Pantomaniac

Chapter 13

The next couple of days flew by in a daze. On one hand, Kef dreaded the hours he had to endure as he patrolled the building. On the other, he couldn't seem to have enough hours to figure out the sign from the child mime.

She had counted to ten. Those fingers. Those pale, deadly fingers.

But what did it mean? Even as he walked the hallways, or as he took one corner after another at the office, nothing came to mind. Even worse, each time something did, it brought a wave of chills down his spine. He recalled the blank stare of the mime, the tugging of his shirt...the double-stacked children.

It had been days since he felt like he actually slept. And between those days, he often woke up with his body feeling sore. Like he had lifted a ton of boxes the night before.

After completing his rounds, he made his way back to the guard house and sat down. Still thinking. Still pondering. Still struggling to answer the question. But was he asking the right question? Perhaps it was the wrong question mark. Or maybe he missed something. The possibilities were endless. Kef bent over and buried his face in his hands.

When he looked up, he was no longer in the guard house. He knew his eyes were opened but all he saw was darkness. Then came the moving of his lips. Then he could hear himself speaking.

"Do what you have to. Don't hesitate. Don't stop. Do it."

His voice echoed through his ears. He heard every word. Each syllable rang a tone in his heart. But his brain could not process the meaning.

Seconds later, another voice seeped into his ears and his vision returned.

"What did you say?"

Encik Bakar was staring at him. Kef shook his head a little before responding. "No...nothing."

"Any...way," Encik Bakar clearly wasn't convinced. "I was saying, there's extra food from this morning's meeting. Management gave it to us. It's in the pantry."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

Food. Like that would have solved anything. But again, Kef was grateful for the gesture. Encik Bakar reminded him of his late father. The tenderness in his voice which often emitted a trace of firmness. Sensing that it was the right time, Kef plucked up his courage and opened his mouth just before Encik Bakar stepped out of the booth.

"Encik Bakar..."

His boss turned.

"I haven't been sleeping well. And errm...there are things I need to take care of. Would it be okay if I...take a week off?"

"A week? So long?"

Kef's heart sunk. But he refused to stop trying. "You can cancel my off days as replacement. I really need the rest of this week off."

Encik Bakar sighed. "I hope you get enough rest this time. Don't waste it..."

That was all Encik Bakar said. Kef released a sigh of relief. But it wasn't long before the grueling questions returned. He was in for a week of challenge.

*****

Kef afforded himself a day of resting, or so he thought. It was as if sleep was a foreign thing. Each time he closed his eyes, every part of his body jolted awake. Even when his back had ached from hours of walking, the pain evaporated the moment he tried to close his eyes. And his ears picked up on the faintest of sounds – the distant voices of his neighbour, the sound of the gate clicking, the rustling of the trees outside his house.