Ch 02: The Portrait
Ethan had become very serious about her. He had fallen in love with her to the point of madness. He had decided to talk to Alice and confess his feelings. He did not want to burn in his own fire alone anymore. He had resolved that no matter what happened, he would tell Alice about his heart.
In the same market, there was an old bookstore. One part of the shop was filled with old books. Behind the old counter, a short man named Sattu sat on a high stool, handling transactions. The other part of the shop was occupied by a man known as Damien. Although his real name was something else, everyone knew him as Damien. When he first came to this place, an old man who used to sit with him had remarked that he looked very much like his deceased friend, whom they affectionately called Damien. From that day, the name stuck.
Damien had a long face, large eyes, and a countenance that seemed perpetually absorbed in deep thought. He had sharp eyesight. Though he was around sixty years old, his agility suggested he was no older than forty. At the slightest unusual sound, his ears would perk up. He could identify who was approaching by the sound of their footsteps. He was an expert at reading faces, and his tongue was constantly engaged in some kind of discourse.
Damien spent his days and late into the night sitting in the same place, sketching with a pencil. His surroundings were filled with numerous drawings, showcasing his skill. When he held a pencil, it moved as if it had a life of its own, dancing across the paper with such speed and skill that anyone's likeness could be revealed.
He had been sitting there for years, hardly speaking to anyone but listening to everyone. His ears were always eager to hear. Hardly anyone knew when he closed his shop and when he opened it again. To most people, it seemed as if Damien lived in the shop with his companion Sattu, never leaving the place, making it his home.
Damien had seen Alice passing by hundreds of times because her house was in a street that could only be reached through the market. Whenever the car in which Alice was seated entered the market, Damien's working hands would freeze. As the car passed by his shop, he would mutter something and return to his work.
When Ethan came to the market for the second time to catch a glimpse of Alice, Damien's hands, which were rapidly working on a frame, suddenly stopped. Ethan was standing a little distance behind Damien at that time. Damien pricked up his ears, trying to hear something, his face reflecting a strange curiosity. As the car still hadn't left the alley, Damien's attention was drawn to it. He didn't look at anyone. The car passed by as usual, and Ethan caught a glimpse of Alice. Damien forgot to move his pencil. Ethan left, and Damien seemed to be listening to the sound of his departing footsteps. When Ethan had gone, Damien stood up and looked at the spot where Ethan had been standing moments before. He muttered something under his breath and then returned to his seat.
It had never happened that Damien was unaware of Ethan's presence whenever he came to see Alice. It was a peculiar occurrence that whenever Ethan and Alice were in each other's vicinity, Damien's hand would stop, and his ears would focus on them.
"Damien, this book you were looking for yesterday," Sattu said, holding a tattered book and approaching Damien.
Damien's hand, which was holding the pencil, halted. He looked at the book, placed the pencil behind his ear, took the book from Sattu, and asked, "Where did you find it?" His voice sounded as if someone had woken from a deep sleep and tried to speak; it had a strange drowsiness.
"It was among the books," Sattu replied.
"I've been searching for this. You can go now," Damien said.
Sattu left. Damien set aside his work and began flipping through the book. Among the many drawings Damien had made, there was also a picture of the dilapidated house situated in the desolate forest along the highway. In the drawing, a crow perched on the roof, and an axe was embedded in the wooden structure of the house.
Ethan had taken the day off under the pretext of an excuse. He already knew which college Alice attended. He reached the college before her classes ended. When Alice emerged from the college, she looked around for her car, which hadn't arrived yet.
Alice walked a short distance from the college gate, heading to the spot where her car usually picked her up. She hadn't been there for even a minute when Ethan, without considering the consequences, approached her and said, "Hello."
Startled, Alice looked at him. She knew that Ethan often stood in her path, watching her. "Yes?" she replied.
"I want to tell you something," Ethan said without hesitation.
"What?" Alice asked immediately.
"Can we sit somewhere and talk?" Ethan asked.
"What do you want to talk about?" Alice's tone was blunt. "Whatever you want to say, say it here."
"There's a nice restaurant nearby," Ethan suggested. His face showed no nervousness while talking. His madness had no fear; his tone was confident.
At that moment, Alice's car arrived. The driver honked. Alice looked at her car and walked towards it without saying anything to Ethan. She nonchalantly sat in the back seat, and the car drove away. Ethan just stood there, watching.
Ethan felt regret that he had missed an opportunity to talk to her. Now he would have to wait for another chance, as he couldn't keep taking leave from the factory. The fear of work and his father loomed over his madness.
As Alice rode away in the car, she smirked, like someone mocking another. Then the smile vanished from her lips, and she sat with a calm demeanor.
Returning to her room, Alice placed her file and bag aside. Grace entered with a glass of water on a tray. Alice took a few sips and then set the glass back on the tray. She looked around the room; the rustling sound touched her ears again, and she shook her head. She wanted to rid herself of this paranoia.
"Grace, let me ask you something," Alice said.
"Yes, Alice," Grace said, placing the glass aside and standing beside her.
"When someone disrupts your silence, what should their punishment be?" Alice asked.
"Has someone disrupted your silence, Alice?" Grace asked.
"I asked for an answer, not a question," Alice said in a sharp and bitter tone.
"The punishment depends on the personality of the person," Grace replied cleverly. "Only then can a decision be made."
"Whose personality?" Alice looked at her. "The one who dared?"
"The personality of the one whose silence was disrupted," Grace said, rolling her eyes.
"He came up to me and said he wanted to talk. Such audacity left me stunned for a moment," Alice said. "His tone was confident. His eyes were free of any fear."
"Then you should reward his audacity," Grace said. "Such madmen are rare."
"Reward?" Alice said with a meaningful smile. "You're right. Such courage deserves a reward, one that will be remembered for a long time. What do you think?"
"Alice, I think whoever did this must be mad," Grace said, looking at her.
"Are you praising him?" Alice fixed her gaze on Grace's face.
"I was just expressing my opinion," Grace said.
"Keep your opinion to yourself," Alice said, tapping Grace on the arm. "I don't need any madman."
"So, what's the order?" Grace asked.
Alice looked at her and got up. "Go and bring me my meal. I'll eat in my room today."
Grace didn't wait for a moment. She picked up the glass and tray and left the room. The glass and tray clinked together as she walked, creating a musical sound. Alice watched her leave.
The next day, Ethan was again standing in the same spot in the market, unaware that someone was paying attention to him. As Alice's car emerged from the alley and passed by him, Alice instructed the driver to stop the car. The driver pulled over.
"That boy standing there, by the general store. Go tell him to send his sister to college at noon. I'll recommend her admission. That's why he's standing there," Alice told the driver.
The driver approached Ethan and relayed Alice's message. At first, Ethan didn't understand, but soon he caught on. Alice had set a time for their meeting at noon.