She looked around to check if her mother was there. She was absolutely positive she had heard her maama’s voice. There was not a soul around. She kept sitting but now she was getting a little jittery. Her forehead trickled with drops of cold sweat. She was imagining things. But it felt so real.
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| Pop - Chapter Five |
“Stupid bitch. I still wonder why we gave birth to you. The only purpose you serve is that of whoring around “.
Grumpinkins voice echoed in her ears. She shut her ears and sat crouched for the next 20 minutes. But the sound of his voice did not leave her side.
“Is this where my hard earned money is going, you little whore?”
“I am just hallucinating. This is not real. Not real,” said Ira to calm herself down.
She got up and decided to walk back to the party. She could see something bright at a distance. It seemed to be moving towards her. She felt really scared. The object came closer she realised it was not a small object.
“Is that an elephant? What is an elephant doing here?” said Ira.
Ira realised it was not just any elephant. It was a purple elephant. The elephant made its way to Ira. She felt a drop in her system. She was panting for breath. Soon, the elephant was very close. She broke out onto cold sweat again. But the elephant just walked passed her. She turned around to check whether the creature was still there, but it had vanished.
Ira realised her hallucinations were getting stronger and she needed to head back to the party. To Sameer. She dashed across the beach and ran as fast as she could towards the Bungalow. It was dead silent. The only thing she could hear was her footsteps. Why couldn’t she hear the music, what was happening to her?
She finally reached the Bungalow. There was not a single person there.
“Sameer, Meher, where are you guys?” said Ira.
She ran around the lawn and there was litter everywhere. The sound console was gone. The lights had been removed. Was she at the right place?
She ran inside the bungalow. It was empty. Condoms, liquor bottles, clothes were strewn in the hall of the bungalow.
“Where is everybody?” said Ira.
“E, come find me. I need you. Come fast. I am right here,”.
“Where are you Meher? I’ll come get you,” said Ira.
But there was no response. She went to every room in the house. She could not find anyone.
Ira’s voice echoed in the bungalow and then the dead silence of the night prevailed. She ran outside the bungalow towards her car. It was still there. Parked alone, as it was a few hours back. She rummaged through her bag to find her car keys and her phone. She found the keys opened the car and sat inside. She checked her phone for the time. It was 4 AM.
She had a few missed calls from Meher and Maama. Sameer had not called her even once. She called him, but there was no answer. She decided to head back home. That was the smart thing to do.
Her throat was completely parched and she craved for a drop of water from somewhere. She started the car and decided to reach home as soon as possible. While fixing the rear view she saw her eyes. They were bloodshot. She tried to remain calm, reversed the car and hit the road.
While driving, she kept looking at the rear view every few minutes. Her eyes were scary. She looked deranged. She looked at the rear view and this time she saw Sameer making love to the random girl he was talking to at the party. She screamed and stopped the car. She turned around. There was nothing there. She could no longer decipher what was real and what was merely a hallucination.
She started the car and decided not to stop till she was home. She was speeding through the empty roads. She knew she was not in the condition to drive but she had no other option. She was sweating like a maniac.
She finally reached her block and was a little relieved to be around familiar surroundings. She slowed down and parked right in front of her house.
Her house seemed bigger than usual. The white walls were towering upwards endlessly. The rose bushes seemed to trap the house on its boundaries. The big blue window which was her room was calling out to her. The little blue window above that was her parent’s room. The lights were off. So it was safe to sneak in. She walked up to the porch and took the spare key from under the doormat. She turned the key and opened the door without a sound. She tip toed to her room and shut it.
She turned on the neon lights in her room and sat on the bed. She stared at her skull lamp. It was still. She then gazed at the sunflowers. She wondered if she would find anything this time. She could not find anything.
She abruptly got up and looked for her paint brush which had never been used. Today would be the day she inaugurated it. She took out the paint brush and her special paint. She had the paint and the brush in her hands. At last, there was a smile on her face.
Grumpinkins voice echoed in her ears. She shut her ears and sat crouched for the next 20 minutes. But the sound of his voice did not leave her side.
“Is this where my hard earned money is going, you little whore?”
“I am just hallucinating. This is not real. Not real,” said Ira to calm herself down.
She got up and decided to walk back to the party. She could see something bright at a distance. It seemed to be moving towards her. She felt really scared. The object came closer she realised it was not a small object.
“Is that an elephant? What is an elephant doing here?” said Ira.
Ira realised it was not just any elephant. It was a purple elephant. The elephant made its way to Ira. She felt a drop in her system. She was panting for breath. Soon, the elephant was very close. She broke out onto cold sweat again. But the elephant just walked passed her. She turned around to check whether the creature was still there, but it had vanished.
Ira realised her hallucinations were getting stronger and she needed to head back to the party. To Sameer. She dashed across the beach and ran as fast as she could towards the Bungalow. It was dead silent. The only thing she could hear was her footsteps. Why couldn’t she hear the music, what was happening to her?
She finally reached the Bungalow. There was not a single person there.
“Sameer, Meher, where are you guys?” said Ira.
She ran around the lawn and there was litter everywhere. The sound console was gone. The lights had been removed. Was she at the right place?
She ran inside the bungalow. It was empty. Condoms, liquor bottles, clothes were strewn in the hall of the bungalow.
“Where is everybody?” said Ira.
“E, come find me. I need you. Come fast. I am right here,”.
“Where are you Meher? I’ll come get you,” said Ira.
But there was no response. She went to every room in the house. She could not find anyone.
Ira’s voice echoed in the bungalow and then the dead silence of the night prevailed. She ran outside the bungalow towards her car. It was still there. Parked alone, as it was a few hours back. She rummaged through her bag to find her car keys and her phone. She found the keys opened the car and sat inside. She checked her phone for the time. It was 4 AM.
She had a few missed calls from Meher and Maama. Sameer had not called her even once. She called him, but there was no answer. She decided to head back home. That was the smart thing to do.
Her throat was completely parched and she craved for a drop of water from somewhere. She started the car and decided to reach home as soon as possible. While fixing the rear view she saw her eyes. They were bloodshot. She tried to remain calm, reversed the car and hit the road.
While driving, she kept looking at the rear view every few minutes. Her eyes were scary. She looked deranged. She looked at the rear view and this time she saw Sameer making love to the random girl he was talking to at the party. She screamed and stopped the car. She turned around. There was nothing there. She could no longer decipher what was real and what was merely a hallucination.
She started the car and decided not to stop till she was home. She was speeding through the empty roads. She knew she was not in the condition to drive but she had no other option. She was sweating like a maniac.
She finally reached her block and was a little relieved to be around familiar surroundings. She slowed down and parked right in front of her house.
Her house seemed bigger than usual. The white walls were towering upwards endlessly. The rose bushes seemed to trap the house on its boundaries. The big blue window which was her room was calling out to her. The little blue window above that was her parent’s room. The lights were off. So it was safe to sneak in. She walked up to the porch and took the spare key from under the doormat. She turned the key and opened the door without a sound. She tip toed to her room and shut it.
She turned on the neon lights in her room and sat on the bed. She stared at her skull lamp. It was still. She then gazed at the sunflowers. She wondered if she would find anything this time. She could not find anything.
She abruptly got up and looked for her paint brush which had never been used. Today would be the day she inaugurated it. She took out the paint brush and her special paint. She had the paint and the brush in her hands. At last, there was a smile on her face.
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