Superstar: Horn OK Please (15 page)

"Leave her alone, Goose, she's deeply hurt!" said Hound, rudely brushing away Goose's arm.

"Yes! I did it! We have a fire here, ladies and gentlemen, I have created fire!" I exclaimed, oblivious to the soap opera around me as I thumped my chest like Tarzan. It was my foolish, impudent attempt of lightening up the atmosphere and I failed miserably. And for obvious reasons, it had made me look like a joker.

Obviously, I cared a hang about Jenny's emotions then. Goose noisily chomped on the thick bar of chocolate as he moved to the other side of the fire to face Jenny and said, "Try it, Jenny, it will make you feel better. I've always told you that Derek's a prick of the highest order!"

Derek shouted, "What's your problem, girl? A Holier-than-thou, virgin syndrome on a moonless night tonight? Don't you like the music?"

"Shut up, you insensitive bastard! You are the damn problem, you know that?" hissed Hound, his eyes blazing with the embers of fury.

Goose smiled, chomping greedily at his bar of chocolate as I continued staring at the fire, wondering if I would have to waste more kerosene to keep the fire going. Goose and I both knew that it was going to be an adventurous evening tonight. We’d just messed up big time by making Jenny cry.

Derek balked and said nothing. His face tensed up as he stared at Hound straight in the eye, at daggers drawn as he saw Jenny hugging Hound tight.

"Learn to treat her well or I will thrash the shit out of you", said Hound softly, tightening his grip on Jenny as he stared back at Derek, "You don't deserve her".

Derek rubbed his chin and smiled an evil smile at Hound, "You are an emotional fool.  Don't mess this up between …us", hissed Derek as a mean streak covered his face in the moonlight. His eyes glinted with a mysterious tinge.

"Like I care…" replied Hound, as he stroked Jenny's head, trying to simmer her emotions.

I looked up, still kneeling on the ground as Goose stroked the clinkers. Jenny, sure, was going to become a problem.

There was something enigmatic about this woman which was beyond the realm of human understanding.  I could sense the inevitable amidst those crunches. I didn't like it one bit. Neither did Goose as we exchanged knowing glances.

Jenny continued crying inconsolably, feeling safe in Hound's arms. She was a problem child. As the bickering continued, a dark shadow emerged from the fire and slowly crept towards Jenny in the darkness. The apparition stealthily moved on the ground like dark water and merged with Jenny’s shadow. Nobody noticed it. It was Jenny’s shadow. It had a life of its own.

“Take me home, Hound”, said Jenny amidst the sobbing, “I don’t want to be around here anymore. I want to go to Angkor Wat right now. Take me home to Cathy and Lobsang now!”

This was a mistake. We were specifically told not to make Jenny angry. We had just made a big, terrible mistake. Maybe, this was just what Jenny’s Doppelganger wanted.

“You fool! Are you happy now? Didn’t Cathy tell us very clearly that Jenny’s going to have terrible mood swings tonight? Bloody selfish people – both of you!” said Goose angrily, pulling Derek to the side. Hound was too busy taking care of Jenny, the stupid fool in love. We had one chance to save Jenny’s life and maybe, we’d just blown it tonight. Derek let off steam, knowing he had made a mistake yet again. I hated them now. Because of our stupidity, Jenny’s Doppelganger might just kill her tonight.

Flying in a blue dream:

We were back inside the gloomy mansion. It was close to midnight. The howling had begun and the wind was blowing like a tornado that night. The embers inside the fireplace had once again turned into a raging inferno as Cathy, Lobsang, Nanny and Jeremy tried to console Jenny but to no avail. Hound and Derek couldn’t see eye to eye with anyone that night.

In less than 24 hours, Jenny would turn 23. Jenny was stubborn in wanting to go to Angkor Wat right away. It was Jenny’s call after all; it was her life that was at stake. She was inconsolable and beyond reason. Inside room number 7, Lobsang and Cathy went about placing and lighting 23 candles in a complete circle. Jenny was asked to lie down on a barren mat kept in the middle of the ‘Circle of Light’, as Lobsang called it. Jenny had had a shower and worn a white gown. She looked like an angel about to offer herself as sacrifice to the Devil.

Hound and Derek stood at the door of the room as Goose, Jeremy and myself watched the solemn ritual from afar. Jenny walked slowly, the clay urn in hand. Her eyes were swollen and I watched her enter the room without glancing at Hound or Derek. She was hurt and she felt alone. My heart bled for her then. I could see her step over a few candles and lay the urn on the ground, inside the Circle of Light.

She lay down on the mat, lifted the urn and placed it on her stomach and clutched it tight with both the hands as though the urn contained her babies and she’d given them warmth from her womb. Then she closed her eyes. Except for the dim lights from the chandeliers in the lounge, no lamps were kept on before the ritual. Lobsang had asked Jeremy to turn off all the lamps.

The trees outside the mansion huddled close together to witness something which was out of the ordinary. The girl who had danced and sung amidst the lush green woods was about to leave this place for a moment and figure out the answers for the wrong goings in the estate. As a howling wind rustled through the leaves, the trees carefully covered up the muffled screams rising from room number seven and barricaded the good against the bad. They were doing their bit as the silent inmates of the coffee estate. The whole estate seemed to have a life of its own that night.  

“Jenny’s powerful element is fire. She can control it. Even if we have one light bulb on, the whole house could burn down to ashes within minutes”, Lobsang had said.

Lobsang gave the sign and Jeremy switched off the mains, plunging the house into darkness. Then Lobsang slowly walked into the “Circle of Light” and squatted on the ground right next to Jenny. She looked at her watch once and then she placed one palm on Jenny’s forehead and placed other one on the urn that Jenny had clutched tightly. The urn didn’t seem to do anything to Lobsang. Strange hymns and chants emanated from the room as no one even dared to breathe. I moved closer to watch the strange proceedings. It was an ethereal experience to hear Lobsang chant. The chanting went on for about 15 minutes and then Lobsang stopped and she took off her hands as Jenny opened her eyes.

“Did you meet the Wolfman?” asked Lobsang in a calm, saintly voice.

“Yes. It was good, we need not wait for tomorrow. I know exactly what to do now. I just met the Devil…” spoke Jenny, her voice choked as tears trickled down her cheeks. Cathy ushered Nanny out of the room and then she shut the door. Inside the room, they spoke for a long time.

Jenny’s tears had shaken my soul big time. I wanted her to live…

***
 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

***

***

Roses are red and violets are blue,

She’d seen nothing like this before, a feeling so new;

She’d left her body, soared across the skies;

She had to find out the truth, no more promises and lies;

She flew like the wind; she crossed the seven seas,

She flew above the freshwater lakes, ancient ruins and trees;

There she was, she stood in the ancient city of Angkor,

A mythical place, an old city of legends and yore;

Would she find him or not, she always had a doubt,

He cannot be found, it is he who shall seek you out;

The Devil’s stooge, he’d come for her, she knew,

The touch of death, she now knew what to do;

It knew everything; the Beast is undying,

It knew when she spoke the truth, when she was lying;

A promise once made cannot be broken,

Keep your word! The Beast had spoken;

Free will is taken for granted; consideredt a birthright, y’see,

It’s exactly what makes us human, the soul roams free;

But if smiles and Imagination makes you say ‘Cheese’

Drive on, that’s the spirit of Horn OK Please…

***

Eagle’s flight:

Jenny lay still in the Circle of Light. She had no idea what to expect when Lobsang placed one of her palms on her forehead and the other, she placed it on the clay urn. Jenny could hear the mystical chants and she felt her soul vibrate inside her body. Soon enough, she was looking at herself lying still inside the circle formed by the beautiful candles. Jenny stood in awe, urn in hand as she saw everyone around her staring at the still body that lay on the floor. She had never had an out of body experience before. This was her first time. It felt weird.

“Maybe this how is it would feel like when I’m dead”, thought Jenny. Time and space had no meaning from the point where she stood looking at the others. The love of her life, Derek, stood transfixed as he saw her lie still. She felt her heart beat faster when she saw him. He loved her but maybe, she loved him more. On the other side of the threshold stood Hound, she could feel his heart bleeding for her. He loved her more than Derek could ever love her, but she didn’t love him back the same way. Jenny knew that she was torn between Derek and Hound. It was a tough choice.

In her heart of hearts she knew that she cared for both of them equally. She wanted Derek while Hound wanted her. If only life were not so complicated. It was Hound who had saved her from sure death when they had met for the first time. Derek was sitting inside Motormouth and watching her die, he had confessed to it. It was Hound she always seemed to reach out to, when she needed her heart to be held like a delicate crystal flower, it was Derek she’d reached out for when she needed to feel like a complete woman. It was Hound who was always there. He’d saved her life from that beastly wolf just last night while Derek was busy making out with her Doppelganger.

She wondered what was more important to her – to love or be loved? She didn’t have an answer then, maybe she never would. Maybe, she’d just been lucky in love -too much, too late. So what if Derek had looks that could kill, Hound was evergreen. Maybe, she loved them both the same way and she never could admit it to herself.

“Liar! These are your deepest, darkest desires, Jenny. You love them both and want them both equally. Your selfish side craves for love and your selfless side wants to be loved”. She was confused and now she knew it as she saw both of them staring at her cold body lying on the floor inside the circle of life.

But this introspection made Jenny want to live. She hadn’t been saved one day just to die another day. Jenny wanted to stay alive and figure things out, enjoy life with the living. She’d spent way too much time with the undead. Her new friends had given her a reason to live.

She felt her body float with absolutely no effort from her end. Lobsang’s chants played somewhere deep inside her head, Jenny didn’t really know where it came from. It was haunting, lilting and mystifying in a language not known to her. She loved Lobsang, who had been her only friend since childhood. She was the only one who knew the truth. If Jenny were to die without trying, Lobsang would be dead too. Winston had met her when she was just a child. The circle of life was a gift to keep Jenny safe from her Doppelganger and now Lobsang had served her purpose for Winston. If Winston and Jenny’s Doppelganger were not stopped, everyone whom she loved around her would get killed. It was not about Jenny alone anymore.

She decided that she would do anything to save Lobsang from the evil Winston. Jenny shared a special bond with Lobsang, a bond that could not be explained. She would save everyone who loved her. Maybe, the joy of loving is far more than the pleasure of being loved. She wanted both. She would try real hard.

Jenny felt herself floating in the skies with the clouds passing by, she felt like an angel holding on to a tornado of souls. She looked down to see beautiful Mother earth as the clouds gently kissed her face; she felt the wind blowing in her hair, as the cool breeze touched her heart. The rays of the sun shone on her and kept her warm as the moon behind her kept her cool. She was flying high above the earth, not that she felt like Super girl, rather she felt like a bird soaring across heaven while the elements played with her. She felt love. She felt tender, pure, selfless love then.

Jenny looked down and she knew she had to descend. She was shooting across the skies like a meteor and she was moving very fast. She loved every moment of her life then. Never had she felt so alive. She let go of the clay urn and it seemed to follow her on its own. The chants could still be heard. Lobsang’s voice played somewhere far away as she could see the beautiful temple ruins at the ancient city of Angkor. She was gliding over the Siem Reap river in Cambodia.

As she crossed a floating village, she could see a stream with a thousand
lingas
down below, underneath a river. Soon, she could see the ancient temple of Angkor in Siem Reap as she descended. She gazed at the temple that was built by the Khmer civilization very long ago, the stuff she’d read about in the books and fantasized about being there. Jenny kept falling as she came closer to witness one of the most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements mankind has ever known.

Closer, as would have been a 100 feet away from
terra firma
, she saw the breathtaking views around the river.  The water was deep blue and it seemed to spread out like an ocean. The lush greens of the thick jungle made her come back to reality. These were the jungles of Cambodia. The Wolfman must be somewhere close by. She looked around in awe as she saw the five towers that rose from the sides towards the sky, a depiction of Mount Meru – the lost city of Gods.

The sheer magnificence of the structure held her mystified as she hurtled towards the ground, the urn back in her hands as she floated like a flower to land inside the super structure right in front of the largest tower inside the ancient temple of Angkor Wat. She couldn’t believe that she was standing there inside the legendary superstructure that floated on a subterranean water table.  Urn in hand, she took in the beauty as she waited for the Wolfman. There was no one around. She was the only one inside the temple.

Great balls of fire:

What she saw was a huge complex of shrines, stone palaces, and ruins and the sight made her smile and forget her worries for a fraction of a second. As she slowly walked around the ancient ruins, she wondered why there was a wide moat between the Angkor Wat and mainland. Was it because people around knew about the Wolfman and the locals, she had read, may have wanted to keep him away from the city? Jenny tried to figure out where exactly she was within the vast complex.

The sun was about to set and the complex was empty with not a soul in sight. She moved around like a ghost as Lobsang’s prayers chanted somewhere in the background as she looked around. “The Wolfman would seek you, you cannot find him”, Lobsang had said. All she could do was wait and move around. The sight was worth the wait at least. She was walking around the mysterious sanctuaries that were famous for their myths and legends. She’d come from the mansions of the Gods to the mystic city of the Gods.

Jenny kept walking, her heart pounding, wondering what the Wolfman might look like and how would she react when she met him. She felt a lump in her throat when she was reminded of her purpose when a sudden chatter of a multitude of monkeys made her jump with fear. The thick surrounding, overgrown Cambodian jungle was home to them. Maybe, the Wolfman was watching her from somewhere. She turned around and saw nothing. It was growing dark and the night sounds of the jungle were taking over. After all, it was once believed to be a funerary temple and locals claimed that angry spirits roam the complex at night. She was scared. Fear had all she’d known before love. It was her old enemy.

Jenny froze in horror as she saw a man suddenly materialize in front of her. He wore a black coat and white trousers. He was dressed like an old Portuguese merchant. He was carrying a very heavy sack on his shoulders. He was grunting and panting as he walked. Then he stopped to turn around and look at Jenny. Her blood froze when the fleeting face of her great grandfather flickered across his face. The face melted to reveal a skull. Then as mysteriously as it appeared, the old man disappeared. It had been the apparition of her great grandfather walking around with a sack of gold slung across his shoulder. Evil Winston knew she was here.

Jenny felt very scared. Time was running out and the Wolfman showed no signs of his presence. Suddenly, she heard the sound of thunder and she saw many balls of fire shoot across the compound like shooting stars. They moved at a furious pace as they scaled and searched the great temple as though looking for something or someone.

One of them hit Jenny from behind and knocked her off her feet, enveloping her in scalding flames. The flames seemed to come from the depths of hell. Before Jenny could respond, the great ball of fire had trapped her inside. There was darkness all around as Jenny burned, writhing in pain inside the ball of fire.

The Wolfman had arrived.

Shout at the Devil:

Jenny struggled not to scream. She was in a dreamlike state of pain when the great ball of fire exploded and Jenny fell on the hard flagstones. Jenny was panting and sweating as she stumbled back to her feet just to realize that she was still inside the Angkor Wat temple, at the top of the main tower at the center of the compound. She was glad that the urn was still safe with her. She felt the strange presence of something horrible as the stench of death descended upon her like a cloud as she slowly turned around.

Her heart skipped a beat when she looked into a pair of shining, angry, red eyes that shone in the dark. It was coming towards her. The gleam of the two eyes seemed to take shape in the mists of her mind. She knew she was safe as long as she could hear Lobsang chanting somewhere far away. Jenny’s heart was pounding like a hammer. She could hear it thump loudly in the darkness and silence that surrounded the place. She could hear many wolves howling at the base of the tower. The howling was becoming louder as the pair of eyes came closer.

The darkness seemed to take shape and slowly turned into a wolf as a thick cloud of mist surrounded her. The huge beast walked towards her. As soon as it came close to Jenny, it paused and turned around as a tunnel of mist formed in front of her that led down steep stairway. The huge beast started ascending and as if on cue, Jenny followed the wolf, carefully scaling the steep climb of what had been the stairway to the top of the main tower. She walked through the misty tunnel, following the beast only to be led to thick jungles of Cambodia, away from the temple of Angkor Wat. Jenny briskly walked through strange temple ruins, following the wolf as it moved in front of her like a ghost.  Soon, she reached the dark entrance of a cave.

A thick outgrowth of trees surrounded the place where a multitude of stone steps appeared out of nowhere. The steps seemed to lead to the bowels of the earth. She could see a door very far away where a faint lamp seemed to glow inside. “This can’t be hell”, said Jenny to herself, trying to calm down, “for hell would need many more lamps to light up”.

Jenny followed the wolf to the door. The wolf stopped at the door as though making way for Jenny to enter alone. The crooked, narrow steps behind her that led to the door vanished as Jenny crossed over the threshold into the dark cave. She didn’t know what to expect.

Jenny then entered a small, dimly lit room inside the cave that had an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling at the far end of the room. The stench of death was all around her. It was the same stench that had enveloped the passage that led to the trapdoor when Jenny was trying to escape from Winston’s spirit.

“Welcome, my child, I have been expecting you”, said a wrinkled old man who materialized out of nowhere. He was a shrunken, 5-foot, skinny, bald old man with a hunchback in a black cloak. His slimy, green face was covered with warts and his skin looked like dark leather. “I am the one that you seek! Some know me as the Devil’s left ball. I suppose you know me as the Wolfman…”, said the old one in a voice that could make the dead turn in their graves.

Jenny had regained her composure. She had expected the Wolfman to be a huge, terrifying beast of pure evil. But this shriveled, ugly old man was not the least bit terrifying. Scary and mean looking, yes, but this is not what she had expected the Devil to look like. He looked like a wizard who was probably a few hundred years old, as old as Angkor Wat itself.

“Are…are you really the Wolfman?” Jenny stuttered as she spoke, holding the clay urn close to her chest.

“Yes, I sure, am, Jenny, or should I address you as that greedy Winston D’Silva’s great granddaughter who wants to live to love?” cackled the Wolfman; grinning wide to reveal a dark toothless mouth, as filthy as the cave itself. He tried to turn around slowly towards a stone table kept in the corner of the cave. She could not see his face clearly in the dim light.