A gentle breeze comes in from the balcony, gently caressing her skin making her stir slightly in bed. It gave her goosebumps.
She always liked that about the wind, it seemed to hold her in its fluttering embrace like a playful lover. Speaking of lovers, she gently turned over to see if he was still asleep. She had met him during one of her trips to Kumasi that she took quarterly to source textiles for her avant garde fashion house.
Running one's own business was never easy and there was never enough time to do the whole courtship thing. Her relationships usually lasted 2 months at best, yet somehow this one felt different. She remembered when she'd first bumped into him. She was trying to get to her seat on the plane when she tripped and sat straight in his lap.
She felt so embarrassed that for a moment there was nothing she could come up with for an apology. What made things worse was that he had this smile. This large grin that looked very mischievous yet playful and caught you totally off guard.
He had laughed and said "Quite comfy, isn't it?".
With an embarrassed smile she slyly replied "Yes, somewhat.".
"Would you like to have the seat next to me? You seem interesting and I wouldn't mind the company"
Doing something totally out of character she replied "Yes".
During the flight they had conversations about practically everything and she was amazed at how easily she opened up to him. He asked for her number in the arrival hall and promised to call. What followed in the weeks after that were even longer conversations about silly things, like the best way to make a cup of Milo or whether jam tasted better on toast.
Thoughts of him made her smile, and she would often find herself reading their old chat messages and laughing out loud at how silly there were. Earning her curious looks from people who seemed to wonder what would make a beautiful woman chortle like a little girl.
Slipping out of bed quietly she made her way to the balcony. She wanted to enjoy the breeze a bit more and to catch the twilight. Grabbing a t-shirt from a bag of his things she stepped out and stretched, fully extending her body like that of her yoga instructor. She felt happy and safe.
Pulling the sleeve of the t-shirt to her nose she inhaled, she liked his smell and wanted to remember everything about the moment. Looking down, an inscription caught her eye. It was a simple motif with two letters....D.H.
Wait.
"Why does this seem familiar" she muttered.
Then it hit her, all those suppressed memories of that night so many years ago came flooding back. The memories were so strong she let out a loud gasp. It almost felt as if she had been punched in the stomach.
The laughter, the taste of the pina-colladas, the sudden chill of the room....and that grin. That mad grin that demon had on his face.
"Ahem, brings back memories doesn't it" he said.
She turned around quickly only to find him standing right behind her. He swept her up in a tight embrace and wouldn't let go.
"Looks like my job is over" he thought.
Drawing a strange glyph on her forehead with his finger, he gave her one last kiss and stepped back.
She felt frozen, the mark he had drawn seem to be alive and it felt warm.
Slowly her skin turned ashen and bits of her started drifting away in the breeze. Her last thoughts were of the love she thought she had found.
"Why?" she managed to ask, almost sounding like a whimper.
"You are an anomaly, the result of an inexperienced boy playing with things he did not understand. You have lived, loved and have been loved. Remember I promised only to come for you much later. All of you should have died that night, this is just me putting things back in order."
With her last thoughts she floated out on the fleeting breeze, her ashes swirling in the twilight.
He picked up his shirt and grabbed his bag. Stopping in front of a mirror he put on the t-shirt she had taken.
Smiling he said "Five more to go". Fading, as the twilight gave way to the darkness of the night.
