Tranquilizer Part 2

2



Diana has thought and so was her mother that that man was just a stranger stacked in snow but they were wrong. The man was a thief. She has witnessed how it ended her helpless mother's life. The burglar pulled Jane's jewelries--the gold necklace with diamond pendant which she remember was given by father for their 20th anniversary, the white gold wedding ring adorned by sparkling sapphire looking fresh but blemished by her mother's blood and bracelets etc.

Diana was slammed to the floor. She was forced to be locked and go inside the old, dusty, webbed,  woody scented attic room which she has entered by once; but it was few years ago. She cried in no end. Her eyes were already soring and her dress was washed by her tears and sweat. She is reverberating like an echo from nowhere. She cannot stop what she was doing. She was full of sorrow. At that moment, she thought that she was useless and helpless. She even thought that she was shameless because she even could not do anything to help her injured mother. She even does not know if her mother is still alive or has left her already. But something had disturbed her emotional rage. Standing still but dusty in the midst of a round brown-varnished table is a jewelry box which suddenly reminded her about her father.

It was also her birthday. It was gift-wrapping time. Her Grandma had given her a white cross stitched pair of gloves with a name of her own. It was made of sheep's wool. Then her mother had given her a well-toned Barbie doll wearing a flower-designed yellow bathing suit. She had done unpacking all of the presents from the party-goers. She was waiting for more to give her a gift which she is longing for; but all were gone.  Until, her father asked her to get the jewelry box inside the attic and so she did. Then he handed it to her father but he refused and told her that it was his gift for her. And surprisingly, what the pearl-adorned pink fancy heart-shaped jewelry box contains is an Arabian Gold locket that her father bought in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where his father worked before. Consequently, after she opened the box, a beautiful music played, it was Blue Danube. She was surprised that it was not only the locket which the box contains but also a couple of swan. And at that moment she interestedly put the magnetized swan in the glass (serving as the lake for the swans to glide). The couple of swan danced gracefully with the music in the top of a mirror-glass interior of the box as if they were real but just a miniature version.

Thereafter she realized that she has lost her locket.

"It is impossible! I always wear it and I never forget to do so. I always keep it in my body as remembrance of Papa's presence. What the! You idiot! Diana! How can you lose something that you have been treasuring for years!? "Diana murmured, thinking that the criminal—who took her locket is still there and that it might plan to dispose her.

After that such stress, she fell asleep, and had relaxed herself at last. She had felt tranquility even just for a moment. It was a soothing relief. It was like in cloud-nine—that you had lost your worries and just need to enjoy. But it remained just a minute. She does not know. Even her mentality is forcing her to think and think about the problems concerning about her family especially her mother. She cannot remove that such discrepancy between her and her friends.

"What will happen to me if mother also will be gone? Where will I go? How can I live? My dreams? I want to be somebody!" she worried.

A shout from the basement scared her. It was a high-pitched but loud shout from an old woman--her grandmother.

"Jane! Who did this to you?" Grandma cried.

Nobody responded her. She had felt cold when she touched her daughter's body. Jane did no longer exist. She had just left the world. She even had left her only daughter, Diana.

Grandma became aware of the situation and has been in hurry of searching of Diana--thinking that Diana is still alive and breathing.

"Diana! Diana! Where are you? Are you here?" Grandma shouted in panic.

"Oh God please save her oh Lord. Please oh Lord let her not suffer more. I know you can give her peace in mind. Please oh Lord! Please! You're the Only One she can depend on right now." Grandma prayed.

After hearing that shout Diana hastily knocked and slammed the door but she cannot shout anything or say any word. She is now weak after that such trauma. Even her vocal chords have given up because of that tragedy, after that such lightning-stricken scene wherein her mother was stabbed by an anonymous man.

Grandma has heard the knocks and the noise created by the door.

Even though Grandma has been limping of gout, she enabled to go upstairs and open the attic door. There she saw Diana--pale, wet of tears and sweat, her hair was like kissed by a tornado and had bruises and some scratches after she was slammed in the floor.

Diana could now move her fingertips just like rising from cardiac arrest or stroke, just like having an air already entering her body with her blood beginning to circulate on her organs, on her veins and vessels. Her heart has started to pump. And her brain was awake from its sleep, survived its own struggle but started to gather again information about the tragedy. Her mind has tempted her to know more what happened to her beloved mother. And so she asked.

"Wha---What-t-t happ-ppened to Ma---ma--a?" Diana asked, shaking.

"Oh dear Jane had left us. She was stabbed by someone. Do you know him?" Grandma replied.

Diana has not said anything.

Suddenly, tears began to fall from her eyes. She knows that even though Grandma has been always making jokes, Grandma can't do jokes regarding those serious matters. She cannot believe that the mother she was with within just an hour ago had already passed away. Her Mama has already left her. And it hurts more that she has not done anything to protect her mother.

“I was just there sitting in the attic. I was there, bloodless, safe, undamaged. But Mama has been bathing in her own blood, bluish like corpse, and breathless. “

“How can I live now?” Diana cried.





To be continued