Chapter 4 – My Stalking Wind

Mrtyu changed her dress to casuals as it was the weekend. She rode her bicycle to lecturers’ dormitories. She was stopped by the security guard, “Where are you going, Miss?”

“Please let me in. I need to meet my lecturer.”

“As today is a weekend, all gone to their houses and will be returned by tomorrow evening. So don’t bother yourself and return to your dormitory.”

“I am going to meet Mr Alex. I know he won’t leave this academy even on the festivals and vacations.”

The security guard smiled at her and snapped his fingers, “You are right. He never left the academy. He is in the south wing, but little girl, you must be cautious; he is a short temper man. Get your bicycle always ready to flee at any time...” he chuckled.

Mrtyu smiled and rode inside the lecturers’ dormitories towards the south. The road to the south wing was a little longer than the entrance located at the north. She rode through the road which was covered with tall and big branched trees.

The heated atmosphere induced her secretion of sweats which rolled her cheeks like pearls. She wiped her sweats with one hand and balanced the bicycle with the other hand. She little panted to pedal the bicycle.

 “Why did this man choose south wing when all the staffs prefer north and east wing, it’s a long ride to meet him.” She lamented on her way. “Also, I am the only person riding in the vast road; I haven’t seen any birds so far.”

“Mrtyu…” a voice from behind called her which was least audible.

Mrtyu halted her bicycle and looked back to find who the person is. She couldn’t find anyone, “Who called me?” She was caught up in terror, “Maybe it’s my hallucinations…”

The terror got her all over which increased her secretion of sweats, she wiped with her bare hands and rolled her eyes in all the directions to spot the person who has been pranking with her.

As she couldn’t find any, “Ohio, I need to find Mr Alex today to convince him to change my topic to interior rather project on complex buildings. But why today’s sun is scorching me with its rays.” She exhaled and pedalled her bicycle

When the wheel moved, she felt a chilly wind pass on her. She was freaked out, “What the hell? Even the wind here is terrifying me.”

The sudden appearance of the unknown wind shook the trees around to make the leaves and flowers fall on her way. The chilly wind continued to breeze and she rode the bicycle in the leaves and flowers shed way, “It’s awesome to ride in the flowers filled path, it makes me feel like a princess.”

She stopped when she saw the fumes coming out of a chimney. She succeeds in locating Mr Alex. She rushed to knock on the door after adjusting her clothing and messy hair.

Before she knocks, the door opened and Mr Alex welcomed her as if he was expecting her. She was perplexed initially and later used to the weirdness happening around her.

“Come in” his voice was cool and so her fear of being scolded for disturbing him on the weekend is nullified.

Her eyes scanned all the corners of the house naturally and found many portraits of the building. She hesitated to wander around his house and so stick to the couch. Mr Alex gave her warm tea and she denied it first and later accepted as she was a little hungry after riding her bicycle for 30 minutes.

“Make yourself home,” said Mr Alex went inside the kitchen to turn off his stove which he was cooking, “If you feel hot, turn on the fan.” Mrtyu nodded and peeped by stretching her neck to check on him, and talking inwardly, “Can he cook?”

The hot vapours from the tea and hot weather gave her sweating again, when she was about to wipe her sweat, she closed her eyes and deeply smelled the taste from the hot vapours of tea, “Delicious…”

It was the same chilly wind that entered through the open window and filled the place where she seated. She said with closed eyes, “Oh, Mr Alex, thank you for turning on the fans for me. It’s hot here.”

She raised her head upwards and opened her eyes to the ceiling. “Ahhh…”

The teacup slipped on the floor and break into pieces, the hot tea spilt on her hands and legs. She stood up quickly wiping the tea. Mr Alex came running with another tea filled cup, “What happened?”

She apologized to him, “Sir, I-I apo-apologize… the tea... teacup is broken… let me… let me clean this.”

Mr Alex rushed telling, “Don’t bother. Drink the tea from this glass, he gave her another teacup, she was shocked and thought, “It’s weird, how did he know I would break the teacup and he comes readily with another. Or it is just I am overthinking that he would have prepared tea for him and given me his cup since I break the teacup.”

“Take left for the restroom.” He gestured in the direction.

“Uhh?”

“To clean up… leave the broken teacup to me, I can handle it.”

Mrtyu nodded and took the left direction to clean her up. She rushed to the restroom and locked the door behind like to hide from someone who was watching her all day.

She stared at her reflection on the beautifully etched mirror and wondered at the mirror, “hmm, this design is unique and is beautifully engraved. Wait… What? I can’t pretend as if nothing happened. First, the weather is hot, the chilly wind came. Second, Mr Alex living room was not airy earlier, I thought he turned on the fan but he wasn’t and he came from the kitchen, so it must be the same chilly wind. Air is one of the five essentials and it's normal for air or wind to be found everywhere, why do I overthink and make things complicate…”

After she gets cleaned up, she searched the cabinet for the dry towel to wipe. It was the same chilly wind that entered through the slim opening of the restroom window. “I think this wind is stalking me.”

She hurried out of the restroom and halted at the large portrait of the living room. The portrait has the same picture of the building which she saw on Mr Alex’s desktop.

As the portrait was larger, she could see the minute details of the building and wondered at the aesthetic beauty. When she was admiring, she felt cold around her and took a closer look at the portrait.

Mrtyu extended her hand to touch the portrait as if some magnetic force was pulling her towards it and a hand behind her touched her shoulder. She was shocked to turn and relaxed to find Mr Alex. “Sir, it’s you. I was just roaming and find this portrait…”

Mr Alex gave her tissue paper, “What’s this for?” she was puzzled and thought, “I might need a towel, not with the tissue paper.”

“Your tears…”

“Tears…”, Mrtyu touched her eyes and was traumatized to find tears from her right eye, and she asked her, “Why I am crying on the portrait? What is happening here? Or maybe the wind-blown through my eyes and so the tears came…”

Mr Alex asked her, “What is the purpose of your arrival?”

Mrtyu was zoned out in her thoughts and later pulled back to reality when Mr Alex repeated the question of her arrival.

“I… I… (She fluttered her eyes to get her mind clear) I come to request you to change the topic of my project.”

“May I know why?”

“I prefer to project on interior designing than the complex structure which is the real complex thing to project on. So I wanted to ask if there any possible way to change the topic?”

Mr Alex eyed her for a while and asked her, “Why do you prefer this course?”

“Course? Architecture? The same thing I was discussing with my friend…”

Mr Alex nodded, “Go on.”

Mrtyu recalled her saying to Geeza and told him, “Buildings are not only built on the purpose of residing or gathering, but the building also speaks the history and culture behind it.”