Melisa's Apartment
Melisa tried sitting up in her bed but her body was drained of every ounce of strength. There was a dull ache in her head. Her back throbbed and her throat felt dry. She wanted some water to drink but the glass beside her bed was empty. Morgan had drained it before he left.
"What a strange dream that was!" she thought.
Was it really a dream? There had been someone or something in the house. Whatever that thing was, had left her drained and unable to move.
"Where is Morgan?" she whispered.
Melisa dragged herself out of bed and tried to stand but her legs felt feeble. Her body was weak. Her breath came in gasps. She scanned her apartment for any signs of drink or something that maybe Morgan had given to her but it was as immaculate as usual.
The table was clean, the top glass shining against the light from the Romanian chandelier that hung above it. Her two gray couches were neat like no one ever sat in them. She loved how they faced each other, like two antagonizing worriers from a remote village. The curtains, an endless flow of gray-in-yolk yellow blinders, were neatly drawn and secured by the wall. Her tribal artifacts sat intact on the wall across the lounge. She loved her collection of tribal masks and paintings. They kept her close to her roots. Her bedside couch had a few papers strewn on it and the lamp stand had an empty glass. Faces in the framed photographs of her mom and dad smiled at her. She wanted to sigh with relief but the memories of what had transpired before she drifted off came rushing to her.
There had been a strong wind. Things were flying in her apartment. The windows banged against the walls. She remembered being terrified but unable to scream. She remembered something floating from the window. It was coming for her. It must have been a ghost because it was floating towards her. It was human but had very blue eyes. Its hair was like flowing tar. It went all the way to its legs. It must have been a woman. A floating woman. she was wearing what looked like robes of silk. Her head was wrapped in what looked like a crown of gems. She could not look at the stones in her crown because they blinded her. It was like the floating woman had stars on her head. Where had she come from? Her presence in the house had made Melisa feel so weak. It felt like she was draining her energy or something.
"Morgan…" she mouthed again. "where is he?"
There was agony in her soul. She felt Morgan was in real danger. Why had he left so hurriedly? What had the floating woman done to him? Everything seemed to be blurry. She could not wrap her finger around whatever was going on.
Melisa did not believe in ghosts. She did not believe in spirits. When she came to college, her mother had asked her to pack the Sambe tribal cowry shells and some portions for protection.
"My girl, people are not happy that you are going to be a doctor in this village. They are going to try everything to stop you…" Melisa's mother had tried convincing her to pack the protective charms.
"Mom, stop it, Haru City is too far from here. No one will be able to trace me there. Besides, there are so many people in the city. There are so many people there"
"You saw what was done to Nsa's son. They broke the moon's yolk on his head when he went to study engineering in the city," her mother went on.
"Mother! That idiot went to use cocaine. There was no moon. And the moon has no yolk!" Melisa was desperate to drop the subject.
Her mother was a deep spiritualist. Nothing happened by coincidence. There had to be spirits involved. Her beliefs caused the death of her only brother. The doctors had said his heart was weak and enlarged. Her mother, on the other hand, had believed it was the hand of the enemy. Her long-time friend. Her imaginary rivals.
When her brother died, Melisa swore to study hard and be a doctor. She wanted to heal people with real medicine, not some smoking herbs and voodoo dolls. She hated everything about those tiny dolls.
"I know you cannot hear me because you are dead. But I am going to be a cardiologist. I am off to Haru City. Mother still thinks you did not die of heart disease. No one else will have to die because of ignorance, dear Nalya. My little brother. I miss you so much." Melisa had wept on her brother's grave the night before she left for Haru School of Medicine.
She had left the bag of herbs and cowry shells intentionally and pretended later that she had forgotten them when her mother called to ask about the bag in her bedroom back at home.
Though she knew such things only existed because people made them exist, she was a subscriber to science. Whatever was not scientifically explainable was none of her business. For a moment, when the floating woman entered her house, she wished she had carried her mother's shells. She was the only child remaining. Her mother would definitely die if anything happened to her.
Why was that thing in her house? Was it because of Morgan?
Was that thing after him? Why would it be after him? Was there something he was not telling her? She remembered seeing his eyes flicker, like there was a flame in there. He had denied it but she was sure she saw his eyes flicker like tiny tongues of flame. That was not 'the burning desire' people who were in love talked about. She was twenty years old and had a boyfriend that she had never kissed back home in the village but she had never experienced that flaming desire before. How was Morgan planning to explain his fever? He had been so hot when she touched him. What was he? Was he some kind of creature that was not human? She looked around the house as if to try and get some information from the house but, it was quiet and as neat as ever.
She thought of calling the police, but then what would she say? That some strange thing had broken into her house and now she is unable to stand? No one would believe her. They will think she is just some primitive village girl who wants some attention to herself. Besides, who talked about floating things in the city? Those were village tales. She did not know exactly what to do. She pushed herself out of bed and tried standing. Her body was regaining composure but still her legs felt so feeble. What had happened, must have sucked all the energy from her. She held on to her studying desk that was right next to her bed and pushed herself in the chair. She switched on her laptop and went straight search engine.
She keyed in – fire in the eyes.
There were over two hundred results with none that was satisfactory. Whom was she fooling? The internet only had facts. Not fallacies and beliefs. In anything, she knew things that had no possible explanations, would be dismissed by anyone, searching was going to be futile. She tried on anyway.
She typed – Fire in the eyes when making love