AFLOAT SEASON 1 Ep.10

We are each of us angels with only one wing and we can only fly by embracing one another. 

- Luciano De Crescenzo

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I noticed the kids playing around stopped laughing when they saw me headed in that direction and a man standing way off continued staring at me as if I was insane but I ignored them and took the turn into the dreaded route.

I remember it was a moonless night and the route was darker than I had anticipated. Refusing to be bothered by the stillness and eerie shadows of the giant grasses swaying to the gentle breeze, I pulled out my phone from my denim pocket and turned on the flashlight to make out the fading foot path. Memories of my brother and I running home from school along that path filled my mind with nostalgia. 

Alex and I had great moments as kids. He was my only brother, best friend and bodyguard. It was hard for him to leave the community when he had to take over the family business and make other changes he preferred to keep to himself.  

My foot caught against a lose stone, I lost my balance but managed to stop myself from falling flat on my face. It was all the Chairman's fault; I mumbled and blamed him for reneging on his myriad of campaign promises one of which was that he would transform the community and brighten our streets with solar lights. The villagers who had refused to be swayed by other gift bearing politicians fell for his promises and their votes counted. It had been several months after the election and the only street that got lit was the road leading to the Chairman's house. So much for campaign promises. I sighed and continued my slow walk. 

I must have been walking for some minutes, I don’t really know for how long because I was focused on getting home before giving in to the threatening diarrhoea or whatever it was that was making my stomach vehemently claw at my insides, when my light caught the silhouette of a lone figure walking towards me from the opposite direction. I felt the urge to flash my light at whatever was approaching, but felt it would be rude so I kept it on the path and tried to move to the side to create enough space between us so whoever it was would pass easily but the figure stopped right in front of me. 

My heart skipped several beats as I instantly pointed the beam of my torchlight upwards at a sneering face. Before I could react, cold hands grabbed my elbow and my bag slipped off my shoulder and crashed to my feet as the most ear-splitting scream tore out of my lips and filled the space between us. Wrestling my arm free of his grip, I threw the phone in my hand at him and made a dash for the tall bushes along the route. 

The scream and my action must have come as a surprise to him because when I looked back, nobody was pursuing me. Not ready to stop running, I fled further into the bushes that tore at my exposed skin. I was out of breath and quivering when I saw the abandoned building where I sought refuge.

BACK TO PRESENT

I cried silently as the sound of crickets, mosquitoes and frogs breeding in a nearby pond filled the cool night air and my alert ears. I was alone, exhausted, food for the aggressive mosquitoes who feasted on my skin and shaken by the reality of my situation. The tale was no folklore. The organ hunters were real! What if they had captured me? My body trembled with that thought. I peered around but could not make out anything in the darkness. 

The thought of finding my way home was diminished by the fear of wandering back into the waiting arms of whoever had grabbed me. I could swear he appeared like someone I had seen before. But where? I tried to push my brain to recall but it was no use. Giving up, I wondered what time it was as thoughts of my mother raced through my mind. She would get sick with worrying about me and my brother was not in town to keep her company. Fresh tears seeped out of my swollen eyes and ran down my excreta designed face. 

"God, please help me...." I murmured a silent prayer.

Fresh tears seeped out of my swollen eyes and ran down my face. 

"God, please help me...." I murmured a silent prayer.

“Where did you say Dapper went to?” 

I asked while flipping through the newspaper in my hands. I had been home for two hours and it was almost 2100 hours and there was still no sign of my kid sister. 

“Where else if not that troupe." 

My mother explained with a deep frown creasing her beautiful face. She was sitting across from me in our large and tastefully furnished living room.

"Oh I totally forgot she is still with them." She sighed and continued;  "I am worried. Ever since you left, this is what I have been facing. I just don't like this group that is always keeping her outside till late in the night. I don’t like it and I will have to put an end to it today.”

Dropping the newspaper on the side table, I met her worried gaze; 

“Mom come on. She told us before joining the troupe and you gave your consent.”

“Alex this is not a joke. So what if I consented? Nobody told me it would turn her into a night crawler. Besides, you know the country is not safe. I am simply not comfortable with my only daughter walking our lonely road at night because of a silly group. If you won't talk to your sister, then don't blame me when I forbid her from attending that group's activities.”

I laughed lightly and flung my legs off the couch; 

“Remember what the doctor said about your blood pressure, so don’t start getting worked up over this issue... I will talk to her when she gets back.”

She mumbled in response, got up and headed for her room while I stood up and went outside to look out for my kid sister. She was unusually late and I was getting worried. 

Bridget or Dapper as she loves to be called, is my younger and only sister. Growing up with her was amazing and annoying at some point but I love my family and would look out for them. 

After dad informed the family he had cancer and had few weeks to live we refused to accept the diagnosis. It was a brief but fierce battle to save his life and it gulped down all my savings, the family business was already facing crisis so nothing could come out from it so Bridget's savings for her clothing line business had to go into dad's hospital bills as well. Eventually dad passed on, then the battle to save Bridget started.

We thought we were going to lose her. She became withdrawn and a shell of her former self. Mom would cry all night and everything we tried in order to get her back failed until the day she announced she had gone for the troupe’s auditioning and was selected. That troupe brought back my sister and, we were ready to do anything to keep the smile on her beautiful face. I gave in to her wish without any objection because I needed the two most important people in my life to continue being happy.

“Dapper, where are you?”

I asked the darkness as if my answers laid in it. Pulling out my phone, I dialled a number I knew by heart.

“Where is she?” I asked the moment he answered my call. 

“Brad asked her to stay behind after the rehearsal.”

 “And you left her and went home?” Rage ran through my veins.

 “It’s not what you think. They went to pick up the costume after his mistress left. I saw them driving away and my car was bad so there was no way I could have gone after them on foot without blowing my cover. You know your sis is too smart...”

I hated excuses and he was throwing flimsy ones at me. He had no reason for failing at his duty. I cursed profusely and nearly threw my phone against the fence where I had gone to make the call for fear of my mother overhearing my conversation. The thought of my sister driving off with that fool made my blood boil. 

Tony would get his punishment later; I thought. Right now I needed to focus on my sister.

 “So why is she not home yet?”

 “What! I...I” He stuttered in my ear and I punched the wall so hard my knuckles cracked and I knew they were bleeding. But that was not my concern.

 “You have sixty seconds to get here.”

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