Hush Hush

Chapter 1

"How do you do it?" I asked, curious. We had been together, drinking tea and chatting away for over an hour. The sun was setting, I’d be leaving soon to prepare dinner.

"Do what?" Ms.Miggins asked, a little shocked and confused by my question. Getting up on her chair to put the cups in the sink. My eyes were swiftly moving with her but hers where everywhere but me. She was so old yet so strong and energetic. Her energy was that of child how had eaten a chocolate.

"How do you stay this strong and energetic at your age?" she was such a role model. She should give me tips on how to still be old and young at the same time, I wasn’t planning on leaving my husband, I had hopes of us growing old together and still be rocking the woman on top. Before she could answer my question, the door bell rang and interrupted our conversation. She was saved by the bell.

"Let me get that," she went to the door, while I also got up and looked for a drink in the fridge, my body sure had consumed too much tea. I was hoping she’d have a cold-drink or some freshly made juice. She had non. When I retracted my hand from the handle, my fingers returned with smears of a sticky substance. That was unlike Ms.Miggins, she was very clean. She probably missed a spot. The substance had no smell but it did have a glossy reddish-brown color.

"We didn't know you had company," Mr Smith said as he saw me standing there. He was with one other fellow who lives in flat number 2.

“Afternoon Mr Smith. It’s good seeing you. You too sir.” My head hung down as I felt a blanket of shame engulfing me for not remembering the man’ surname.

“Likewise” They replied in unison.

“We can come some other time…” Mr Smith reluctantly said.

"Oh no! She was leaving…" Ms.Miggins said taking me to the door.

“I was?”

"I'm sorry sweetie but we have to cut our time short. I have a meeting with this residents of ours." she quickly said as we got outside her door.

"Its fine. I will just go to my flat to change into so-"

"Yes you do that. The meeting is about to start. I will see you some other time" she added, closing the door on my face. O-kay!

I walked away from her door and took the stairs leading to my floor. It served as an exercise for me. I wasn't fat neither was I thin. I was a size 36. I was hoping to just change my clothes and go out for snacks. But time was not favouring me, my will be home soon. Just as I was nearing my flat, the Frenchwomen was descending the stairs, the one who lives in flat number 1. I don't know what she was doing up there. I couldn’t pronounce her surname.

"Mrs Griffiths, how are you," she greeted cheerfully.

"I'm good thanks and yourself?" I feel extremely bad that she knows my surname and I had forgotten hers. Such a bad neighbour I was.

"I'm good, I’ve been meaning to invite you and your husband over for supper,” She grinned at me encouragingly as she took the last step to be on my level.

"Really? We would love that,” I happily said, smiling radiantly. She was also just as old, but not really that much energetic and strong as Ms.Miggins. Ms.Miggins. should share her herbs.

"Dinner? Tonight? My place," She replied, looking at her watch. She wore spectacles, her eye sight was weak.

"Great. What time?" She saved me a great work of cooking. We had or rather I had not spent time with her, but she seemed like a nice woman. It will be great having dinner with her.

"Lets say, seven o'clock,"

"We will definitely be there. Should I bring something along? Wine maybe?" I offered.

Being married to a coloured taught me to always bring something along, whenever I was invited. We would always have something on us, whenever we visited people.

"Oh no! Just bring yourself. That’s all." She smiled warmly, and walked away.

She also lived alone, and hardly goes out. What was more remarkably was that none of them (the residents) had partners once upon a time but were now widowed or divorced. With the old age, they were bound to be feeling lonely, feeling detached from people at large. Back in our apartment, all of our neighbours had been a young couples or had families. There had been a great deal of noise over there: we heard children's shoes jumping down hallway and both grown-ups and children's laughter. Sometimes we even heard quarrels, and parents scolding their children - and of course that heart wrenching loud crying. But we had been surrounded by life and youth, and the place had seemed brighter and cheerier.

Gretel Cottage was different. It was nice and quite - so quite that sometimes it felt lifeless. Perhaps the dreary weather added to it, but the lack of sound gave the building a subtle lonesome feel about it. It was sad, in a way. Sombre! Actually it was eerie. I dipped my hands inside my pockets for my phone, It wasn’t there, only remains of sweets. I must have left it at Ms.Miggins apartment. I marathon-ed back to grab it, hoping they were still sharing pleasantries instead of finding them in the middle of the meeting. I opened the door, quietly opened the door so I may not disrupt them. I wanted to go in and out in seconds. I halted on my tracks, sucking in a breath. My feet tried digging through the hard wooden floor but only pain seeped through my toes. Their eyes bore holes in me and left me soulless.

Mr Smith was seated, digging hungrily into the tray full of contents. His big hairy arm reached across the table, gorrila-like and he snagged a wine glass but the contents seemed darker. Lifting the can, the redness of the drink encircling the rim, he took a long sloppy satisfying chug washing down his food. The glasses sat half empty in the maggot filled table, beside him labored by candlelight’s which began to flicker upon invited air. A tray of raw liver laid un shamelessly staring back at him, with maggots modelling and parading left to right in it. Ms.Miggins and her lady friend were standing. I looked at the both women and realised they were taller than they usually were. They were in black gowns, which made them much lighter and unsavory. Dots and more dots proudly stuck on their face like beauty spots and dimples. The black gowns they wore were long both on their hands and feet. I couldn't make out what colour was their eyes, but it was not their normal eye colour. It was different and darker. Even Mr Smith's eyes had the dark aura with red veins fighting to dominate. He even had a knife in his hand, the kind that the Zulu warriors used to s*******r animals when going to war. The room was now more darker and colder than it was when I left. I couldn’t hear my heart beat any longer as I felt the heaviness of my heart in my throat, threatening to come out.

" I’m sorry to interrupt but I needed my phone. I left it behind. Talking about old age huh? Don’t you worry about my presence, I’ll be out in a sec. You guys continue" I stammered, frightened.

The maggots were making their way out and in the tray, rather the meat. No one still said a word. My phone was on the side table, next to Mr Smith, our eyes met as I straightened up, his teeth were dyed red. My eyes returned to Ms.Miggins, her height was that of the cupboards but her legs were left hanging under the black dress in the air. I had seen enough, my eyes were started to itch. I went down again to and grabbed my phone which had made friends with the maggots. I had no time to scare the maggots away from my phone, I was terrified and frightened but the most dominant feeling was confusion. With my heart in my palms and a lump clogged in my throat I walked away, in my un-normal walked, my feet stepping into the other, vice versa. But they felt heavier for my body, causing a strain at my speed with my knock knees buckling and weak.

My breathing escalated as my eyes wondered around to the door. I tried taking steps forward going for the handle but my feet failed. Mr Smith stood up from his chair, making his way to me. He, unlike his associates was walking on the floor. Stupid questions filled my smoke filled head. How could they float in the air and not fall? Where they practicing witchcraft? I hoped not! Finally my feet started moving slightly, moon walking to the door like I had all the time in the world. Mr Smith’s two teeth on the side were sharp as he laughed and neared me.

"I swear I didn't see anything. I'll just sleep and forget I even came here," I assured Mr Smith as he took calculated steps towards me, propelling me to continue moving back. He was getting very close by a second. My body was now against the wall, not far from the door. I just had to turn once and run for the hills.

"You were not suppose to be here to begin with, " the words seeped from the man’s mouth like poisonous vapor, slow and deadly while smiling wickedly, showing off his teeth’s which were red stained and unappealing.

"I’m very sorry. Something like this won’t happen again. I should probably get going since I found my phone. Please never mind me, continue with your meeting. You guys look great by the way," I didn’t understand the words that came out of my mouth. They sounded foreign.

I turned around to hold the door knob but I wasn't fast enough as I felt Ms.Miggins hands pulling me back like she was her petticoat from the drying line. I didn't know how or when she got to me but she did. She was not my normal neighbour, I was used to. The one I drank tea with and chatted away with. She was a different women now.

"Smith leave the poor girl alone. She's mine!" She fought. I was hers? In what sense

"She interrupted us and saw what she was not suppose to see. She must die," he commanded in an angry unnegotiable tone.

He was clearly not hearing it. I closed my eyes as I saw my life flash right in front of me. This was not how I hoped to die. I always asked God to take me after being whisked away to a foreign country and drank enough ‘umbrella’ juice in a cruise. Only then he could take me.

Dying like this was not part of the plan, me and God agreed on a different death, at least I did. He must go back and refer. I suddenly became too pressed to walk or even ask for a toilet that I relieved myself right there and then. Warm pee made streamed down my pants.

"You know she will forget all that if we use our power correctly. Just don’t take her life. I have plans for her" Ms.Miggings begged on my behalf a numerous times, I saw Mr Smith's face relaxing a little. I couldn't take it anymore as my legs failed me and dropped me down on the floor, unconscious.

-

I woke up early evening, with a pounding head. I tried thinking long and hard on what caused my headache but nothing came to mind. I was in my room, under the bed covers. The last thing I remember is fetching my phone. Cracking my head about today’s events, trying to piece together the puzzles gave me headache.

"Hmm what happened. I feel hungover. I didn't even drink alcohol?" I said, holding my head tightly as if trying to suppress the pain.

I searched for my phone, with my eyes closed. The time was exactly 07:00 in the evening. My word, I overslept and I was sure my husband was back from work.

Oh flip! The dinner invitation. It had totally slipped my mind that we were both invited for dinner by the Frenchwomen . I sprinted to the bathroom and took the quickest shower. It was an in and out situation. I only moisturized on where the skin would appear. I quickly changed into a body hugging sky blue dress, adding my pearl necklace my husband got for me on our wedding, and finished my look with the black blocked heels. I hardly forget invites, so I didn’t understand or remember what distracted me from preparing for the dinner. I must have been so sleepy and exhausted to sleep for so long. Maybe I would take Ms.Miggins with. She needs the fresh air and see other people, mingle you know. Not stay cooped up in her apartment. I wonder how their meeting went and what it was about. I went to out to look for Paul so he could also freshen up quickly and wear comfortable clothes.