Jinx

Jinx

Authors: Reed and Morgan

Chapter One

It was a cold, windy afternoon typical New Zealand weather to be so unpredictably cold in what was supposedly summer.I trudged along the stony pathway to our ancient beach house near the Piha beach. Thick bushes and staggering tall trees surrounded me, there was an unnatural silence, haunting and lingering, a silence that makes you think about every single horror movie or book you have ever read. I pulled up the hood of my hoodie, adjusted my Jansport bag on my back so that I had both of my arms through the straps, I plugged in my ear phones and started listening to Confident by Justin Bieber and then I took off running like a mad deer.

I sprinted though the rocky path, past the old houses as I made way down towards the beach. The music helped me get into a super girl mood. I could pretend that I had just escaped from a demon and now I was running for my life. I kept my eyes straight ahead, determined to reach home before my imaginary demon caught me. I pounded on the deck and slammed into the door. Huffing, I bent over and clutched my knees with both of my hands as I tried to regain full oxygen flow. I kicked the door in my own unique style of knocking.

"Kon?" My mums clear Urdu voice rang down the hallway.

I didn't understand why she didn't drop the habit of asking 'Who?' in Urdu every time someone knocked on the door.

"Ma its me! Who else?" I replied annoyingly.

She took her time opening the door, but maybe that was my impatience exaggerating everything.

"Finally!" I exclaimed as she finally managed to open the door.

"No Salaam, No greeting, is this how a girl enters the house?"

Ok, I kind of felt guilty now but I wasn't going to show her that.

"Asalamualikum", I murmured the internationally famous Islamic greeting.

"Walikumusalam" She replied as I made my way to my room.

It was my refuge to be very honest. I sat on the bed and opened up my Macbook, a laptop I had to beg for ages before I got it for my 17th Birthday.

"MUUUUUM!!!" I yell loud enough for everyone on the beach to probably hear.

She replied instantly, "What?....Ya Allah what happened, Abiha why don't you reply?"

I heard her come down to my room, I smile, this tactic always works.

"What happened Abiha?" She sounded upset.

"Geez nothing to get to worried about, can you bring me a packet of chips and a drink?"

"You called your mother, your conceiver, your Jannah, paradise in to your room to ask her for food."

"Uh...yea?" The minute the two small words left my mouth I instantly knew they were a mistake.

"Do not take this ungrateful tone with me young lady. We are muslims, we do not speak to our elders this way. You should come to me instead of calling your mother to you, do you know-"

"Yea mum ok, so cut to the chase I need food and I am going to the Lantern Festival tonight? Ok?"

"Lantern Festival?" She repeated softly.

"Uhhh, yea..." I replied slowly, watching as she inhaled and exhaled as if I had suggested that I was going to get multiple piercings and a tattoo of Hunter from my all time favorite series on my arm.

"You want to go to the Lantern Festival, in a city that is 40 km away in Auckland City, and the festival ends late into the night...and you expect to be ok with that?"