Chapter 5: In street no.23

Back home, Jason saw Clara in her to and fro motion in the verandah. He could tell she was looking for his arrival. He knew it beforehand that he'd have a hard time explaining her where he had gone to, so he took to simple and working words- "Mom I had gone to a friend's home for notes. You see its quite a while. So I must have missed a lot of work." "So you even forgot to call once?" Clara folded her hands. After some verbal treatment, Clara was eventually smooth and moved her hand over her lil J's cheeks. Next day onwards, Jason joined back to the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor and caught up with his work. Gradually, Life was coming back to normal. Clara had become absolutely fine. Although, Jason saw sometimes Clara murmuring to herself while wiping Matthew's photo frame kept on her room's escritoire but at other times she was happy. Everything was settled, but not completely for Jason. Still there were unsettled questions that he had just procrastinated for some time for Clara but not vaporized them completely. He got back his A level humor but was desperately worried from within. One day, while returning to home, as if some strange force pulled his steps towards the State Book Emporium and there he was, running his fingers randomly over the books. Suddenly, a most familiar name caught his eyes, 'Francis Evert'… 'shade off by Francis Evert' Jason quickly picked up the book and started muttering, while fluttering its pages, "isn't it a chicklit? Mom loves his books. Everyone should- they are worth reading." (pause) "of course, he's a prolific writer (pause) he must be a great mystery writer as well- but why would he not publish those books?" Jason went lost in his thoughts again when a voice broke in, "how many thousands sir?" Jason came back and realized it was Scarlet standing beside him in a blue and white jumpsuit, smiling. Jason was surprised but not shocked, "Oh! Scarlet? What a peculiar surprise! Well 5000 should be good, right?" Both laughed and started talk ing for a while. Suddenly Scarlet spotted her father's book in Jason's hand, and became uneasy while Jason spoke out, "ahm, this is your dad's chicklit (smile) thought buying one for my mom.""oh, (sigh) yeah, this one is good, really- a story of a girl, much eager to get herself seen and admired. She dives deep to change her outer appearance but ends up realizing its futility- getting trapped within her own different surface shades while becoming'shaded off'"from within."oh! Not bad Miss Scarlet Evert- seems like poetry is in blood huh? But really jokes apart, It's so good just to hear, it must be even better reading. (smile)" "of course, it is. But come here I will show you some more books worth reading (aloud). Louisa Hart Willard is the writer. She writes awesome horror fiction, you'll sure like them but do you read this genre? You must- everyone likes horror. I mean horror is just awesome and thrilling." Scarlet didn't even let Jason speak a word, caught his hand and took him all through the horror section in the emporium. Once, Jason tried though, "Ahm Scarlet, I had to…" "you liked them? See there are so many! There are even better next floor, let's go up there. Come on quick." She took Jason ground floor to first floor, first to ground; horror fiction to crime fiction, crime to horror all through the time but never let him speak a word. Three hours passed and finally, Scarlet's 'emporium walk-through' got over and she gifted Jason thirteen books but he only had to pay for them all. "ahm, 40,000$? Haha! It was a bit more than five thousand, wasn't it? Don't worry I'll keep some of these books back- not all of them are that good really." Scarlet said sighing while Jason smiled casually just like he usually does, "No, please don't- I think all of them are good. I'll read them all, you don't worry. Besides, I told you I am a millionaire eh! 40,000 is just money." he giggled and both walked out after the purchase. Scarlet was quite embarrassed so she spoke less now. Jason eventually got the appropriate time to speak, "Scarlet, those books- those mystery books written by your father that remained unpublished, I wanted them for some time, could you…" "you- are you still into that mystery solving job? I thought you left it." "No, I just let it rest for some time but yes I am still into it. What about the books? Just few days, I'll sure return them to you (blink)" "those books? Well, I can't bring them up to you- If my mom sees me playing with those books of dad again, she'll swallow me whole in a single slurp. So I simply can't. I told you I have done it all once. So I won't risk a 'mommy wrath' one more time." "But you said you'll help me" Scarlet's cheeks became 'scarlet', "yes I said, why I said? Ok if you insist, then you do it yourself. Visit my place and take those books by yourself if you take it that easy." Jason quickly agreed. Following that, they walked down street no. 23 in a awkward silence. Neither one had any subject to talk. The street lamps were glowing lest there would be no light, the sky was empty and had nothing, just clouds- too many clouds. No one was around, it was a peaceful evening. All had retired from work. After few minutes, it started dripping lightly just enough to heal any soul. "I like when it rains smoothly, it feels like these drops are kissing me lol!" Scarlet rubbed her hands. "thank goodness it isn't raining heavily. I forgot to bring an umbrella." Jason said in a simple tone. They kept walking with the same pace when all of a sudden, a girl with an overcoat, came striding from the opposite direction, almost collided into Jason but kept striding towards the lamppost. Jason and Scarlet turned back to see her. She also turned back her head once upon reaching to the pole, blinked at both of them and then within a millionth of a Second- disappeared completely into the pole. "Did you see that? Jason that girl- she dis-" "yes, S-carlet you saw it too? She- did that lamppost eat the girl?" Both were shocked as hell. The first thing that came to Jason's mind was testing the pole's state of matter. He went over and touched it- solid, he said. Scarlet idiotically kept looking in all directions around the pole, scrounging for any traces. "Now I know, how it feels to see someone disappearing. I mean man, she just faded!" Jason uttered in a bewilderment.