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The grandfather clock struck eleven times. Switching on the lamp on his bedside table, Ben made himself comfortable on his bed. The light from the bedside lamp only managed to lit up the area of the room where the bed was. Beyond that, it was pitch dark. The darkness made him uneasy and so he waited till his eyes adjusted to it. Reaching to the book he placed by the lamp, he opened it to the next clean page.
May 13 Cloudy
Business was good today. A couple came to celebrate their one-year anniversary and got me to play them a song. I played 'Forever love', the song which I was playing when Hazel first appeared in my life.
She had told him it was her favorite song after she saw the way he played it on the piano. “Your fingers tell a story,” she said, with a genuine sincere smile. Her bright smile shone through his heart and melted it then. Ever since then, her jet black hair, her soft brown eyes continued to mesmerize him. They would meet everyday at the same jazz bar and then they would spend the day talking and laughing. He marveled at her vast knowledge and intelligence, even though she was only eighteen. With that she had replied, “Oh yes, they said I am gifted... but well, I have my flaws too...” She said it with a tinge of sadness in her eyes, of which he must have overlooked then, because he was more interested in how beautiful her eyes were. But now, he understood what she had meant.
Pushing away the locks that fell over his eyes, he thought to himself, “I really need a haircut.” But his schedule did not permit him to do so. In fact, he was as much a prisoner himself, being locked up in his world of responsibilities and love. But this was something he did not mind. After all, before he met her, he was pretty much alone. Raised an orphan, he was fortunate to have picked up the skill of tinkling the ivories. The piano provided him with an avenue to earn a living and also accompanied him through the harshest times.
"Whereas Hazel was born with a silver spoon in her mouth...” He thought to himself. The reason that Ben was able to open a cafe and to even have a piano within was because of Hazel. No, to be more specific, it was her parents. They shoved him the money. They also shoved him the girl. He was indignant about their deeds but he had neither status nor power to make his opinions known.
“So far, the cafe is doing not too bad... but it has only been a few months so we'll just have to wait and see... My main concern is not the shop... but Hazel.” He continued to let his thoughts wander in the darkness.
She tried to escape again the other day. I almost lost her for good. There was a thunderstorm and so after I collected Hazel's favourite lunch at the usual time of 1pm, I hurried back. I found the main door to the shop left ajar and immediately took off to look for her. Luckily I found her at the field just up ahead. Poor girl, she fell on the muddy ground and got so dirty. I almost yelled at her, angry at her for trying to escape when I am already trying so hard to cope for our sake. But that's when I saw the glass ball rolling out of her hand. Warmth overwhelmed me then and the tears that rolled down from my eyes were camouflaged by the rain that had already drenched us. That glass ball was my first gift to her. The fact that she still held on to it showed that I am still in her heart, despite everything else....
"My greatest desire is to have freedom and adventure!” Hazel had said to him once. But she was not able to, due to her condition. Her parents restricted her movement greatly for fear that she might affect their reputation. And eventually they despised her and shoved her away. The doctor said it was a rare condition, one in a million chances, or something like that. It was somewhat a mixture of amnesia, hallucination and paranoia. Perhaps her vast knowledge from her wide reading caused her to imagine the wildest things possible, from strange creatures to a talking table. She often thought of herself in a cottage near the woods. So to prevent her from escaping and getting into danger, he played along and told her that the 'woods' contained wild beasts. “Too many fantasy stories....” Ben shook his head sadly. Her paranoia caused her to distrust everyone and to think that everyone was out to get her. And her amnesia... well, it caused her to forget every memory of him, and nearly everything else. So almost everyday, she woke up at square one, attempting to escape over and again.
But at least, Ben looked forward to the times when she was perfectly normal, able to even help out at the cafe. The doctor said it was a cyclical thing. Once the time arrived, the sickness would take over and possess her for that period of time.
“Ha.” Ben snorted, “Werewolf-like behavior during the full moon night.” He managed to laugh at the thought, but immediately wondered if it was really funny. It was like she became a totally different person during those times. During such moments, it pained him when she rejected him and attempted to escape from him, yet it was something beyond his control. For this was the path he had chosen and faithfully would he stay on it.
The grandfather clock struck twelve midnight. Realizing that he had let his mind wandered far too long, Ben decided it was time to sleep. "The main door was locked...” He thought to himself, “It should be safe.” He couldn’t bear to lock her in inside the room she stayed, but at least before he made his way up the stairs from the cafeteria to his room, he had stopped by to check on her. She was sound asleep on the floor as usual, below the table...
His mind was drifting off into a deep sleep. While all these thoughts ran through his mind, he had not realized that he was twiddling with his hair all along. “Locks...” He whispered under his breath, remembering how he had introduced himself that day to “Missy”. “Hazel and Missy... Ben and Locks....” He managed a laugh that sounded reluctant, a little spooked at the idea that perhaps he was also having multiple personalities.
He reached out to switch off the lamp by his bedside and allowed himself to be hypnotized by the darkness of the moonless night.
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