The Disappeared Read Online Free

to her like the sweat that now
soaked her skin. There was only one thing left to do.
    She had to get
busy. Idle hands are the Devil’s tools.
    Minki opened
the beautiful cotton mauve curtains her Aunt Terry had bought her last year.
Outside, the early-morning sky was suspended in that grey limbo halfway between
light and dark. In the wan light, she could see it was going to be an overcast
day. Thick bulbous clouds clogged the sky.
    She quickly
removed her comforter with its criss-crossing lines of varying shades of pastel
lilac and placed it on the whitewashed wicker chair that stood between her bed
and window. Then she removed the matching lilac pillows and placed these on top
of the comforter. The lavender sheet that lay on her mattress was dishevelled
and wrinkled from the
    ( don’t )
    night’s
terrors.
    She straightened
the sheet, smoothed it out and tucked it under the mattress along all four
sides. It was done with a near military precision. Her daddy would be proud of
her.
    Now she
replaced the comforter and aligned it perfectly on the bed so that equal and
straight lengths
    ( don’t
think )
     hung from
both sides. She picked up each pillow. And individually and carefully fluffed
and pulled it until its shape satisfied her. Then she placed them perfectly at
the head of the bed ensuring that
    ( don’t
think about it )
    the gap
between the pillows was exactly in the middle of the bed.
    She stared at
her handiwork. The bed was perfectly made and yet ...
    She sighed
deeply, frowning. Her anxiety had not faded but only moved slightly into the
background. She quickly scanned the room; looking for something to tidy.
Anything. As long as she
    ( don’t
think )
    kept busy.
    She arbitrarily
moved things around the room. She shifted the curtains. She moved the little
white wastepaper basket. She repositioned the wicker chair. Frenzy crept into
her movements. She moved towards the miniature lilac dressing table her daddy
had built for her. She adjusted the little pink hair dryer that hung on a peg. She
moved the quaint mirror on its vintage metal stand towards the edge of the dressing
table. Then she moved it back again. In her frenzy she bumped over one of her
little porcelain fairies and it shattered on the carpeted floor. Minki stopped.
With a start she suddenly realised how frenetic she had become.
    Please God .
    Minki absently
collected the fractured pieces; unfocused unformed thoughts in a faraway place.
She placed the broken pieces in the wastepaper basket giving no thought to the
fact that it was her favourite fairy that had shattered. She stood for a few moments
staring into her thoughts.
     A bath.
    Yes. A bath.She decided to take a bath.It always made her feel better.
    She went to
her closet and took out her favourite dress – a beautiful cream frock with
frilly sleeves and a matching neckline. It was a dress that always put her in a
good mood especially when she was feeling down. Minki hoped that today it would
work. She really needed it.
    She opened her
bedroom door and walked towards the bathroom at the end of the hallway
re-invigorated with the energy of purpose. For the moment – at least – it felt
as if the darkness had lifted from her mood.
    She was careful
not to make too much noise. Her daddy was still asleep. He was stressed with
his work lately and she didn’t want to wake him. It was never a good
idea to wake her daddy. And incur his anger.
    She slipped
into the bathroom and opened the bath taps. While the water filled the enamel bath
she brushed her teeth. Then she took off her nightie and undergarments and
carefully placed it on the closed lid of the toilet. She closed the taps and
testing the bath water with her hand climbed in. It wasn’t as hot as she would
have liked but she immersed herself nonetheless feeling the water wash over her
face. She was glad for the warmth of the water on her skin and the cottony
muteness of it in her ears. And yet...
    The instant
relief of bathing evaded her