Her Stalker by Surabhi Kaushik
No way was she going to miss it this time! For five years, she had been so close to going to the fair, but never quite made it. She wore blue jeans and a yellow blouse to match the crisp sunshine outside. Twenty five years old, and single, perhaps she would meet someone interesting today. How fun would it actually be to go alone to the fair. Throwing a smile on her face, she headed out to soak in the festivities.
Excitement was piping through the air as she stepped onto the grounds. Cuddly cartoon characters amusing giggling kids, scaring others with their antics, were roaming around, ready to pose with adults and kids for some pictures on phones or cameras. It must be hot and stuffy to be cocooned in those thick costumes, Lily thought. People, people and more people of all shapes and colors, some bunched up like grapes in corners, others lined up like ants in serpentine queues for the scary rides. Wild chatter of voices pitched high, low and chirpy. Some sounded squeaky, others were crunchy like they were eating out of a bag of crackers, biting and chewing at the same time.
The sinful aroma of deep fried, unhealthy food floated across, blending with the steamed corn cobs to free her olfactory senses of guilt. It took her a while to train her eyes to look through the kaleidoscope of rattling rides, screaming kids and ballooned arches.
Lily walked through the crowds snaking carefully to avoid being pushed ahead or shoved aside. All of a sudden, her sparkly blue eyes caught him. Dressed in an emerald green shirt and black cotton pants, he was standing beside the Ferris wheel, caressing his thick black beard, staring at her. He looks kind of cute, she thought. He would probably be cuter if he was clean shaven; maybe he has dimples hiding behind his beard! Biting her lips thoughtfully, she looked away, guiding her eyes to look at the Ferris wheel instead.
Riding the Ferris wheel was her most favorite. Staying suspended in air when the wheel came to a short halt, made her feel like the queen of the world! Looking down from such a height filled her with a strange sense of power. Poking the pale ticket with her long nails, she waited with the eagerness of a child. She spotted him again, at the far end of the line, waiting patiently for his turn. Their eyes met with the quickness of lightning. He flashed a winsome smile. Good Lord! she thought. Does he think I am smiling at him? Pursing her lips into a frown, she looked at the sweaty heads lined in front. Still scrutinizing his smile, she struggled to convince herself that he was not smirking in triumph, but just being polite.
Hysterical cries of fear, joy and nervousness, clouded her ears. Momentarily distracted,
her eyes lit up as she joined the peals of exhilarated laughter of people riding on the Ferris wheel. It grew louder and happier as the wheel spun faster. Waving familiarly, he broke away from the line and hurried towards her. She threw the ticket down and began walking in the opposite direction. It was tough to explain why he was making her so uncomfortable and edgy. But it was enough for her to abandon her dearest ride.
She moved as fast as her feet could carry. Petrified, she realized that he did the same. What does he want from me? While she was trying hard to think, matching her steps with the speed of her thoughts, last month’s horrifying incident popped up in her mind. Stalked by a group of ruffians on her lonely train ride back home, late at night, she had narrowly escaped their lusty eyes and greedy hands.
Cold sticky hands brushed against her wrist, pulling her out of her reverie.
More than a dozen kids appeared from nowhere, forming a human barrier between Lily and the stranger. Placing his hands on his hips, he stood there helpless and frustrated. Using this opportunity, she raced towards the dragon headed roller coaster, twisting her neck every few seconds to see if he was still around. Magically, he disappeared. Relieved, she slowed down.
Pangs of hunger shot through her stomach as she remembered skipping breakfast. Right across, was a tiny stall selling cupcakes. Charming ruby red and golden yellow sweet treats invited her. The fancy pink icing and rosy cherries begged for her attention. Gobbling down three of them made her feel better. Comforted by their fluffy existence in her mouth, she battled her regret for giving in to temptation. Pushing away the last crumbs from the sides of her mouth with the soft paper napkin, she geared up to enjoy the rest of the fair. Briefly, her eyes searched for him. Something bright, green and shiny flashed before her. Her heart stopped for a second. Soon after, she heard the cries of a boy, who was chasing a helium balloon that had slipped away from his fingers.
Thankfully, he had vanished. Her body relaxed at the thought. Feeling light again, she strode towards the wobbly bouncy house. Electrifying energy of kids jumping in the multi-colored inflatable castle compelled her to look at them and capture their smile. There he was again, her stalker! His face broke into an ecstatic smile when he saw her and his feet darted towards her. “Hey stop!” she heard him say.
Threatened again, she accelerated her pace as she walked towards the other end. A feeling of disgust washed over her. She decided she had enough of the fair already. All she wanted was to just go back home. Racing towards the parking lot, she fumbled for her car keys. Where were they? Sinking her hands into her pockets, she tried to feel the smooth plastic and the cold metal of her keys. Going down on all fours, she ran her hands over the muddy ground to search the keys, but found nothing.
Fingers tapped on her shoulder and she turned around. It was the same man in the green shirt. Lily’s eyes grew wide in apprehension and she tightened her body to protect herself from him, though he did not even try to touch her. Was he just looking? No! Wait! He was saying something. Blocking her thoughts for a second, she looked at him coldly. “Your car keys” he was saying stretching out his hand with the gleaming key sitting comfortably in the centre of his palm. Surprised and relieved at the same time, her face softened. “You dropped them while you were buying the ticket for the Ferris wheel. I have been following you since then to hand them over to you” he said in an earnest voice.
“Thank you. Thank you so much” she said taking the keys from him trying to sound as nice as possible. He beamed and nodded, experiencing the same relief as she did. Tucking her keys carefully into her purse, Lily headed for her most-loved part of the fair, a ride on the Ferris wheel!
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Words have always been Surabhi Kaushik's best friends, allowing her to find comfort and joy in playing the role of a copywriter, storyteller, poet or essayist, not necessarily in that order. You can find all of her works on her blog https://surabhiwritersmind.blogspot.com