Interloping

OCTOBER 20TH, 2006

IBSEN HOUSE, SAN FRANCISCO

          “The issue,” began Zhou, “is that the ritual calls for - wait, scroll back up… Yes, it calls for sixteen candles, and we only have twelve.”

          “By the way, what exactly are the two of you doing to me?” said Kiya. 

“Four short…” murmured Heland, poring over her computer. “Eh. It should be fine.”

          “Rituals are very touch and go after all, aren’t they?” said Zhou.

Kiya spoke up again. “I’ll let you guys light candles around my body and draw a pentagram-”

          “It’s not a pentagram.”

“A pentagram-resembling-thing on the floor, and, is that..."

“It’s blood. And Connie’s my landlord. He owns Ibsen House. I guess he must have bought it?”

          “That is typically how people come to own houses, yes.” deadpanned Zhou, who had taken over on the desktop from Heland who was now lighting the last candle.

          “Oh.” Kiya reflexively smiled. “Okay. But you can’t ignore your willing victim when he asks you for an itemized list of all the tortures you’re about to submit him to!”

          “I emailed you the link to the site with the instructions.”

“I didn’t read it. But you did ask if I was okay with losing a little blood.”

          “I know you didn’t read it. And I’ll remind you that you told me this morning it was ‘no big deal’. Butler Bai, if you would turn off the lights.”

“Yes, General!”

(Kiya also didn't know where the nickname "General" came from. And just as before, we’ll remain in the dark with him.) 

          “It’s better if I tell you this way.”

“Cause you want me to be scared for my life, right?”

          Kiya could make out by candlelight a mean smile on Zhou’s face.

“Precisely.” Zhou moved around the circle of candles to inspect the not-pentagram. “A friend of Heland’s sent her this site... The ritual is simple - the one in the middle is going to be the vessel for the others to ‘scry’ through. I think it works something like this: It’s as if we’re going to have the floor fall out from under your ‘soul’... It does involve the demonic but you weren’t planning on descendants anyways, right… and Heland and I will ‘hitch a ride’ with it to wherever your soul goes. Theoretically, if we’re wrong and you don’t have the ‘Lotus Complex’, then we should just witness a couple choice vignettes from your life.” 

          “Cause the soul will be returning to where it should belong, which is life. Or on a micro scale- your life.” added Heland.

“God, I hope nothing embarrassing comes up.” muttered Kiya. “And what if I do have, umm, ‘Lotus Complex’? What happens to me then?”

          “We don’t know.” said Zhou. “To be honest, I think this is a really bad idea.”

Heland scrolled once more through the webpage, and then shut off her computer, darkening the room slightly. “Zhou thinks that the soul should be left undisturbed, for a case of ‘Lotus Complex’. But how can we observe how a sleeping dragon roars?”

          Zhou made a noise of uncomfortable agreement, and finally ceased pacing around the circle, taking his place on Kiya’s left.

Kiya realized, his intellectual bluster aside… Zhou was scared.

To his right, Heland was quiet as well.

A chill began to fall over the room. Perhaps it was Kiya’s imagination, but despite the shut windows, he could have sworn that a cold wind danced over the lit candles, threatening to blow them out and leave the three in total darkness.

I’m scared too, Zhou, Heland… but…

Kiya steeled his resolve.

They’re doing all this and risking their own lives too, just for me.

I can’t be a coward when other people are putting on brave faces for my sake.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s… get this party going, shall we?” spoke Kiya in his best attempt at a chipper voice.

Zhou swallowed. “Kiya, give me your hand. I’ll… draw blood with this knife, and when it falls to the floor…”

“Our souls will begin their fall.” said Kiya. 

Zhou looked his friend in the eye. Something seemed to flicker and dance within - or perhaps it was only a trick of the candlelight.

“Count me off.”

           “Three…”

If I die, it’ll be okay, right? I can come back after all, it just could take… longer this time.

          “Two…”

But what happens if… what other option is there but to live or die?

How can I possibly be in between, like they say I must be? 

Kiya gave his friends one last look, and then closed his eyes.

It’s true that I never felt like I was a part of anything, or like I really belonged anywhere. No one ever knew what to do with me.

But since I met you guys, I know where I belong is right here. Therefore, I can’t ever accept anything that tries to take me away from here...

Though… Heland, Zhou, am I really worth dying for? Why don’t they just leave me to drift away?

Why does it matter to you if I’m here or not, if I’m gone for a few months instead of a few days?

...I can’t accept this sort of fate, at least for them... 

I don't really have a choice, do I? Out of principle, for the wishes of those who accepted me, all I can do is cling to this life with all I’ve got. 

          “One.”

Kiya felt the sting of the knife and opened his eyes to see that teardrops had fallen to the floor, mixing with his blood.

One by one, the cold wind snuffed out all twelve candles, and all went dark.