Big trouble in little india

[PuXeu]

I like this story very much, shall wait here for more installments

[ilikeoldchangke]

Billy : he’s already here ! ?

Jeff : he probably knows Owen’s men are gone…

Billy : Then how ?

Jeff : He can’t march in and just grab a girl in broad daylight…. But we can be sure he is planning something….



I directed Billy to another estate on the other side of the Church.

I don’t want the Van to make a 2nd appearance along the same street. Clement might flag us.

Jeff : I think we cannot wait till tomorrow…. We need to go into the church now…

Billy : ehhh… you’re suppose to be in there tomorrow morning….

Jeff ; Think of something….

Billy : ermmm… walk in and pray ??

I turned and looked at Billy. That is a fucking good idea.


Jeff : Why didn’t I think of that ?!

Billy : You can’t be serious…you would be showing yourself to Mandy even before you met her tomorrow….

Jeff : Doesn’t matter… I can always say I’m here to check out my new work place….

Billy : no no… no… wait… please… think it through…this doesn’t feel right….. what if Clement sees you walking in ?



Jeff : What is wrong with someone going in to pray….?

Billy : Well…. I ermm… I don’t know…. Are you Christian ?

Jeff : is it written on my head that I’m not ??

Billy : but…

Our conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash and the painful screech of tyres on the road.

WHAM!!!!

It sounded like someone just smashed their car against the wall just down the street. I could hear horns sounding.


I got out of Billy’s van and looked towards the direction of the sound.

It’s the church.
There’s been an accident.

I started to run.

As the entrance of the Church came into view, I could see people gathering at gate along with the car.



That same Toyota had smashed itself into the gate of the church, wrecking it’s front and badly mangling the steel. One side of the gate was totally dislodged, the other barely hanging by the hinges.

A few motorists had stopped their car to help.

Billy caught up with me, panting for air as we looked at the scene o the accident.

People had started to gather to watch the commotion.

Some of them had their camera phones up, taking a video of the incident to share with their friends. I nudged Billy a little to cover my body as I looked towards the coffee shop. Clement is still there.

He had finished his noodles and is now taking in the scene while sipping on his coffee.

Everyone at the coffee shop were pointing and talking about the crash.

Within minutes, the police and the ambulance arrived.



People started commenting about what happened. A man with blonde hair was sitting on the floor, he was laughing. A old man pointed his finger at him as if he was giving the man a lecture.

I kept my attention on Clement.

This was no accident.

He destroyed the gate on purpose.

Without the gate, it would give him free access into the church compound right up to the main door. It’s going to be a walk in the park to just drive in, surprise the hell out of everyone and grab Gwen from the courtyard or patio.

A middle age couple crossed the road, coming towards Billy and I. Like many others, they were watching the incident but from up close.


I gave them a warm smile and a nod of my head and asked like a concerned neighbour.

Jeff : Very jia lat leh…. Knock until like that…..

Uncle : Ai yah….. that one young man…. Confirm take drugs one….. knock already still can ya ya papaya….. really bastard this kind… lucky he never hit anyone….

Auntie : God’s mercy…. His gate stopped him…. Amen….

I gave them a wave and checked on Clement. He was still there, eyes on the gate.

The people started to disperse after about 30 minutes and Billy and I retreated as well.

The scary efficiency of Singapore demonstrated itself right before our eyes as the accident scene was cleared within the hour. Only the badly mangled gates of the church remained.
The lady I saw earlier is in the courtyard talking to a civil defence officer.


With some help from the officers and their power tools, the gate of the church has been removed and neatly stacked by the side of the courtyard. They even placed some tape around it.


Jeff : This is it…. Fuck it… I’m going in…

Billy : wait… Jeff !... wait.. !!

Billy tried to hold me back but I shrugged him off. Instead of going to the front gate, I went along the pedestrian path leading to the housing estate beside the church. I entered from the side gate and took in the church.

A gentle gust of wind hit me, as if I just stepped into the middle of a wind tunnel.

Surrounded by tall residential buildings packed so close to each other, the church’s compound feels like an oasis. The garden is in immaculate condition. Not a strand of grass our of place.

If not for the mangled gate sitting at the corner, it would be perfect.

A small fountain fills the courtyard with the sound of flowing water.
There are several small trees in the garden including a cluster of bamboo, they are not matured enough to provide much shade but in time to come, they will be.

In 5 years this garden will be small eden.

I walked along the small stone slabs towards the church. I stepped into the interior and was overwhelmed by the change in spatial experience.

The high ceiling and the spill of sunlight into the prayer hall calmed my frayed nerves a little.

The pews are empty.



I was never a religious person but I believe strongly in something basic, respect.

Looking at a the cross, I said a silent prayer which sounded nothing like one.

Jeff : Boss…. I’ve never prayed to you…..i’m here to stop something bad from happening to someone that believes in you….. will appreciate any help you can spare….

As if my prayer had been heard, a small side door near the alter opened and I saw the same lady. She looked at me curiously.

I gave her a smile and I approached her.


Jeff : Hi…. I’m Jeff…. I’m the social worker that is suppose to start tomorrow….and I’m suppose to report to Mandy….

Her expression change from one of curiosity to one of a more friendly disposition.

She is Mandy.

Mandy : Oh hi…. I’m Mandy…. I thought you are suppose to be here tomorrow… !

Jeff : Yes yes… I am…. I was checking out the neighbourhood…..trying out the buses to see which one works best…..

Mandy : Oh… haha.. ok.. it’s a new estate… it can get confusing…

Jeff : exactly…. I wonder which genius comes up with the road names in Punggol….

Mandy giggled and she brushed back a strand of her hair that flew across her face.


She is about 1.6m tall. She’s slim and dressed simply in t-shirt and jeans. Her breast is small, probably a full A but I would say her figure is quite proportional. Her jeans isn’t exactly the figure complimenting type but I could tell she has a perky ass.

One that you could not resist smacking.
Her eyes are big with natural double eyelids.

She has no dimples in her smile but she has that cheerful outlook that is guaranteed to brighten your day.

Her giggles itself is enough to make me smile. You might not look twice at her along the street but trust me, this is exactly the type of girl you bring home to your parents and they immediately gives you your inheritance if you are expecting one.

Mandy : exactly !! I tried to take a taxi and they have no idea where I want to go…. !!


Jeff : I had to stare at google map for a while as I figure out the place…I guess the planners didn’t learn from their Sengkang experience….

That set Mandy off even more as she nodded her head.

Mandy : I stay in Sengkang….. when I first moved there in 2000,… I told the cab driver rivervale drive…. He took me to river valley… hahaha

Jeff : Oh… you stay in rivervale drive ??

Mandy : yeah I do…. It’s just a short drive away….why ? hahah

Jeff : you see… you belong to be wealthier batch of people in Sengkang….

Mandy : Why is that so ?


Jeff : After building Rivervale drive, the planners realised that cars are so expensive….. people cannot afford to buy them… so they came up with Rivervale Walk….

Mandy burst out laughing, bursting the sanctity of the church.

Jeff : I’m serious… my friend used to stay at rivervale drive….. scrapped his car and downgraded to rivervale walk…

[ilikeoldchangke]

Mandy : you are really funny la… hahah then… then what about the names in Punggol… Edgedale…Edgevale…. Hahah

Jeff : Come on… they already put an ‘edge’ in front of all the names…. you’re already at the edge of civilisation…. Can’t expect them to sugar coat everything can you ?? …

Mandy was half bent over by then chuckling as we walked towards the exit of the prayer hall.

Mandy : What about you Jeff… where do you stay ?

Jeff : I stay in Jurong East…..if you need to go beyond that… you need to bring your passport already…. Because that’s essentially Malaysia….

Mandy : Oh my god… hahah.. that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard this year… haha

I shrugged my shoulders and walked with Mandy as she said she will show me around the compound.

By the side of the main hall is the administrative office. A short single storey structure with plain looking doors. There’s a fresh coat of paint on the walls.

Mandy : This church was built a few years ago… but the 1st contractor did some pretty shabby work…. Place started falling apart…. We had to do a major rework on many parts of the church…



Jeff : Oh… no wonder it looks so new…

Mandy : We only just completed the works 2 months ago…. Actually we were planning for a grand opening and all but….

Jeff : But what ??

Mandy’s tone became solemn when she told me that an unfortunate incident happened a month ago.

Mandy : A girl that the orphanage took car off passed away….

I tried to keep my emotions in check and asked Mandy what happened.

Mandy : No one is sure… she got up in the middle of the night and left the church…. Something she has never done before… and…. And she ends up getting knocked down by a car….. poor thing….

I did not say anything to that.

Mandy : Poor girl… her twin sister is still here….

We stepped out into the patio and I saw Gwen sitting along on a stone bench. There are several of those scattered throughout the garden.
She hugged her knees and just stared into thin air.

Mandy : She hasn’t spoke a single word since her sister passed away….

Jeff : really ?

Mandy nodded her head.

Mandy : poor girl…. Imagine not having anyone left in this world…. All alone… I cried like a baby when my grandmother passed on…..but Gwen….Gwen is just shell shocked….


Mandy told me that Gwen did not cry when news of her sister’s death was made known to her.

Mandy : I broke it to her in the gentlest way possible….it was heart wrenching…. Her eyes went red….. then I could see the tears dropping silently….but it’s not the same as crying you know what I mean….?? She’s not letting her emotions out…. She’s bottling it all in… it’s not healthy….
I am also bottling all my emotions in at that moment, yet I had to somehow manage a weak smile.

Jeff : Life….. fucks with us all one way or another….



Mandy : woah…. Watch that language cowboy… hahah….chill man…

Gwen is the oldest kid in the orphanage. The other 3 are toddlers who just started to learn how to walk.

Mandy : The younger ones get adopted fast… but older kids like Gwen….it takes a while… and …. And recent developments… have not been helpful….sigh….

Mandy showed me the sleeping area where the kids are settled and introduced me to Auntie May.

Jeff : hello… I’m Jeff


May : Hello… hello…

Mandy : May takes care of the kids full time…. She rotates the shift with Mariel….where is Mariel ??

May : she’s at the back….

Mandy introduced me to her filipino colleague and we walked round the back to the last building in the compound. A smaller stretch of single storey structure with a pitched roof.

Mandy : This is the staff quarters….. here….this is the general store….

She opened the door and tried the light.

Mandy : Oh.. the bulb died a month back…. Still waiting for the handy man to come by…

Jeff : Handyman ? …. No need la… come.. I’ll do it..

Mandy : No.. no it’s ok…

Jeff : The bulb is right here…



It’s literally sitting 1m away on the shelves. I could see gardening equipment, spare parts, even some Christmas decorations neatly arranged on the shelves.

I grabbed the ladder and opened it.

It was a piece of cake.

When I was trying to replace the bulb though, I realised something weird.

Or rather, I felt something weird.

Say you see someone climbing a ladder, you want to offer your help. You would help to hold onto the ladder or whatever equipment the person needs right ?


I was only 2 steps up, the ceiling light isn’t exactly high up so that places my butt right in front of Mandy’s face.

I felt a shiver run down my spine when she asked if I needed help and she held onto my buttocks.

What the fuck.

Jeff : errrr….

This is weird on so many level.

She just pushed my butt cheeks up through my pants, in the same manner I would pretend I’m pushing up the boobs of a favourite teacher when I’m in school and a head shorter than her.


Mandy : Can ? ….. can or not ??

I don’t know what kind of answer to give her as I screwed in the new bulb.

Is she asking whether I can manage with the bulb or is she asking if I allowed her to push my buttocks ?

Jeff : ERmm… yeah.. it’s done… can you try ?

Mandy : Sure.. sure…

She let go and I jumped off the ladder.

The light came on and Mandy gave me a thumbs up.

Mandy : wow…. You are a man with many talents Jeff… hahaha

Jeff :Thank you… haha… you have no idea what I can do…

Mandy : hmmmmmmm…..



I turned and put the ladder back where I took it from and I literally jumped in the storeroom.

Jeff : arghh!!

She pinched me.

She fucking pinched my backside.

I turned around and I looked at Mandy who spoke before I could.

Mandy : That statement of yours… hmmm…. I hope you don’t meant it in a sexual way you know… hahah… hahah… it can easily be interpreted as sexual harassment… towards a colleague… hahaha.. hahah

I was staring at her with my mouth half opened as she shut the light of the storeroom.

Mandy : come on… I’ll show you the sleeping quarters…

I massaged my buttocks and exhaled.



Now not only do I have to worry about Clement, I have to worry about a fucking horny colleague.

Mandy : This room is shared between May and Mariel …..they usually sleep in the kids room…. And this other room…

She showed me the other room at the extreme corner. It’s a nice room, like your hostel in university. Functional and neat with 2 single bed.

Mandy : This is mine… and…. Yours….

I nodded my head with a frozen smile.

Jeff ; Right…. Ok….

Mandy : You mentioned you stay in Jurong East right ?? that’s so far… maybe you’ll want to bring some clothes over….you know… that way.. you don’t need to head back every day….



I have a feeling Mandy might want to rape me. If not for the skills I have equipped myself with over the years, I would have bolted from this place right away.

She’s really sweet and nice but she gives me a feeling she keeps a lot bottled up inside her as well. Something is waiting to explode inside her too. Perhaps her virginity.

This is a good opportunity for me to move in and I immediately voiced my thoughts.

Jeff : well….ermm… you stay just a short drive away right…. I guess you don’t really use the room often…. So I hope you don’t mind if I use it…. Now and then….

Mandy : No… no… no…. of course not… go ahead….well…I could always stay over you know… it’s good to get to know a new colleague…

Jeff : ermmm…I ermm


Mandy : oh…I’m sorry… I’m sorry… are you attached or married ??

Jeff : No.. no I’m single….

Mandy literally drooled, perhaps wet herself as she cast another lustful look at my groin region. She is good.

Really good.

I mean not many people can make me feel uncomfortable. Not even the baddest ass of fuckers I’ve put away but she, she fucking makes me feel uncomfortable.

Mandy : Well…go ahead and move in…hahha…it’s quiet at night around here….

Jeff : Right…..ok…

Mandy suddenly lowered her voice and told me that no alcohol is allowed on church grounds

Mandy : but we are all adults… I won’t say if you won’t….

She gave me a wink together with a click of her tongue as she opened the mini fridge by the side of her bed.



My eyes lit up immediately as I saw the 21 year old bottle of Hibiki.

Mandy : ahhh…. You know the good stuff when you see it eh… hahah….

Jeff : ermmm…well… I don’t think we should…

Mandy : Not in broad daylight duhz…. Hahah… let’s find a evening you know… we grab a meal…. Then maybe chill out….a drink or two…

I managed another weak smile and told her I look forward to it.

[ilikeoldchangke]

We left the staff quarters and I pointed to the cameras mounted on the columns and ceilings.

Jeff : are those working ??

Mandy : No… they went down about 2 months ago…

Impeccable timing.



Mandy : Management said they will fix it… but it’s been sitting there ever since…. Took all the recordings with them too….

Jeff : What about the gate… it’s trashed… anyone can just drive in… security is an issue…

Mandy : Hahah… come on… this is Singapore… very safe… very safe…. Don’t worry…

We wrapped up the tour ending at the main entrance of the church. Mandy asked me what do I think of the place.

Jeff : seems like a nice place to work… look forward to getting started.. !

Mandy :Really ! hahah.. good… looking forward to spending the night…. Sorry… I meant… you chilling out….hahaha…it’s been a lonely period for me… and aermm… i… I don’t know why am I blabbering… haha

Jeff : ermm…ok… i.. I should be bringing some stuff over… to stay over occasionally…



Mandy :sure.. sure… the… the shared bathroom has some of my toiletries…. Feel free to use them… hahaha….

Jeff : ermm… well thank you… haha..oh by the way…. You know… we guys… having been through army and all…. We get a bit… particular with security and all…. Seeing how open this place is…

Mandy : oh really ?



Jeff : Yeah…Singapore is safe and all but… seeing the gate down… is a little… uncomfortable…. Is it ok if I do something about it ??

Mandy :sure.. sure but… but I have to tell you in advance…. Asking the management for money…. When it comes to big ticket item like this….it’s really…. Really… hard…hahah you know what I mean…

I waved her off with a smile.

Jeff : Haiyah… small issue la… my uncle owns a factory producing gates like this…. I can get it done on the cheap….. it’ll look exactly the same… I’ll do it…. A small contribution to the Church….

Mandy stared at me with her mouth and eyes wide open.



If she hasn’t wet herself earlier, I think she just did. She exhaled, wiped her palms on her pants and brushed back the stray fringes on her head. Her zealousness is really commendable. Mandy is probably in her early thirties, she can be cute depending on the perspective you take.

At the moment, she feels more like a charging bull, eager to bulldoze her way into my life.

Mandy : wow…..

Jeff : Aiyah…. Don’t make a big deal out of it…. Haha


Mandy checked the time on her watch and offered to buy me coffee.

Mandy : Let me get my wallet ….

I followed her towards the area where the kids are staying. We walked passed Gwen’s room and I slowed down, looking into the small simple room where Gwen shared with her sister.

The louvered aluminium windows looked like relics from a different era but it offered me a glimpse into the private lives of the girls.

Mandy saw me slow down and she knocked on the door.

Gwen is inside the room with a book in hand.

Mandy :Hi Gwen…. We have a new staff…. Just want to say hi…


I appeared at the door and made my first eye contact with her.

There was no smile, no nod of acjnowledgement, no greeting.

Gwen stared at me for a few seconds before looking away.

Mandy spoke to me softly by the door.


Mandy : It’s heartbreaking to look at her….. I cry for her sometimes…. I tried to arrange for a therapist to speak with her but their schedule is so packed…. They can only send one next month….

I looked at Mandy and asked her if I could try.

Jeff : Can I try talking to her ?

Mandy laughed.

Mandy : haha… go ahead… everyone has tried…. She refused to even open her mouth… she refused to stepped out of the church compound…. Not even to accompany me across the road to the coffee shop for lunch….

Jeff ; Well…. If you don’t try… you never know right…


Mandy : sure… I would like to see… your…… many talents… hahaha..

I knocked on the door again but Gwen ignored me, choosing to lose herself in the book she was holding in her hands. I looked at the book title, Journey to the west, a classic I’m sure many of us enjoyed when we were little.

As I entered the room, every detail I took in broke my heart a little.



Pictures of Gillian and Gwen adorned the sparsely furnished room.
Some pictures are printed on normal A4 pieces of paper, some are instant polaroid. Most of them without frames, the ones that had were handmade. Like taking a walk through history, the pictures tracked the girls growing up years.

Names of different orphanages are visible at the background of some of them. The number of hands they had passed through.
I wondered what went through their heads each time they moved.

The adults don’t want us, passing us around from one to another.

Their smiles radiated warmth in the old grainy pictures. They are sweet and pretty, pretty enough for me to acknowledge that if I ever have daughters, I would want them to look like Gwen and Gillian.

There are a lot of drawings on the walls. They typical stick figures albeit with a bit more details. There are always 2 stick figures.

2 for 2 girls.

2 for 2 sisters.



The stationaries belonging to the girls are properly labelled. I could see everything that belonged to Gillian remained untouched. The table the girls shared is neatly divided into 2.

The names of each girl proudly decorated in glitters on the top corners.

I could almost see an image of the 2 girls back in happier times, bickering and talking to each other as they draw on that very desk.

There’s a shelf filled with books so old that the paper has turned yellow and blackish. Some of the covers are barely holding on. I looked at the titles that the girls read.

The usual Enid Blyton I read as a kid, most of it are about the famous five, the adventurous four, even one of my favourite when I was young, adventures of the wishing chair.


People read for many reasons, some chose to enrich themselves, some just want to escape the harsh realities of life. There is a reason why people chose to forgo sleep, flipping page after page knowing full well it’s a work of fiction, that it’s not real but we cannot help it.

Choosing to fully immerse yourself in the world of the characters. To see what they see, to feel what they feel.

The girls chose the easiest form of escape available to them.
Books.

They can climb the highest mountains, sail across the four seas right in the comforts and safety of each other’s company.

Perhaps they flip each page hoping for the escape that would finally come their way. True freedom to lead their lives by each other’s side.



Jeff : Hi Gwen….. may I sit down ?

She did not answer me, not that I expect one.

I grabbed a stool and sat down beside her bed.

Her eyes never left the book.

Jeff : I like this story…. Have you watched the show before ??

Again Gwen remained unfazed, choosing to flip over a page, hanging on to every word of the novel.

I asked Gwen if I could read to her.

Jeff : Can I …. Read a chapter to you ? ….lend some life to the characters ?

She looked up at me as if I said something ridiculous.

I gave her a reassuring smile and reached for the book, stopping my hand halfway from her. I want to see if she would take up the offer.


She hesitated. I don’t blame her.

Jeff : Just a chapter…. Nothing more… you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to….

Gwen looked at me. Her big round eyes painted a picture of hurt and pain. Inflicted upon her by a world she has yet to understand.
She handed the book over and I could hear Mandy gasped at the door.

I took over the book and I could see scribbles and drawings on them. I cleared my throat and I started to read. I narrated the part the Tang Monk travelled to the Kingdom of the women together with his 3 disciples.

I alternated my voices, going mischievous and squezky when I played the monkey, going dorky when I played Piggy, and being a little goofy when I spoke as Sandy.

It’s an adaptation of the original piece meant for younger audience. The dialogues are simple, some are funny. I spoke each line, animating it as if I am playing the characters.

I could hear Mandy laughing at the humorous part, but not Gwen.


Not her.

She just looked at me, curious why this man would come out of nowhere and read to her.

From a sitting position, she started to get more comfortable and relaxed. Gwen propped her pillow properly and laid down. Her eyes are open, still looking at me.



At the end of 30 minutes, as I wrapped up the chapter with the Tang Monk and disciples entering the palace, Gwen’s eyes were closed.

Her breathing was light. She had fallen asleep.

I closed the book and put it by her side. Turning to look at Mandy, I could see the look of awe in her eyes.

Mandy : you…… have no idea….. how sexy you looked when you read….. wow…. Are you gay ??

[ilikeoldchangke]

I laughed and shook my head.

Jeff ; No I’m not…

Mandy licked her lips and put her hands into her pocket.

Mandy : ermm.. let’s go grab that coffee ?



I nodded my head.

She walked away , presumably to get her wallet or her purse from the room down the hall.

I was about to stand up when I felt a hand on me.

Gwen.

She held onto my wrist.

She pointed to a drawing pad on her desk.

I went over and picked it up.



Jeff ; This ?

Handing it over to Gwen, she opened the drawing pad.

My eyes lit up and a wave of emotions hit me like a tsunami sweeping up along the beach.
There is the feeling of heat radiating from my belly, spreading like a plague into my limbs as I scrunched my toes in my shoe.

I bit down on my teeth hard as I looked at Gwen.

That drawing made me sick.

It showed 3 stick figures, 1 of them carrying Gillian horizontally.
The dark background, the yellow crescent moon.



Gwen’s stick figure had tears on her face and a frowning mouth.

Gillian’s figure too had tears illustrated with her hands stretched out waving at her sister.

It’s as if her sister is waving goodbye to Gwen.

Someone came in the middle of the night for her.

Clement came in the middle of the night and took Gillian and Gwen saw it.
She saw it all.

Gwen looked at me with her eyes filling up with tears.

She did not say anything. She did not break her silence but her eyes spoke more to me than words ever could.

Mandy appeared at that moment and she entered the room.

She saw the picture and sighed.



Mandy : She’s been showing us that picture ever since the day the accident happened…. People taking her sister away….. I guess it’s her way of dealing with it…

Gwen shook her head weakly, keeping her eyes fixed on me.

My heart felt like it was stab by a heated knife.

That aching is unbearable. It took everything I had to keep myself form shivering.

How painful it must be for Gwen to be dismissed by all the adults around her.

No one believed her.

Who would ?



Who would believe a 12 year old who just went through a traumatic experience ?


Mandy : Put that away Gwen…. Have a nap….Come on Jeff… let’s go…

Turning to Mandy I asked her to give me a moment.

Mandy : I’ll wait for you outside… get some rest Gwen dear…. I’ll buy hot milo for you….

I waited for Mandy to exit the room. Both of Gwen’s eyes are red and heavy with tears. I could see the desperation in them. Desperate to be heard, to be taken seriously.


I held her hand reassuringly and I looked at Gwen in her eyes.

Jeff : I believe you…

Gwen’s lips pressed hard against each other as her eyes shut, setting off a torrential flow of tears. Her face scrunched up as she cried silently, it’s as if she was afraid of other people knowing.

There is so much fear in her. I felt her hands squeeze mine so tightly that her fingers turned red. The amount of angst and pain cannot be described in words.


As she washed her face with her tears, Gwen flipped the page of her notepad, revealing another page.

It was the same drawing with a bit of modification.

The same 3 menacing stick figure but this time, they were not carrying Gillian.

It should them against the same dark and imposing backdrop, illuminated by a lone crescent moon in the sky.

This time they were coming for Gwen.

Not a single word left her mouth. All I could hear was sniffings and all I could see was the relentless flow of tears from her eyes.

Nothing stood between the 3 stick figures and Gwen who was illustrated with a frowning face under a hut with a cross on top.

I choked back emotions and tried to think of what to say.



I could have said anything, anything a little girl would have wanted to hear.

I could have told her who I am.

What I can do.

That I am there to protect her but it will not be enough.

The world of adults has destroyed her live before it had a chance to begin.

I reached for a crayon on Gwen’s table and gestured towards the drawing, asking permission to draw on the drawing pad.

She nodded.


I started to draw a figure in between Gwen and the 3 stick men.

The 3 stickmen that came for her at night.

No. I did not draw myself.


I drew someone she can relate better to.

I drew the Monkey king. Taller and towering above each of the other stick figures.

I drew him facing the 3 men, chin up, fist clenched.

Gwen smiled for the first time as she finished the drawing for me by adding on the magical staff, weapon of choice by the immortal monkey.

I handed the notepad back to her.

She closed it, and brought it close to her chest, her eyes never left mine.



Jeff : I haven introduced myself…. I am…. Sun Wu Kong….. ( Monkey king ) ….

Gwen’s smile did not stop the flow of tears from her eyes.

She laid back down on her bed , clutching her drawing pad close to her chest.

I helped her pull up her blanket.


She held my wrist again, as if asking me to stay till she falls asleep.


I nodded my head and told her I will be right there.

Less than 3 minutes later, I could hear a soft snore coming from Gwen.

I stood up slowly and checked behind me. I could see Mandy on her phone far out into the courtyard.



I brushed back a strand of hair matted on Gwen’s cheeks that are wet with tears.

She’s asleep, she won’t hear me but I still said what I wanted to say.


Jeff : I’ll protect you…….


The next part is not an appropriate thing to say on religious grounds, but I don’t expect to go to heaven.


I’m not a saint.


Jeff : I’ll find them………….and then I’ll kill them………….. I’ll kill them all….


……………………………………………………..

[ilikeoldchangke]

Thank you all for reading my work.

Hope you enjoyed it so far.


Cheers

James

[Devilcries]

Originally Posted by ilikeoldchangke

Jeff : I’ll find them………….and then I’ll kill them………….. I’ll kill them all….


……………………………………………………..

Is jeff a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will as well

[Icecass]

This is so good! Jeff’s interaction with Gwen brought a tear to my eye! Thanks for the great read TS!

[andythai]

Thanks for the update bro

[sennheiser]

Gwen was heartbreaking to read about. My God.

[Tai_zi21]

Fuck u make me drop a tear on Chinese New Year....

Gwen part is so heartbreaking...

[Ntspannar]

Originally Posted by ilikeoldchangke

Thank you all for reading my work.

Hope you enjoyed it so far.


Cheers

James

I'm curious, did u have tears while writing it?

[diputs1269]

Such good stuff for reading here, can't wait for more updates. Cheers!

[BiggerLeague]

Excellent story bro, waiting for more!

[madpig88]

Sure hope TS will update more soon, this story is very nice.