One thousand one hundred and fifty words

Chapter one: Pieces of Papers

Hola!
The note said.
She smiled and sipped from her mug of coffee.
She was twenty six. Her tall frame moved to the otherside of the room and sat down on the sofa. A faint pink pajama with white dots ran around her legs. She won't wear the green top she was wearing now outside her new house. Her hand reached for the TV remote and she heard it turn on. She sipped again. I should have put more suger, she rubbed her tongue on the alveolar ridge.
Her thumb pressed the NEXT button again and again. Nothing interesting. She turned it off and picked up the book she had borrowed from a friend who lived in the town she left to come here.
Her phone rang.
'Hello,' she said.
'Hello,' it was Stuti her roommate, 'Human reminder.'
Her black eyes elated, 'Oh, damn! Thanks thanks!'
'Bye.'
'Bye.'
She closed the book, and ran into the bathroom taking off her cloths. She turned on the shower and hot water sprinkled on her. Summer, she reminded herself.
She bathed for half an hour and then changed into a bright red collarless shirt and brown skirt. Her eyeballs rolled to glance at the wall clock and she reached for the necklace she was asked to wear. You have time, Nisha. You have time.
Her phone rang when she was trying to put the black bindi at the exact middle. She looked at the screen: Jiju.
'Am coming,' she received the call, 'A minute.'

She rushed to the door and pulled the knob. Her eye brows came close. It was locked. She rotated the knob several times. Someone had locked her in. She knocked the door.
'Hello,' she put her mouth near the door, 'Anybody there?'
She slapped the door.
'Hello!'
Cogs turned in her head and she tried to think who could have done it. The list turned out to be blank. She was one month old to the town.
'Open the door,' she was about to knock louder when she realised.
She pulled out her cell phone and called Jiju.
She pasted the phone to her ear. Her eyes ran around the house. It connected after some time and Jiju received the call after two rings.
'Yes,' Jiju asked, 'Where are you?'
'Jiju sorry. Can you do me a favour?'
'Tell.'
'Can you come up to my floor? Somebody locked my room from outside. I am really sorry you have to do this.'
'Who locked you?' He asked.
Something touched her leg. She looked down. A piece of paper lied there: Hola.
'Nisha?' Jiju said.
'Yes.'
'Be there, I am coming.'
'Hm.'
The line went dead. She picked up the piece of paper.
He? She thought. He was the last person she could have thought of. Another paper was slipped in from below her door. She heard steps running away. She heard giggles.
'Hey!!!' She shouted.
Those were slipper clad feet.
She picked up the new piece of paper. She crumbled it out of hatred and threw it to her left. She was so angry she stumped her sandal worn feet. So hard that the heel got loose. It pissed her more. She pulled them out and tossed them into the dustbin. She will never wear them, she decided and walked away.
She sat down where she had sat down before to read that book. Her breaths were fuming with anger and they were fast. She clenched her teeth and looked outside the window. Her eyes caught the other side of the apartment. A woman dried wet cloths on a rod. She looked down and found children playing cricket.
'Howzattt!' She heard their diminised voices fighting to reach her.
Her phone rang again. Jiju, the screen said.
'Han, hello Jiju.'
'Nisha. I forgot your room number,' he said, 'Can you remind me?'
'Han Jiju. 334.'
'Oh. Ok. Will be there in five minutes.'
'Hm.'
The line went dead.
Jiju is coming, she thought. Her eyes fell on her coffee. For some reason she thought drinking it would make her feel lighter. She gulped it down.
Yuck! That was a really bad thought. Sugar. Next time I will put three spoons.
She rose to her feet and walked inside to bring sandals. She wore them and this one had no heels. She begin to miss the sandals she was wearing before, they were expensive. She realized she shouldn't have stamped her feet so hard on the ground.
And may be it was not him who put the pieces of paper. She walked towards the door. If not him then-
Her eyes grew large when she saw a lot of paper pieces lying around the door. She read: Hola. HOLA! hola. Hola!!! Written in different styles. The hand writing went worse as she ran her eyes. She heard her door being knocked. She took a sharp breath and looked up.
I need to clear it, she thought. Her eyes fell on the broom stick lying next to the dustbin.
'Nisha,' Jiju knocked again.
She quickly swiped them to the left. Three four pieces slipped. She swiped them right, put the broom stick where it was and opened the door.
'Nisha. The door wasn't locked.'
She couldn't realise what he said and kept staring at him. Her eyes grew large.
'The door wasn't locked?' she repeated.
'Yes.'
Her forehead grew lines.
'Ok,' Jiju said, 'We are already late. Come. Lock the door, fast.'
She nodded and locked the door from outside.
But... she thought. The door was locked. I-It wasn't locked from inside.
When they were climbing down the stairs she realised that she was sweating. She wiped her forehead. Only when they sit inside the car and she checked herself in the rearview mirror she felt relived. The AC was turned on to the full to soothe her. The car moved and she looked up at her apartment, confused. Hola, that word came back in her head
She took a deep breath. I should not act stupid. And checked her facebook when the car entered the main road.
'Who locked your door?' Jiju said.
'Don't know,' Nisha looked at him.
'You should complain it to the secretary. I heard some University boys live in that apartment.'
'Don't know,' Nisha said, 'There are some school boys though who pull out pranks.'
'Whatever, tell about it to the secretary. If it happens again we should change your apartment.'
Nisha nodded, 'I will ask Stuti to talk to him after getting back.'
Jiju horned. 'This traffic.'