14.1 Lockdown

It was a long day. I came home and tried to call Asmr and Jokey. Oh shit! Where did I leave my phone? I did not know where I left it. Most probably they did not give it to me after the ritual. I can’t remember the phone numbers, except Jokey’s. I won’t be able to reach them.

I tried to call Donna on my landline phone and there was no ring tone. So, I dialled her home number.

“Donna! What is wrong with your phone?”

“Nothing is wrong with my phone,” she said.

“I tried to ring up but there was no ring tone on your mobile phone,” I complained.

“Mobile phone! I do not carry a mobile phone.”

“Your cell phone.”

“Nobody has a cell phone. Do you have one?”

“My friends took it away.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Nobody carries a phone.”

“Well, Donna, did you hear about the wreck?”

“Yes, I have been watching television the whole day. What were you doing?”

“What is the news?”

“It seems we are entering a lockdown.”

“A lockdown!”

“Watch the TV.” And she hung up.

I went to the kitchen office after the call. It was a deafening quietness I felt since nobody was at home. I switched on the computer hoping to meet my friends on the internet. You won’t believe this? It turned on a black screen and fateful DOS. I damn well do not know a single ‘command’. I leaned back on the backrest wondering if I should call a technician. Suddenly, the screen switched to an 80’s kaleidoscope. I sat staring at it for a long moment and turned it off. I went to bed.

After a good night’s sleep, I woke up around ten in the morning. I switched on the television after thirty-six hours. Talks on the telly was about the lockdown my sister mentioned last night. Mayor’s Office was in touch with town hall offices and heads of the villages over how to execute this lockdown.

I wiped my face with a towel and cursed about them keeping my mobile phone. I was hungry and angry. I never felt so bad ever before. I know it was not much of a phone, a Nokia 3310, and friends joked about the SIM card that looked like a playing card, I mean 2 cm. Still, I acted irate as I hurried to motor my way to Salt Waters. Not in a sane mood to pick the landline and call them.

I pulled on a shirt, lit a fag and banged the doors shut. I climbed my bike and kick started it in one stroke. Jokey turned to Kala Hara Lane on his self-starter cycle.

“Where are you going?” he negotiated.

“I’m going to meet you guys,” I said furiously.

“Here are your clothes,” he tossed a bag.

“My phone?” I caught the bag.

“Your phone too.”

I sighed in relief. My motorbike turned off itself. “Where is Asmr? You know, this magic they did to me is driving me mad!”

“How do you feel?” asked Jokey.

“Like hell! Sophie Nadz is staying right there.”

“Where?”

“That blue gate. Ferris Wheel.”

“Are you talking sense?” he looked at me doubtfully.

“There’s plenty to talk about. Let’s go meet Asmr and tell all about it,” I said kicking my engine, “What do you think about this lockdown?”

“It’s not going to come into effect,” was his reply or his expectation.

I took the phone and tossed the bag behind the gate and we kicked off to Salt Waters.

On the promenade, I met Asmr and disputed, “I can’t believe what I’m seeing in the eye but I was out with Sophie Nadz whole day. One moment I saw her face like a red Devil with little horns on the crown.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” slammed Asmr, “Nobody will believe you. I will give you some good advice. Do not talk to anyone what you are going through. Now you are in a dreamworld in the Fifth Dimension. You’re dreaming in and out. If you want to relieve yourself, enter the water and speak out.”

“But that house is still there!” I cried pointing to Sunrise Villa standing with whitewashed walls and large sea view balconies on the façade.

“And she is there,” assured Asmr.

“A deputy minister! A grandmother!”

“Look! Look! If you’re curious about these things and if you want to rouse the dream, you do not get it. We do not get answers. She’s there, alright, a deputy minister and a grandmother. The one you’re seeing is the Devil.”

“Mi falda! This is hallucination! Disillusion!”

“No. It’s just a dream. A dream tells a story. Now, don’t try to split the image. If you do that, you do not get the story. And what’s more…”

“What’s more?”

“Forget it!”

“Come on!” I pressed.

“You are a dead man.”

I blinked at him. “I am not going to pick flowers from Maldivia Gardens with a Devil,” I protested.

“It’s all up to you. I will tell you this, weather you do or not, if you come across her, just let it flow. Do not get curious about it and start asking questions.”

“Why?”

“Relax!”

“I can’t relax.”

“Listen!” he said, “Dreams come true only if you can stop dreaming. Answers come clear only if you stop asking questions. Secrets come revealed only if you aren’t interested in seeking the truth.”

“What about my computer?”

“Stop asking questions?” snapped Asmr.

“What happened to your computer?” asked Half Tone who paused leaning his bums on the prom.

“It’s fucked up!” I uttered.

“Did you try to restart?”

“Restart!” I laughed, “Huh! When did you become a computer geek? Why do we have to restart all the time?”

“I am not a computer geek. My computer works just fine after a restart.”

“I am getting a kaleidoscope screensaver on the monitor. What you think about that?”

He chuckled, “Maybe, your computer requires an old-fashioned reboot. You know, insert a Bill Gates floppy and reboot.”

“Old-fashioned! Oh shit! My sis lied to me about the phone. Let me call her!”

“Hey! Hey!” cautioned Asmr, “You won’t succeed in anything if you can’t calm down. You are too fast. Do you know why you can’t marry all these years?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You have been dreaming about beautiful girls. Forty-two years you have been doing that. Dreaming. You told me these things. You don’t have patience.”

“Oh no! It’s just my luck,” I thought about it, “A lot of people tell me I didn’t try hard. The truth is, I don’t know how to talk to them. I don’t have the talent to date girls. Say, I’m not good at socialising.”

“You don’t have any talent,” snapped Half Tone, “All you have is a big ego. That’s why you don’t succeed.”

I ignored all that and dialled my half-sister, “Hi! Why did you lie to me about your phone, Donna?”

“Did I?” she chortled, “I was kidding.”

“Kidding!” I cried, “I was serious. This is no time to kid…” Murry grabbed my phone and I jumped around after him. He ran with it. He may be short but he was fast on his feet.

Asmr turned around stiffly. He turned his whole body to turn to look behind, “Cool down, man!” I just ran after Murry.

Half Tone called, “Kawla! Come back here! Don’t get too excited!” I stumbled towards them on the prom and paused panting. In a moment, Murry came with the phone and dropped into my pocket. That was it. Like they say, I get too worked up.