Pantomaniac

Chapter 18

Kef finally understood what people meant when they say the body is capable of moving but the mind and soul would feel shitty to the core. It had been only a few hours into work and Kef was already feeling himself slipping away. His back ached from the neck to his waist. His temple was beginning to throb. His eyes teary and red.

"I told you to fix your sleeping schedule, Kef." Encik Bakar walked into the guard house and sat beside Kef. "What was it this time?"

Kef just smiled. He was beginning to settle in at his workplace and was glad he had that man to answer to. For the first time since his career went down the drain, he didn't feel like he was entering a war zone each time he headed to work.

"Couldn't sleep. No idea why. My body...it's just...weird."

"Nothing is just weird. Your ex-wife giving problems?"

Kef was stunned but he tried to hide it. "Erh... no... I-"

Encik Bakar put up his palm to stop Kef. "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry. But I just want you to know, you're my staff and I think it's my responsibility to know if you're not having enough rest to the point of being a zombie." He paused for effect. "How are you supposed to patrol this place when you can't even look after yourself?"

It might have been the words, or perhaps the tone but Encik Bakar sparked something that Kef hadn't felt in a long while. The urge to spill everything that had been infesting his mind.

Kef opened his mouth but decided against it. His lips quivered, as if he was cold. He knew his boss was staring at him even though Kef tried to look away. When the silence became too much to bear, Kef let his words flow before he got cold feet.

"Encik Bakar, do you...know anything about dreams? Insomnia?"

Silence. His boss frowned for a few seconds before he looked far outside the guard house. It seemed like he was weighing the question.

"I do, actually," Encik Bakar said. "My wife did, to be exact. I was only a spectator."

It was Kef's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

"My wife, late wife, she...wasn't very well. It started with dreams. She'd scream in the middle of the night, something talking gibberish. It got very bad at one point. So bad that she could barely sleep for nights. And I shared that. She was awake, so was I."

"What was it? Why was she having those nightmares?"

"No one really knew. I wanted to have her checked. But my wife... her family. They're very traditional. She refused to see the doctor. Don't ask me why. I didn't know either. It was just how she was brought up I guess..."

"Then what happened?"

"Things just got worse and worse. Sleepless nights after sleepless nights. Her dreams were all over the place. There was one time she told me she saw a unicorn with fangs. But the next night it would be an angel calling her to leave the world. It was madness. I could barely handle it. Until I didn't have too. She stopped eating. Stopped talking. Then she was gone. Whatever was wrong with her mentally, psychologically, affected her physically. By the time we did go to the doctor, there wasn't much that could be done due to her age."

"So, she-"

"Yes, I lost her last year..."

Kef sank back onto his chair. Slowly, he felt chills creeping up his arm. Whatever the mimes wanted, he had to solve it fast. There was no way he wanted to end up like Encik Bakar's late spouse.