Adventures of an Islander

The aroma of an invigorating and luscious coffee whiffed through the air and the mahogany counter completed the look of the café that exuded a warm and serene ambiance. I sat down to enjoy my hot brewed coconut-vanilla flavored tea and my raspberry colored Macaron. A soothing and tranquil music played in the background of ArtCaffe and I swayed inadvertently with the melody.

The blissful atmosphere was abruptly disrupted by a raucous and continuous acoustic coming from outside. The noise sounded like bursting firecrackers. The disturbing sound stopped. Everyone looked at each other in dismay. Their blank and emotionless faces conveyed only one thought- what was this? Something was wrong. I took a last gulp of my drink. I wanted to leave Westgate shopping centre as quickly as possible. Suddenly, I heard a loud resounding bang. My heart was trying to trick myself into thinking that it was probably the explosion of a nearby gas cylinder but my mind certainly knew that the deafening blare was something else – probably the blast of a grenade!

There was a sudden tumultuous chaos with horde of people from the coffee bar running towards the main entrance – where the blasting and incessant firing echoes were heard. I crouched and lay my body underneath a glistening aluminum table; bent my limbs and drew it up till my torso, curved my back and bowed my head. The rattling decibels of the gunfire amplified and a malodorous smell of sulfur tickled my nostrils. I was paralyzed with fear and anxiety. I clasped my palm over my ears and with my other hand, I clenched my gold pendant. It was that of a Hindu god - Lord Vishnu; the protector according to the Hindu mythology. With tears rolling down my cheeks, I closed my eyes and lost the notion of time. Someone gripped my upper hand and tried to drag me. He was on his knees.

I wanted to resist this uncanny force, but I had no energy left. I was a breathing corpse. I gave up and surrendered myself to this peculiar person. Dressed in a grey suit, the stranger held my hand tightly and we crawled across the floor in the opposite direction of the main doorway. We heard other detonating explosions inside the mall. I had several minor cuts on my arms, elbows and knees because of the splintered porcelain wares that sprawled on the ground. As we slithered towards the door that lead to the patio, the sun gleamed vividly and sent glittering rays through the cracked window panes. My lips arched in a faint smile.