Entry Writchal #2
Theme: Maid
Perception
*BOOM*
A loud explosion tears through the silence of night. Flames give the horizon an orange glow. The foxes run with their tail between their legs.
“The car is close by! Move faster!”, shouted a gray fox. A few foxes follow behind him.
“Boss! We’ve lost three people in the blast! Four more cannot walk anymore!”, said another fox.
“Leave them, we must- “
A crossbow bolt pierces through the fox’s head. Then another. One by one, the screams of the foxes are silenced. Until there was only one.
“Who are you? Who sent you?”, the gray fox shouted into the darkness.
“Is it money that you want?”, he kept on shouting into the night, but alas, there was no answer. He looked around him. All he saw were containers and jerrycans. Behind him, a warehouse is being reduced to mere ashes.
Then, only the sound of embers remains. The last fox sweats, but not because of the heat.
And then, he felt cold. He placed his hands on his stomach where he felt cold iron covered in thick liquid. As he slowly fell to the ground, he saw the figure behind him.
“…you…you…must…be…”, the light in his eyes fade.
The moonlight reveals the figure. A man wearing a fedora and trench coat. The only thing lighting his face is the small light from his cigarette.
The man pulled his knife from the fox. In a swift motion, he threw the cigarette and created another explosion. Suddenly, he received a call.
“Good work,” said the voice.
“Are you satisfied now?”, said the man.
“Of course. Because you burnt down their warehouses and disposed of their elites, we will have complete hold of the market.”
“I’ve prepared a getaway vehicle for you, with the payment inside,”
“I look forward to working with you again, Mr. Heisenberg.”, said the voice before hanging up.
The man walks away, leaving behind ashes.
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.
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I light a cigarette. Various backgrounds cross this road every day. A drunken deer walks by, after spending most of his night in the bar. A street vendor pushes his cart, returning home. And me, carrying a briefcase, returning home from work. Suddenly, a cat bumped into me. He dropped the bundle of paper he was holding.
“I’m sorry, Sir!” he exclaimed as he collected his papers.
“Don’t worry about it,” as I crouched down to help him.
He thanked me as he ran away to wherever he was going. I checked my pockets and found nothing lost.
As the night grows darker, the snowfall intensifies. I open the door to my apartment. It looks the same as usual. Near the entrance, a door to the bathroom is in the left. The entrance to the kitchen is in the right. The main room is small. In one corner of the room, there’s a bed, while in the other corner, sits a TV. In the middle, there’s a sofa and table.
I hung my hat and coat, ate simple meals, and went into the bath. It’s always the same every day. I walk to the balcony to light a cigarette.
“Huh, it’s empty,” I talked to myself.
In a whim, I picked up my coat and headed out to the convenience store.
The light snowfall has turned into a heavy blizzard. When I was about to return home, I saw her.
Under the streetlight, a small rabbit wearing maid uniform lay in the snow. Her skin looks pale from the cold, and her skin bruised. She looked lifeless, so I slowly lose hope as I walk closer. Then, I felt her pulse. She looks pitiful. I carried her on my back.
As soon as I went through the door, I placed a towel seeped with warm water on her head. As she rests on the bed, I sat on the sofa, thinking.
“Who is this rabbit?”
“Why is she wearing a maid uniform?”
“Why was she out in the blizzard?”
As more questions rise, my eyes became heavier, as I slowly fall into sleep.
.
.
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The next morning, I woke up as usual. But there’s one difference.
I saw her, on the edge of the sofa.
“What happened?”, she asked as soon as I opened my eyes.
“I found you passed out in the middle of a blizzard. I brought you here so you wouldn’t freeze to death.”
“Very well,” she stood up.
“Since you saved my life, I am now indebted to you. From today onward, I will serve your maid,” she gave me a serious look.
“I don’t need a maid at the moment. What about your family or friends? Don’t you have a home to return to?”
“I don’t remember,” she answered, still wearing that serious look.
I stared at her, and asked,
“Why should I trust you?”
She stayed quiet.
“Can you please leave.”
“If that’s what you wish for, then I will oblige.”
She walked slowly to the door. As she held the door handle, she gave me one last look.
“It’s for the best,” I thought to myself. “Can’t let anyone-“
Before I could finish my train of thought, I felt it. Before I could react, a flash of light appeared, and sound of shattered glass echoed through the room.
This is it, I thought to myself. I let my guard down, now I shall pay with my life.
Blood splattered. But it wasn’t mine. Before I realized it, the rabbit had pushed me away and took the bullet. She lays there. The rabbit’s dress stained red. One question appeared in my mind.
“Why did she save me?”
Then my phone rang.
“I take it you’ve been compromised?”, said the voice on the other side. “Survive for a bit, I’ll handle this. You’re relocated to Safehouse #19. After this is done, go there.”
“There’s an injured civilian!”, I shouted.
“Don’t worry, medics are on the way,”
As soon as the voice hung up, another shot can be heard. But it wasn’t aimed at me. I grabbed the rabbit. I tried to stop her bleeding.
A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived and brought the rabbit to the hospital. She was brought immediately to the operating room to remove the bullet.
“Had we arrived a few minutes too late, she wouldn’t have survived,” said the surgeon after the procedure. “She can go back home in a few days. If you want, you can visit her now.”
As I walk to her, the question keeps spinning inside my head. “Why did she save me?”,
“I already sent her away,” “She had no reason to,” “What would she gain from saving me?”
I opened the door and saw her laying there. Her torso bandaged. When she saw me, she immediately sat up.
“Hello, Master. It’s a shame you have to see me in this state,” she greeted me with a smile.
“Why, why did you save me?” I immediately asked.
“I’m sure you already know the answer. It’s because I’m indebted to you.”
“What do you gain from doing so?”
“It’s not about gains or losses. I’m just doing what I wanted to do.”
“Now, may I ask one thing?” she wore the serious look again.
“May I be your maid?”
After hearing that, the words from my mouth won’t come out.
“Yes, you may,” I said, after a long silence.
“Thank you,” she said before she fell asleep.
I stayed for a while after she fell asleep, processing the things that has happened and the things she had said. Then it all clicked to me, the reasons, her behavior, and why I’ve accepted her request.
I blinked. Once, twice, thrice.
As one opened the heart, the eyes also open. She lays there, a young girl with long white hair and fair skin. The sunlight shines on her sleeping face. Her stomach is bandaged from an operation.
“Where did the rabbit go?” I asked myself.
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A few days later.
“Sorry for the wait, this last checkup was very important,” the young girl said as she
exits the hospital.
“I almost forgot. Since I’m your maid, I shall introduce myself.” She walked closer to me and lifted the edges of her skirt. “My name is Edelweiss, what about yours?”
“My name is White,” I said as I walk next to her.
“White, a fine name. I shall be in your care, Master.”
“So where are we going?”
“Our new home,”
And that is how I have a maid serving me.
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To be continued
Writer: Saiful Dipatiukur