2 A.M. #Wattys2017#specialawardwinner#iceaward2017

Chapter 9

Ro was lying on my lap in a peaceful bliss of sleep. He had not yet achieved consciousness, even after repeated shakes and water splashing. I had to carry him all the way to nearest cab and his muscular heavy frame didn't help much.

 I frown in irritation on our drunk taxi driver. His wobbling was leading in dangerous accidental mirage. Evidently he was the spooky match for my situation. Eyes red and hollow to the depths of skull, this man ( I felt ) was demon of hell.  I stare at his highly flurosed teeth, uncanny uniform in the rearview and bite my lip as it stays mum in scare. I clutch Ro's arm as a weird sensation starts building in my gut when the driver grins at me.

" Ouch ", was the low smirk I heard. 

" Ro!! How do you feel? ", I mentally thank god for bringing back Ro's consciousness. I enrich my shagged face with a small smile, to lighten the merely conscious man. He staggers to straighten up, breathing into the thin fabric covering my lower belly. The ticklish feeling jerks me forward and he kisses my stomach. I immediately turn tomato red and cover my face in strands of my hair to hide it. 

" Ah...I feel warmer now! ", Ro giggles in my ear. I flush redder as he pulls me towards him. Strange is the feeling of safety in his arms.

" No funny business in my car missy! ", barks the cab driver on my face. 

" Chill Sir, we ain't contaminating your cab, it would be better to watch out for the bump ahead rather and help us reach safe ", Ro speaks in hard tone of warning. 

" You never know the bumps waiting ahead for you fella ", was the vague reply we got from our driver. 

The speed of the car was suddenly raised above the limits of muddy road we were travelling on. Ro hugged me tighter as I started to shiver in panic. I felt a bad omen in our cabby's wicked smiles from the rear. 

" El it's gonna be okay. Where are we heading to ? It would be better if it was inside the town ", Ro looked out of the window and shared my chills.

" To Kate's. ", was the statement I managed to mutter meekly.

Cab route to Kate's farm villa was through parts of forest areas. It seemed like, Oh my gosh!, the lanes explained in dad's book.

I untangle myself from Ro's tight grasp and hurry my words, "Ro these are the lanes described in the book!.".

"What??", I feel two eyes piercing on my scathing words. The driver had turned to my direction, completely ignoring the path ahead. 

We saw the headlight smash into a large oak tree with a loud cracking sound. In seconds we are thrown out of the metal doors. I roll over the mushy grass and my recently acquired pendant gets hooked to a sharp stone. I try pulling it off but, my strengths are weak like delicate roses. My last attempt to pull it breaks the pendant exactly half.

A tiny woman springs out of it. I can't make out the source of light which is making the tiny sculpture shine but, she is bright and beautiful. 

" What's that brightness? ", Ro crawls towards me partially covering his eyes. 

" This is magic. Take a closer look at this Rohan, it's me with bunch of roses tucked in dress. Ro this looks exactly like the woman described in the book and she is like my twin. ", we pull ourselves up.

" Merlin's beard El, it's you!!, hey, something's inscribed under her tiny shoe. 'Ella', with a heart it ends. "

" Ro I found this under the grass parch on the day Joy died. I knew it in my heart that this price relates to me, not just physically but, through my soul. It just lay their untouched and guess what? It was destined to latch with me. I am quite sure we lived 200 years ago....", I trailed off.

Baaaaaannnnngggg!

Ro screeches high to sky and twists his facial features falling down with a thump. I freeze to ground in shock. Lightning strikes the cunning face of the traitor as he pulls Rohan along the wet grass. He glints turning back at me with his golden teeth sparkling the night. The evil composure of his movements scares the hell out of me. He drops Rohan a few feet ahead and walks back to me. Slapping me hard on face, the cab driver snatches my broken pendant and walks back to Rohan.

I lose my sanity into the darkness overpowering my eyelids. 

" His body will revive the history he ended. ", were the last words the cabman shouted back at me. I dropped into faint as Rohan's smile flashed in imagery.

.......................................................................

Clink! Clink!...

I rub my eyes as the rain drops woke me from my deep dread. The librarian's meaningless words and the cabman's nerve gripping last sentence reverberated in my mind. The car which had crashed badly lay broken still. I pulled myself up wiping off the dirt from my dress. I limp towards the car.

I stop dead still when I see a gigantic owl hooting at the clock under the greasy steering. That's when those big black eyes meet mine, calm and deep. The old pocket clock hanging in it's own accord chimes 2 A.M and the owl swooshes into the darkness dangling the clock to it's beak tip, leaving me wonder into the wandering!!