THE THAWED REALITY

Written by lorraine
In Hartville, it was a must for both a man and a woman to get married at the
age of twenty, below or above was a crime. Not getting married at all was a
call for banishment.
Telinha was a beautiful girl, fourteen, and, very intelligent. Her father Dao,
lost his wife not so long ago, leaving him alone with his daughter Telinha.
Telinha was her mother's other copy and people remembered her once they
saw her. Her eyes were naturally brown and her hair, curled and soft was
completely black. You would think she was from Mexico. Dao was a
respected man. A man with virtue, loyalty, and, skills, but that was all a lie. It
was a painting that covered his true identity and Telinha feared him for that.
She knew what her father was capable of doing.
She was in school when Dao dropped by to pick her up. He smiled, waved,
and proudly walked out with Telinha. They both stood outside a mansion, it
was in a forest-like area, guards in every corner."Don't embarrass me“ Dao
said as he organised his tie. Telinha young as she was stood next to her father,
holding in her tears and fears. A man in a black and white suit approached
them, he had brown hair and his eyes were covered with perfectly round
glasses.“ The bride?“ he asked. Telinha walked and stood next to him. He
signaled her to follow him. Her heart dropped, falling off a cliff.
She slowly walked and observed the scenery, the perfectly cut bushes and
vines. The man she walked with showed no interest at all. Curiosity pulled
Telinha's arm. She touched and covered herself with the water that poured out
of a cemented vase. The water was light and natural with pink petals floating
on top. She sat on the side of the fountain and continued to admire the
fountain.“ Stop.“ The man threw his hands in his pockets. Telinha didn't care.
She wanted to feel at home. The fountain continued to shower light rains
making the atmosphere trickle lines of warmth. From a distance, the man
watched her smile and chuckle picking up pebbles around the pebble dash. It
was when he concluded, that Telinha was still a child. He continued to
observe her in every way that made him question her presence.“ We can leave
now.“She said dusting her pants. He smiled and showed her the way to the
house. It was like a maze, with different stations.
Telinha walked into a room with the man beside her. She found herself
admiring the chandelier that hung high far from her, the lights that crossed
every branch. The walls were painted white and the shelves looked more like
an ancient relic collection with a side dish of ornaments. The man sat next to
her, she moved next to the center table made of oak wood and found herself
holding up a bottle of French wine. Voices from afar were heard, she quickly
placed the bottle back on the table, standing up straight and smiling.
Mr. Dao and a man in a grey formal suit walked in. From the conversation
she heard, he was called Mr. Orchlein. A businessman, not known globally.
The man who walked in with her continued to sit watching the two men laugh
at their jokes.
Mr. Orchlein sat on his blue leather chair and poured for himself the French
wine Telinha held earlier. Mr. Dao stood next to him, staring at Telinha with
a smile. " So, Dao, will she be able to bear children?" Mr. Orchlein asked. He
crossed his legs and sipped off his wine. " Of course, Teli, tell him." Mr. Dao
said he continued to smile " Yes. I will most certainly have your children"
Telinha smiled. She looked behind and saw the man she was with before
watching her as his favorite television show had just come on. " will he look
after me?" Telinha looked back after asking her question " Who? my son?"
Mr. Orchlein asked and laughed at her " Clinton. He will be your son" Mr.
Orchlein smiled and laughed again, he put his glass back on the table. Telinha
sat next to Clinton. Clinton was Mr. Orchlein's adopted son. He was
seventeen, he lost his mother when he was just born, and his real father died
fighting for his country.
Clinton didn't speak. He continued to listen." You will marry me today.
Telinha will be my wife." Mr. Orchlein got up and shook hands with Mr.
Dao. " when will I get paid?" Mr. Dao asked. Mr. Orchlein pulled out an
envelope from his oak wood cabinet and gave it to Mr. Dao with a smile. " I
leave you now caring for my daughter." Mr. Dao said. He picked up his bag
from the floor and was walking out, Telinha's sight was blurring and her brain
was melting, she didn't know what to feel. Her heart was pumping veins" Will
you come to my wedding?" Telinha asked, Mr. Dao stopped by the door
frame and looked at Telinha " I don't know." Mr. Dao replied and walked out.
Telinha looked pale and alone. Clinton walked out as well as Mr. Orchlein.
Telinha didn't know what to do, her father sold her to a man she barely knew.
Telinha's wedding night was unexpected. No one expected to see a fourteen-
year-old with a twenty-eight-year-old man. All eyes fell on her, with her
perfectly made A-line wedding dress that had the best design by the country's
best designer Sasha Blein. The venue looked expensive and modern. It was
only the family allowed to come, the rest, were never told.
Telinha sat alone watching her newlywed interact with his family. Clinton sat
next to her. He held two glasses of wine " I don't drink" Telinha said before
he asked. He placed the glasses on the table. The silence was all they could
hear then. Telinha thought of him as a first meet, not a son. She felt
uncomfortable, her dress making it hard for her to breathe. " I need to rest,"
she said and walked away.
The days ran by so fast and Telinha felt like Clinton was visiting more often
to check on her, she never understood why. They talked, laughed, and
experienced outdoor activities together. Mr. Orchlein was always busy, she
didn't know why she felt something was wrong.
The Queen of Chrinsime had sent an invite to Clinton, asking him to
accompany the prince of Chrinsime to the royal berries ball. He was allowed
to come with another half and he found Telinha a great time taker. Telinha
young as she was, obviously agreed to go out with Clinton for a dance.
" Is this it?" she asked, amazed by the buildings that looked like royalty. She
didn't look at him the whole time, her focus was on the attractive buildings. "
Do you like it?" he asked, impressed with his decision. It was like she ignored
his question. She took pictures of herself. She dressed in a black, light hand-
made empire-style dress. It was a simple dress. She looked even prettier with
her hair made into a braided crown. She smiled and pulled up her top. She
was fourteen but her features looked more of a seventeen-year-old.
The palace welcomed them with a bouquet of thistles and carnations. Telinha
was interested more in the palace and the things she had never seen before.
She walked with Clinton arm by arm smiling. A man walked to them in a
white shirt, brown suit pants, and a long coat. He looked Indian, but the
young version. Clinton smiled as he hugged him. He called himself Harry.
Harry looked at Telinha in surprise. He whispered in Clinton's ear, Clinton
didn't smile but smirked. Telinha felt the urge to dance but it looked rehearsed
and fancy. She tried to join the dance but she didn't fit in. She had no partner.
Her mind echoed with the words ¨ excuse me¨,¨ are you lost?¨ and ¨where's
your partner?¨. Those words made her feel unwanted. She continued to look
around, the smiles on the people's faces making her smile as well. Standing in
between a couple, she was pushed. Like an apple, she fell to the ground.
To her surprise, Clinton helped her up but with a serious look. " Dont
embarrass me." He said. The words that came out of his mouth reminded her
of her father, making her feel cold and stuffed. She looked at the other
couples dancing, with a frown on her face, she was down. Clinton noticed the
look in her eye. Clinton took off his glasses, revealing his perfectly shaped
eyes, colored with a dark shade of brown. Telinha looked into his eyes and
smiled. " Dance with me," Clinton said. He showed her the way.
From a distance, Harry noticed the both of them. He was speaking to the
governess and president. Clinton had never danced before, the last time he
danced was at his father's ceremony of giving. He gave it all to a girl he had
just met. His glasses were off. Revealing his hidden glamour. Clinton made
sure she was just like the rest. He didn't let go, he was perfect.
They were like water. She looked at him again and he was clouded with
steam. They were too close, their conversations were light. “ Are you okay?“
she asked him “ It's nothing.“ He said. They danced for a while and left
earlier.
They returned home, where Telinha found Mr. Orchlein sitting on his bed,
plain and empty. He was still formally dressed. Telinha sat next to him, still
in her dress. They had just returned from the palace " You're supposed to let
me know when and where you have gone to." He said. Telinha was
exhausted. " You had an affair with my son." He said. Telinha did not deny it.
She knew that she did nothing, arguing would be a walkover. He was more
serious than ever. On the table sat two empty wine glasses with no drink.
Mr. Orchlein, stood up slapping her, making her weep. He broke the glasses
on the table. He pushed her to the ground. Telinha tried to reach for the piece
of glass next to her, but she was pulled from behind, pushed to the wall
hitting her head severly, like a river, blood oozed out of her nose. Cries and
Groans covered the room. Orchlein picked up the sharp piece of glass and
stabbed her above her abdomen. She fell ripping her dress. " please forgive
me." He said before he decided to leave. Orchlein ran out the window
unharmed. Telinha folded up in one spot, in the corner covered in her blood,
crying in pain, her body aching.
Clinton sat out for some air. It had been a long night for both him and
Telinha. He suddenly heard glasses break from his father's room. He thought
that they had just dropped a few things. He then started to hear cries, screams,
and cries that pierced his heart. His legs showed him the way, and in a minute
he found himself standing behind his father's door. He confidently opened his
door and was glued to one spot. The sheets were soaked in blood, the walls
stained with blood. Glass crystals spread out across the room. His father was
not seen. He knew that he had run away.
Telinha was folded up in one spot, in the corner. Bruised and in tears. Her
dress was torn. She tried to hold it up. She used her right palm to apply
pressure to the open deep cut wound that poured out blood. She cried.
Traumatized. Losing all her saved air.
Clinton felt the sad slow music get through him. He wept and fell on his
knees for her. He carried her making sure she did not feel alone. She was pale
now, he was scared. She turned away. Halfway through the corridor, she was
not breathing. He placed her on the ground. It was just them. It was useless,
he felt useless. He cried, the corridor echoing. She was gone. It was then that
he realized that he loved her. It was a painful sting. His father committed a
crime. A murder. Was this his first kill? He lost someone so dear before and
now he has lost someone closer to his life. He didn't try to warn her but he
tried to save her from him.
###
Seven years later, Clinton was in a room covered in white tiles. He sat in the
middle of a circle of people dressed in white. A woman with red long hair,
young and kind, had a pen and a notebook. She observed everyone in and out
of the circle. Clinton looked older and stressed. He grew pillows below his
eye and he rarely slept. He was now in the middle.
He knew where he was, he wanted to live a life with no friends or family. “
do you want to tell all of us, why you did it?“ the woman asked him.
Clinton smiled and sighed.“ He deserved it. I dont want to. She does not want
me to tell.“ He laughed.
Clinton was hearing voices. He killed his father after Telinha's funeral. He
started talking to himself. That day, he tried to hung himself but Mr. Dao
found him and called the mental facilities for help. He threatened Dao and
told him to leave the country before it comes for him.
He didn't eat. He was never hungry. They all thought that he was faking it just
to ran away from his reality, others thought that someone was talking to him.
The truth was that, Clinton lied. He knew what he was doing. He was hiding
something that no one knew. Not even his friend Harry knew. It was a secret
that would someday save him from his father's traps. And proof that his father
committed murder.
His plan was to smile, wave and walk away when his plan was to come to an
end. The truth was all he ever thought about. He had to care for it and to
communicate with the truth. He was social. He made friends, he planned to
leave immediately. For he had a plan. Technology was advanced then, so he
was quite a genius, even the crazy knew that he didnt need help. He was
perfectly fine. What they didn't know was that he was with someone else, he
sat there for a reason. The murder, was a piece of paper behind a piece of
cardboard. He took himself to be different. So they asked him to stay, what
was it that he was waiting for? Love? Or death?

He knew where he was, he wanted to live a life with no friends or family. “

do you want to tell all of us, why you did it?“ the woman asked him.
Clinton smiled and sighed." He deserved it. I'd... I don't want to. She does not
want me to tell." He laughed.
Clinton was hearing voices. He killed his father after Telinha's funeral. He
started talking to himself. That day, he tried to hang himself but Mr. Dao
found him and called the mental facilities for help. He threatened Dao and
told him to leave the country before it came for him.
He didn't eat. He was never hungry. They all thought that he was faking it just
to run away from his reality, others thought that someone was talking to him.
The truth was that Clinton lied. He knew what he was doing. He was hiding
something that no one knew. Not even his friend Harry knew. It was a secret
that would someday save him from his father's traps. And proof that his father
committed murder.
He planned to smile, wave, and walk away, he planned to come to an end.
The truth was all he ever thought about. He had to care for it and to
communicate with the truth. He was social. He made friends, he planned to
leave immediately. For he had a plan. Technology was advanced then, so he
was quite a genius, even the crazy knew that he didn't need help. He was
perfectly fine. What they didn't know was that he was with someone else, he
sat there for a reason. The murder was a piece of paper behind a piece of
cardboard. He took himself to be different, he was forced to speak, but he
never did. They asked him to stay. what was it that he was waiting for? Love?
Or death?