Emotional Tingle episode 13 – 14
EMOTIONAL TINGLE
(Mind Reader at School)
Episode 13&14
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Written by Author Nath
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Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. Crucifix tried to be r-mantic and poetic at school just to win Margret’s heart, but didn’t work. Now, the young Margret was standing in Raina’s room, staring at his artistic work. She felt it; the love and strong emotion the image portrait because there is nothing more truly artistic than to love someone. It was exactly the red gown she received from her doorstep. But why was the painting on the wall of a young girl she barely knew? The only question she didn’t know how to ask.
Nevertheless, Raina closed the door of her room. She wore a light gown and parked her hair with a hair-net. She didn’t pay much attention to Margret because a home work from school waited for her on a table near her bed. So she walked straight to the table and said without looking at her unexpected visitor, “I wasn’t really expecting a visitor today especially a female one, but I’m happy I have one now that’s also a family friend according to my parents. I’m Raina.” she didn’t sit down rather stood beside the table flipping pages of her notebook.
Meanwhile, Margret had been taken by the thought of the image on the wall so she didn’t answer her. When Raina waited to hear from her but didn’t, she stopped flipping the pages of the notebook and directed her eyes to her to see her rubbing her fingers gently on the painting. She smiled and walked to her in a way she stood beside her. All of a sudden she also began to admire the drawing once more.
Though the painting was just an ordinary gown but the girls saw something more in it because Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. Crucifix’ heart could be seen through the drawing; a heart full of love, joy and passion!
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Raina broke the silence.
Margret, who was on a short jean skirt with white snickers on her feet and white top looked at her. “Did you draw it?’ she asked.
Raina smiled again. “No, a friend of mine did.”
“I get it. Your boyfriend” Margret averted her eyes from the image to other part of the room, but she found herself returning them to the image for the second time.
“The person who drew the gown didn’t draw it for me. She drew it for the girl he loves so much.” Raina began walking to the edge of the bed where she sat down. “It’s really funny how he has been sending packages to the girl’s doorstep which the gown on the wall is among..”
Hearing that, Margret turned to her surprisingly and listening silently.
“It’s actually dumb how he keeps sending gifts to the girl without first approaching her. But do you know the amazing thing? He said something like these packages are what the girl wanted. So I asked him; how would you know when you’ve not spoken to the girl for once? The response he gave me is what I can’t figure out till date.”
Quickly, Margret glanced at the imaginary gown again. That sounded more like her!!
Raina, seeing the surprising face asked her, “Why do you seem surprise?”
“What’s you’re friend’s name?” Margret returned the question to her.
“His name is Crucifix.” Raina replied.
“Odinaka?”
“Yes, how do you.. wait!” Raina stood up. “Are you the girl he’s been so crazy about? You’re Margret!”
Margret couldn’t answer because she couldn’t believe it! She totally turned her back on the poor girl to look at the painting once again. As she stared at it, she began to remember Crucifix’ statements: “…You look beautiful, Margret, especially on this comely dress. It is exactly the way you pictured it in yo… Margret, sincerely, I love you from the very first day I set my eyes on you… I have a burning fire in me that only you can quench. A drop of thought about you gives me a joy of a flowing river… But I have known you before now for so long…. in my heart… Do you believe in love at fist sight… I still believe you’re the girl for me, Margret. You’re actually my love at first sight….”
“Hello?” Raina tried to have her speak, yet the young girl was still thinking.
Margret totally understood Crucifix’ stare at the backyard of Mary’s Restaurant and the reason she returned the gaze and felt guilty for not replying his gestures. She also understood why Crucifix stared at her snickers recently. Oh, Margret’s head wanted to explode!!
“Caleb.” she said, walking out from the room but Raina pulled her back like a wrestler.
“You’ve not really said anything here? Are you Margret? What’s going on and who’s Caleb?”
“Please, let me go, Raina.” Margret pleaded with a broken voice.
“I’m not letting you go until you tell me what’s going on.”
Margret began to shed tears. “I’m sorry Raina..” she said and ran out.
Mr. Nelson and her father could see her running down the staircase. The girl didn’t even look at them as she headed outside.
“Margret?” The father stood up.
Raina also arrived at the staircase then all stared at her to explain what was going on. The young girl spread her hands. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her.” she said.
Mr. Adams inconclusively ended his discussion with his business partner. He shook hands with him before heading out to the car where he saw Margret seated with tears in her eyes.
“What’s the problem, my princess?” the father asked from the driver’s seat.
“I just remembered something, Dad. I’m sorry, but can you take me home?’ she began to dry her tears.
“Straight away, my love.” He ignited the car immediately.
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Getting home, Margret hurried straight to her room and locked the door behind her. Quickly, she brought the first note she received at her doorstep. After reading it, she brought out another one that came with the snickers and read thus; YOU MAY THINK I’M A FOOL. MAY BE I’M ONE BUT I’M HAPPY TO BE YOUR FOOL. I WISH I BECOME A THING OF FANTACY TO YOU ONE DAY…
The tears began to pour from her eyes again. She dropped the note and picked up another one that came with a necklace: …. NOT THAT YOU WANTED IT, YOU DESERVE IT. YOU’RE A PRINCESS. I WISH TO BE ONE OF YOUR ROYALTIES IN THE KINGDOM OF YOUR HEART…
She smiled on that note still shedding tears in addendum. Wait, why the sudden tears? Oh, she was really feeling sorry for how she had treated Crucifix especially now he had woken a different butterfly in her stomach, a fly Caleb could not set to fly. Regardless the evidence she had about Crucifix she needed to be certain that Caleb was or wasn’t lying to her and couldn’t wait to get to school the next day in order to get things straight with everyone including Crucifix. She needed what the educated called ‘First hand information’. Therefore she needn’t call anyone for anything.
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The next morning, before her parents woke up, she had taken two slices of bread with warm tea. Quickly, she boarded a cab….
On the other hand, Crucifix had arrived to school. Another day and week he hoped to get his goal archived without sabotaging the process. Through the gate, he surged forward on a knicker with same canvas and a shirt. His bag rested behind him. Unfortunately, he saw some security men approaching from a distant. The two men grabbed him like a common criminal.
“What’s the problem?” he asked on the way.
“You’re required in the hall by the school authorities.” One of the men replied.
No, no, no, not again!! Ah, What has Crucifix gotten himself into? On this day he hope he would take another step to his success story. What could really be the problem? The poor boy wondered.
He was taken into the hall. Surprisingly, all students of Kenny High assembled on the long sanctum already. Seeing him, everyone remained quiet, also wondering what was going on because they didn’t even know why they were summoned in the hall.
Mrs. Kate, the principal spoke up sadly. “You’re summoned here today to witness the consequences of bad behavior.”
Hearing that, the hall became as quiet as a grave yard.
“I was in my office the other day, this boy Crucifix came in and began to ask questions about the school result vault. Later yesterday, the vault was discovered broken” She looked at Crucifix. “How did you get the code, Mr Odinaka?”
The two security pushed him forward. The poor boy didn’t know what to say. Lucy stared at him from the crowd likewise Emmanuel, Rose and Alice.
“I’m an innocent of the alligation portioned to me.” Crucifix found his voice. “I didn’t do it!” he added with a louder tone.
The principal gesture at other securities and they brought Jimmy forward.. “Jimmy, tell the school what you told me after you were apprehended breaking the school vault.” Mrs Kate ordered.
“Crucifix gave me the code to the vault.” The boy said.
“He forced me! He threatened me! he blackmailed me!!” Crucifix lamented.
“That doesn’t answer the question. How did you get the code?” Mrs. Kate was still inquisitive.
Already, tears had began to find its way from the eyes of the young boy. A secret he had always protected was the one he was being forced to say before the whole school. Outrageous.
“I got the code by reading the mind of the principal..” he began.
“Hey!” some of the students shouted.
“I’m a mind reader. But you need to understand that I mean no harm to anyone. I never wanted to walk on people’s minds with my dirty feet. I kept the secret in order to have some friends but Jimmy threatened to reveal it if I did not get the vault codes.” he explained letting the tears run freely from his eyes. So sad.
Just before he knew it, students began to to throw things at him like the jews clamouring for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. At that point, Lucy’s eyes caught with Crucifix’.
“Having a mind reader is like having a secret spy!” Mrs. Kate’s voice lowered the clamouring of the crowd. “Being around such people be rest assured your secret isn’t safe too. Therefore…”
“Expel them!” Students suggested.
“He’s a devil!” Some shouted.
“Therefore, I hereby expel Crucifix Odinakachukwu and Jimmy Fredrick from this school.” The principal concluded.
However, Margret was still on her way coming. Unfortunately, she encountered a serious traffic as a result of road accident. The young girl, occasionally glanced at her wrest watch.
“Oh God!” she soliloquize.
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Through the long passage of Kenny High, Crucifix walked slowly like a tortoise. He had been expelled which wasn’t his intentions. Students mocked him, many stayed away from his way and called him freak, while some pitied him. Oh, very painful. He had shattered his dreams and goals once again regardless of all the promises he made to his grandfather to be of good behavior at school, but here he was, expelled from the sixth school of his life all because of his ability to read people’s mind. What about Margret, the only girl that he wished to have her love and care? The only girl that holds the key to his life and future. Oh, he had failed on that expect too. Thinking about all that, the tears once again began to drop without minding the public stare at him. He had only one mission in his mind then; to journey for the ribbon of his ancestors in other to correct the wrong he had written in the name of love otherwise face more tragedy of life even if he wasn’t sure he would get the ribbon alive. Damn! Crucifix was really a bag of problem with tragic content.
As he surged towards the gate, so was Margret getting tired of the traffic. She couldn’t wait in the cab anymore, so she jumped down.
“Hey, young girl, you’ve not given me your money?” The driver lamented.
Margret paid deaf hear to him. She bagan to run through the upper centre of double-lane road. Though she didn’t know what was happening in school, but her running velocity seemed to her that she was going to miss something very important or someone. Obviously, that was Crucifix. Oh, no, she had to hurry! She couldn’t wait to apologise to him and never let the butterfly in her stomach sleep for him anymore. As she ran non-stop, Crucifix’ staring image at the backyard of Mary’s restaurant flashed into her mind once again. In that gaze she saw sincerity, pure love and happiness. When she suddenly deviated to how she and her friends treated and mocked him, she began to shed tears on the road. Tragic!
Quickly, she arrived through the school gate, sweating profusely. She looked around to see students hanging around for sports activities because it was Friday. Luckily, she saw Caleb.
“Caleb!” Her voice attracted students’ attention. Like a warrior, she met the boy talking to one of the female students. “You lied to me!!”
“Slow down, babe. What are you talking about?” Caleb turned to her.
“You never dropped those packages at my doorstep!”
“I did!”
“What was the second to the last thing you dropped and the content of a note in it?”
Caleb went dumb. He didn’t know it because he never did drop something at her doorsteps. Crucifix did. Seeing the confused expression on his face, Margret slapped him. “How dare you lie to me?! And who told you about it?!”
“I’m sorry, okay? Ken told me about it and he said Rose told her about it too.” Caleb confessed.
Briskly, Margret walked out from him to meet her friends in,side the long passage beside their lockers. “Rose, I can’t believe you told your boyfriend, Ken, my secret.”
Rose glanced at Alice to ascertain the statement. “I don’t understand?” she said.
“Ken told Caleb about the unknown person and he used it to convince me in dating him. Who else would have told Ken if not you?”
“You sound like you know the unknown person now.” Alice ch¡pped in.
“Yes, it’s Crucifix!”
“What!” the girls shouted.
Margret ignored them. She surged towards their classroom. From her movement, the girls could tell she was searching for Crucifix. So Alice called her back saying with low and sad voice, “Margret, Crucifix has been expelled.”
Instantly, Margret turned in a slow motion. “Expelled? What.. why..?” she stammered.
“Jimmy blackmailed him. He’s actually a mind reader. Now, it’s clear thAt he’s the one that had been reading your mind and dropping those packages for you.” Alice clarified.
“It’s also clear that you won’t have to see the dirty boy again who doesn’t know his level.” Rose added disdainfully.
Jeeez! Margret couldn’t believe her ears. Even though Rose’s statement sounded offensively, there could be an atom of truth in it. What if she wouldn’t see her true love again?
“No, no, no…” the tears returned in her eyes as she brought out her phone to call Crucifix….
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Meanwhile, the young boy had gotten home. He could be seen, parking his belongings like one about to journey to his doom. Of course yes, doom awaited him if he didn’t get to marry Margret in his miserable life. Tragically enough, he was preparing for that. After getting ready, he picked his cell phone up from his bed only to discover the battery dead. Quickly, he left the house, leaving a note for his grandfather…
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Margret brought her phone down from her ear after trying his line. With the tears in her eyes, she ran out to the exterior building, looking at everywhere like one about to get mad. She would have gone to Crucifix’ house, but didn’t know the direction. She would have called Raina to know, but she didn’t have her number. She would have located DeMar Street to meet her physically but she couldn’t recognize the direction too. Moreover, if she did, Raina wouldn’t be at home. Could it really be that she would never set eyes on Crucifix again? Reasoning all that, she broke down in a serious cry. Oh, what a pity? What an emotional tingle which she couldn’t tackle.
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On the other hand, Crucifix walked through a bridge with his phone in his hand. He was leaving the town for good to inquire about his future from his ancestors. In his eyes were unseen tears which he held like a man. Unfortunately, he bumped on a fat woman and the cell phone fell down the bridge to a flowing water.
“Oh, sorry!” the woman apologized.
Crucifix looked down the bridge to see the only communication device he had gone and gone forever. Probably, Margret would not only see him again but would never hear from him too….
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TO BE CONTINUED
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