The Clock of Miss Fortune ✔

Chapter - 11

Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. The clock's third hand moved without a moment of rest. The shop's silence was broken by its continuous loop of ticks and tocks. A looming existence of this shop was something that felt unreal. An empty place where souls walk and the living don't even look at. An old antique shop on the other side of existence. Cristal's sighs only made it clear that it was a long and boring day.

Outside, everyone and everything looked like shadows moving without any color or shape. A faraway fading silhouettes. All the sound from outside entered in slow and faded from some faraway place.

The bell chimed as the door opened. Cristal was brought back to the real world. The realization was just the same. Boring and awful. Like black and white the whole world found its colors at the sound of the bell.

"Stop dreaming." Hannah came in smiling.

Cristal looked at the clock. It was 12:47pm. She looked back at Hannah. Her head moved slowly as if she was still in a dream. "You're here early."

"And you're still dreamy."

"Yeah." Cristal rubbed her head. Her hair was messy. She didn't bother with it. "Long night. And a strange one." She looked at Hannah. She pulled out a chair and placed in front of her. Leaning towards the front desk, she placed both her hands on it, placed her shoulder bag on the side, and tied her hair in a messy bun. "You still look beautiful." Cristal said.

"Thank you." Hannah brushed Cristal's right cheek. They were becoming friends and if things go well they might become good friends. This was what Cristal thought and was happy about it. She didn't have many friends here.

"Coffee?" Cristal asked.

"Yes. Please." Hannah nodded.

Several minutes passed by as they talked about just about everything. Cristal told her about Mike and last night. Hannah did the same. And it felt similar yet strange to a point that their lives were intertwined with each other's. A similarity in time, a binding of a sort was playing its hands.

The roads were busy. Constant chattering entered and exited the quiet shop. Hannah and Cristal enjoyed their coffee without talking much. The warmth of it slowly calmed the cold outside. It was a great night. The rain brought in a better climate and a better night for both.

"O'lim. He came in last night? Did you know he would?" Hannah asked. She placed her cup on the desk. It was half empty by this time. It was still a little warm. She placed both her hands around the cup to keep them warm. Cristal looked confused. Even tired. "Are you okay?"

Cristal rubbed her eyes. "Yeah." She softly spoke. "O'lim came in unannounced. He seemed," She sighed and looked for the right words to explain his behaviour, "different. Unusual."

"Isn't he always like that?"

"He is. But," Cristal was once again lost for words, "this was a different kind of behaviour. As if he was possessed?" She wondered about her own words. "He wasn't drunk. He was," again she thought for correct words, "afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"I don't know." Cristal said. She pointed at the position of the hollow space which was located in the wall. "He pushed the wall in. There was a safe. And he pulled out a small wooden statue." She paused for a moment. Her gaze fixed on the wall. "He was muttering something. I didn't hear it well. He said 'My apologies' and then I think I heard voices 'Where is the sacrifice?' and that was it."

"Sacrifice?" Hannan quietly mulled over that word for a while. Her coffee still a little warm. Few more minutes and she might not finish the cold one. She rubbed her fingers on the cup for a while. Eyes gazing beyond anything materialistic things. Through time, and space she looked for answers that she herself wasn't sure existed. Then she remembered. Eyes closed she reminiscenced the dream she had. It was Balentine's body and her eyes that she saw it through. A shrine. A small statue. Mr. Fortune bowing down on his knees. Praying? Begging? Fearing? Fearing. Sacrifice. A vessel. Souls sacrifice with consciousness of hatred and sympathy.

She opened her eyes. Hall of Rakshasa, she remembered the name on the fallen, rotten and broken board. An old shrine to pray in.

"Earth to Hannah?" Cristal waved her hand in front of Hannah's face. She looked up. "Where did you get lost?"

Hannah sighed. "Sorry. I just got lost." And once again, for few seconds her mind wandered aimlessly as if searching for something lost in time. "Have you been feeling somewhat... "She looked at Cristal. "Not yourself?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Cristal said. "But, this is not the first time I've felt that way. It happens a lot. What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Hannah muttered. Her voice was low and covered by the sound of outside slowly creeping in that Cristal couldn't hear it. "Nevermind. I think I'm just tired."

Cristal stepped out and poured herself another cup. She needed it. Her head needed it. It was the only thing keeping her awake and sane at most part. It suddenly got a little hot inside. There was no air conditioner and Cristal always kept the door open in case it gets hot or use a table fan. Hannah was sweating a bit. Little beads of sweat looked glistening from the light outside. "Here." Cristal handed a pack of wet tissue.

"Ah, thanks." Hannah ripped it open. "It got hot all of a sudden."

"Yeah." Cristal sighed. "This shop is old and with all this stuff," She pointed at everything around as antique as it can be, "it gets hot sometimes."

"You don't mind?" Hannah asked.

"I do. But there is nothing I can ask for. O'lim is a jerk."

"Is there anything else?"

"Uh-uh." Cristal shook her head.

"I'll leave." She wiped the sweat, waved her hand and opened the door leading outside. As soon as she stepped out darkness fell upon her like a boulder and she came out the other side of the door and into the Fortune Mansion and in front of her standing was Howard Fortune.