Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffidence fall short.
~ Nicholas
All Jiya wanted was to read her great grandpa's handwritten book, but her stomach kept rumbling and her eyelids were more than heavy. On the other hand, Alex had an awkward sleeping posture and he was snoring softly, or rather he was whistling through his nose. Thank goodness, she had packed her headphones and her phone. It had Internet connection but she was rather unsure of the stability of signals in this strange part of the world. So, she opted for listening to some music to distract herself from sleeping or thinking about her empty tummy. She unlocked her phone, plugged in the headphones and placed the play button on top of the screen. Slow music started to play as she stared at the boring white ceiling.
There I was again tonight forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old tired, lonely place
Walls of insincerity
Shifting eyes and vacancy vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you
Your eyes whispered, "have we met?"
Across the room, your silhouette starts to make its way to me
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks, like passing notes in secrecy
And it was enchanting to meet you
All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you
This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you.
Jiya turned her face to look at Alex. He was sleeping, snoring a whistle with a smile on his face. She wondered what he was thinking. Would he answer if she called him in his head even though he was sleeping? Would he? She sighed and turned on her right.
The lingering question kept me up
Two a.m., who do you love?
I wonder till I'm wide awake
Now I'm pacing back and forth, wishing you were at my door
I'd open up and you would say, hey
It was enchanting to meet you
All I know is I was, enchanted to meet you
This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
KNOCK
KNOCK. KNOCK.
Jiya kept the volume of the music low to listen to her surroundings, to be alert. So, she heard the knock easily. She sat up with a sigh and got down from the bed that was cold and foreign to her. She doubted if she could even fall asleep without her Marshmallow. With her long legs, she swiftly covered the distance between the bed and the door. As she expected, the old Vladimir was standing there with his smiling eyes, carry a platter of food on one hand and his cane on the other. The delicious aroma failed to escape Jiya's nostrils.
"I figure out that it would be better for you eat while resting", Vladimir shook his head, making his bushy beard sway in the process, "So I brought your food here. Eat before it gets cold."
Having said so, he shoved the platter into Jiya's hand and swiftly vanished into the corner. He was quite fast and agile, given his old age and crooked form. She stood there for a while, lost in her thoughts. Then, she closed the door behind her. She walked back to the bed and placed the platter down on it. Then, she gave Alex a soft nudge.
"Hey!" she called him softly.
In response, Alex groaned and rolled to the other side, making Jiya sigh. He was really like a cat. When wide awake, he was swift and stealthy and while sleeping he was vulnerable. It is said that cats spend fifteen-sixteen hours a day sleeping, rolling around and stretching. Jiya sighed again and wondered if he had this same habit, given that he was capable of changing into a cat. She walked to the other side of the bed. She crouched down so that her face was on the same level as him.
Alex, wake up! She screamed in his head.
This made Alex frown and he started to stretch himself.
Two minutes more, he echoed softly.
The food is getting cold, she echoed back, you can sleep as much as you want after you put some food in your tummy.
Alex nodded; his eyes still closed. Then, he yawned and opened his eyes. Immediately, he sniffed.
"Am I dreaming?" he asked, scratching his cheeks sarcastically.
"Nope", Jiya said as she walked to the other side. She carried one of the bowls containing veg porridge. It smelled quite delicious. She handed it to Alex.
She took the other bowl and both of them dug in. Both of them were hungry. Suddenly, they felt a slight tremor under their feet.
"Was that… was that an earthquake?" Jiya asked as she chewed slowly.
"Do you think it was?" Alex asked with a serious look, that Jiya had never seen before.
"Well, I have encountered earthquakes before, but not like this one", she said with a frown.
There was another tremor, violent than the previous one. Jiya held the bedclothes as if to prevent herself from falling. Alex put down his bowl of half-eaten porridge.
"Where are you going?" Jiya asked with a shaky voice.
"Stay here", Alex said in a stern voice.
Saying so, he stood up and pulled out a stick-like object from his pockets. His wand, as Jiya concluded, looked like a larger than life nail. Far it had a ball-like formation on one end and it was thicker at the top and it narrowed in the bottom. He walked to the window, changed his shape and jumped down.
Jiya grew worried and realized that she could not eat anymore. She searched for her wand and pulled it out from her pockets.
"Now is time", she murmured as she grasped the wand in her fist with a look of determination.