Akhand Singh

Something horrible was going on with me, as it was a bad dream.

I kept walking to the exit and as soon as I crossed the gate, I looked around for a cab. After I noticed a cab driving towards me, I waived my hand. The cab stopped and as the driver helped me by taking my luggage and putting them on the trunk, I jumped in the cab.

“Take me to the Marriott please,” I asked the driver.

“Yes sir” he says and drives.

I stare outside the window, cars everywhere, people walking with peace. There is something about London that always attracted me, the huge, old buildings always held a kind of gravity on my eyes. Nevertheless, even with all the beauty and serenity around, my head still hurts because of the terrifying experience I just had. I met two women, both disappeared suddenly, and nobody else saw them except me.

“Sir, Can you see that lady there?” I asked the driver.

“Yes, she is pretty; do you want me to pullover?” He smiles.

“No, just take me to the Marriott please?” I request being happy that I am not going crazy, driver could see the same I could.

“Sir, could you see the boy standing there?” I asked again just to confirm.

“Yes sir, I can see the boy,” he says.

“Are you ok sir?” he asks, probably noticed the tension, restlessness and tiredness on my face.

“Yes I am fine” I replied.

We drove for around twenty minutes; sleep caught my eyes for a minute or so when tiredness took over my body.

“Wake up sir, we are at the Marriott” driver says.

I open my red eyes and got out of the cab, body felt so heavy that I almost faint.

“Are you alright sir?” driver asks again, with a nod he just brings out the entire luggage and walks with me to the reception.

“Welcome to Marriott Sir” the receptionist, says.

“How are you doing?” I ask.

“Good and you?” He says.

“I already have a reservation” I reply.

“Let me check? May I have your photo id please?” he says.

I hand over my passport to him and meanwhile I pay to the taxi driver and give a good tip considering he helped me this much and then turn back to the receptionist.

“Thank you sir” driver exclaims with joy standing at the door and waives his hand to me. I reply with another waive, something about his happiness just made me happy.

“Here is your passport sir” receptionist interrupted and handed my passport to me.

“You are staying on the room 1310 as you asked, it faces River Thames,” he says.

“Your luggage would be sent to your room, have a great stay,” he says again.

I hop on the lift to go to the 13 Th floor, the attendant shows me my room and help me carry my bag-pack. He opens the door and checks everything just to confirm if I was happy with the room.  Later he leaves after showing me how I can reach for reception if I need anything.

I remove my shoes and shirt and then simply jump in the bed, the warmth of the comforter aids in the sleep and within moments I go into the depths  of sleep wonderland.

With the noise of glass breaking, I wake up, look around but I find nothing, not even a single piece of broken glass. I get out of the bed and walk to the porch, the river seems so soothing, I slept throughout the day and now the sun was about to set. Streets lights glimmering and warming the streets looked so beautiful; it enthralled me. I stood there for a while and then came inside when I felt little cold.

“Hello I am speaking from room 1310, can I have a Johnny Walker green label sent to my room please” I call the reception.

Fifteen minutes later, the attendant knocks to my door with the bottle, a glass and an icebox filled with ice, in addition, he leaves. I open the bottle and pour the whisky into the glass, take a sip and keep it back on the table. Later I picked up the glass and walked towards the glass door of the porch. I slid the chair that was next to it and lifted my legs up to rest on the table. The thought of the girl I met on the plane and the women I bumped into at the airport stressed me out. There was something about both of them, constantly reminding me of myself. I was not able to run away from those eyes, their concerns and care. They held me through my heart.

A knock on my door brings me back from the daydreaming and I walk to open the door. It amazes me to find a little girl standing on the door. I look around, the corridor was empty, there was no one except this little girl, dressed in white t-shirt, pink skirt and pink shoes, she looked so adorable, I guessed she aged around seven or eight.

“Hello Sir” she says.

“Hello kid, what you doing here?” I ask.

“I am looking for my Dad,” she says.

“Are you lost?” I ask

She keeps quiet and runs into my room, “wait what you doing?” I shout. She does not listen to me and jump onto my bed.

“She looked just like me, her eyes were same, if I ever had a daughter I could have said she could be my daughter but she is not I just met her, right?” I question myself.

“Where are your parents? Are you staying on this hotel?” I ask her.

She just nods and does not say anything. I hurry to pick up the phone and make a call to the reception, and as I dial, she starts crying. I put the phone back and try to make her smile again.  I reach out to my luggage and take out some chocolate that I bought at Berlin airport and hand it over to her. That soothes her down for a while and then she starts crying again.

“What happened? Why are you crying? Do you need more?”  I ask her

She does not say anything and keeps crying, I do not understand anything until I see blood coming out of her nose. I hurry and help her lay down on the bed but the bleeding does not stop.

“Where is your Dad? Tell me which room are you staying in?” I yelled.

“You are my dad?” she says and cries louder.

To be continued…