The melting man

The Third Floor Bedroom

It is camp day, another tradition and one Karin is actually good at. She is determined to keep a certain painting out of her sight and also out of her mind. She has drawn up some rules to keep her on the right path. Rule number one no pictures or drawings of the melting man in her line of sight. Rule number two do not think about paintings, canvas or anything related to him. Rule number three avoid saying his name's, keep to this rules and the camp will happen as it must happen. Let the holidays begin. Uncle Daniel.

My uncle, I am back with him and Ana, for the holidays they will only be here at night, Ana has her own family as well and so does my uncle but camp is our special time together and I really just want this break from whatever is happening in my life right now. I have set up my room and brought the TV out from the entertainment area. We are camping out in my room tonight like we always do five days after the rainy season. Aunt Ana, Uncle Daniel and I have been doing this for years now.

In the kitchen on the third floor the same floor where my bedroom is I had put the popcorn on the oven I am listening to the popping sound as the hard corn turn into puffy white delious food for our series we will be watching Marvel's studios mini series "What If…" and the door bell rings and my uncle let's himself in he always rings the doorbell before entering the house so I will not freak out when I am alone at home. Ana arrives a few minutes after him and the two start talking at the lift door.

The one that brings them to my floor, the third floor the first floor still has flood damage. There is four floor to the house. The first floor was were my uncle now a storage and the second floor is for him and his family, the third floor I inherited from his ex-wife, although we were only related by the marriage they shared and I think she had custardy of me. I was to young to understand and she died so I do think it matters anymore. The fourth floor, I really do not know, no one goes there.

I move out the kitchen to greet them and I see three people instead of two. I felt shocked and a little betrayed that they had broken tradition but when Aunt Ana smiles and apologies to my uncle about bringing along her nephew due to so family emergency in his immediate family my heart turns soft. I make my way back to the kitchen and focus my attention on the popcorn moving it into the faint bowl infront of me. The three of them enters the kitchen my uncle, Ana and Mihle, wait what Mihle my brain automatically shuts down.

My uncle removes the jug of water I was about to throw into the popcorn and he says to me, "Moonie water gui nie, gui sout", while he simultaneously throws salt on the popcorn and he and Ana starts laughing at an inside joke from there childhood, maybe not before day zero and loadshedding but definitely before the floods started happening a good time in a distant South Africa. Mihle and I are slowly coming down from our shocked state as we help our respective family members with drinks and snacks for camping out in my room for the night.

With my uncle, Ana, Mihle and I together in the tent I had spent hours making with dark opaque blankets and my laptop readying myself for my favourite type of movie superheros, I just love superhero characters. Mihle and I being in the same place should not alternate any reality other than the reality I am completely comfortable with I sure hope that I get what I want tonight, peace. All I want for tonight is peace and a little normalcy. I will keep sending these positive messages into the universe and sincerely hope that law of attraction is real.

It seems that my hopes all come crushing down when someone left the window open. By someone I mean me I left the window open, oh come on can you really blame me, it was the third floor window and the rainy season ended, so it was like ninety nine degrees in the shade, of course I left the window open and unfortunately my peace and tranquility had made its escape out that very same window and I had carelessly left a window of opportunity of my worst nightmare. With the sound of steady breath and the humming of fans.

The conditions was perfect, the atmosphere was chilled enough for the appearance of the melting man. With it being only five days after the rainfall, the country still soft and slippery, the ground still dark, wet and cold. South Africa the perfect backdrop for the melting man. He appears, eyes, the aftermath of a storm. He is here. He is standing among steady breath and the humming of the cooling fans. He is not my friend. He is the man that claims that I am the one. He walks towards me but he reaches and drags my black office chair.

"Mihle", he starts to speak, "have a sat, I guess this part can have one viewer, I believe that much is owned". I stare for a moment but not long enough to notice my surprised pause. He turns his full attention to me gazing intensely at me as the hairs on my skin take there usually standing position whenever he is around me. He breathes like the breese leaving my skin resembling that of a plucked chicken's. I hate how my nerves react to him and how I cannot decide if this is my deep fear or my deep desire.

"As you know the chairs often comes with a story, and this one I promise will not disappoint"

Karin applaud as always she just realised that I am her living nightmare. It makes it all the more real, with me addressing Mihle in the room. After all I am here to make her realise. I am not here to make anything easy for anyone I would never have taken that burden even if I was for myself. I only help with acceptance. I am only good for the acknowledgement of it all. The good, the bad and the messy bits.

"Wait, Are you real?"

"Karin, always asking the important questions."

"I know someone here with the answer, so I'll leave it too him to complete the sentence just because you don't believe it… come on, Mihle you know the rest, I mean you where so impressed when you're girlfriend said it"

"Ayesha's not my girlfriend"

"Oh, ruin all the fun, by admitting to it like that, but we not here to talk about your truth, just tell her the wise words of Ayesha Khan"

"Just because you don't believe, doesn't make it unreal, or something like that"

"Yes, Karin, I told you whether you believe it or not I am still here, talking to you and I here to make you understand yourself better"

"Mihle I don't have a story for you but you just have to sit back and watch the new story unfold ok"

Mihle felt glued to the office chair and he swore at his ancestors for making him work with this man, whom he does not even think he knows the name of, whom he does not trust at all. Being basically paralysed to a chair is not a feeling of empowerment and trustworthiness at all.

"Archie, what do you want now?"

"Karin, you need too see, we are running out of time, we cannot delay this any longer unfortunately you need to move on, I have always left you with the resources and it has always been you choice whether or not you wish to use it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Karin, there is something you need to see, it is very important and you have waited long enough, I am truly sorry about that…"

"Archie, really that thing actually has a name"

"Oh, Mihle please do come along too, you'll see why soon."

"What the heck, I thought this was an us thing, why does he need to be involved"

"Karin, this truth of yours affects him as much as it does you, don't think that he isn't involved already, you don't know everything about him."

"Ok, Mr know-it-all, lead the way please."

Ignorance is bliss, and Karin has been living in this bliss and she had not even began to realise it. Archie lead them Karin walking behind and Mihle being pulled on the office chair by any invisible leash. It was not necessary but it was just scare tactics.