ALICE POV
During the lovely moments that seemed timeless to me, he said, “Come in”
“You mean?”
“Come in,” he said.
“Oh,” I said, closing the window and then darted to the door. The door was opened before me and I saw him standing, gazing at me with his winsome eyes. And then he moves to one side to allow me to walk in.
Everything looks fresh and pristine as I walked inside, feeling my chest popping up and down. He looked at me and offered me to sit in on a chair beside the keyboard.
“Should I get you a water?” he asked
“No,” I said, although am thirsty.
“Food?”
“No,” I said
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Alice.”
“That’s beautiful,” he said, “I’m Jackson.”
“Ok.”
“What can I do for you? And why did you opened the window?”
“I’m here for something,” I said, looking at the keyboard.
“I would be glad if I could help,” he said.
“I’m looking for fever drugs.”
“You have a fever?”
“Nope, my friend.”
“Since when,” he asked, sounding worried.
“Yesterday morning,” I said.
“Wait for me,” he said. He darted into a room. And I glanced around, the clock ticking, 5:16 PM. There was cross-nailed on the wall, and I remembered when my mom gave me a Catholic chain and taught me some prayers. I breathe out and then breathe in air. Fluorescent perfume adored the room. I moved my fingers to the keyboard, pressing the first key and it sounds well and loud. How could he play this? I thought.
This is not the first time seeing piano or witnessing someone playing it. Back then, before my grandma died, she would take me to church and command me to always pray for forgiveness. “Your father has killed so many people, and it’s written that ‘ye shall not kill’, pray for the forgiveness of your father many sins and yours too.”
He darted out with a small wrapped paper in his hand. “Have it.”
“How much is it?”
“Don’t mind,” he said, “It’s free.”
“Thank you.”
“Welcome. Where are you living?”
“In the forest”
“Forest? Why?”
“We escaped from being killed at the hands of king’s soldiers”
“Sorry. ”
“We haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. ”
“Really,” he said, standing up.
“You want to find food for me?”
“Yeah ”
“I’m not eating,” I said, “I need to take these drugs to my friend first.”
“But it won’t work unless she eats something,” he said, “wait.” He darted inside again and come back with a bag of fruits.
“For us?”
“Yes,” he said, “You won’t be able to carry this because it is too heavy, I will follow you there and after that, you guys would follow me here.”
“Wow. Thank you,” I said, “Hope your parents won’t talk?”
“I don’t have parents, I live here alone with my younger brother,” he said, looking down in sorrow.
“Sorry for that.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. It has already gone. Have let it go the way it wants to go. We should haste to meet your friends on time before something else happen to them.”
“Okay,” I said, “but why are you helping us?”
“I’m happy to do this,” he said, hurrying out and I followed him.
“You don’t lock the door,” I said
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, “Which way?”
“Oh,” I said, “Here.”
He followed me through the road, down into the forest, and after a long time of walking, we get there.
“You came so soon,” Lucy said
“Yeah, thanks to. . .” I said, recalling his name.
“Jackson,” he bailed me out. He dropped the fruit, sat down.
“Wow!” Bella said.
“Is this for us?” Lucy asked
“Yeah,” he said
“Thank you,” They chorused
“Welcome,” he said smiling.
Henry lifted Sophia and I take out a banana for her. Sophia began to chop it little by little.
“Oh, I don’t bring water,” Jackson said
We all exchanged glances.
“Don’t worry guys,” he said, “eat till your satisfaction. I will help you bring water.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Bell said.
“I don’t,” he said, “I’m doing this with joy. Give me few minutes.”
He stood, cleaning dust off his buttock and adjusting his sandals between his toes and left, hurrying.
“He is so nice,” Lucy said.
“Where did you find him?” Bella asked.
“You don’t worry,” I said. I don’t want them to fell in love with him, because they are beautiful more than I am.
“It’s sweet,” Lucy said while eating a banana.
“Wouldn’t you eat?” Bella asked Henry, who is already snoring.
“Oh my God,” Lucy said, calling, “Anabelle”
“Don’t wake her up,” I said, “she is tired.”
I know Henry slept because he was relieved to see his loves eat and take drugs. It might be the reason he slept in peace. Freeing from his unhappiness into a full of blissfulness.
“Lucy, do you have a boyfriend,” I asked
“Yes, I have missed my darling so much,” she said.
“What of you, Bella?”
“Sure,” Bella said.
“Okay.”
“Why did you asked?” Lucy said
“Nothing,” I said, feeling happy because we won’t have to fight for Jackson’s heart that I have love without him paying a dime.
Not long after, Jackson get here with a bag full of bottles of water and two cups, dropping it and said, “who killed that snake?”
“Annabelle and Alice,” Bella said.
“Really,” he said, “you guys are risking your life here. It is dangerous to live in their kind of evil forest. You guys should follow me home.”
Lucy and Bella exchanged glances in surprise.
“Yes,” I said, “he has already told me that.”
“Thank you, Jackson,” Bella said.
“Thanks a lot. We are so grateful,” Lucy said.
Sophia wants to speak but she coughed.
“You don’t need to thanks me. Don’t speak,” Jackson said, pouring water on a cup and hand it over to Sophia. And Sophia received it with a smile on her face which tells a lot of stories.
Jackson looked at Henry and say, “Why won’t she eat?”
“She got tired after killing a snake,” I said
“Wow! She was a brave girl,” Jackson said, “How does she kill it?”
“With my help,” Lucy said.
“Hmmm,” Bella said, “She is a lier.”
“If it was not because of me, the snake would have bitten all of you,” Lucy said, laughing.
“You laughed because you knew you were lying. Or you think I forget how you were screaming hard,” I said, demonstrating a crying face.
“Stop it or I put this into your eyes,” Lucy said, frowning.
“The banana remains six,” Bella said, “don’t take it anymore, Lucy, Anabelle hasn’t eaten anything.”
“Lucy is so stubborn. Are you the only one here?” I said.
“I will slap your face,” Bella said.
“How many does it remains?” Jackson asked
“Four,” Bella said.
“Let her eat it,” he said, taking out another bunch of bananas from the bottle’s bag. “Anabelle would eat all this.”
“Give me two out of it,” Lucy said.
“Don’t give her,” Bella said, frowning at Lucy. “For food only.”
“Thank you,” Lucy said, laughing.
Henry woke up after an hour and Jackson gave him the banana. He eats just only five and then gave Lucy the remaining ten bananas.
“You shouldn’t have given it to her,” Bella said.
“Anabelle, don’t mind her,” Lucy said, “you are as kind as Jackson. I love both of you.”
I feel jealous instantly. How could she love him? I shouldn’t have allowed Jackson to give her the bananas. I prevented the snake from biting her, but now she wants to pay me with evil.
The windstorm started when the sunshine and a rainbow shows in the sky.
“See a rainbow,” I said.
“Wow!” Lucy said, “Sophia, give me your camera.”
“It’s in the bag,” Sophia said, and we are all glad that she spoke.
Lucy brought out the camera and started snapping the sky, the rainbow, the banana, Henry, Jackson, me, Bella, Sophia, and herself.
“We should go home now,” Jackson said.
And we all stood up, taking out backpacks, and then followed him home.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ben get to the tree and was surprised to found out that they had already left the place.
“Where did they go? Has Edwin shoot them?” he thought to himself. And Sat, he was weak, famished, and thirsting. “Or Reuben had come here? Had he took them home? He even bought them bananas.” he thought, crying.
“I will die here. I’m tired of this world. Tired of myself. This is unfair. I shouldn’t have left the city. I should have known, I should not have left them.”
He saw a bunch of bananas which Sophia dropped near, he picked it “Thanks to goodness.”
He leaned his head against the trees after eating the bananas and saw that the sky is filled with water. He didn’t care because this is not the first time the rain would start and end on his body. He called it his fate and accepted the fate as if he chooses it. And then slept off.