121 Smilla (1/2)
The girl continued to stare at with him without saying another word.Cas frowned and retreated a few steps back to reopen the door but the girl beat him to it.She slammed the door shut and plastered her small body all over it, staring at Cas with wide panicked eyes.
”What in the world are you doing?” Cas said casually.”I'm the good guy here and your uncle is looking for you.”
”My uncle?” the girl finally broke her silence to speak.
”Yes.He's outside right now ordering his men to search the island with a fine tooth comb.”
”My uncle? He Heng?”
Cas understood.He sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled at the girl.
”He Heng is dead and your uncle, Tsai Po, is the one who's looking all over for you.”
The girl seemed to shrink within herself, her shoulders shaking as she broke into sobs.
”Hey, no need to cry,” Cas said, disconcerted.”Its all over.You're safe now.”
”He Heng tried to...tried to..,” the girl sobbed pitifully.”He said he was going to tell my uncle that I seduced him so he'll send me away.Then uncle came and tried to stop him and He Heng...he...and this thing...this monster came at He Heng and killed him. It coiled its body around He Heng and...and...suffocated him to death.”
The girl stopped.Looking at Castor with petrified eyes.
”It was a snake.A giant snake. As big as a house.It tried to eat He Heng and uncle...but I run...I run and left uncle behind,” the girl sobbed.”I was so scared.It was a snake.A giant snake....a snake. With two heads...a snake.”
”I know,” Cas said.And the way he said it, casually and with little surprise, as if he believed her and can sympthasize, finally broke through her shock, panic, and fear that she will not be believed because the tale of what she saw was too unbelievable for words, as if making it up was even too shocking for most people.
”You knew?” the girl stopped, looking at him completely stupefied.”How?”
”Because I saw it,” Cas said.”It even transformed and copied your appearance.”
Now, it was the girl's turn to look at him like he just upped and lost his mind.
”Cop...copied..my...my.. app...appearance...?”she stammered, her eyes round with the beginnings of panic.
”It transformed into a girl that looked exactly like you,” Cas explained.”Tried to feed us lies about it, too.”
”How...how is that even possible?”
”Because it can and did,” Cas shrugged.”Look, you don't believe me, go out there and ask your uncle.I think he'll be more than happy to explain everything to you.”
But the girl didn't move.She continued to look at him with fear and panic in her eyes. And a piteous quiet imploring look that he was unable to refuse.
”I told you, He Heng is dead,”Cas reiterated.He sighed when the girl continued to look at him piteously.”Come on, I'd better take you to your uncle,” he said, getting up and moving towards her.But stopped when he remembered something.”How did you get here anyway? In my cabin, I mean?”
”I don't know,” the girl mumbled.”I ran away.I didn't know where I was going.I just needed a place to hide.I couldn't go back to the house.The snake....I ran to the docks intending to find my uncle's boat and I saw this boat beside it and just jumped inside without knowing where I was or what I was doing.I just didn't want the snake to find me.It...it was disgusting and scary and....snakes always terrified me.”
Cas looked at her sympathetically.The fear about snakes he can understand.They were disgusting creatures and that twin headed snake was more loathsome than most.Just the thought of its cold and slimy body, the scales that marked its serpentine flesh....Cas gave an involuntary shudder.
”It's okay,” he soothed.”The snake is gone. My mother took care of it.”
”Your mother?” the girl said, surprised.
”Ya,” he nodded self-consciously.”She's this sort of super girl or something. She fought with it and she put it away somewhere.”
The girl stared at him unblinking until Cas grew self-conscious.
”What?”
”You look kind and trustworthy but you sure love to spout a lot of nonsense.”
Cas laughed and opened the door.
”Come on, let's find your uncle.”
But the girl stayed where she was, cowering in the middle of the small cabin.Cas sighed.He walked backed and took her hand.
”You said I look kind and trustworthy,” he reminded her.”Then come with me and stop being scared.No one will hurt you.”
He started dragging her beside him until her feet moved on their own and she followed him outside.
The mess hall was empty when they got there.Frowning, Cas turned around and took the stairs to the upper deck where he found Tsai Po talking to his parents.They automatically turned their head when they heard the footsteps on the stairs. And Cas had a sudden unobstructed view of Tsai Po's face when he saw the girl behind Cas.The elder man blinked and his lips trembled until he took a deep breath and his expression went back to its normal, easy going look.
The young girl, however, gave a sudden cry then a sob as she shortened the distance between them and flung herself unashamedly at her uncle's waiting arms. Tsai Po was a tall man and the girl was pint-size so they looked kind of incongruous, like a tall octopus dancing with a shrimp. Cas chuckled at the image and moved towards his parents who looked at him with questions in their eyes.
”I found her inside my cabin.I think she's been there, hiding, since this thing started.She said He Heng tried to...but Tsai Po arrived before he could make that happen then the snake who it seemed suffocated He Heng to death.She ran away and later found herself here.”
The adults listened to his explanation with varying expressions of alarm and growing fury.
”What did you say?” Tsai Po demanded.”He Heng tried to...?”
”He didn't succeed because you arrived,” Cas explained hurriedly.”Then the snake came and killed He Heng, who was trying to beat you to death.”
”He Heng attacked me?” Tsai Po was incredulous.”I don't remember any of it.”
”Mom?” Cas turned to An Ning, who sighed.
”You were near death, Tsai Po,” An Ning explained.”He Heng...it was pretty bad what he did. Beat you up so bad you became comatose, which could be the reason why you didn't remember any of it. I gave you something, which seemed to help.Then I brought you back here and that's it.”
Tsai Po was silent, his arms tightening around the shaking body of his niece.
”He Heng,...that motherfucker...He Heng...,” he mumbled furiously, his eyes glittering with anger. The girl in his arms whimpered and his attention, thankfully, was distracted as he hushed and tried to calm her down.
”Are you sure she's okay?” An Ning whispered to Cas.
He nodded.
”She's got a terrible shock but other than that she's fine,” he answered.