Chapter 7
Tasha
Chestnut trees with cracked nuts spread on the pavement, snapped and broke as the passengers stepped on. A little girl named Tasha was running fast, her hat pressed backward, pushing the people around to get though. The group of men in a military uniform blew a whistle and let out a high pitched voice, pursuing her. Tasha quickly got through the cracked hole on the wall, made by a detonation in the past. She stepped inside the garden and saw the iron ladder. She started climbing it to reach the rooftop. On the top, she jumped to the building on the side and lay flat on the floor.
She heard angry yelling and cursing on the street. Her chilled down sweat soaked her shirt.
“That snitch!” shouted the man, catching his breath, leaning against the wall; other three men were arching their back, panting.
“Maybe she is from that youth group who jumps from buildings to buildings! We should take them in and discipline them!” bellowed the other man, his reddish eyeball bulging out.
“Sir, I think we lost her,” hissed the man.
“Silence! We will search the area more. Now you! You come with me! And you check the other side!” the man squealed, filled with rage, his vein sticking out.
“Yes sir!” they saluted and started running.
The noise died away, Tasha sighed with relief. Tasha knew the youth group they are referring to is the group called the ‘Rodents,’ but she wasn’t in the group. They followed her because she took the wallet from one of them and ran away. Jake, the boy who is living in her house, is in the group. He invited her once but she refused to join because she thought it was stupid. All they do was drawing graffiti on the wall, jumping around the building and sometimes throwing rotten eggs at the soldiers.
Tasha, however, was actually glad when she found out that Jake was in the group, because Tasha thought Jake was too shy. Tasha wanted him to be brave, was worried that the world will trample him over.
Later, Tasha came down from the ladder. She was supposed to meet Jake at the pond nearby their house. The sun hung on the middle of the sky.
They were adopted by the man named Alvin Caravel, and Tasha knew he wasn’t the ordinary person. Alvin Caravel, the right hand of Nina Polchinski, was full of secrets and had notorious rumors, but she loved him very much because not only he rescued her and Jake from the orphanage, he was kind to her.
However, Tasha didn’t know much about Alvin, all she knows is what she has heard from the candy shop owner named Charlie. He was talking about Alvin as if he is telling a tale about some superhero. Tasha didn’t believe Charlie because he was bit crazy; she always wondered how he managed to run the candy shop. According to Charlie, there is a humongous candy castle somewhere in pacific and he also thinks that his wife is a snow white. Nevertheless, she was dear friend with him, and he always gave her free candies whenever she came. She walked into the candy store with Diana at first, and she liked it very much, so she came here by herself often. When she told him that she was adopted by Alvin, he gasped and blabbered for hours.
“He entered the bar with a rifle on his shoulder! Grabbing one bloody man with the one hand and he threw him across the bar! Over the floor! Ho! Like a doll! A doll! And there! He blazed his gun in the bar, where his old enemies were frozen at the sight of him! He opened fire! And they did too! He took out the pin from the grenade! Yes! Like a frost gushing inside blizzard, the bomb shell showered on the bar!” Charlie was almost jumping around, excited. Tasha just stared at him and just laughed with him.
In a recent visit, Charlie seemed to be little concerned about the mysterious attack at the ship, he said he doesn’t believe in news, he told Tasha that it was one of the sea monsters like kraken or siren, that took all the crews. Tasha shook her head, looking at him rather pitifully. She just brought the local newspaper with her and gave Charlie to read. Charlie, as usual, gave her free candies. Tasha picked the peppermint coconut flavored candy and sucked on it.
Tasha was sitting there enjoying Charlie reading a newspaper, murmuring to himself. The attack on the ship was on the first page, some officer interviewed (or blackmailed) that whoever did this “heinous act” will be killed. Charlie frowned at it, and threw away newspaper with discomfort. Newspaper was now showing the side which lists of wanted criminals and the bounty.
Tasha wanted to go to the fishing trip with Charlie, but Charlie was being pessimistic today for some reason, so Tasha brought up the new topic to cheer him up.
“Charlie, come on, let’s go fishing together, I want to learn how to catch it,” said Tasha.
“I’d love to, but I can’t Tasha, the soldiers came here yesterday,” sniffed Charlie. “They said to me that if I don’t keep enough profit, they will throw me into street!”
“Aww… Poor Charlie, come on, you need a break,” said Tasha, pitifully looking at Charlie.
“I’m… I’m afraid… I don’t want to be in the street no more,” said Charlie, with teary eyes.
“Well, still, maybe it’s for the better! Well, if you are thrown out in the street, you can live in my house!” exclaimed Tasha. Charlie laughed at this and looked at Tasha.
“Thank you, but your parent won’t like me to stay there,” said Charlie.
“Oh, you don’t know that, and they are not really married in a traditional sense… They just did it to make me and Jake feel like home. I mean, who knows?” said Tasha, wholeheartedly. Charlie smiled, his face became pink.
“Thanks Tasha, but I don’t want to be some burden to your house. Maybe I can go with you later, perhaps two weeks from now,” said Charlie.
“Aww… Charlie,” said Tasha, groaning.
“Look I promise, we will go to the trip in two weeks,” said Charlie, offering his pinky finger.
“Alright Charlie, I’m going to catch a whale!” Tasha shouted, and wrapped a pinky swear.
“Well good, good. Well, grab more candies over there, I want to pee,” Charlie stood up and moved toward the restroom.
Tasha was sitting there, hearing the door shut. Tasha stood up and slowly went to the cash register. She reached for her wallet inside her pocket, took out some of cash and put it into the cash register box and closed it. Tasha smiled at the restroom.
“See you later Charlie,” she said, and went out.
It was almost a lunch time so she is walking home now. When she arrived on the doorstep, she wanted to hang out in the nearby pond for a while. She jumped over the muddy puddles to get to the small wooden bridge on the pond. The water was green and muddy. She saw little baby ducks swimming. She did the cat walk so she wouldn’t scare the little ducks, because they moved pretty fast on the water! She leaned against the fence and started counting the ducks.
“One… two… three… four…”said Tasha. The little yellow baby ducks peddled around with their mother, pink lotuses were on the water and buzzing flies formed a cloud.
“Tasha!” Jake shouted.
“Hi, dumbass,” said Tasha, playfully.
“I saw a scary man today,” said Jake, excited.
“You say that every day,” sneered Tasha.
“Well, this is different Tasha, look! He got tanned face with shabby clothes and had unshaved chin! And! And, his eyes were like a hawk!” shouted Jake.
“You saw some homeless person and you are scared?”said Tasha, scowling.
“No! This man is different!” Jake revolted.
“How?” said Tasha.
“Well, oh, never mind,” said Jake.
“Killing is not much of a surprise around here, you know that,” said Tasha.
“…” Jake didn’t answer, trembling a little.
“Ha! You scaredy cat, you haven’t changed a bit, Jake,” teased Tasha. Jake went pink, twitching his lips.
“Is not!” said Jake.
“Maybe since you are in that club, I thought maybe you’ve starting to show your bestial side,” said Tasha.
“…”
“If not,” smiled Tasha. “Then never mi
nd.”
They watched the ducks for a while, quacking around.
“Alvin used to sing the song me, it is called ‘Arch and under,’” said Tasha, suddenly.
“Ok…” said Jake, half heartedly.
“And I would sing a verse and you can repeat,” said Tasha.
“No,” said Jake.
“And it goes like this,” said Tasha, ignoring him. ”Head all arch and feet duck under!”
“No,” Jake shook his head.
“Come on!” shouted Tasha.
“No,” said Jake.
“Urrrgh! Go my boys, and go like thunder!” shouted Tasha, standing on the edge of the bridge. “Duck and Dive, and Duck and dive, baby.”
Tasha grinned, and back flipped into the air, her arm spread and leg arched to the back and splashed into the water. Jake backed away to avoid the splatter. She rose to the surface, looking at Jake, giggling.
“Come on, let’s swim! Take a leap, Jake!” shouted Tasha, merrily.
“I ain’t getting in that poopy water,” grumbled Jake, his arm crossed.
“Oh?” said Tasha. She got out of the water, dropping water on the dry wood, and charged toward him.
“No Tasha NOOOOOO!” bellowed Jake, struggled but lost his posture.
Like a slow motion Jake fell on the water on the other side of the wooden bridge. Tasha laughed and splashed the water at him and she swam away. Little ducks quacked and ran, Jake squealed with anger, spouting out the green muddy water and followed her.