Pouring a jug of coffee inside my two mugs, I carried the handle with both hands and went out to the living room, handing one of the mugs to Ferdinand, who was in his white T-shirt. "Good morning," I gleaned. "Did you sleep well?"
"Kind of," Ferdinand rubbed his left eye. "I had a nightmare last night."
Almost choking on my coffee, I placed my rabbit mug on the coffee table and slid closer to him, squeezing his hand. "Are you okay?"
He bobbed his head. "I am now."
"I dreamed that the Ripper broke into your house and killed you in your sleep," he continued. "And I couldn't do anything but watched as he murdered the rest of your family in cold blood, including baby Kim"
I covered my mouth as his lips quivered and his eyes were soaked with tears. "It's okay, Fern," I wrapped my arms around him. "The nightmare's over now."
"But it felt so real," he sobbed on my shoulder. "I thought you were actually dead."
I rested his head on my chest and stroked his raven hair, massaging his head with my fingers. "It's alright, Fern. I'm here now and that's all that matters."
I glanced at his earthy eyes as he leaned his forehead against mine when I heard a loud crunch behind me. I turned around and glared at Em, who had her mouth stuffed with corn flakes and pickled blueberries. "Are you serious?" I clenched my teeth. "Do you know how rude that is?"
Em shook her head and continued to chew her breakfast with a loud sound and swallowed a huge lump in her throat, staring at me and Ferdinand. "Are you two going to kiss?"
Ferdinand erupted in laughter as my cheeks turned beet red, turning my head the other way. "Of course not, Em! We're just friends, that's all."
My sister rolled her eyes as she chomped down another spoon of her cereal with a deafening crunch in her mouth, making my fist clenched tightly. I shut my eyes rigidly and took a deep breath when I heard an ear-piercing scream from downstairs.
Ferdinand and I stared at each other, wide-eyed. What just happened?
We both rushed downstairs and headed towards the back entrance, only to find Aunt Inara kneeling on the alleyway, in front of the garbage bag. Her eyes were wet and her arms were trembling in a vigorous manner.
'What's wrong, Auntie?" I asked, placing my hand on her bare shoulder. She turned her head towards me and cleared her throat, wiping her eyes with her fingers. "Our neighbour's dead," she whimpered. "She was gutted like a fish."
My eyes narrowed as I got down on my left knee and unwrapped the black garbage bag and my lips curled in a spiral as blood began to flow from the bag. Her arms and legs were chopped off into bits as her body was butchered in half. Mrs Dee's head rolled out of the plastic bag, with her mouth wide opened and her huge eyes staring directly at me.
The metallic smell filled my nose, making my head feel light. As my stomach began to churn, I bolted upstairs to the kitchen and grabbed Em's cereal bowl beside the sink, throwing up my entire breakfast.
"Oh, gross" squirmed Em. "I just ate breakfast with that bowl."
Wrapped with a woolly blanket, I gaped at the blank wall, my hands in tremor. Aunt Inara sat beside me on the sofa and squeezed my hand, as Officer Grey placed his recording cassette on the table.
"June 12, 1998, I am here with Miss Inara Tan and her niece, Meredith Tan. I have a few questions for the both of you, so I would appreciate it if you both give me your full cooperation."
"Of course, Officer," said Aunt Inara, clutching her hands together on her lap.
"What was your relationship with the victim?"
"She was one of my close friend. We always meet each other every Sunday and have a little chat together."
"When did you notice she was dead?"
"I wanted to take out the garbage when I noticed another bag dumped in front of our back door. I was gonna throw away both those bags but one of them felt heavy, so I was wondering what's inside and well, that's how I found out about Mrs Dee."
"Umm...Officer Grey," I cleared my throat. "Can I say something?"
"Of course, Bugsy. Go ahead."
"When I came back from the arcade with Ferdinand last night, I noticed a shadow in the alleyway." I told him, and paused for a few minutes. "At first, I thought it was raccoons or a stray dog but after this morning, I'm now convinced that I saw a murderer dumping Mrs Dee's body behind the coffeehouse."
Officer Grey's eyes widened. "Did you manage to see his face?"
I shook my head. "It was too dark, Officer. I could barely see his face at all."
"At what time did you saw this shadowy figure?"
"Like around ten."
"Which was during curfews," Officer Grey stood up. "My oh my, looks like the Ripper is in town right now. I better report this to Mayor Yearns," he grabbed his recording cassette and headed downstairs towards the front door. "Let me know if you both see anything strange."
"Wait," I chased him. "You're telling me there's a serial killer on the loose in Slaborough?"
He nodded. "That's right, Bugsy. Tell your family and your friends to report anything suspicious to the police."
"Yes, officer," I acknowledged, shaking his hands. I watched as he drove off down the road, my arms hugging each other. I walked back inside the coffeehouse and saw Grandma sitting on a customer's chair, sipping a warm glass of water.
"Is it true, Bugsy?" Grandma rubbed the back of her neck. "Do we have a killer in Slaborough?"
I sighed. "It's true, Grandma."
"My goodness," she wiggled her head. "What is this town becoming?"
"What are you saying, Grandma?"
"Slaborough used to be a paradise, built by the natives to thrive. It was a safe haven for escaped slaves from Africa and immigrants from Latin America and Asia. Now, it's filled with wrath and greed."
"Who brought in those sins, Grandma?"
"The Europeans did, Bugsy," she looked at me, straight in the eye. "For years, they segregated us, treat us like slaves, took away our land and possessions, and tried to wipe us out. That's the root to our problems with this town, Bugsy."
My lips pouted as I tapped my fingers on the table, my jaws slacked. I looked at the clock on the wall and stood up, calling Ferdinand's name. "I should accompany Ferdinand back home," I said, trying my hair into a ponytail. "His mother's waiting for him at home."
"Of course," Grandma nodded, as she got up from her seat and greeted Ferdinand in front of the staircase. "Be careful out there. I can't afford to lose any more people in this family."
"We will, madam," Ferdinand replied, as he opened the front door. "Thank you for letting me stay for a night."
Her wrinkly lips curved into a smile as she watched us strolling along the pavement, holding each other's hands.
The warm, gentle breeze in the air made the bright green leaves from the trees glide all around us as the golden sun brightened up our town. Small children ran around the roadside, chasing each other while teenagers loitered around the pavements, licking the juices from the popsicles they are devouring. The adults, on the other hand, were working, as usual, making sure the town ran normally. We passed by the bookstore and noticed Mrs Rai by the window, dusting the bookshelves with a feather duster. We waved at each other and continued to amble, heading towards the grassy field.
The small sunflowers were bouncing as the greenish-yellowish stalks flickered with the wind in a melodious symphony. The graceful butterflies fluttered and the fuzzy bumblebees hovered around the flowers, collecting their nectar. We passed by the sea of cornfields, waiting for its fruits to bear. I noticed the same scarecrow standing still in the middle, staring at me ominously.
I gripped my hands and turned the other way as I walked by an empty house, with a hollowed-eyed man sitting on the porch, staring the oblivion. Goosebumps prickled all over my arms as my heart palpitated like a drum.
"Don't look at it," Ferdinand warned, taking a glimpse at me. "Don't look any of it."
I nodded my head as I cling my arms around Ferdinand leaning a little closer to him. God, why are they looking at me? Those things crept me up. How on earth did Ferdinand and his mother sleep at night? Do they ever move when no one's looking?
"Home sweet home. Looks like this is the last time we'll be seeing each other."
I gave him a light punch on his shoulder. "Don't be silly, farm boy."
"I'm just kidding, Bugsy. You take things too seriously sometimes."
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "I'll miss you, though."
"We can call each other after 10 p.m. It's free anyways."
Taking a deep breath, I gave him a quick peck on his right cheek. "See you later, farm boy."
Ferdinand felt his hot cheeks and grinned as he waved. "Have a safe trip, my love."
I gleamed and waved back at him as I made my way on the dirt road, through a field of maize sprouting. Sweat began to drip from my forehead as my throat felt dry, fanning myself with both hands. I gazed at the sky and squinted at the sizzling sun angrily, my hands lingered in front of my eyes.
I waddled along the dry, mushy road, hoping to sit back inside the Little Owl Coffeehouse and relax underneath the air-conditioned atmosphere, sipping a glass of lemonade with a twirly straw, wearing my heart-shaped sunglasses which Dad bought from the clothing store nearby. It's been a while since I've received a letter from him. How is he doing anyway? I hope he's not dead.
As I kept on walking, I felt a slight ache on my left leg, prompting me to drop on my knees on the fiery ground. "Ouch!" I exclaimed, jumping back up. Hissing in pain, I squatted and blew on both knees, hoping to soothe the pain. I dusted my pastel blue skirt and rested my hands on my cheeks, only to notice a large footprint outside the maize field.
Huh, that's weird. Whose footprint is this? I pinched the soil with my finger and rubbed it, and it sprung. This definitely does not belong to Mrs Ong or Ferdinand. Looking around my surroundings to see if anyone was watching, I crept inside the sea of the cornfield and followed the trail of footprints.
Soft whispers filled my ears as I heard rustling around me, making my palms clammy. Dashing my way through the cornfield, I resisted the temptation to turn around and see whoever was following me. Oh God, I hope it's not those creepy scarecrows. I hate those things. I don't even know what's the point of having a scarecrow in the middle of the field.
As the trail ended, I found myself in front of another farmhouse, which was empty and stripped off its colour. I inhaled and took a step on the stairs, only to make a huge creak. A young man with brown hair appeared in front of me, wearing a white singlet and long brown trousers. Oh, shit! That's James Larthow, the serial killer. I recognize him from the photograph that the mayor showed me yesterday.
"Good afternoon, little missy," he chirped. "What's a young lady like you doing all the way out here?"
"I should be asking you that, sir," my eyes squinted. "No one has lived in this house for years."
He scratched the back of his neck and turned his head left and right. "I just moved here," he stuttered. "The moving truck will be here in a few days or so."
"Is that so?" I crossed my arms. "I would've heard about your arrival in town."
"I was at home the whole day yesterday, little missy."
I glimpsed the rotting woods and overgrown lawn that surrounds it. He is definitely lying straight to my face. "So how did you survive without water and electricity?"
James let out a small chuckle and approached me, making me take a few steps back away from him. Is he going to kill me?
"You're a smart girl, aren't ya?"
"Everyone in Slaborough says that," I swallowed a huge lump of saliva.
"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life," he praised. "May I have your name?"
I stroked my chin and tilted my head upwards, then glanced at him. "You first," I hid my hands behind me.
"Alright then, blondie," he gave me a wink. "The name's Jimmy. What 'bout you?"
"I'm Maria," I lied, as I confidently offered my hand. "It's nice to meet you."
He shook my hand and grinned. "That's a lovely name for an angel like you."
I giggled. "Why thank you, kind sir. So what do you work?"
"A farmer," he answered, gazing at the cornfield behind me. "What about you, Maria?"
My eyes flashed at my watch and I released a huge gasp. "Oh my goodness!"
"What is it, Maria?" he asked, biting his lips. "It's lunchtime," I said, crossing my fingers behind my back. "My father's probably worried sick right now."
"You should get going then, little missy," he smiled slightly. "Don't want to keep your old man waiting. Have a safe trip, kiddo."
He waved as I ran back into the cornfield, without looking back. Oh, God! Oh dear God! I can't believe I've just come face-to-face with a serial killer. He was extremely polite to me. He even acknowledged my smartness. Ferdinand told me about his nightmares last night, how he saw Jimmy murdering me and my family in cold blood.
Let's just hope it doesn't come true.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
