নিয়তি - Is the Bengali word for "Destiny" and has 3 meanings, breaking fate, not knowing your fate and inevitability of fate.
Joshua Barnett's parents were certain he didn't have any idea what he was doing when he slit his wrist open.
They were wrong.
Josh knew exactly what he was doing. Josh didn't want to die but he couldn't resist, he had grown accustomed to doing things he didn't want to do. And he would do anything to silence its hunger.
The Crimson Creature.
This was a fact unknown to Dr March, who had just sat across from a boy who he had been told was plagued by nightmares and was due for a psychiatric appointment with his social worker. The appointment like all appointments started with his first impressions of the child in front of him, a habit he picked up after years of delivering psych therapy to children who suffered from ACE's (adverse childhood experiences). He liked to think that after all of his work he was a good judge of character and the likelihood that his judgement was spot on was high.
He didn't know it at the time but Joshua was the exception.
Dark wavy hair that fell over the boys tan forehead like the waves on the shore of the beach, frequently flowing back and forth. Interestingly, at least to Dr March, the boys iris' were ruby red surrounded by a ring of merlot and were fixated on a long pencil he twirled between his fingers.
Dr March smiled. "Hey, Joshua how are you this morning?"
Before Joshua could respond, the mourning weather thundered against the window looking out towards the quaint road of Aberforth Gardens, its outrage becoming increasingly apparent by its torrential nature. Dr March shuddered pulling his burgundy woollen cardigan closer towards him and readjusted his posture as he sat on the homely emerald sofa opposite Josh who was squeezed between two towering adults who squeezed him tighter following the rain. Josh however did not flinch and remained totally consumed by the pencil in his hands.
"Fine" he replied curtly, raising his eyes to look at Dr March for the first time.
The boy's stare long and unblinking as he locked eyes with Dr March as if attempting to pierce his very being. As beautiful as they are unnerving, Dr March thought, like staring a tall and daunting birch tree.
"Josh!"
A girls eloquent voice drifted through the corridor and into the living room where Dr March sat opposite Joshua and his parents who sat on either side of him protectively stroking his back tenderly as if he was a fragile cat. The door flung open with a slam as a small petite girl burst into the room.
"Josh, I thought I told you to wait for me!" she questioned brazenly.
Her auburn hair glinted in the warm light of the living room, rising with the slam of the door and falling like leaves gracefully falling in autumn. Her hair took on an almost bestial aura as it fell down to her shoulders like long uncut grass, laying naturally in whatever natural manner it fell creating stray hairs which poked out of her hair like a fresh heap of hay. Her bestial aura only enhanced by her hazel eyes which held a hint of tears corresponding with her boiling rage as her ribs heaved and tears fell down her freckled cheeks.
Dr March's head whipped around staring at the brave child who had burst in abruptly like a dam ready to burst.
"And who might you be young lass? And why are you crying so much" Dr March asked kindly staring at the girl over the top of his crescent silver rimmed spectacles.
"Missy! I thought i told you that today was Josh's special meeting!"
Bellowed the woman sitting next to Joshua and a splitting image of the courageous girl with similarly unapologetically auburn hair and freckles but with defined cheek bones that gave her a likeness to aphrodite's statue.
"Well of course i remember what you said , but you never said i couldn't be here too, and to your question old man, if you looked through those glasses rather than over them you'd see i was on the VERGE of crying" quipped Missy slyly before running out of the room in a similar stormy fashion in which she came uncaring for her mothers rebuttle.
Joshua at this point had not even been given the opportunity to respond to Missy's comment before she had rebound the way she came as he stared longingly at her shadow.
'Bold'' was the only word that came to mind when Dr March had surveyed the storm stirred by Missy.
"Sorry about that doctor my daughter is a wilful spirit, my name is Mr Barnett and this is my wife Mrs Barnett but you likely already know all of this." Said Mr Barnett clearly immediately bringing order to the residue from storm Missy.
"I prefer Doctor Barnett, i didn't go through all those years of academic agony not to use the name but you can call us Chris and Sophie."
When Dr March saw the couple aside Joshua, Sophie who epitomised boldness like her daughter and Chris who held the demeanour of a soldier in war with his unusually straight posture and thick brown hair and moustache which made him look like a lumberjack with his large condensed muscular arms wrapped around Joshua like a guardian spirit the only impression he had was 'Ying and Yang' harmony and the picture of perfection.
"Well its nice to meet you both, i can recognise from what i've seen today that the fostering of Joshua to such loving parents was as successful as can be so what seems to be the problem?" he asked endearingly.
It was as if a cold shadow had descended on the room as the parents faces darkened, their features distorted with desperation and insurmountable sadness. They took a long glance at each other as if drawing courage and warmth from the eyes of the other before explaining,
"we've tried everything possible Doctor, we exhausted every conceivable solution from home therapy to numerous doctors but nothing seems to stop it, every night Joshua is plagued by these nightmares and he can't stop clawing at himself to the extent he draws blood and screams, its horrifying..." Sophies throat chokes with air and tears fall down her face as she is unable to go on.
Chris continues, "we tried to put him in our bed and he soaked the mattress in blood and even tried more extreme measures like straps and we ended up forced to take him to the hospital as he was choking on his own blood as he bit off part of his tongue. We can't take it, maybe we've failed as parents if he wants to die so desperately".
As his parents speak and are overwhelmed with grief Joshua's expression is unchanging as he stares into the eyes of Dr March.
Dr March smiles in melancholy and reassures the concerned parents before ushering them out of the room to be alone with Joshua.
Joshua breaks eye contact with Dr March and twirls the pencil in between his fingers before lightly poking them into the chest of three human figurines in his other small child-like hand. Dr March noticing this questions,
"Tell me dear boy what are you playing with?" he asks.
"I am seeing where i would have to stab on my three friends which would draw out the most blood" he replied in a matter-of-fact tone .
"Why would you want to stab your friends? " asks Dr March in a concerned tone.
"Of course because they're not real " replied Joshua slyly a grin spreading across his face revealing a pearl white set of teeth and dimples.
His ruby eyes filled for the first time with child-like innocence, to which Dr March chuckles with a warm heart, a sense of purpose filling his being. This boy should be smiling like a child a lot more often he thought as a pressure to see the boys smile again burdened him. 'Misunderstood' was the first word that came to his mind as he looked at the boy pitifully.
Slowly the boys eyes drifted upwards fixating on the painting behind Dr March's shoulder, his facial features distorted transforming from a grin to an expression branded with fear. His iris grew smaller, his grip of the pencil tightened as the air from his lungs were ripped out brutally. Sweat pooled around the neck of the boy visibly soaking his shirt.
Dr March naturally noticing this change asked "Joshua are you seeing something behind me?" glancing backwards and looking at a mundane painting of a seaside in a antique maroon frame.
"y-yes" stuttered Joshua as his body started to visibly reverberate.
"What do you see Joshua?" asked Dr March.
"Its him, the Cri-Crimson Creature " whispered Joshua his eyes growing in horror by the second as his breathing quickened and his blood coursed faster.
"I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to" whispered Joshua, his voice speeding up and growing more and more quiet as he repeated the same phrase.
"What is it telling you to do?" asked Dr March slowly, emphasising each word.
"I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to" Joshua continued whispering as if entranced.
Joshua's eyes grew feral, the merlot ring glowing red like a demonic cat in the night, his grip on the pencil toughened and he leapt on to the opposite sofa brutally grabbing the silver hair of Dr March with bestial strength and violently rammed his head into the table. With each psychotic smash of Dr March's head there was a crack followed by the bursting of a viscous red liquid which sprayed on Joshua's grief-stricken face complementing his murderous eyes. The oak table had been reduced to smithereens with the bloodied face of Dr March turned concave as blood and bone shards dribbled down the boys thin arm. Each stream of blood spread and meandered like a river returning to the ocean. Joshua's face had become indifferent with child like emotions dying with each smash which had become like a melodic rhythm of death.
Fast and heavy steps came from outside the door as Chris had burst into the room like a knight in shining armour ripping the door open with such force that it almost appeared to bend to his might. He appeared overcome with rage and ready to fight off the violent Dr March and protect his precious son. Chris' face transformed thrice, from shock, to disgust at what appeared to be a bloody animalistic fight between a fox and a pigeon with Joshua holding the head of Dr March like his bloody spoils of victory and finally to realisation as he wrapped his arms around Joshua and ripped him away from Dr March shielding his face from the hideous sight and cradling his scrawny body as Joshua wept and wailed like the child he was.
Five hours later
As Dr March was taken out by a stretcher his battered body and unrecognisable face lay limp and docile like a broken ragdoll. He peered through the last hideous eye he had left to the weeping child being cradled even now by his protective father and one word echoed in his mind....
'Demon' .
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