13. The Weird Look

The tons of puzzles have engaged the mind of Akshara and she barely slept. The golden lights of afternoon sunlight pierced through the bedroom window of Akshara, straight into her face.
Sun and Shine (Akshara’s pet birds) entered through the window and settled near her bed and chirped to wake her up. Akshara slowly opened her eyes and glimpsed the memory of last night. Soon she hopped out of her bed and cleaned herself, and decided to get all the answers from Karen.
But before meeting him, she wants to share everything she encounters with her dear friend Azile. She located her friend in the kitchen, who was helping her mom with lunch.
Akshara entered the kitchen and hide from the doorway and signalled Azile to come out, despite coming out shook her head negatively to Akshara.
Akshara whispered in a soft tone, “psst… psst… Azu... psst… Azu”
Azile lowered her hand to signal Akshara to go without alerting her mother. But Akshara doesn’t seem to be understood; she continued to call Azile in a soft tone.
A hand grabbed one of the ears Akshara and pulled her out, Akshara was shocked and turned to look at the person, “Uncle Nuraz…!” she grinned all her teeth.
But the pain in her ears seemed to be hardened and she cried out, “Ouch… You are hurting me, lemme”
The cry of Akshara echoed the walls and Alabruz rushed to the living room, “What is it, Darling…?”
Deniza looked around and came near her and asked Akshara, “What is it, baby? Why do you hide? Where were you in the morning?”
Alabruz came to the entrance of the kitchen and examined what was happening and told Nuraz, “Leave it, she is crying…”
Nuraz replied, “Don’t believe her… she is probably acting. (turned Akshara’s face to visible to all)… see, there are no tears.”
Nuraz turned towards Akshara, “Why didn’t you come for breakfast? Aren’t you hungry? I have told you many times, not to skip breakfast… you don’t listen to me?”
Nuraz tightened his hold and Akshara’s ears started turning pink, Alabruz could not bear her darling was being hurt, he said, “It… It’s okay. Nuraz leaves her… you are hurting her. She must have reasons for her absence. Let us hear her.”
Nuraz took his hands off her ears and Akshara turned towards Alabruz by rubbing her ears, “Thank you Uncle Bruz. I overslept. I didn’t have any intention to skip my food. (Akshara hold her stomach with her hands and shouted) …Oh, I am hungry”
Nuraz furrowed his eyebrows and called his wife to bring anything to eat, Deniza rushed inside the kitchen and brought a bowl covered with the lid.
Nuraz grabbed from the hands Deniza and started to feed her, “Open your mouth, quickly. Told you 1000 times not to skip your breakfast…”
Akshara opened her mouth while Nuraz feeds her, Alabruz could witness the paternal love of Nuraz towards Akshara and he opened his mouth to ask, “You concerned about her, then why did you hurt her?”
Nuraz explained by feeding Akshara, “You spoil her… she took more advantage in your presence”
Akshara opened her mouth to talk while chewing some food, “That’s because he is my uncle Bruz and I am his darling.”
Akshara choked some food by talking and coughed a little, Deniza rushed to bring the glass full of water and passed it over to Akshara to drink. She too drank and eased her cough. Alabruz was filled with satisfactory bliss upon witnessing the love and care she got from Nuraz and Deniza.
Alabruz told Nuraz, “That’s why I entrusted her with you,” by saying those words, Alabruz left the living room and Akshara suddenly got something in her mind and tried to follow him. But Nuraz and Deniza stopped her until she finished the bowl.
While the bowl was empty, the living room too was empty and Akshara couldn’t find her Uncle Bruz anywhere. She exhaled some disappointed sigh and turned to the kitchen.
“Azu…Come with me. I need to tell you something,” Akshara called her to come out of the kitchen.
“Okay, Axe. Let me finish my work at hand and then we will talk”
“Nope, come with me now,” Akshara urged Azile to come with her.
Azile went with her to the backyard where they often chitchat after informing her mother and turned towards Akshara to ask her, “What is it, Axe. You look so curious today. Did something happen between the young man and you….?”
“What if, the stuff is rather curious than that?” Akshara raised her eyebrows with a smirk.
Akshara explained everything about what happened last night to Azile and Azile heard everything with eyes wide open and left with a shock. As the girls talk, the time will fly quickly. But Nuraz interrupted them.
“Here are my daughters. Chatting under the scorching sun?” Nuraz approached them with a warm smile.
“Uncle Nuraz, I just now eat the breakfast. I am not hungry. We were just talking about…” Akshara continued.
“Axe, the Banquet Table is set. Deny prepared food of yours and the guest’s favourite. Both of you continue your talk after eating. Is that okay my sweeties?”
Nuraz took both girls inside the palace. At the banquet table, Karen was sitting next to his dad Alabruz and his mother, Yadivah, who was sitting next to his dad.
Akshara rushed to the table to sit next to her uncle while Azile went inside the kitchen, “Afternoon, Uncle Bruz. Afternoon Aunt Yadivah” and turned towards Karen, “Hey, Afternoon Karen, did you sleep well last night?”
“I must be asking you, Axe. Did you have good sleep?” Karen asked her with concern.
Akshara nodded and nodded to be suddenly aroused with some thoughts and turned to Alabruz and started buzzing in the ears of Uncle Bruz, “Uncle Bruz, I wanted to ask you something…” for which Akshara was warned by Karen who was nodded his head and gestured in his eyes that not to ask him about last midnight gathering.
Akshara ignored Karen’s warning and tried to ask again, “Uncle… last night”
Except for Akshara, everyone at the table stood up to greet Nicoria Blackfire. Akshara noticed the weird variation of the appearance of her Godmother.
Mrs Blackfire, who always likes to dress up in black, now wearing an extra black long cloak which was floor-length and she possessed a peculiar hairstyle that looks like horns that emerged from her skull with a crescent-shaped ornament on her forehead. She was wearing a golden dragon amulet around her neck.
The wrinkles in the skin of Nicoria were seemed to be reduced. The dark eyes of Nicoria were painted even darker and her iris appeared red and she was holding her pet bird, Eggy.
Akshara could not hold back herself from laughing, “What a sudden change, Nic. You look different… Your hairstyle and your lookup everything looks different. Did your aunt help you to do this makeup? Today is not Halloween, then why this costume... Nic, only Uncle Bruz comes in advance. It’s fine if you like it”
Nicoria opened her dark-coloured lips, “Shall we eat?”
Everyone sat at their chairs and Akshara throw an idea, “What if we celebrate Halloween in advance since everyone is present?”
Wintergreen couples served the dishes. Akshara waited for the reply, but no one replied. Karen opened his mouth to stuff food and replied, “Bad idea, Axe”
Everyone finished their lunch with deadly silence. Akshara glanced at her godmother, often to accept the drastic change of Nicoria. Now the second name of her matched with her eyes, Blackfire.