DOOR TO CHAOS

I sense the pessimistic air following me wherever I go. I have not been the same for a few months now. Christy has been plotting and executing targeted revenge activities against me. They were so subtle that no one else could have recognised them if not for me. I am not scared of her, though I am worried for myself. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and concentrate on some reading. I have a semester coming up, and if I do them well, I will open one door to my freedom. I have no idea how many of them are left before I can walk out peacefully.

 

The words in my book turn blur, and my head involuntarily bobs back and forth in the air. I try to concentrate but can't hold myself up. To rescue myself from falling into the black hole, I blink repeatedly and gaze at my window. If I keep staring at something outside, I might be able to bring myself back to my senses. I reach for the water pitcher near the windowsill, but that's when I catch something eerie behind the window. Something glowing and static in the dark. A pair of eyes fixed unwaveringly at me. I gasp and fall behind, tumbling down the pitcher and making the water stain my book. 

  

I stagger and stand up after fighting the wet floor. I know this is a mistake. I haven't slept well for the past few days, so I must be hallucinating, I try to convince myself. I slowly edge towards the window and peek from the side, and now I know I wasn't imagining it the first time. Those are eyes that belong to him. He is standing there with his bicycle, trying to peek inside the window. It must be difficult because of the netted screen fluttering in the air. He must have realised that I have seen him because I see now that he is breathing heavily and ride away at once. I can clearly see his silhouette swaying away against the dimly lit road. I muster the courage and follow my gaze after him, and he turns to confirm if I have caught him red-handed. But he doesn't look troubled anymore. His lips curl into a faint smile, and the furrows above his head disappear. 

 

But now, I am the one who is petrified. How long has he been here? How long has he been staring at me from the window? Is it just me, or is he spying around everyone at home? So, does he know my schedule now? What will he do with it anyway? Has someone else seen him yet? Did Ma, Baba, or Ahmed bhai notice him around sometime? What about Aliza? I mean, bhabhi. Has she known of it already? Should I tell someone? Is he trouble? So many questions cloud my consciousness. 

 

Thank God Ma is not with me in the room. She is in the hall celebrating Ahmed bhai’s promotion. The house is mixed with emotions as Ma and Baba are celebrating. Ahmed Bhai is making arrangements to leave home soon. He appears to be both elated and distressed about it. Aliza, I mean, bhabhi is the only one who doesn’t seem quite well. I guess she doesn't find it amusing staying here with us without him. 

  

I step out of the room to talk to someone about it. Maybe I can confide in Aliza if not for Ma. But as I move out, I find the dinner table deserted with dirty crockeries and leftover food. I scrunch my face because I am expected to eat dinner here after what these people have done. Why doesn’t anyone even feel the need to clean after themselves? Can’t they pick them up and leave the place clean. Probably, it is a job left behind for Aliza Bhabhi to do. I move to the kitchen to see if she is there. It’s the place where she spends more time after Bhaya’s room. But she is standing aloof by the fridge and staring at nothing in particular. She looks distressed, mauled by sorrow. Should I really trouble her with my concerns? Or should I try? But she stays there, oblivious to my presence. So, I decide against the latter.  

 

I pick up my plate, fill it with food and move to my room. I can’t eat in this mess anyway. I will deal with this later once I get a grip of that nasty stalker. But for now, I have no time to waste on that loser. I will deal with him my way soon. 

This is a part of Blogchatter A2Z 2025

#penbooksandscalpel