Extracts from edition 16 Entrapped – 16 The visitor She suddenly realizes what has awoken her because the sounds come again There is a knock on the front door The Script of Evil – 16 Appointment with.
Extracts from edition 16 Entrapped – 16 - The visitor She suddenly realizes what has awoken her because the sounds come again There is a knock on the front door The Script of Evil – 16 - Appointment with the Devil Hurriedly she desperately crosses Western Street in a hasty trot She assumes the van has stopped behind her at the robot which has turned red Via the Grapevine 10 - Doctor it was the Dog Food Entrapped Surviving the mysteries 16 The visitor Chloe forces herself with difficulty to open her eyes slowly They are thick with sleep and drowsily she starts to observe her room It is still darkish inside because she sheets in front of the blinds, but the many rays of sun that shine through the openings of the guest room and kitchen reveals that it must be late in the day She suddenly realizes what has awoken her because the sounds come again There is a knock on the front door Last night she plunged into bed dead tired and naked and covered her with the sheet She takes her smartphone and it shows it is twelve-o’-clock Well, Isaac’s tablet did their thing because she has slept right through until now She climbs out of bed and gets her gown out of the cupboard Someone knocks again and she shouts: “Just wait; I’m coming!” She is itching to phone Rene at the hospital to inquire about her family Could it be Robert or Isaac? Maybe it is Isaac with news It can only be one of the two Barefooted she walks to the front door while she pulls her gown straight and fastens the strings She desperately hopes that it is Isaac with good news She unlocks the front door and opens it and looks up right into the attractive face of Leo who smiles at her and winks “I tracked you like a bloodhound because I will go to world’s end to find my Chloe Don’t you also miss me? What about a little kiss?” Chloe frowns and her eyes narrow against the bright sunlight Again it is a beautiful, sunny and cloudless day “I have just awoken, Leo, and my mouth stinks Kiss me on the cheek if you must, you mad cock How on earth did you manage to get to me?” He bends forward and lands a gentle kiss on her cheek “I have just chased you out of bed but your natural beauty is overwhelming I miss you awfully! You’re not playing the game with us, Chloe The farm is dead without you We are all down in the dumps and Batista en Buddy howl all day.” “Oh no, man You are exaggerating hopelessly I don’t believe you!” “Those two watchdogs are used to following you all over and guard you When you’re inside, they wait outside When you walk out, they follow you like shadows and when you ride your bicycle they run along And when you ride the one with torque you must race away from them quickly or else they will run themselves to death following you You don’t realize how much they love you! Sis Chloe!” Chloe smiles She envisions the two lovely, giant boerboels “Come in, you scoundrel, you’re really succeeding in letting me feel guilty I have forgotten how fond they are of me and I haven’t been away from the farm in the past for long times I shall spoil them rotten when I see them again So, thanks for the information They don’t know how huge they are When they jump up against me and put their paws on my shoulders, they lick me dripping wet.” She laughs happily when she remembers: “However, I don’t enjoy my slimy hair and the smell of them and the wash of my body in the shower after they have cuddled me” Chloe tries to wipe the sleep out of her eyes while Leo enters “So, how did you find me?” “Well, I nagged Hayley and then got your address from Mrs Kennedy Now you can tell me in detail what happened yesterday.” Chloe turns and walks to the kitchen “Follow me to the kitchen, Leo, but leave the door open I want to invite the fresh air of the woods inside I’m simply mad about the aromas of this forest This place has a unique atmosphere.” She pulls out a chair from under the dinner table in the kitchen “You sit here while I get dressed and make myself presentable in the bathroom This house has no inner doors; only bead curtains in the door openings, so we will be able to chat while I’m busy.” Chloe hears Leo from the kitchen while she sheds her gown and opens the shower “This place is eerie Why not any inner doors? Hayley told me it spooks here and no one wants to stay here and she can’t believe that you are so stubborn to stay here alone Aren’t you afraid so alone here in these desolate woods? Those portraits in the sitting room give me the creeps They stare at you when you enter through the front door This place is hair-raising.” Chloe begins to shower while she speaks: “I can look after myself very well; and by the way, I’m not alone Robert, the caretaker, has his own wooden cabin deeper in the woods In case of emergency, I just have to pull the bell at the well and he will be here to help and also a new neighbour has arrived and moved into the opposite house.” “Chloe, this place is well known as a ghost house It’s only a matter of time and then queer things will happen to you It simply doesn’t make sense to me that you want to stay in this spooky place instead of on your own farm Has anything strange happened yet? Hayley told me that tenants in the past could endure this place for no more than two weeks before they made off.” Chloe wonders whether she should relate her strange experience of last night to him No, maybe it is too early to be jumpy as you frequently don’t see the reasonable explanation right in front of your eyes and then out of the blue you find the logical explanation “Leo, only a few rats sometimes visit me and make strange noises, that’s all I’m going to put rat poison all around The previous tenants knew about the farm murder that had taken place here and this negatively affected their imaginations When they heard the noises the rats made, they believed it were ghosts.” “Have you seen any rats so far? Chloe, did you see any droppings?” “Leo, this place was empty when I moved in without any food that enticed them Then I came with groceries and they smelled it I think they came in through the windows in the attic I surprised them before they could leave any evidence, that’s all.” She deliberately withholds the fact that the rats would not be able to open the windows from outside She also doesn’t tell him about the photo of the children that more than once landed face down on the floor She also doesn’t enlighten him about the footsteps like small children’s that awoke her A shiver runs down her spine when she thinks back while she is drying herself “Chloe, may I make breakfast for you or lunch because it is in the middle of the day Do you have something in the fridge that I can prepare for you?” Chloe smiles “I’ve never seen you prepare food before; you are going to make a mess Let me it.” “Oh, I see you have bacon and eggs and sliced bread; also onions and tomatoes Relax I’m going to make breakfast for you quickly Should I make it as you enjoyed it on the farm?” “Leo, you know how to bake eggs?” “Just tell me what you want to eat today Usually, you enjoy baked eggs with onions and crispy bacon on brown toast with tomato relish.” “Oh, what you know ” “Of course I know! I watched you in the mornings when I did not go out early and we enjoyed breakfast together at the table.” “Okay, now you have me curious I want to see if you know what you are talking about Why don’t you also throw the sausage that’s in the fridge in the pan because by now, it can be called a brunch.” Chloe hears the crackle of the fat in the pan and then she smells the lovely aromas from the kitchen It makes her very hungry while he answers: “Will do, Chloe, I will add the sausage and add a little water as soon as the bacon is crispy and out of the way Must say, I’d rather enjoy Susan’s wonderful farm meals in Clea’s front garden with the singing of birds I have everything I need there Not like you in this desolate ghost house in the bushes This place gives me the creeps.” She smiles while drying her hair “It smells nice, but remember: it’s a gas stove Don’t let the stainless steel pan burns on; it’s not mine but belongs to this place.” “Relax I’m used to gas cooking Much easier to regulate the temperature.” “Where did you learn to cook?” “At my previous jobs I had to work outside many times and prepared my meals on a portable gas stove in the veld, but now your farm spoils me with Susan’s wonderful dishes.” “You are full of surprises, Leo.” Her brunch is ready and looks delicious Impressed she smiles: “You truly know what you are doing; everything is perfect like I always enjoy it.” She then looks around: “Where are the dirty pan and the rest of the things? Have you already washed up and put it away?” “Of course, and I’m going to wash your plate and cutlery after you have finished eating.” Chloe sits down and takes a sip of coffee Surprised she looks at Leo: “You even know exactly how I like my coffee!” “Chloe, I know your likes and dislikes like my own and want to make you happy if you give me the chance I will never disappoint you in any way, my girl.” Chloe smiles happily at him: “Leo, you always surprise me in the most pleasant ways and you truly are a very special friend Sorry that I keep myself apart nowadays, but I simply have to get all my chickens in a row, okay?” Leo smiles comprehendingly: “Come now, Chloe! Make my day I want to see how you enjoy your brunch.” Chloe tackles the food and enjoys it immensely That is precisely what she needs now She feels much stronger and ready to tackle the challenges that this day might bring In her heart, there is a warm feeling for this strong, friendly man opposite her He really is a true friend He always goes out of his way for her and he works hard on the farm and he is talented and so successful in everything he tackles Greedily she enjoys the nice, crispy bacon and brown toast and suddenly feels selfish Zoey is fighting for her life in the ICU and Lyle must be awake by now and with pain over his whole body and wondering how his mom is Unwelcome tears unexpectedly run out of her eyes and she tries to wipe it away unnoticed with her backhand “Chloe, what happened yesterday? Hayley told me they went over a cliff at the top of the mountain pass How did you find them?” How does Leo always read her so well? “You know I was going to look for them and took the same road they had You know the mountain pass At the peak is a sharp bend and then the road goes steeply down on the other side with another sharp bend ahead.” Leo’s eyes widen: “Good heavens! Don’t tell me they went over there! How did they survive? It’s a miracle, Chloe!” “I found their brake marks all the way from the top down to the broken boundary wall where they burst through and went over I yelled desperately and against all logic as hard as I could I heard my voice reverberates in echoes from the cliffs and in the echoes, I heard Lyles voice As fast as I could I drove down the pass to where I got a phone signal and phoned the right person who contacted the emergency team directly.” “Shame Chloe, you saved them What would have happened if you had not found them?” “The doctor said they would have frozen to death.” Chloe’s smartphone rings and she grabs it immediately and anxiously looks at the screen that displays ‘unknown number’ She gets a lame feeling She just hopes it isn’t bad news “Hello, Chloe Eastwood here.” “Chloe, I hope I haven’t awoken you by calling Have you been sleeping?” “Doctor Horn, where did you get my number?” “Why so formal? I’m your neighbour, Isaac Mrs Kennedy gave your number to me I should have thought about it yesterday and got your number at the hospital Relax, I don’t have bad news The swelling on Zoey’s brain is detracting and she is now stable and must recuperate by herself while we monitor her in the ICU I explained the whole thing to Lyle when he woke up and this lad looks strong He fully understands her condition and that she probably will stay in a coma for a long time and I am impressed He is very independent and brave.” Chloe smiles happily: “Yes, he is our little Iron Man.” “Chloe, we want to keep him here today and want to release him tomorrow already He gave us his father’s number but we cannot get hold of him Do you perhaps know where he is?” “I honestly don’t know where Quinn is, doctor He and Zoey had a terrible fight and he left them and vanished But it doesn’t matter; I’ll take care of Lyle His father is unstable and not reliable at the moment It will be best if I take Lyle back to school if he wants to go He’s getting further behind with his school work and I think he realizes that He previously really wanted to come up to date I will fetch him from the hostel the first weekend after his mother has regained consciousness to visit her.” “Please stop calling me ‘doctor’, Chloe Lyle asked about you and I told him about the sleeping pills I prescribed for you to rest May I tell him you will visit him during visiting hours this afternoon? It’s from to 4; not far off We moved him to the general section and he is in a room sharing it with three other patients in Unit B, room 20.” “I will miss it for nothing in this world, doctor Lyle and I will then work out the road ahead Thank you so much for calling, doctor.” “Isaac.” “Goodbye, doctor Thanks so much for all your trouble.” Leo looks curious: “What did the doctor say?” “The swelling on Zoey’s brain is down but she is still in a coma in the ICU Lyle is awake and asked about me and I’m going to visit him at three-o’-clock.” “May I go with you?” “Okay See you there; but please phone Hayley and ask her to phone Ronnie Maybe they want to come as well You must only give me a while alone with Lyle, please; maybe he first wants to see me alone.” Leo smiles understandingly: “Yes, I’m sure he will want to see you alone to thank you thoroughly I’m sure you are now his heroin and he will never ever forget what you did to save them.” Continues next week in Edition 17 The Script of Evil When Evil brings Love 16 Appointment with the Devil Kadin lies awake for most of the night She rises tired but determined and gets ready because she wants to slip into the library when its doors open at nine-o’-clock She hopes the devil and his evil accomplices believe that she will first have to retrieve the booklet from the school library If they are planning to follow her from school and ambush her along the way, their plan will come to naught as she will by then be safe in the city library waiting for the devil They don’t have a choice! They will have to swop Billy for the booklet In her school uniform with Vyasa’s fake booklet in her school bag, she is ready to go The replica looks exactly like the original except for the code that has been changed She hopes their plan will work Rene left early for work She has only to work a short shift today and will be home early Kadin wonders whether they know where she lives or did they only follow Billy She will have to scrutinize her surroundings all the way to the library to detect them if they are around Should they know where she lives, they might follow her and they will be alerted if she doesn’t go to school but directly to the city library She simply has to reach the library unnoticed! The fact that she has not seen them since they parted at Billy’s home, gives her hope She will hang on to the belief that Billy will sit next to her this morning in the library What about the poison? That is another reason for her to reach the library unseen What if they wait for her near the library? They could spy on the library from a distance Tension begins to gnaw in her stomach Damn, she is only thinking about this last possibility now I’m overanalysing, she warns herself She must stop pondering everything and just her thing It is now or never! Billy’s freedom is dependent on her! Cautiously she opens the front door and peeps out The street in front of her looks quiet with only a few parked cars She studies the cars intensely Could someone maybe lie down in one of the cars and peeks at her? She’ll never know and steps out and anxiously and cautiously walks to the front gate and then surveys the street on both sides before she opens it Birdstraat, always so beautiful to her, now has an eerie look and full of obstacles The gorgeous, giant trees and gardens all over now represent places where the enemy could lurch and wait for her Trinder Park with the wall around it is another possibility The Professional Club is another good place to hide in the lush garden from where they could watch her Darn, she has to pass all these obstacles! What would be the best route? Maybe they followed her and Billy when they emerged from the bus in Western Street because Billy vanished soon after they got off the bus She must avoid Western Street because they could wait for her at one of the bus stops That is probably their plan Bird Street runs parallel to Western Street and she must get to the next parallel street away from Western Street as quickly as possible She must take a shortcut to Cuyler Street and from there down to Baakens Street and from there straight to the library When she reaches Cuyler Street, she will feel more or less safe all the way down to the library This is the safest route, but first, she must reach Cuyler Street She will have to get to the nearest street linking Bird with Cuyler Street Kadin observes Bird Street and satisfied that she sees nothing suspicious, crosses Bird Steet quickly She sees a prostitute with a very short mini dress emerging from behind one of the big trees This is another proof that someone easily can watch and overwhelm her She passes the lady who smiles in her direction “You can make a lot of money, my doll, just in your school dress, you lovely thing.” Kadin doesn’t reply but only walks faster Damn, Bird Street is always awash with prostitutes that hide and only appear when suspected, potential clients drive slowly by any time of day or night looking for their services At any time a car might drive by and she wouldn’t know if it is a potential client or one of the devil’s accomplices She follows the opposite pavement from her home down in the direction of the Professional Club The nearest street that links Bird and Cuyler Streets is on the other side of the club near the courts of law She hurries while she examines Trinder Park on the opposite side and then she nervously passes the Professional Club and is relieved when she sees nobody in its beautiful garden and also in Trinder Park opposite her Kadin is almost at the intersection when she sees a black vehicle parked on the other side of the road behind a giant tree It looks like a black delivery van and her heart skips a beat when she sees two men inside She can’t see whether they are sleeping or how they look, but there are definitely two men in the front of the van Kadin turns right into the street and passes the courts hastily Her heart starts to race when she hears the van starts She looks back and sees how it slowly drives up along Bird Street It drives extremely slowly as if the occupants are watching her Then it disappears out of sight in Bird Street She relaxes a bit Maybe it is business for the prostitute Maybe they waited to see what is on the menu this morning and then they saw the lady Kadin now turns left onto Cuyler Street and then turns left again onto Athol Fugard Terrace in the direction of Military Street and then she sees the black van again It came down along Bird Street and is now standing at the stop sign Why are they waiting there? Are they waiting to see which way she is taking? The van now becomes suspicious She feels exposed and vulnerable because of the small amount of traffic They will be able to grab her and race away and no one will even notice Hopefully, they are just horny men looking for a prostitute Maybe they weren’t pleased with the other lady While Kadin is crossing the road she sees the van turns into the street and comes her way Her heart now races in her chest She reaches the pavement on Military Street and going down the street she must steady herself because of the steep incline down to Baakens Street The van slowly drives past Military Street and vanishes in the direction of the fort She feels a little relieved She quickly walks down the steep slope and about halfway through she looks back and sees the van coming down Military Street Damn, the thing is like a troublesome fly! Expecting the worst she keeps on walking but nothing happens She now looks back and sees the van is parked on the side of the road This is highly suspicious but she has no choice but to go on She is now passing the Wool Exchange building and later the concert hall of the Feather Market complex and then she reaches Baakens Street with the Herald building opposite the road She tries to relieve her tension by recalling the rich heritage of all these buildings The Eastern Province Herald was one of the oldest newspapers in South Africa of which the first edition already was published on May 1845 John Paterson and John Philip, a printer, jointly started the newspaper but after a quarrel in 1890, Sir Edgar took over and in 1903 he moved the newspaper to the corner Baakens and Military Streets Walking on the pavement she now passes the Feather Market Hall and also the old post office building at the opposite of the road and Queen Victoria’s statue in front of the library looking over the market square comes into sight She is now very near her destination She simply has to bite the bullet and forces her thoughts back to history It helps to alleviate the tension that has built up in her The Feather Market complex’s origin was the result of the rich ostrich industry of the 1800s Export of feather through the Port Elizabeth harbour led to a flourishing feather market in the city centre and the Feather Market Hall was inaugurated already in 1885 She now wonders whether the municipality would complete their renovation of the old post office building It is barricaded with no access for the public after loiterers occupied it and severely damaged it The building was designed by H.S Greaves in 1897 and was opened to the public on 25 June 1900 next to the beautiful city hall that faces the square opposite the main library The bells of its 41-meter tower used to toll out the time of day over the city centre and will hopefully be restored to their former glory and functioning Kadin is now beginning to cross Western Street, soon to be renamed John Kani Street, and when she looks back she sees the van coming along Baakens Street and she swears surreptitiously: “Get lost!” Hurriedly she desperately crosses Western Street in a hasty trot She assumes the van has stopped behind her at the robot which has turned red The entrance to the library is almost in front of her now but she would not know whether the door is open before she reaches it She looks at her wristwatch Quarter past nine and she hear no footsteps behind her or car doors slamming She eagerly wants to look back but refrains from doing so and trots even quicker Safety is winking of hopefully an open door at her destination and her appointment with the devil Then she thinks about another obstacle One of them might wait for her at the entrance! She will then be trapped! Her heart races in her chest She has almost reached the entrance and only hopes the door is open and there is no one waiting for her in the entrance! Continues next week in Edition 17 10 - Doctor it was the Dog Food Robert walks into Doctor Hallburn's office Hallburn jumps up from his chair and exclaims "Good grief, Robert, what happened to you?" "It is the dog food, Doctor." "Robert that is impossible It looks like a car had driven over you!" "Doctor, these days are hard I cannot afford to buy enough food for my family I give the wife and children all the food and save money by eating dog food The dog food is much cheaper." "It still does not explain the state you are in You are in a terrible state The dog food can never that to you." "It is the dog food doctor." "I cannot believe that, Robert." "It is the dog food, Doctor I was sitting in the street licking my balls when a car drove over me." ... also throw the sausage that’s in the fridge in the pan because by now, it can be called a brunch.” Chloe hears the crackle of the fat in the pan and then she smells the lovely aromas from the kitchen... without any food that enticed them Then I came with groceries and they smelled it I think they came in through the windows in the attic I surprised them before they could leave any evidence,... fond they are of me and I haven’t been away from the farm in the past for long times I shall spoil them rotten when I see them again So, thanks for the information They don’t know how huge they