“No, not anymore. I think you did a really nice job the last time you were here. But it is kind of you to have come by. Not many people would have thought it wise to still come back to check over their previous work, you know?” the woman said.
“Well, it all depends on how such people take their work. For me, I always want to make sure that those I serve are completely satisfied. That way, they know who to call whenever there is a problem.”
The old woman nodded. “That is a very good work ethic, I must say. Sadly, it is something that is lacking these days. A lot of people don’t really care. You should not be like them. You should stand out from the rest, be someone different, and that is how you will be identified.”
The man nodded. “Yes, I agree with you, ma’am. Being different and standing out.”
Just then, there was another knock on the door.
“My, today seems to be a very busy day for me. I don’t normally get so many calls within the space of an hour. Who is it?” the old woman asked as she opened the door.
There, in her doorway, stood three men.
“What can I do for you young gentlemen?” she asked.
“Sorry, we are asking about our colleague. He said he wanted to check up on you,” Peter said.
The old woman frowned. “Your colleague?”
The man stood up from his seat. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Those are my colleagues. We all work together. They were checking up on our van while I came in to see you.”
“Are they? This is wonderful. Please, do come in, all of you,” the old woman said, and let them in.
Peter, Tom, and Nigel came into the house and sat down.
“I was just telling your colleague that he has a very nice work ethic. Not everyone would be willing to come back to see if their work was still in good condition, you know?” the woman asked.
Tom nodded. “Yes. He is really good at his work. He takes it very seriously.”
“Since you are all here, let me get you some of my tea. You remember the one I served you when you were here the first time?” the old woman asked, looking at their boss.
The man nodded. “Sure, ma’am. I do remember. In fact, ever since I had the tea I have been hooked on its flavour and aroma. I have now made it a duty to have some every day.”
The old woman’s eyes lit up in surprise. “You now have it every day? Wonderful. I am sure you love it then?”
“Are you referring to the tea we had at that restaurant?” Nigel asked.
The man nodded. “Yes. She was the one who introduced it to me. I am sure you’ll like it as well.”
Nigel frowned as he shot glances at Peter and Tom. “You mean you had never been a lover of that same tea before you met her?”
“Is something wrong? Does he not want to have some tea?” the old woman asked.
The boss shook his head. “Please don’t worry about him, ma’am. Just get us the tea. I am sure he will soon become a believer once he sees how delightful it is for the rest of us.”
“Okay, I won’t be long,” the woman said.
As she turned to leave, the boss abruptly stood up. In one swift motion, he grabbed her by the arm and forcefully spun her around.
As she faced him with surprise and shock written all over her old, wrinkled face, he raised his hand and punched her hard on the side of her neck.
The woman gasped once and suddenly went limp. The man caught her lifeless body as she started to fall. He gently placed her in a chair nearby, just as blood began to ooze from her nostrils.
The man waved his finger at Nigel. “You moron! What was all that enquiry about the tea for?”
Nigel shrugged. “Nothing, boss. I’m sorry. I was just curious, that’s all.”
Their boss frowned. “Curious? About ordinary tea?”
Nigel nodded sheepishly. “I know, boss. But isn’t it strange? I mean, it’s an old woman that we are talking about here.”
“You must be naïve or simply foolish. Quick, go and start getting the boxes. We have a lot of work to
— ” the boss suddenly stopped talking.
“What is the matter, boss?” Peter asked.
“Where is the old woman?” their boss demanded.
“She was just right here,” Tom said, not sure of what had just happened.
The chair on which their boss had laid her unconscious body was now empty. There was no one in it at all.
“Is this some kind of joke or what?” the boss demanded, searching all around the living room.
“I did not take her, boss. Honestly, I don’t know where she is,” Tom said.
“Me neither, boss. I barely even looked at her twice. Believe me,” Peter said.
“Don’t even look at me, boss. Remember, I was the one who raised my suspicion about the old woman,” Nigel said.
“What do you mean by ‘raised suspicion about the old woman’, Nigel?” their boss demanded.
“Well, I pointed it out to you that it was strange, you know? I mean, all of a sudden you had become attached to drinking that type of tea. Something that you were never used to doing before. It looked strange to me, besides the fact that we were robbing an old woman,” Nigel said.
“What is strange about robbing an old woman? As long as she has prospects then she will do just fine. Now, I don’t want to hear any more stupid talk about superstitious nonsense. It is apparent that I did not knock her off properly. She must have snuck away while we were momentarily distracted. I want you all to spread out and search for her. She cannot be far,” their boss said.
“Err, boss. Shouldn’t we go in teams rather than spreading out individually?” Tom asked.
“She is just an old woman, for goodness’ sake! Quit being a sissy and get to work right now,” their boss retorted.
“Yes, boss. No problem. We are on it already,” Tom said, and ran up the stairs.
CHAPTER 3 Their boss cursed and began to look around. As he was about to open the kitchen door, he heard a loud bang and the voice of someone screaming. Their boss turned around to find Tom tumbling down the staircase.
The boss, Peter, and Nigel watched in horror as their colleague fell down the staircase like a barrel, tumbling over and over until he landed at the foot of the staircase.
They all rushed to him, but by the time they had reached his side, it was already too late. His eyes were wide open and he was struggling to say something. But the words refused to come out as he gasped for breath.
“Give him some space, will you? Open up his shirt and let him breathe properly. Can’t you see that he is choking?” their boss said, and knelt down by his side.
But even after opening up Tom’s shirt and fanning him a little, his condition did not improve. Tom’s eyes were blank and fixated. He raised his hand and began pointing.
Their boss followed his finger to some paintings on the wall.
“What is that?” their boss demanded.
“It’s the paintings, boss. He is pointing at the paintings,” Peter replied.
“And what is it about the paintings?” their boss demanded.
“I wish I knew, boss. I really wish I knew,” Peter muttered.
And then with a soft sigh, Tom’s hand fell down by his side, lifeless.
Their boss touched his neck, checking for a pulse. He did not feel any.
Their boss stood up. “He’ll be all right. He just passed out, no doubt because of the fall from the stairs. Quickly, help me carry him and place him on one of these settees. He’ll soon be all right.”
After Tom had been placed on the settee, their boss pointed up the stairs. “We are all going to rush her together, understand? I am not taking any chances with that old witch. Not ever again.”
They all rushed up the stairs and began to comb the rooms, one after the other. As they did, the boss could not help but notice the amount of paintings on the walls of the rooms upstairs.
“Guys, can you see what I am seeing?” their boss asked as they searched.
Nigel nod
ded. “The number of paintings, boss?”
Their boss nodded. “Exactly. I really underestimated the amount of paintings this house contains. There are even more of them upstairs than downstairs. Let that be a source of motivation for our tired and exhausted souls. Just imagine what we are going to fetch off of all these paintings. That would more than compensate for all the—”
But he never got to complete his statement.
Peter had suddenly gasped and then shouted.
“What is it this time?” their boss demanded.
Peter was pointing downstairs. “He is gone, boss. Look, Tom is gone!”
Their boss shot an angry look downstairs. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”
“Look for yourself, boss!” Peter insisted.
Their boss frowned as he looked at the settee on which they had placed Tom a while ago. It was empty. There was no one on it.
“What? Who moved Tom away from there?” their boss demanded.
Both Nigel and Peter shook their heads in unison.
Their boss bit his lip. He knew that Tom did not have a pulse when he was being laid on the settee. That meant that he was already dead. So there was no way he could have suddenly gotten up and walked away from the settee. Or was there?
Their boss straightened up. “I am sure he must have gotten up after we came upstairs. Let’s not bother about him for now. We have an old woman to catch. And the sooner we do so, the better.”
“Boss, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but should we not be thinking about getting out of this place?” Peter asked suddenly.
The boss’s eyes flared with anger. “What was that you said? Getting out of this place? Why would you even think of such an option? What about the job at hand? What about the paintings? What about Tom?”
Peter shrugged. “I don’t know, boss. This job seems to not be right at all. I mean, just look at what has been happening all this time. We are still searching for some old woman. We have not even started to pack out the paintings yet. And there are so many of them to be removed. Don’t you think we are running late on this job? Someone could come in at any moment and begin to ask us questions, the longer we stay in this house.”
“Are you thinking of throwing in the towel, Peter?” the boss asked.
Peter sighed. “I don’t know, boss. I am just saying it as I see it. I mean, look at what is happening. We are not even focused on getting the job done. Who knows where the old woman might be? Perhaps she might have snuck out already and gone to get the cops without us knowing.”
Their boss shook his head. “That is not possible. How fast would she have to move to be able to accomplish such a feat? I am positive that she must still be inside, playing hide and seek with us. The old witch.”
“Maybe that is what she is, boss,” Nigel suddenly said.
Their boss spun around to glare at Nigel. “What was that you said?”
“I meant the woman, boss. Maybe that is what she is. A witch,” Nigel said.
“For goodness’ sake, what is wrong with you guys today? What is all this nonsense talk that you have suddenly decided on sharing, ehn? For the last time, I don’t want anyone to talk about any old witch to me, understand? We are searching for a cunning old woman. She is in this house and we are going to find her, do you understand?” he said.
Nigel looked at Peter and they both nodded.
Peter turned to open the next door. But before he could do so, he suddenly began to feel dizzy. In the process, he staggered backwards towards his boss and Nigel.
“What is wrong with you?” the boss demanded.
“My head, boss. Everything seems to be spinning out of control,” Peter said.
“Just take a deep breath and you will be all right,” the boss said, holding him up.
A scream from behind them made the boss and Peter jump. They turned to see Nigel suddenly begin to double over. He fell down and started to roll on the ground, as if he was having stomach cramps.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Nigel?” the boss demanded as he watched Nigel rolling over.
“It’s my stomach, boss!” Nigel moaned, rolling over and over.
Their boss held on to Peter, who was still feeling weak. “And what is it with your tummy, Nigel?”
“It’s on fire! Something is burning me up inside my stomach, boss,” Nigel complained in pain.
“What could it be? Okay, I know what we are going to do. Let’s go back downstairs and check for some drinking water. Maybe that would help you out, ehn?” the boss suggested.
The three men went down the stairs slowly. Nigel was walking bent over with his hands wrapped around his stomach while the boss was supporting Peter as they made it down the stairs.
When they got downstairs, the boss placed Peter on a settee, while Nigel fell onto the floor and continued to moan aloud.
“Just calm down, both of you. Understand? Let me try and figure out what I am going to get for each of you. Damn it. We have a job to complete here! We cannot afford all these distractions. No, we cannot. Do you understand?” the boss said, facing both of them.
Both Nigel and Peter were looking at him as he spoke. The boss could see their attention was on him.
Or was it?
The boss had to suddenly stop talking. He had to because he had observed that there was no audible response coming from either of them. Rather, both men were now alert and wide-eyed, watching him.
“What is it? What are you both looking at?” the boss demanded.
Neither Nigel nor Peter replied. Rather, they seemed to be transfixed as they stared back at their boss. Suddenly, it hit him. The boss realized that the two young men were not staring at him directly. They were staring past him.
Fearing the worst, the boss spun around with an angry scowl on his face.
The two young men saw that their boss had suddenly frozen in place.
Rather than make a comment or utter a word, he was just standing there and gazing off into space. And then he began to scream loudly. After a while, his scream seemed to fade away, as if it had been muzzled up by someone or something.
They followed his haunting gaze and equally tried to join in his loud screaming. But no sound came out of their mouths. All three men were now agape, with their mouths wide open and no noise coming out of them.
They were stuck in the same place, unmoving, and transfixed. Their boss was standing with his head turned; Nigel was still sitting on the floor looking ahead, while Peter was still on the settee looking in the same direction.
None of them could move a muscle. And no matter how hard they tried, they were stuck in the same position, as if glued to the same spot.
There, floating towards them, was the same old woman that their boss had knocked out a while ago.
She had a smile all over her face as she glided towards them.
“What idiots and fools you all are! So you think you can take advantage of an old woman like me?” she asked as she glided down and her feet came down onto the ground.
The boss could not move, and neither could he talk. But he could see and feel everything that was happening. So also were the men who had accompanied him.
The men watched as the old woman touched their boss’s face. She was shaking her head as she did so. “Just look at how foolish you were. And I was already beginning to think that you were going to be different from the rest of them on the wall.”
She caught the glint of surprise in the boss’s eyes. “You seem to be surprised. Well, you should be. You know, the last time you were here, I forgot to tell you that those paintings, all of them that you can see, are actually fools like you who have tried to rob from me over the past years.”
By now the woman was nodding. “Yes, all of them have tried to steal from an old woman living in an old house. Pathetic, don’t you think? Well, today I have gotten four new paintings to add to my collection. Wouldn’t you call that a jackpot?”
A few hours later, a man was hanging up a painting.
“Careful now, mister. I don’t want you falling down while you are doing that,” the old woman was saying.
“Don’t worry, ma’am. I am being careful. It’s like you love paintings a lot,” the man was saying.
The old woman nodded. “Well, you could say that I am a lover of art and paintings. Would you like me to make you some tea?”
The man nodded. “I wouldn’t mind some tea, ma’am. Thank you very much.”
As he hung the picture of Nigel on the wall, he didn’t see the boss’s eyes blink from the picture frame where he was not too far away. The boss could see Tom and Peter also hung in frames.
One thought crossed his mind as he stared back at them: maybe Nigel was right about the tea and the old woman.
THE END
Carol's Wish
CHAPTER 1 She tried to raise her hand. As she did, she discovered that it was difficult to do so. Something was holding it down.
With much difficulty, she tried to turn her head. The excruciating pain which followed forced her to abandon the idea.
She blinked and tried to focus on something, anything at all. She could see a leg, and an arm.
Whose are they? she wondered as she stared at them.
She tried to trace each limb back to its body, but she could not make a match because there were so many others. It was difficult to see who was where in the heap of bodies scattered all around.
“Hello,” she called in a voice that sounded like a croak of a frog.
No one answered.
She strained to look around and realized that she was upside down. No wonder she could not turn around freely, she thought. She struggled once again and was able to free her hand. She reached up to her shoulder and unfastened the seat belt.
She knew that she was going to be freed. But she did not expect that she was going to fall so hard and so fast. Her head hit a surface and she screamed as her forehead was cut deeply.
Sensing freedom, she began to wriggle. But still she could not move.
Something was holding onto her foot. She was still stuck.
She looked around, frantically searching.
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