LOVING A MANNEQUIN

Chapter 14: Drowning

After being exposed to dust for a whole week of cleaning and commuting to work, I felt my entire body become sticky and my skin became dry. Tonight, I thought to soak myself in the pool.

With a plate of sliced apples and a glass of grape juice, I indulged myself swimming back and forth in the pool. As I got tired, I stood at the side of the pool in a bottom of the ladder with a water level reached until my neck and let the vast amount of water caress my body. 

The night was quite good. The wind was too silent and the sky was full of shining stars. The shines of the stars and the dim light coming inside the house highlighted the smoothness of my snowy white skin after having contact with the water. Each drop of water pool was like a crystal marble rolling down on my body in which making my skin more glowing as it was hit by a shine of the stars and light.

I felt refreshed being in the pool. 

I observed the surroundings while leaning my back on the ladder. I realised that Melanie seemed lucky because she has everything: House, money, career and good looks. But, to carefully look at it, she was lonely. It was too lonely living alone despite having luxurious things. Now I luckily experienced this kind of life in an unexpected time and it made me reflect that life was more happy with your family, loyal friends or beloved one around.

Sighed. Thinking those things only made me remember my parents and I missed them so much.

I felt the night was already getting late. Since I still have work tomorrow which was another day of challenge against my patience, I decided to have one more trip before going up. But, when I was in the middle of swimming at the center of the rectangular pool where the water level was 5 inches higher than my height, my leg muscles cramped. 

In the next milliseconds, my body began to sink below the water surface. My mind yelled to me to call for help but it was no use at all since I was alone and it told me again to wave my hands to at least float my head a little above the water. Those attempts were no use to me. I was unable to shout for help nor swim going to the side of the pool by using my hand. 

It looked like fate was telling me I was going to die tonight. Before, on the day my father died, I wanted to die too but now I don't want anymore. I still wanted to be friends with Melanie and I still wanted to see the tame gorgeous face of my favorite mannequin. I still wanted to live long together with them. These wishes might be shallow but I was content with it. So please, I begged to God, to send an angel from Heaven and rescue me from drowning.

"I don't want to die yet." Shouted by my mind. 

I tilted back my head with my mouth opened as I managed to float a little but damn my hair covered over my face. As time went by, after struggling for quite some minutes, my body became weak and I was suffocating. Gradually, my body rolled down beneath the water and I passed out. 

"Barbie, wake up! Barbie!" Called by a familiar voice while pumping my chest. I slowly opened my eyes. Under my glassy eyes, I seemed to see the figure of a familiar person. 

My mouth subconsciously groaned a name. "Angelo." Angelo was a name I planned to give to the Mannequin. Just like what I already said, he was like an angel to me. Since he was a man, I added an O to the word angel and so it became Angelo.

The man who was saving me suddenly stupefied upon I called the name and seemed staring at me. 

"I'm glad you woke up." He said as he leaned me against the light post. "You go to your room and get change."

Without excusing himself, he just disappeared in the darkness. As my savior was leaving, my glassy vision gradually returned to normal and I found out that the man who saved me just now was the stranger who blocked the knife for me the last time. They both wore the same jacket with a hood and mask. But I was confused. Right as my eyes opened earlier, he somehow looked like the Mannequin but his voice sounded similar to the gentleman who had a car accident with me more than a week ago. 

Another one that confused me, how did he enter the house? I was pretty sure that the gate was locked because I checked it plenty of times. Wow, was he some kind of p*****t? A stalker? Or a ghost? 

My head hurt to think and I finally felt cold. Hence, with weak legs, I marched towards the inside of the house.