucy felt a shiver run through her spine. She heard a small sound behind her and looked behind. A young girl of around 10 years was standing there, she was so pale that she felt like moonlight and had deep black circles beneath her eyes. She wore a red frock with white flowers and black dots.

Lucy:”Who are you?”

The girl smiled, took the six inch kitchen knife in her hand and said: “He wouldn’t let me near you and now he is gone…Now we have lots of time to play…”