The first line of this short story is
from the novel, “Snap” by Belinda Bauer.
"And the
worst thing about it was he had failed just when he needed to make a stunningly
good first impression.". And so, he blamed himself as he roamed. This was
something he craved. He wanted it from every cell of his blood, from every
sinew of his veins, from the depths of his soul, or whatever he had for that. Months
of planning all laid to waste.
He can still recollect
the first time seeing her. She was coming towards him among the crowd. Of
course, not to him, but in passing by towards the railway station. He was
hooked. As she glided by him, he turned and kept turning. She felt his eyes and
turned towards his way but could not notice him. He gave a slight smile, pursed
lips hiding his teeth.
He trailed her,
hiding in plain sight. Her rosy skin attracted him. He had not been with anyone
for quite a while. He was roving alone, the pangs growing stronger. He wanted her
to be with him, to be his companion, to be his succour. With her flushed form,
he imagined the day when she would join his world, be his support and nourishment
and they can forever flit across the worlds.
Now he started
following her daily. After few weeks, he knew her routine. He planned to bump
into her with a reason instead of an excuse. He wanted to make a very good impression
the first time. That happened soon one day at dusk.
She was walking
while talking on her phone. A thief snatched her phone and ran. She fell down
and fainted. No one could catch the thief. Or the thief thought so, for he ran
faster than anyone else. The thief turned into a dark alley reaching for safety
in the darkness but bumped into him. He hit the thief on the face, pulled him
towards him and pried the phone from him. While the thief tried to put him on a
hold, he bit the thief who in shock let him go and ran away. With the retrieved
phone he walked to her. His biting of the thief was on the spur of the moment
but made him thirsty.
Someone helped
her get up and got her water. The crowd went away slowly as she sat in a daze.
He returned with the phone and gave it to her. She was surprised.
“Oh! Thanks so
much, how could you get it back?”
“I just managed
to anticipate well to stop the thief”
“You are bruised
and there is blood in the corner of your mouth. Did the thief hit you? You
should be going to the doctor”, she fussed over him. He said, “I am thirsty, I’d
love to have a drink”.
“Oh, of course,
I owe you at least a coffee. I know an old coffee shop nearby”.
“Sure”, he said.
He was happy. Nothing better than saving someone their valuables to gain their
trust.
It was dark now.
For a coffee shop, it was surprisingly on the second floor of an old building.
Two flights of steep stairs led up to the coffee shop. They started to climb
the stairs. She was chatting about her work, her residence etc., mostly as she
recovered from the incident. He didn’t care and didn’t listen. Anyway, he knew
her well having been her shadow for the past few weeks.
His eyes were stuck
on her nape. The dank stairs and being alone with her increased his thirst. He
thought the going was good. He wanted to avail the moment. Her chatter was a chirping
of a bird to him. Pleasant and meaningless.
The stairs led
suddenly to a landing, sudden because it came into view only on the last few steps.
A lonely bulb shone and reflected on a full-length ornate mirror at the
entrance of the coffee shop. No one was at the entrance.
She said to him
by way of chat, “Mirrors at the entrance are good fengshui”. His throat
parched, he aware that his thirst was about to be quenched, didn’t say
anything. He was waiting for the moment.
She was looking at the mirror admiring the gilded frame. With mouth agape, he stretched his arm to draw her into him. She suddenly screamed and with eyes wide, fled into the shop. Her jump and run startled even him. With his open mouth he came upon himself on the mirror. Just as his fangs were visible, his legs were not.
