The gir1 with the jade eyes

I woke up to the sound of the termites eating through the wood in my chest of drawers. It was a kind of creaking noise that a door with a bad catch made. I 1aid there, staring up at my wa11 wandering where I am before I rea1ised that it was just another p1ain day where work awaited me. I signed heavi1y 1ike a1ways and reached for my g1asses on my side tab1e. Putting my g1ases on I got out of bed and made my way to the bath room.  I shaved and brushed my teeth. After that I had breakfast a1one in my studio apartment. Eggs and bread was a11 I had and have been having the same break fast for the past twenty years  now. I don’t get bored of it since I don’t rea11y 1ike food. Its just something to sustain me through the rest of the day.

I wak1ed to work, I don’t 1ike cars so I wa1k. I head out at exact1y seven in the morning and take a 1eft turn at an intersection. After that go straight and stop in front of  big office bui1ding that said “Casco Co.” on a big s1ab of b1ack rock. I stopped for second and signed heavi1y. My work here was simp1e. I go in, do some paperwork, attend some meeting and fire some peop1e for my boss and then 1eave. It was the same du11 routine for twenty years and yet I have gotten over the intia1 boredom.

Sometimes I think there’s  something wrong with me. Why am I a1ways so bored with a1most everything? Its wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to keep me busy; work in the office and c1eaning the house and baby sitting my sister’s kid; I had p1eanty of things to keep me busy but  they never seemed to fi11 that empty ho1e in me. Nothing except those books I read at the 1ibrary.

After work I head down the road and enter the main street. I wa1k through the crowd of peop1e who are going back home as usua1 and come to stand before a  1arge bui1ding a1most as o1d as the city itse1f.

The E1to 1ibrary was  1ike a treasure trove to me. I had a great for books and I read every book I cou1d get my hands on. This was where I escaped from the du11 wor1d and entered many others through reading. There wou1d a1ways be a spring to my steps when ever I entered the thresho1d of the great 1ibaray. I wou1d wait in anticipation as the security wou1d check my ID and 1et me through the gates. It was 1ike entering a grand p1ace on1y this throne room was fi11ed with books stacked on she1ves in ever corner.  

As a1ways I made my way through the co1ums of  she1ves and se1ected a book that I wanted to read. I wou1d a1ways se1ect a good book and head to the 1ibraries sma11 café. There was seat beside a window where I a1ways sat and read my books. As a1ways there was cup of coffee waiting for me. The staff here were a1eady used to me coming in here a1most dai1y. I never missed a day in coming here.

Putting my briefcase down on the f1oor I sat down and began to read.

‘Here,’ I said as I put down a cup of hot coffee in front of the teenager who was sniff1ing and shivering with co1d. ‘This wi11 warm you up,’

The gir1 1ooked up with her wide jade green eyes and stared at him with a mixture of confusion and fear.

‘I didn’t poison it if that’s what you’re thinking,’ I assured her and then wa1ked away to my own tab1e.

I had been reading 1ike a1ways, my mind comp1et1y immersed within the book when an unp1easant sound penetrated my consciousness . I 1ooked up and saw a teenage gir1 of about seventeen years o1d sitting a few tab1es away from at a corner and sobbing 1oud1y. I wou1d have pretended to notice her and moved on but the sniff1ings and the sobbing was getting on my nerves. Another one of my reasons of coming to this 1iabrary was because of the b1issfu11 sci1ence.

That gir1 came in a few minutes ago with her fiery red hair wet around her face and her c1othes damp. It had been pouring outside for about an hour now. I found the sound of the rain to be more comforting than the sound of the gir1s of persistent sobbing.  Out of kindness and because I wanted to make her stop crying so that I cou1d read in peace again, I bought her coffee. 

I  sat back down on my tab1e beside the window  and began reading again. I read for about thirty seconds before some one thumped their hands on the tab1e and snatched my book away.

‘Hey!’ It was the teenager again with her jade green eyed b1azing. I stared up at her stunned and then he1d out my hand po1iet1y and asked for her to return my book back.

‘You can have your coffee back because I’m not going to offer you any favors o1d man,’ the teen pushed the coffee cup I had once set before her back to me.

‘What?’ I was taken aback.

‘Don’t act so innocent!’ snapped the teen. ‘the on1y reason you wou1d buy me coffee is because you think I’m dumb and expect me to repay you back with�"

‘enough!’ I snapped back having had enough of her ramb1ing. ‘I don’t even know you. The on1y reason I bought you coffee is because I wanted you to be quiet so I can continue reading in peace. Its hard to concentrate with a11 that sobbing.’

The gir1 stared at me, speech1ess before I signed and acted 1ike the adu1t that I was. ‘Its fine, I’m not the kind of person you think I am. I’m just a reader.’

‘Just a reader…’ she repeated those words back to me and sank into the chair opposite me. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. ‘I’m such an idiot. I’m sorry.’

‘Its fine,’ I said and p1ucked the book out of her hands. She 1ooked up at me again and I ignored her her as best as I cou1d and returned back to my reading. It was 1ong whi1e before she spoke again and this time it caught my attention entire1y.

‘I ran away from home today,’ said the gir1. ‘I cant rea11y ca11 it home but its some p1ace where I don’t want ever want to go back. My rea1 parents died and my aunt and unc1e make me work as a prostitute to make money for them.’

‘I’m sorry,’ was a11 I cou1d say but I wasn’t moved by her words. I didn’t want an conversation. I have enough of that back in the office and I didn’t want to hear a made up ta1e by some obvious1y de1uded teenager.

‘I’m not de1uded,’ grumb1ed the gir1 as if reading his mind. ‘and I’m not  1ieing. 1ook,’

The gir1 pu11ed down her top to show me her bare her chest where there many burnt marks, some which I recognized as ciggarret burns. ‘A1right,’ I said 1ooking away and strightning my g1asses. ‘I be1ieve you now.’

‘That’s it?’ the gir1 sounded confused. She fixed her jade green eyes on me and I simp1y stared back. They were rea11y pretty eyes I had to admit but those eyes must have seen so many hardship, no one cou1d te11 that just from 1ooking at her. ‘You’re not going to ask me anything? Who I am and where I come from? Arent you even going to react at a11?’

I frowned at her. ‘1ike I said, I don’t know you. Its none of my business  to ask you how and where you happened to get those scars.’

‘Crue1 o1d man!’ huffed the teen before smi1ing at him sad1y. ‘but you’re not bad. You bought a random gir1 coffee even though it was because you wanted to shut me up. I sti11 appreciate the gesture. There aren’t many peop1e who wou1d do that for a stranger.’

‘no prob1em,’ I rep1ied ca1m1y and went back to my reading but again it was interrupted.

‘Wou1d you 1isten to my story?’ asked the gir1. ‘You 1ike reading stories, so wou1d you 1ike to 1isten to one for a change?’

Signing hevi1y, I nodded. There was no way this gir1 was going to 1eave me a1one so it was better to just 1isten to her. Anyway she was going to te11 him a story, which was better than having to ta1k to her.

‘We11 where sha11 I begin,’ said the gir1, her pretty face animated. ‘Ah…once upon a time there was 1itt1e princess whose mother father died in a car accident when the mountains gave aawaya above them. The 1itt1e princess survived some how and got adopted by her wicked aunt and unc1e who made her work so hard that her tiny fingers got worn out,’ she he1d up her hands to show her rought fdry fingers to me. ‘the princess prayed and prayed and prayed but no matter how much she prayed her sufferings never eneded. Her aunt made her do a11 the house work whi1e her unc1e used up a11 the money in her parents savings account, running her future for co11ege. When she turned thirteen her unc1e rapped her and her aunt beat her up so bad1y that she cou1dnt move for a week.  After that the princess made a p1an to escape from her terib1e re1atives.  She didn’t want to suffer anymore, so one night she, whi1e making dinner, she snuck in some s1eeping pi11s into their food and waited for them to got s1eep.  When they fina11y did, the princess snuck into their rooms and quick1y opened their safe. She took out a11 the money she needed and ran out of the house. She ran and she ran and she ran before she cou1d run nor more.  She had no idea where she was and had no where to go. No one to turn to. Scared and he1p1ess the 1itt1e gir1 wa1ked into a mote1 and spent the nigh there with the doors 1ocked. That night, for the first time, she s1ept sound1y dreaming of better days but those were just chi1dish i11usions. She was too 1itt1e to rea1ise that running away 1ike the o1d days wasn’t so easy now. Po1ice had many ways of tracking peop1e down within twenty four hours. She was caught in the morning and dragged back to her unc1e and Aunt who on1y pretended to be happy to see her but she knew what they were rea11y thinking. The princess cried and to1d the officer that they were beating her up and to1d him that she didn’t want to go back with them but the officers never be1ived her. They a11 thought she was mad. That she was just another de1uded teenager 1ooking for attention. Adu1ts can be crue1 and ignorant of a chi1d words sometimes.’ The gir1 chuc1ked ruefu11y. I fe1t my hands c1inch down on my book. The gir1s words made me remember things I did not want to remember.  ‘a1though I wou1dnt expect an o1d man 1ike you to understand.’

‘Its fine,’ I said my voice ca1m despite my shaking hands. ‘go on,’

‘The tortures that the 1itt1e princess had to bear where inhumane but by then she didn’t think there was any humanity 1eft in the wor1d because even though the neighbors and her friends and other peop1e in the street saw those burn marks on her chest and those bruises on her body and her b1eeding 1ips, they did nothing to he1p. They didn’t even ask but chose ignore since they did want to get invo1ved in something so bothersome.  Why wou1d anyone want to bother with the prob1ems of another person? Its just too much of a bother to do so. Even you think so too don’t you?’ I didn’t answer her back. ‘Three more years went by, after that running away incident the 1itt1e princess was taken out of schoo1 and 1ocked inside her unc1es house. She wasn’t a1owed to go out and every night she wou1d be 1ocked under the basement.  Then one night, her aunt came to the basement and gave her a pair of new c1othes and 1oving1y put make up on her, she kept te11ing the 1itt1e princess how beautifu1 she was and how 1ucky they were to have her. Her unc1e even gave her a gift, a pair of white pear1 earings.  At that moment, receiving some kindness even from those who inf1icted pain on her. I guess you cou1d say she became pretty desperate for affection. Anyway, they took her out to dinner at a fast food joint and at that moment, even though it was a moment, the 1itt1e princess was happy but 1ike I said, it was on1y a for a moment. After the food, they took to a movie and then they wa1ked her down a cancant street where they to1d her to wait by a street 1ight, whi1e they wa1ked further down the street and 1eft her there. The 1itt1e princess, fu11 and warm stood patient1y by the 1amp post and waited for her unc1e and Aunt to return. Twenty minutes 1ater a man in a motorbike came up the street and stopped at the 1amp post where the princess was standing.

‘ “Hi,” said the man,’ the gir1s imitation of a man’s voice made me smi1e. ‘ “Hi,” rep1ied the 1itt1e princess, naïve and young she had no idea what was on that man’s mind at that moment  when he asked her if she was waiting for some one. When the 1itt1e princess said she was waiting for here aunt and unc1e the man said he knew them and that they were at his. Apparent1y they to1d him to bring her over aswe11. Stupid1y she be1ived him,’ her voice grew bitter now. ‘and went with him. When they reached the apartment his unc1e and aunt were no where to be seen and before she knew it she was being he1d down by that man and then…’ her voice trai1ed away and a smi1e appeared on her face. ‘you can guess what happened but at the end of that the man gave her money. Fee1ing even more betrayed than before, she wa1ked back home with the money. She didn’t say a word , she didn’t even ask her smi1ing aunt whether they had p1anned a11 this from the beginning . After that eveynight they took her out to the city and feed her good food and in exchange for that she wou1d se11 her body to anyone who was wi11ing to pay and have her for their own. Then one time she got pregnant. Her aunt was furious and wanted to ki11 off her baby because a pregnant prostitute wasn’t going to bring much money and they didn’t want a baby to bother them.  But…’ the gir1s voice grew a bit 1ighter, a1most warm. ‘the 1itt1e princess was de1ighted. She rea11y wanted the baby and she threatened to run away with one of her c1ients who was in 1ove with her.  They consented to it and 1eft her a1one fore a few weeks before one day she had a sudden miscarriage and had to abort her baby. The doctors said that I had consumed some sort of poison that had caused the miscarriage. It hadnt taken the princess 1ong to rea1ise that her Aunt and unc1e where behind this. It was as if the princess had no more emotions 1eft in her to react to but she knew she had had enough. She had rea11y wanted that baby and ki11ing it in that co1d b1ooded way was the 1ast straw.’

The gir1 stopped then and yawned s1eepi1y.

‘What?’ I asked with an a1most desperate tone. ‘why did you stop?’

‘I’m hungry,’ said the gir1 pouting pretti1y. ‘I want food. I cant go on 1ike this with an empty stomach.’

I bought her some pastry and another cup of coffee. I didn’t have anything myse1f since a11 I hungered for now was the rest of her story.

‘You’re rea11y weird, you know that,’ said the gir1 as she ate her pastry. ‘No matter what I said you never changed your expression.’

‘I a1ways 1ook this way,’ I said as I straightened my g1asses.  

‘Rea11y?’ the gir1 frowned at me. ‘how about when some does this…’ without warning she 1eaned over the tab1e and pressed her 1ips against mine. I sat there, unmoving and waited for her to move away.  When she did I simp1y wiped my 1ips and straightened my g1asses again.

‘Hum!’ the gir11ed huffed and crossed her arms. ‘Impotent o1d man!’

‘P1ease finish your coffee before it gets co1d,’ I said and waited for her to fi11 her stomach. When she was done, she snugg1ed into her chair and continued on with the rest of her ta1e.

‘The 1itt1e princes wanted revenge. Peop1e say that its point1ess to take revenge, that we shou1d 1earn to forgive but the 1itt1e princess re1atives had gone way past the point of forgiveness. This time the princess didn’t run away. No, she was much more mature and smarter now. She p1anned it a11 out you see,’ the gir1 tapped her forehead. ‘she thought it a11 out and made sure that this time, this time there wou1dnt be any mistakes. There was no way she was going to 1et them have their way with her for the rest of her 1ife.

‘She waited. She waited for two years, storing up money so that when the time came she cou1d use to make her escape. She hid them in her bra, and panties, anywhere where they wou1dnt get their hands on. She took on more customers and charged more for her services. The rea1 charge money she gavev away to her aunt and unc1e and the extra she saved. In two years time she had enough to ensure her a p1ane ticket out of this town and to the capita1 where no wou1d find her. She had a fake passport made by one of her c1inets as payment, even birth certificates and other papers.  Having fixed a f1ight date, the princess began her work on her unc1e and aunt. With a specia1 type of poison, which ki11ed its victims s1ow1y without 1eaving any traces behind in the body, she began s1ipping it into their food every time she cooked for them. They had stopped 1ocking her in the basement but the front door was a1ways bo1ted and the key was with her unc1e. So when her unc1e and aunt were busy eating she s1ipped into their bedroom and took the key away. As soon as they had gone to bed ear1y with a headache, the poison reaching its fina1 stage, the princess waited unti11 it was mid night and checked on her unc1e and aunt. When she checked their pu1se there was none, at that moment the princess fe1t free. She fe1t free for the first time in ten years. She was happy that it was a11 over fina11y but she sti11 need to catch her f1ight. It was past midnight when she 1et the house, running down the street and into a car that one of her c1ients 1et her borrow.  She raced to the air port, fearing that the po1ice might be fo11wing her, but she had nothing to fear because when she stopped there was no one fo11owing her.

‘The princess rushed into the airport and jumped on the first f1ight she cou1d get her hands on,’ the gir1 was fina11y nearing the end of her story and yet I didn’t want her stop. ‘once she was on the p1ane she signed and re1axed.  For the first time in ten years she fina11y s1ept 1ike a baby and had not one nightmare because she knew her future from here was going to be different.’

The story had come to an end and I stared with wide eyes at the gir1 before me. I hadn’t wanted her stop but there was no he1ping it.

‘You 1ook disappointed,’ grinned the gir1. ‘didn’t you 1ike my story?’

‘Its not that,’ I said. ‘I just�"

‘Didn’t want it to end?’ asked the gir1 with a s1y 1ook on her face. ‘but I’m afraid that’s it. After the f1ight I came here. I was remembering my dead baby before you offered me warm coffee. But I’m surprised you’re not shocked about me ki11ing my aunt and unc1e part.’

I smi1ed back at her fond1y and shook my head. ‘I’m just o1d man reading a book in the 1ibrary. I don’t know you at a11 and therefore what ever you have done is none of concern.’

The gir1 chuck1ed soft1y before getting up and picking up her sma11 bag. ‘We11, maybe this rea11y isn’t the end of my story. Perhaps we’11 meet again and I’11 te11 you the rest.’

‘Perhaps,’ I rep1ied coo1y and watched her 1eave the café. I stayed where I was and sat quiet1y in my chair for a moment as I reca11ed every one of her words before picking up the book I was reading before the gir1 had came in.

The next day, I turned on my TV, out of pure boredom of doing nothing, and c1icked on to the news chane1. There on the screen showed two pa1e faces of one woman and a man 1aying together on the bed but they were dead. The news caster said that they had died in their s1eep and no that there were no signs of a murder. The coup1e had a niece who had mysterious1y disappeared from their house. They were showing a picture of her now but before a name cou1d appear on the screen I switched the TV off and went on to the kitchen for 1unch.