Martoons

Cast of characters

Miss No

Taxi driver

*

“Taxi Sir, do you believe in … ghosts?” Miss No asked her taxi driver.

* What do you think his response will be? *

He waved her off. “My parents are elderly and live in the country. I grew up there and they believe in evil spirits and such. But me?”

“I became a Christian when I moved to the city as a young man. Ghosts? Never!”

She felt comforted. “Yes, I am Christian too. But a few minutes ago, I could swear I saw the ghost of Mr Go.”

The cabby knew Go very well. “Why do you say ghost? Maybe it was really him…”

He scratched his head. Something was tweaking his brain and he turned to look at her.

“I am sorry for falling asleep on you but I did not sleep continuously. In fact, about 30 minutes ago I saw someone go in that building; maybe two people.”

‘It was hard to tell because my window was fogged up …”

“And you did nothing?”

The cabby chuckled guiltily. “I was having a nice dream, agasshi. I wanted to get back to it.”

He floored the vehicle again to beat an amber light. “But yes – it appeared one or two men entered the back door while you were inside.”

“I took note but they didn’t look like robbers. Seemed like they knew the place.

”They were jovial, laughing, and carrying on.” He pondered. “I thought nothing of it and dozed off again.”

He sighed and was a little confused. “Actually, I thought you would have met them inside and that that’s why you were taking so long.”

Moments later the cabby arrived at No’s gated street, nodded to security, and drove up to her house. She fished around in her handbag for the fare.

“I don’t believe what you say. There was nobody else in my building … at least, nobody real. Couldn’t have been.”

The acrid smoke billowing out of Go’s apartment earlier in the evening flooded her memory and she coughed nervously. “It is impossible.”

* It’s not though *

She handed over the fare and the cabby wheeled around and took off down the street. No struggled with getting her key to open the front gate. What had just happened at her institute?

Dream or hallucination, she couldn’t deny that it had been the most bizarre experience of her life.

The gate finally clicked open and she stepped over the threshold into her family’s small front yard. She clanked the welded, iron gate solidly shut behind her.

Adeptly tip-toeing around her brother’s parked car, which filled most of the tiny concrete-surfaced yard, she felt comforted by the sight of the familiar yard surroundings – the large brown vats containing kimchi and soy bean paste; the plastic slippers sitting all neatly lined up beside the door mat; the waist-high, oriental-style ornamental vase.

She thought again about what the cabbie had said and scoffed.

Imagine, trying to tell me he saw Mr Go walk right in the back door of Central? Pretty hard to see that when you’re asleep, and your window’s fogged-up! Ayeesh! 

Yet, as much as she tried to minimize it, the cabby’s story unsettled her, even as she crept through the house and into her room to crash.

* How will No react when she finds out the truth? *

*

Tomorrow: Dame and Go visit Coffee Lady’s café.