I sat by the edge of the pool, my feet immersed in the light blue water. I splattered and splashed as my feet moved back and forth in the water. I swayed my head from side to side temporarily before lifting the bottle of Southern Comfort which I had in my left hand, and placed it onto my lips. I kept gulping and gulping till I felt it was enough before I let it go. I shut my eyes and made a funny face as the liquor gave a tingling sensation down my throat. I turned to my side, noticing matchstick-like figures moving leisurely under the bright round ball of light in the sky. I giggled to myself and turned the other way, noticing the round disco lights movie in disorganized patterns, this too was very funny to me. Just as I enjoyed the swell time alone, I suddenly remembered, this could be the last time, the last night I might ever taste freedom in my life. The scary part? For a crime I never committed. Tears began rolling down from my eyes down to my plump cheeks, I placed the bottle on my lips again and began gulping down the liquor as fast and as much as I could. I continued to let my feet play in the water, and in no time, every pain and hurt turned to profound joy. Suddenly, the DJ began to spin, and the first song began to play. I couldn't resist the melody, it took control and there was no way I was going to sit back and just listen. I took both feet out, and after much effort, I was able to stand. With my bottle in my palm, I raised my hands in the air and began to sway them, my hips swaying rhythmically as well. The matchstick-like figures still moved, only that this time, they moved faster and in funnier ways. I laughed at the sight, the beautiful lights made them more likeable. But just as I brought down my hands, and tried to sip from my bottle, I heard a scream.
"Hey! Don't!" Were the exact words I heard. I tried to turn, to know who was shouting and why. Immediately, it was as though I lost control over my limbs, my foot slipped and before I could even understand what was happening to me, I heard a heavy thud. I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head, and in an instant, I found myself in the water. My eyes seemed to open by now, but it was too late. I noticed that dark substances were beginning to spread inside the water, clouding it, while the people at the surface ran in disorganized patterns.
"Someone call 911!" was the last thing I managed to hear from anyone at the surface. Just as my body sank deeper into the pool, I saw something swim towards me. At first I thought it was some fish, but as it drew nearer, I realized it was a young lady. I couldn't make out what she looked like, but I knew she wore a white sari. She swam quite fast, and when she got to me, she took my hand.
"Come sister, let me help you". Her words echoed in the water, and after that, I didn't remember any other thing.
My eyes slowly began to give way, letting some bright light slip in. Thought my eyelids felt heavy, I knew I was awake, and alive. Slowly I tried to open my eyes fully, and the scenery I took in was weird and confusing. It wasn't as white as a hospital room, and it didn't seem to be like anyone's house I've been to. I tried to sit up, but my body felt a bit heavy at first, but on a second try, I was able to sit up. I remembered that I had hurt my head, but I didn't feel a single pain. At this point, I slowly began to take a look around, and immediately, I was shaken up to the core. I noticed I was laid on a floor, with some sort of blanket laid underneath, the room was small and partially empty, but something about the room seemed different, it didn't look like any modern buildings I had seen. In my deep state of confusion, an old wooden door flung open. A middle aged woman ran in immediately she laid her eyes on me. I could tell she was excited, her Aladdin-styled trouser bouncing as she ran towards me. I just sat there, confused about what all these meant.
"Oh Alhamdlilah. You are finally awake!" she screamed as she pulled me into her embrace. I could feel her big boobs cushioned on my face as her big plump arms wrapped me round my neck. Immediately I pushed her off me, as I moved backwards.
"What the hell is going on here? How did I get here?" I asked, still trying to maintain my distance. "And who are you?" I asked again. At this moment, a man walked in. Although weirdly dressed like she was, he wore a short monkey jacket on his shirt and a small red heart on his head.
"She's finally awake?" he asked, as he scratched his mustache.
"Yes my lord. But she seems not to remember anything" the woman answered, I noticed she bowed her head deeply while responding. The man seemed restless, he clenched his fist and cursed in a language I had never heard before. With a piercing gaze, he looked at the woman, pointing at her with his lanky finger.
"I do not care about what you do or how you do it Yasmin, but I want this girl ready by sundown!"
"Yes my lord, it's quite doable" the woman agreed. The man walked out of the room immediately, and once again, I was left with this strange woman. The woman turned swiftly to me, rubbing her palms as she went down on both knees.
"Fatiha, please I beg of you. Don't do anything silly this time, or my head will go in for it" she pleaded.
"Uhmmm sorry ma'am, my name is not Fatiha. I don't know who Fatiha is or where she is. I'm Jade, Miss Jade Shelton, and I would love to make a phone call immediately" I stated as nicely as I could. But she just stared blankly at me, like I was some nut job.
"I'm quite sure you might not remember your experience after trying end your life, but you must accept your fate now. And you won't put me in trouble again, never" the woman threatened this time. I looked at her for a bit and scoffed.
"Ma'am, I'm respectfully telling you off right now. If you don't let me out of here right now, I'll make you pay for it!" I yelled, trying to be stern about my statement. The woman laughed at me, the laughing was so loud and terrible.
"Fatiha, you ungrateful child. You forget too soon. You have forgotten how the master picked you up after the siege of Sicily when you were just a toddler. Now, he asks that you repay him and you decide jump off the balcony, putting my neck at risk?" she lamented. I could tell she spoke from a place of pain, but I was still confused about what was going on. Before I could say another word, she cut me shut.
"You are going to the harem tonight and that's final!" she stated, and immediately stood up to take her leave. Immediately I heard the word "harem", I immediately stood up and grabbed the woman by her wrist.
"Excuse me ma'am, did you just say harem?".