10 Paranormal Stories Page 7

  “We both had each other,” the boy replied.

  The driver looked at both of the kids and shook his head.

  “Is something the matter, mister? Why are you hesitating? We are new in town and we would really like someone to take us,” the girl said.

  “Of course something is wrong. You are two young, unaccompanied children. I don’t know where you are from and I am not even sure about this story of yours,” the driver replied.

  The girl stepped forward. “But we assure you, mister. We are not alone.”

  The driver nodded. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. I have heard that one already. That you both have each other. But that is not good enough for me.”

  “Are you bothered about where we come from?” the boy asked.

  “You heard me right when I said so,” the man replied.

  “Sir, if you must know, we came from New York City by train,” the girl replied.

  “New York City? You mean you both came all the way here from New York? That is quite some distance for little kids to be travelling on their own,” the driver said.

  “Are you always this inquisitive with your passengers, sir?” the boy asked.

  The driver shook his head. “Not really. Except when they happen to be underage and new in town,” the man replied.

  “And that is why you are hesitating to take us with you?” the girl asked.

  He glared back at her. “Of course I am hesitating. Gosh. Who wouldn’t hesitate? And come to think of it, how is it that you both came up to me without my knowledge?”

  The boy and girl looked at each other. “We don’t understand, sir. What do you mean?”

  The driver pointed at the luggage with them. “I should have seen or heard you both when you were coming up to me, considering the amount of luggage on you. But I didn’t. How were you able to move all that from the terminal to this place without me knowing?”

  The boy smiled. “No offence, sir. But I think you were too engrossed with your sandwich to have noticed us coming to you.”

  He glanced at the sandwich and bottle in his hands. “Engrossed? Who was engrossed? I was only eating, and I am pretty sure that I did not see you approach.”

  “Sir, we both apologise if we upset your eating time. But we really need someone to take us around,” the girl pleaded.

  The driver shook his head. “No, not me. You have got the wrong person. And I doubt if anyone would be willing to take you kids anywhere without an adult.”

  The boy bent down and unzipped his trolley bag. He then brought out a small bag. He opened it and brought out a wad of notes, which he held up to the driver. “Would this money make you change your mind, mister?”

  The driver was shocked. He glanced around and quickly waved at the boy. “Don’t do that. Put that cash away before you attract undue attention. Quickly!”

  The boy obeyed and quickly put the money away. As he did, the driver saw that the bag was filled with several bills. Unconsciously, he found himself licking his own lips.

  The driver put down his sandwich and bottle of soft drink. He opened the door and came down from his cab. He then glanced around again, just to be sure that no one was watching him.

  “So, you kids are new in town?” he asked.

  The boy nodded. “Yes, we are, sir.”

  “And you seem to have quite a lot of money on you,” the driver added.

  “Yes, sir. We have a lot of money with us. We came here fully prepared,” the boy replied.

  “Fully prepared?” the driver repeated.

  “Yes. This is our first time in this city. We don’t want to be stranded,” the girl said.

  “That was a nice decision, coming here with enough money. All right, let us first get your stuff into the boot, and then we can get you both out of here,” the driver said.

  The boy smiled. “That is really kind of you, sir.”

  He opened up his boot and began to pack the luggage into it. Then, he opened the back doors and ushered the two children into the cab.

  Afterwards, he went and sat down behind his steering wheel. “So, where are we heading for?”

  “We would like to go to the City Mall,” the boy replied.

  “The City Mall? Are you trying to tell me that you came all the way from New York just to visit our own City Mall?” the driver asked.

  “Not exactly, sir. We need to get some stuff which we would be making use of in your city. That is why we have to visit the City Mall,” the girl replied.

  The taxi driver nodded. “You know that we charge our fees by the miles that a cab driver covers?”

  The girl nodded. “Yes, sir. We are well aware of that.”

  “Well, you kids also need to be aware that in this case, I am going to have to also charge you something extra for the amount of time you spend keeping me engaged. You know that I would be idle while you do your shopping at the City Mall.”

  The boy nodded. “We fully understand this, sir. You should not be bothered at all. We are going to pay you well for your services.”

  The driver nodded. “That sounds motivating enough. All right, sit tight while we head to the City Mall.”

  CHAPTER 2 The driver drove the taxicab into the traffic and headed for the City Mall. While he drove, he kept on glancing into the rearview mirror, watching the two little children. They did not speak a word to each other but rather sat quietly. Each was watching the scenery outside the window on their side. It was as if they were two complete strangers who were completely engrossed with the view that was seen outside.

  The driver remembered his sandwich. As he picked it out of the bag on the next seat to his, his eyes caught sight of the other three bags. He smiled as he brought out his own sandwich and took another bite. “So, you kids are new here? Why did you leave New York?”

  The boy took his eyes off the window and caught the driver’s gaze in the mirror. “We had to leave because our parents asked us to.”

  “Your parents asked you to leave? But why did they not follow you?” the driver asked.

  “They followed us,” the boy replied.

  “They did? Then where are they?” the driver asked. “They will soon meet us,” the boy replied. “When will they meet you?” the driver asked.

  “Soon, when they want to meet with us,” the girl answered.

  “So they leave you both with the luggage at the train station and go somewhere, promising to meet you later? Is that a wise thing to do?” the driver asked.

  “We don’t question our parents’ decisions, sir. We trust that they mean well for us,” the boy replied.

  “But they should not have left you alone like that,” the driver said as he took another bite of his sandwich.

  “We are not alone, sir,” the girl replied.

  The driver nodded. “Yes, I know. You already said that before.”

  “You mean that I and my brother have each other?” the girl asked.

  The driver nodded. “Yes. That was what I meant. Or am I wrong?”

  The girl shook her head. “No, you are right about that. But even beyond that, we are really not alone.”

  The driver nodded. He glanced briefly at the three bags close to him. “I apologise about my manners. Would you care to join me? I have some extra sandwiches and soft drinks here.”

  Through his rearview mirror, the driver saw the boy and girl glance at each other. It was as if they were both contemplating what to do.

  The driver lifted the three bags and showed them. “I did not mean to share from what is left over from my own sandwich. I already have some extra which I picked up at the restaurant.”

  “Why would you buy extra sandwiches at a restaurant?” the girl asked.

  “Well, I wanted to give them to someone earlier. But since I am already working, I figure it would get cold and become a waste. So, I figured that it would be better to offer them to you both. You must be hungry after travelling for so long. You can have them and regain some strength before we get to the City Mall,” t
he driver said.

  “But you said they belong to someone else,” the boy said.

  “Yes, I did. But I can always get another set later on after I have dropped you off at your final destination. Come on, I am not going to charge you for it. You could say that it is a complimentary meal served onboard my taxicab service,” the driver said with a smile.

  The boy smiled back and collected the bags. “Thank you, mister.”

  “It’s nothing. And please, enough of the mister and sir. You can call me Edward, or Eddie for short,” the driver said.

  “Okay, Eddie. Thank you for the sandwiches,” the boy said, handing over a bag to his sister.

  “You are most welcome. I hope they are still warm enough,” Eddie said as he saw them opening the bags hurriedly.

  The boy nodded and handed back one bag. “Yes, they are, Eddie. But you gave us three bags instead of two.”

  Eddie waved his hand. “No problem. You can keep it with you. I figure that you both might really be very hungry. So you can help yourselves when you are through with your first bags.”

  “This is very kind of you, Eddie,” the boy said.

  “Please, don’t mention it. By the way, what are your names?” Eddie said as he saw them begin to bite into their sandwiches.

  “I am Douglas, while my sister here is Clara,” the boy replied.

  Eddie nodded. “Douglas and Clara. That is very nice. Your parents chose beautiful names for you.”

  “Do you think so?” Douglas asked.

  “Do I think so? About what?” Eddie asked.

  “Our names. Do you think our names are beautiful?” Douglas asked.

  Eddie nodded. “Of course they are. Why do you ask? Don’t you like your names?”

  “Maybe they should have given us different kinds of names,” Douglas said.

  “Why would you want a different name?” Eddie asked.

  “I don’t like mine. It sounds too outdated,” Douglas said.

  “Outdated? But it is a nice name,” Eddie said.

  Douglas shook his head as he took another bite of his sandwich. “I still think it is outdated. Back in school at New York, no one else had such a name.”

  “Back at your school in New York? Well, maybe you had not yet met those who had similar names,” Eddie said, glancing briefly at Clara, who was also eating her sandwich.

  “No, I am sure of what I am saying. There was not a single person answering to the name of Douglas. I don’t really like the name. I wish I had a different name,” Douglas said.

  “Well, what kind of name would you have preferred?” Eddie asked.

  “Something like Edward, or just Eddie,” Douglas said.

  Eddie chuckled. “Really? You like my name?”

  Douglas nodded. “Yes, sir. Sorry, I meant, Eddie. Eddie sounds nice.”

  Eddie nodded. “I see. And what about you, Clara. Do you wish you had a different name than the one you now have?”

  Clara nodded. “Yes, I do. I wish I had a different name as well.”

  “What other name would you have preferred then, Clara?” Eddie asked.

  “Something like Maggie, or Laurie,” Clara said.

  “Well, that is a nice name as well. But you kids know what? You can always imagine that you have any names that you wish to have. Later, when you are all grown up, you could decide to change your name if you really want to,” Eddie said.

  Douglas’ eyes brightened. “You mean it? Can we really change our names?”

  “Yes. But only when you are grown up. However, I am sure that by then you would have come to like your present names. Time has a way of making us all accept ourselves and our situations, you know?” Eddie said.

  “Time? What time?” Clara asked.

  “I mean with the passage of time. As you grow up, and experience things, meet other people. As you gain more experiences, you are going to soon get to accept yourselves and your names, for that matter,” Eddie said.

  “You really think so?” Douglas asked.

  “I am sure of that, Douglas,” Eddie said.

  Soon, Eddie was driving the taxicab into the parking lot of the City Mall. “We are already here, kids,” he said.

  “Thank you very much, Eddie. Perhaps you would like to come along with us?” Douglas said.

  Eddie was surprised. “Come along with you? For what?”

  “For the shopping, of course. Please, we would like you to come along with us,” Clara said.

  “But I thought you said you wanted to do some shopping,” Eddie said.

  Douglas nodded. “Yes, we did. But you have also pointed out that it is not ideal for kids as young as us to be moving around unaccompanied. So we would love for you to be with us as we do the shopping,” Douglas said.

  Eddie glanced at their bags. He saw the marks on them and looked at their faces. “Are you really sure you want us to go now? Or maybe you would like to rest a bit?”

  “Rest a bit? Why would we want to do that?” Douglas asked.

  “Well, you both just had a hefty meal of sandwiches. And then again, you just arrived after a long journey from New York,” Eddie said.

  “No way. We are both perfectly okay. Let’s get going. Please,” Clara said.

  Eddie watched the two kids come down from the taxicab. As they did, they left the sandwich bags on their seats and closed their doors.

  “Well, aren’t you coming, Eddie?” Douglas asked.

  “Yes, I am coming. Just a minute while I lock up the taxicab,” Eddie replied.

  As Eddie finished locking up the cab, his smartphone began to ring. He glanced at the screen and recognized the number. But rather than pick up the call, he waved at the two kids. “All right, let’s get going.”

  “Aren’t you going to answer your call?” Douglas asked as they stepped into the mall.

  Eddie shook his head. “No, I’m not. It is not important. So what do you really want to get here?”

  Douglas and Clara glanced at each other before Clara looked up at Eddie. “We want to get a cake.”

  Eddie was surprised. “A cake? What do you need a cake for?”

  “It is our parents’ anniversary. We thought we might surprise them by buying them an anniversary cake,” Douglas replied.

  Eddie’s face broke out into a broad smile. “An anniversary cake? How sweet of you two. Okay, let’s go to the confectioneries section. I am sure there will be a lot of designs to choose from.”

  At the confectioneries section, Eddie’s phone began to ring again. He glanced at the screen and bit his lips. He then looked at the two kids. “Douglas? Clara? I really need to answer this call. It will only take a couple of minutes. Okay? In the meantime, you can scan through these showcases and decide on which of the cakes you both love. I will not be gone for too long. Okay?”

  “Do you really need to leave us to take your call?” Clara asked.

  “I am not leaving you. I’ll be watching you two from right over there, by that dispensing machine,” Eddie replied, pointing at a drink vendor close by.

  Both Douglas and Clara nodded and turned to look at the glass showcases which contained several types of cake.

  While they were busy admiring the cakes, Eddie picked up the call as he hurried towards the vending machine. “Hello? Who is this?” Eddie asked.

  “It’s me, you fool,” the caller replied.

  “Jeffrey? Is that you, Jeffrey?” Eddie asked.

  “Of course it is me, Eddie. Who else do you think would be calling you? Your mother?”

  Eddie sighed. “I apologise. I did not realize you were the one on the line. This is not your regular number.”

  “Is that why you refused to pick up my call all this time?”

  “Well, Jeffrey, one has to be careful, you know?”

  “Careful about what, Eddie? Are you in any trouble?”

  Eddie shook his head and glanced casually at the direction of Douglas and Clara. He could see them discussing between themselves, probably deciding on which cake to
choose. “No, very far from it, Jeffrey. I am already with my would-be targets.”

  “Would-be targets? You have already made contact?”

  Eddie nodded again. “Yes. Yes, Jeffrey. I have made contact.”

  “That is wonderful! But I heard you make mention of targets, as in plural.”

  “Yes. You are right about that, Jeffrey. There are two targets.”

  “Two targets? Are you not trying to overreach yourself, Eddie?”

  “No, that is not so.”

  “I am not comfortable with this plan of yours, Eddie. Two targets are a bit over ambitious. Why did you not just focus on one?”

  Eddie glanced at the two kids. They were looking in his direction. He smiled and waved at them. “It was the peculiar situation in which I found them, Jeffrey.”

  “Peculiar situation? What do you mean by that, Eddie?”

  “They were together, and their parents were not with them.”

  “Their parents were not with who?”

  “And they are so young, naïve, and innocent.”

  “Young? Wait a minute. Are you talking about kids, Eddie?”

  Eddie nodded. “Yes, Jeffrey. They are two young kids.”

  “Are you out of your mind, Eddie? Since when did we start focusing on kids? And two, for that matter?”

  “Well, they had money with them, Jeffrey. And when I say money, I mean lots and lots of it.”

  “Is that right? You say they have money? How can you be so sure?”

  “Well, I saw it with my own eyes, Jeffrey. All crisp and clean greenbacks. And they do not seem shy about spending it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I am sure, Jeffrey. Right now we are in the City Mall where they want to buy some stuff.”

  “You guys are shopping at the City Mall?”

  “I told you that they have money to spend.”

  “Okay. I believe you. Have you given them the sandwich packages?”

  Eddie nodded. “Yes, I already did so. While we were coming over to the mall.”

  “You know the sedatives are going to start working in about thirty minutes from when they ate the meals. You need to get them out of there before that time elapses.”

  “I know, Jeffrey. I have been making a note of the time. We will be out of here before then.”