literature

Ardha Ashtama Sani

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Literature Text

He began washing his trousers in the room's tiny sink. Suddenly, the fire alarm sounded. Someone pounded on his door and shouted down the hall: "Everyone out, please! Everyone out!"

The soaped-up spot, now a slick mess, caressed his crotch. His wallet, his passport, and seventy-four seconds later, he was standing jacketless on the sidewalk. Fire engines carved a path through the half-dressed backpackers.

"It's not a drill.  It's really on fire.  They're not gonna fix this any time soon." A girl, early twenties, snake-eye piercings on her tongue, a stud in the centre of her forehead, pointed at his slimy bull's-eye and winked. "Nice birthmark."

Paul blushed. "No – when the alarm went off, I was – oh shit! I left my phone up there!" Firemen blocked him near the door.

The chick was behind him. "Don't worry about your phone, man. It'll be OK. And if it isn't –" her laugh made ironic music, "you can use my phone." She held out her hand, her manners suddenly polished, "I'm Lily."

"Paul. Hello." He didn't like the piercings, nor her braids and beads. But she had nice, down-turned eyes, sad, and exactly the blue he did like.

"Well, Paul, this will take hours. You wanna get a coffee?"

Smoke belched from the floor just above his room. "Yes, sure, OK."

As they walked, he mentally repeated everything she said. Art student. Scots, as she put it. Prospective candidate at the Slade. "This sucks. We'll have to find another hostel for tonight. Soooo, Paul," she nudged him, "what brings you to London?"

He was staring dully at the mermaid coffeehouse logo, her head crowned with stars. "I'm going to Nigeria to do some charity work. Thought I'd stop here for a few days on my way there, catch a show."

"Charity work. Uh-huh." Hazelnut mocha scent wafted off the puffy chairs. "What kind of charity work?"

"We rescue children accused of witchcraft. I'm going to help the woman who's running our foundation in Lagos."

"Good way to lie low."

"What d'you mean?"

"C'mon, Paul. Or should I say – Adam? I read the tabloids. It's not every day I find myself drinking coffee with the nephew of the President of the United States. You avoiding the scandal?"

"My luck hasn't been the best lately."

She typed into her phone. "I'll say. Here, I searched for you online. Some astrologer's done your chart. You're under something called 'ardha ashtama sani,' it's 'most inauspicious.'"
Odyssey II project Clive Barker Chapter 1, "Ardha Ashtama Sani"
© 2012 - 2024 tamaranorbust
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Arcalian's avatar
Now I haven't read any of Clive's chapter one or anything else, but this is certainly intriguing. I'm guessing he's the nephew of a fictional President, and you can guess how I reacted to Lily.