It was Saturday evening and the cool air of the Autumn nights tingled my skin. It was refreshing to be outdoors. Breathing in the clean fresh air of a higher ground while drinking a flask of hot coffee made my evening perfect.
But something's missing. Somehow the night was much quieter than the typical Saturday evening be. There was no music playing in the background from the cafe nearby nor the sound of children playing and running around. It was a little too quiet that the whole floor felt deserted.
I walked out of the first gate, where the narrow garden decorated the pathway, cupping my ear to hear any sounds behind the big wall. But there was none. I did not intend to stop there. My curiosity got the better of me as I pushed through the second gate, leading me to a mini landscape garden with an elaborate koi pond and a mini wooden bridge across.
My ears pricked, listening intently to the sounds of splashes by the swimming pool facility. Again, there was none. I was baffled that not a single soul had come today. Like an answered prayer, sounds of footsteps echoed the silent night. It was drawing nearer and nearer. I backed away from the door that led to the maze, thinking someone was about to try and enter.
How high I jumped when I bumped into something. My heart raced like a racing horse running for champions and I yelped like a puppy in pain. Relief washed over me when I realised it was Edmund.
"You startled me!" I exclaimed. "I thought there was someone behind that door."
His brown eyes twinkled as he chuckled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was checking where you were heading with such thin clothes."
He wrapped me in the oversized hooded cardigan, placed a body warmer onto my hand while another, he clasped his hand with mine and gently placed both our hands inside his coat.
It would be a lie if I said I have gotten used to his touches but I too, did not dislike it as much as before. Perhaps I was being selfish for not pushing him away. But I was afraid that if I pushed him away, where else would I go? Currently, he was the only person who had shown me how caring and attentive he had been even though I had done nothing but cruel to him. He was the only one willing to take me in when nobody else did. With him, I did not feel worthless and with him, I feel loved. As much as I would like to deny it, I kind of enjoyed the attention and the love pouring for me. I felt special. Or maybe I am sick in the head?
"Let's take a stroll outside, shall we?" Rather than asking, his question was more of an invitation.
I neither agree nor disagree but I complied. While I had been out there numerous times, there was never a time I got to admire. Most of the time he brought me out, my lights were on but nobody's home. Now knowing the maze had my name on it, I would like to explore and appreciate the outdoors more.
We walked through the first part of the maze and straight to the marbly white water fountain. While it looked magnificent, it was still the ordinary two-tiered water fountain and the only thing that mesmerised me was watching the cascading water, reflected by the orange light, falling gracefully into the water without any splashes.
"If you look closely, the bottom one tells our story and it starts exactly from here," he said, pointing to a detailed yet unimaginable design sculpted.
"Our story? You mean this is customised?" I asked, shocked at the revelation.
"Yes."
And the way he answered, made it even more eerie on how he spent his money. It must have cost a fortune to have one in default design, let alone a customised version!
A small tiny arrow from the base of the fountain pointed upwards indicated the beginning. It was pointing towards a sports sedan from the side view - a design I would have never expected to be carved onto such fine marble! But the next image following the car was equally baffling as it was identical lines arranged neatly in a column.
"What's this?" I asked, completely captivated by the unusual design that I have yet to explore.
He took a deep breath before saying, "That's the pedestrian crossing."
"What? Why that??"
"It is horrifying to put an image of you being catapulted into the air," he whispered with his eyes closed. His hands trembled despite the warmth of our hands in the pocket. All I could think of was him able to picture the scene in his head. I was not sure what I could say to him that would bring comfort but the least I could do was squeeze his hand as assurance. Even though he responded by giving a return squeeze, I could hear him taking deep breaths a couple times. It must have been terrifying to witness such an incident.
I let him do what he needed to do as I admired the glorious intricate designs right in front of me without moving an inch. The first few that my eyes landed on were pretty obvious and familiar but as I moved my eyes to the second tier, everything did not ring a bell. B0B was there together with the letter H. But there were also palm trees and a book and also a weird-looking object. If I did not know any better, I would assume it was a brain.
By then, I had seen everything thrice as I stood on the same spot and like the first time I saw these tiny designs, I still have no clue what they are by the third time. Not without his guide. Instead, I let my eyes wander further and noticed the restaurant in front was as empty as the day I escaped from his place.
"Do you know we have the best view of the whole city here?" He asked.
'Guess he's okay now,' I thought to myself before telling him "Maybe…?" How was I supposed to answer if I was not sure? The first time I looked at the city, it was not of awe but rather, it was out of fear and confusion.
He gave a hearty laugh and guided me towards the tower viewer that once frightened me to death.
"Oh, wait a minute! Here." He handed me a silver-coloured coin and said encouragingly with a smile, "Throw it there."
Huh? I did not realise it was a wishing fountain. I was too preoccupied with the designs that I failed to see the coins that were resting on its floor. Was this too coincidental or am I getting ahead of myself? Did he build the wishing fountain for me? Because for as long as I can remember, I have always liked the idea of a wishing fountain. Not because I believe it could grant me a wish but as a kid at that time, it was more so I could collect all the coins should I ever own one.
The thing is, I have never ever shared this piece of information to anyone because I feared they would see me in a negative light. Even worse, if they judged my weird childhood fascination to being a money-grubber and considering how nasty rumours can get, I would not be surprised if it progressed to being a gold-digger.
Wait! Did I marry this guy because I had become a gold-digger???