Chapter: 11 - Jenny

Jenny was a very religious girl. Despite her family business' conditions, her faith in the supernatural have always been unshaken. Her father, Dr Scrooge was a renowned pathologist. He also took care of his father's funeral parlour. His mother and unmarried brother passed away in an accident. Jenny's grandfather, Mr Roger Lind was a stiff man even in his seventies. Jenny could still remember the night her grandfather had turned up at their doorstep without a warning.

"Dad? What are you doing here? Come in." Her father had said, " Jenny, call your mother." Tiny Jenny had fetched her mother to the hall where the men had seated themselves.

"All is lost son. Everything gone...." Whispering lightly, Mr Roger suddenly broke. He cried loud enough to wake the entire street. Dr Scrooge felt sorry for his father. He hugged and comforted him.

"Its okay dad. I am right here. We will take.." He turned to little Jenny and, "Jenny, go to your room. Grandpa is not feeling well. We need to give him some space." Again obediently Jenny went to her room. After that incident, Jenny had the benefit to know her grandfather better. Dr Scrooge had never wanted his daughter to get close to his father for her own safety. But when he saw that his father was shattered, he realised that his granddaughters presence might change rather than him having any dangerous influence on her.

Later Roger, got used to living with his son's family. Sometimes Jenny would question him about her grandmother and uncle intensively out of youthful curiosity. But the only answer he would give her was, "They died in an accident." He wouldn't give any further detail and would start brooding silently. Seeing him in that condition she would stop asking questions and change the topic.

Their relationship as grandfather and granddaughter, since his arrival had grown very thick, that Jenny would share all about her school life and later college life to him. In return, Roger would tell his granddaughter many super-scary legends.

During this time the one main thing that awed Roger was Jenny's spirituality. He himself was a believer but he was never spiritual. His belief had only grown during the darker parts of his life and so seeing his granddaughter's spirituality at such a young age amazed him. Her daily routine always started divine.

Waking up at 6 in the morning, Jenny reads a small part from the Bible. She then prays for a few minutes. She is not sure whether anyone listens to her but she does it anyway. She didn't know from where spirituality, came from but somehow she had known what to do.

Living in a well-established town called Gida, she was privileged to know lots of local legends. Gida's legends have always interested Jenny.

Till she finished schooling, she had been a very talkative girl. Gossiping about the goat-man and the weeping women had been an indispensable part of her life. Her close friends in town who had accompanied her to school didn't accompany her to college.

Entering college she became someone with an entirely different behaviour. She became less talkative and choosy in friendship.

Surprising Jenny had noticed Juwan from the first day in the college. Though she wasn't much curious then, he seemed enthusiastic but nervous. She had watched Juwan with little interest then. When Dhanu a senior had walked up to Juwan, she thought that he was about to be bullied. But Juwan and Dhanu seemed to be close already. As time passed Jenny felt awkward staring at them and so went off to search for her class. At that time she had totally taken Juwan out of her mind. Later she met Riya and a few others who later became her friends.

Being late to join college her acquaintance have been limited but Riya's friendship had always been enough for her. As time passed she heard rumours about Juwan whom she thought to be a quiet kid. The stories she heard were surprisingly psychopathic. When she came to know that Riya was dating Juwan's close friend she was concerned for her friend. Juwan was considered to be a silent-maniac among the girls in the class. Weidly Lucy was the only girl to recognize Juwan to be a resistor but not a maniac.

Jenny had told everything she thought of Juwan to her grandfather. And only to her grandfather. At first Roger thought, Jenny was in love to blabber about someone she knew very little about. But when he heard the stories he clearly understood that anyone would be interested in an unstable, average boy. After it would fit in a perfect protagonist: An average boy, an unstable teenager, standing up to bullies in his own psychopathic ways. During Roger's youthful time, when he had chosen to take care of his family funeral parlour instead of going to college, everyone thought he was psychopathic to live among dead bodies.

'The meaning of a psychopath, in this society has changed a lot.' Roger had thought when he heard his granddaughter describe the fight between Juwan and their seniors. It was very obvious to him that some parts in the story had been tampered during the transaction of gossips, yet he had not said anything to Jenny.

Jenny being an overlooked girl in her class, had no relationships. Her grandfather was not so much concerned that his granddaughter was not socially good with boys at her age but he did know she can't avoid socializing forever. When Riya offered her, to join the dinner, on behalf of Jana, it was Roger who convinced had her to go along widen her friendship.

During the dinner that day when Juwan asserted that he believed in the supernatural, Jenny first thought was, 'I thought he was psychopathic. Seems like he is an occultist.' Yet she faked a smile. When Juwan narrated the story about the goat-man, she badly wanted to say, 'I have heard of the creature too. In fact the legend originated in our town.' And she wouldn't be lying even if she had said so, since personally she had experienced the goat's galloping.

When they all dispersed, Jenny slightly missed being around Juwan. 'Who am I kidding. That guy is a psychopath. I can't miss his presence possibly.' She murmured to herself when she got into the car. She drove home faster than ever.

"How did it go, kid?" Roger asked her when she returned.

"Well, Juwan didn't seem to bad." Suddenly she stopped. Her grandfather didn't know that the so-called psychopathic Juwan was the host. She blushed lightly. She didn't know why she just tried to make Juwan look better. After all her grandfather hadn't asked her how social anyone was.

"Juwan? The guy who is supposed to be a psychopath?" Roger asked perplexed about the whole event.

Jenny rolled her eyes. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't go back on her words.

"Yes, but I don't know...He seems kind and gentle. Is it bad if I feel a bit different about him now?" Jenny blushed. Truth be told she never thought she would feel anything at all. She was there to accompany her friend. And that's was all she was planning to do until, she started forgetting herself in their conversation. He was interesting and it seemed like they share a common interest. The Supernatural.

"Are you blushing, Jenny?" Roger chuckled as Jenny grinned. Right then her heart was full with excitement. Dopamine to be precise. She was full of it. A lot of questions arouse in mind. Like- ' Is this crush? Am I going mad? Who can have such a feeling? Does he feel the same way about me? Can I ask Riya for help? Is it worth it? Should I ask him for a date? What will he think of me? Will he reject me? Is he worth it?' As the train of questions filled her with excitement, there was a knock on the door.

Still thinking about it absentmindedly, she opened the front door.

Before stood Juwan covered in sweat. Jenny was shocked. For a second she thought, she was dreaming.

"Juwan?" She asked with a baffled look.