EPISODE 7

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Mr Kamen: (Recollects) {That reminds me.} Kuznetsov, what about Miss Rachav Rai — the one from the Convent?

Assistant Kuznetsov: Sir, you mean the one you dismissed a fortnight and five days ago?

Mr Kamen: Dismissed?

Assistant Kuznetsov: Yes, Sir.

Mr Kamen: (Leans back against the chair) So she is indeed the one who disobeyed me, isn’t she? (Closes his eyes) I wonder what he will say once he finds out.

Ring-ring.

Assistant Kuznetsov: Sir, it’s from Mr Priest — Priest M...

Mr Kamen: (Furrows his brows) Speak of the voluble. (Exhales) Hand it here. (Answers the call) What is it?

Caller (?): (Speaks).

Mr Kamen: I wasn’t aware she was the one you recommended. So?

Caller (?): (Speaks angrily).

Mr Vajezatha rises and walks toward the glazed privacy glass frame.

Mr Kamen: She defied me, and she’s already gone.

Caller (?): (Speaks).

Mr Kamen: If you wish her reinstated, then contact her yourself.

Caller (?): (😅 Speaks).

Mr Kamen: No need. From now on I’ll look only for grim, professional nannies — male or female, it matters not.

Caller (?): (Speaks loudly …).

The call is ended from Mr Vajezatha’s side.

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In Rachav Rai’s apartment, resting on her couch, she ponders the results of the day’s inquiries.

Rachav: (Exhales softly).

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🎞️ Flashback

Centre Manager: …and his son were known as “jolly elves”, though after she left, everything changed.

Rachav: {I suppose that would explain Tiberius’s peculiar attitude the first time we met.} Was his son ever rumoured to have withdrawn after his mother disappeared?

Centre Manager: Seemed so, but I’m not entirely certain …

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Church Cleaner: Miss Margarita Da Silva — not much is said about her, though.

Rachav: And what of her disappearance’s effect on Tiberius?

Church Cleaner: Oh, I couldn’t say. Still, ever since her mishap, the poor boy hasn’t shown his face in public.

Rachav: I see.

Church Cleaner: People! Some make a right mess and leave others to tidy after them. Life’s rather like this job of mine 🙂. Only an experienced housekeeper or cleaner can turn a dump into something benevolent 😌.

The cleaner returns to her sweeping.

Church Cleaner: People 🔥!

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Flashback ends.

Rachav: Hah. {I’m merely an employee — or was. Their affairs ought not to concern me, ought they?}

Silence lingers for a moment.

Rachav: (Sighs faintly) Hah. I’ve work on the morrow; I’d best get some rest.

Lying upon the bed, she grows restless, unable to drift off.

Rachav: (Sits up suddenly) Argh! I despise this feeling. 📱 Perhaps the Internet might lull me to sleep.

She scrolls through her phone, seeking anything half-decent to weary her thoughts. Out of boredom, she lies flat once more.

Rachav: Ugh, it’s been ages since I last handled a smartphone, and now 😵, the Internet feels like a world of its own. (Scrolling) So many things of old have vanished, and newer ones keep springing up …

Yes, dear Rachav Rai — the world is changing swiftly indeed. Her keen eyes alight upon a headline that piques her curiosity.

Rachav: Why on earth does this generation indulge in such things? Cross-dressing? Oh LORD, have mercy. Hm? Fake chest? (Clicks the screen) Fake chest for men … and women? Outfits for mi— Can I log in? 😅

Upon logging in, her phone screen begins to glitch.

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One silent night, in Tiberius’s room, desolate murmurs echo from the corner where he sits.

Tiberius: No, they bad, I don’t want to meet them. No, I won’t, no I … (He continues).

A knock sounds at his door.

Assistant Butler: Young Master, your father instructed that you meet the new set of nannies.

Tiberius: No, they bad, I don’t want to meet them …

Assistant Butler: Young Master, he insisted.

Young Tiberius halts, the discomfort behind his teary eyes slipping through.

Tiberius: All right. (He sniffs and rises).

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A month and a half later, outside the gates of Empire Territory, stands a young man in his prime. He sets down his satchel. His name: Yancy Wil Maarschalkerweerd.

Yancy: {(Cackles softly) I’ve finally arrived. This is it — no turning back.}