Appear to Disappear

The frills of the black chiffon trouser which Amanda wore waved in the air in unison with the motion of her walk. She felt the shadow of it come after her. Within a hundred steps, she sensed that it is not the frills of the fabric that is chasing her. The woman's clairvoyance made her stop walking and turn back. She saw a person at a distance of about a hundred meters walking into an apartment. Nothing felt unusual in that deserted street. But her instinct left her mind unsettling. 

She gazed around the road once and scanned the surrounding with her radar eyes. "Path clear- nothing perilous." She reported the status through an inner walkie-talkie to her mind. Then she set her foot ahead for accomplishing the mission of reaching her home fast. At the pace of a marathon runner who crosses the finish line, she entered the porch of her ranch-style home.

Amanda went inside and locked the door as fast as she could. She gasped for breath since she came in lightning speed. Thoughts of someone is stalking spread like the branches of a wild tree inside her mind. For the whole week, she couldn't stop her racing brain. Her gut knew she is under the watch of someone. But she couldn't detect what happened around her.

Listing the probability of people who might have reasons to stalk her, she went into the kitchen. She filled a glass of water and gulped it down her throat to prevent her heart from exploding out of fear. Before the water could cool her stomach, she heard a ring from the doorbell in her mobile. Gathering all the pieces of strength in her, she answered the call to see who was at the door.

A plump man in his early 40's with a potbelly wearing beige shorts and grey tee with a pug's face in it stood outside. His wrinkled face and comical look didn't panic Amanda. She kept herself composed and asked, "Who are you? Why are you at my place?"

"I want to meet Miss. Amanda. I'm William Attenberg." the man at the door answered her.

"I'm Amanda but, sorry I don't know who you are. It's five minutes past twelve, and too late to discuss anything. Whatever it is, come in the morning," she cut it short. She was alone and didn't want to put herself in some mess.

"Miss. I can't come tomorrow. If I lose the chance today, I don't know how many days I have to wait. I have something important to tell and show you. Do you have a minute?"

Amanda sensed something fishy, and the funny face of William now appeared evil for her. Covering up her nervousness, she replied in a bolder tone, "Stop bothering me and leave; else I'll call the police."

"Please, Miss. Amanda. Try to believe me. I love you a lot. Don't be afraid. I won't harm you. I have to talk about something urgent."

Drenched in shock, Amanda dropped the call. She didn't know how to handle the situation. The doorbell rang at constant intervals, but she didn't answer it or go to the front door. 

The whole night some, or the other thoughts ran in her mind. She couldn't get a sound sleep. She wanted to figure out who is this William attempting to convey something to her. But the risk involved in keeping contact with a stranger made her stay away.

Amanda couldn't keep her head straight. All her works remained stranded the next day. Thoughts about the plump man, William, preoccupied her mind. She failed to notice if someone followed her. 

Amanda is a sloth bear. She would end up with few slices of frozen pizza and baked potatoes or steamed broccoli for dinner. That day, she reached home early. To divert her mind, Amanda prepared beef brisket, pork ribs with beans, and coleslaw for dinner. 

After dinner, she went to bed early. Since her brain overworked, she slept at once she laid her head to the bed. The call from the doorbell rang in her mobile. She felt as if someone played rock music to make the corpse to rise from the dead. It took some time for her to wake from her temporary death called the sleep.

The sound of the doorbell faded as if the thudding rain stopped, and a phase of silence followed it. She couldn't discern if the doorbell rang for real, or it was the effect she carried in her brain from the last night. While she was figuring it out, her mobile rang again. It was from the ring app from the doorbell connected to her mobile.

Yesterday's incident created an aversion for her. She didn't want to answer the call on her mobile. She moved with displeasure from her bed and reached the living room. She checked the display of the security camera beside the door to check who was outside. She prepared her mind to call the police if it is William. But she got stupefied when she checked the screen.

It wasn't William. The man who stood outside was in his late twenties. He had a Viking gold hair and a defined cheekbone. His concrete jawbone and cosmic smile made her heart melt like a snowflake that hit the hot ground. She felt that the tightness of her virginity would explode like a volcano. And within a few minutes, it would erupt the lava with an outburst of smoke and fumes.

The charming man hit the doorbell again with a face full of hope that the door would be open soon. Amanda's femininity urged her to unlock the door. But her inner voice debated her to stay out of it. In a battle between her femininity and the stable mind, her womanhood scored the victory. But her mind isn't a melting pot; it is stubborn as a rock. It made her not to open the door, but her oxytocin jumped in and rushed her to unlock the door. At the end of the intense fight, she decided to answer the doorbell.

"Who is this?" she mumbled in a meek tone.

"Hey, Amanda. It's Marvin. You don't know me, but I know you well. How about a talk. Would you let me in?" the guy talked in a masculine tone.

"Yes. Do it, girl. Go for it." all the nerves and bones ushered her. She decided to let him in. But the corner of her mind screamed for attention. Instead of ignoring it, she was ready to hear it for one last time. 

"You are alone, and he is handsome. If it is all about a drive to make sex, it's not scary; you can give it a shot. But what if he is a psychopath. Does it make sense? Your life is worth it than this." her instinct warned her.

She dropped the idea of opening the door. She went straight to bed, closed her eyes tight, and slept off. The next day she thought about Marvin and his unparalleled face. She felt the breeze hit her face. No, not anymore. 

Amanda didn't want anyone to ring her home tonight. She decided to erase these two days from her mind as it was weird and haunting. 

"It might happen in a community. Random people might ring the doorbell. Not everyone thinks about random people. But how did they know my name? Ah, it might not be that difficult to trace down a person with all the technologies available," she thought.

For a month, no doorbells rang; no anonymous person was around her home. She completely forgot about William and Marvin, and their faces faded from her mind.

***

The full moon reflected its radiance bright like the smile of a newlywed bride. The cold air felt refreshing in the summer month of May. It was around half-past nine. While Amanda was returning to her home, a man wearing a grey T-shirt with a pug face in it crossed her. He was a tall man in his mid-twenties. She stared at the pug face in his shirt, and it made her recollect the memories of William. Terrified, she turned back and walked fast to her home.

At the front door of her home, she saw a pug. Uneasiness covered her up like a blanket of grass. She doesn't hate dogs, but the chain of events disturbed her. She thought to get rid of the pug as soon as possible and bend down to carry it. 

The moment she took it in her hand, she felt something unusual. Her head felt light; it seemed like she was spinning in the washing machine. But when she observed keen, she sensed that the world was swirling. And she stood still like a stone clutching the pug tight in her hand.

It was a five-minute ride, but for her, the earth was spinning fast for five hours. After the revolution, the entire universe in which she lived wrapped into a satellite. It then whooshed away at the countdown of five.

Once the storm settled, she stood in a new place. Her senses baffled to distinguish the colors around her. She saw infinite species of flowers, and she could identify only the tulips and lilies. The rest of them were peculiar and strange. The aroma around aroused her in an indefinable way. 

"Welcome to our land, Amanda," she heard a voice at her back and turned to see who it was. Her face turned pale, but her cheeks flushed at the same time.

It was the potbelly; that made her pale and the concrete jaw, which made her blush. The potbelly got hold of the pug from her hand. The concrete jaw scattered the cosmic smile. Before she could ask something, the potbelly overtook her.

Don't get perplexed, dear. We are the same William and Marvin who stood there outside your home, banging the door. You didn't let us deliver the message we carried for you. We couldn't bring you here, but our pug took you. You might have millions of questions in your head to ask. Let me tell you the long story short. It will answer all your questions. 

First, you have to know how painful and difficult it was for us to contact you. But we are so sorry if we haunted you, our purpose was not to drive your anxiety.

Amanda had a trust that she won't get hurt. The words of William eased her racing brain. She didn't want to question anything but follow his words. She felt enchanted, no knots in her stomach. Who could hurt someone in this paradise? Her instinct double confirmed her. To hear the story, her all ears were open.

William continued after a pause to give space to Amanda to comprehend things in her mind.

We could watch the place where you live. We could stay around for a short time, but you can't see us when we wish. You can see us only on the new moon day if our creator does the work and when you feel us. Everything must be in unison else we can't meet you. A connection with you happens very rarely. It is like to search for a pebble in the ocean. We waited for years and years to meet you. To show you the place where you were born. You never know who created you, but we all know that we emerged from the mind, soul, and part of his wisdom.

But you, you are the most special person created by him because he transported his heart and soul in you. He lived inside you. He became you. That is why you are not stuck here in this place. This paradise is beautiful. We stay here for millions of years but, nothing is exciting and real here like the place you live. This place is stunning, but we are living hidden here. You have the freedom to visit this place and to go back home whenever you like from now on. Having said that: you can ask what's in your mind. But before that, Can we meet our creator?