The Many Troubles of Luka Erebi | Chapter 1
Luka has a restless feeling...
Lately, Luka had been feeling restless in her own home. Like the walls in her apartment were growing eyes and leering at her. She didn’t know if it had been going on for weeks or months. Only that she couldn’t sleep soundly anymore.
After the fourth restless night, Luka figured it was time to talk to someone.
This was how she found herself at Asacia Park1, renowned for being both a tourist attraction and a local favorite. She would prefer to not come here alone, yet here she sat on a picnic table in the middle of its lush forest, staring at her now bee-swarmed can of soda. She had left it on the table for just a minute, and already the bees found their saccharine.
If Bellamy was here, she would’ve gently nudged them away and handed Luka back her soda.
… If only.
Bell.A: Sorry, I can’t make it today! My cousin is moving in and I’m helping with the move.
Bellamy sent this message on LIME a minute ago. The minute that distracted Luka from her sugary drink.
She sighed, her thoughts swirling.
She hoped to talk to her friend about something important today, but it seemed that wasn’t going to happen. Sure, she could’ve taken the train back to her apartment and talked to Bellamy. They were neighbors, after all.
But…
I’m not even sure if I should talk about it there. What if they’re listening in? Whoever they are.
Hopefully it was no one.
Her psychology professor said the best thing you could do to ease your mental stress was to talk to someone you trust. Luka was just trying to follow her professor’s advice.
So why is it that I’m in a situation where I’m even more stressed out?!
Luka stared at her phone sitting on the table. Only a couple of minutes had passed, but it felt like an eternity with how rigid her body was becoming. With every addition to the swarm, her shoulders tensed.
If it were the Luka from three months ago, she probably would’ve freaked out and ran. If it were the Luka from six months ago, she would’ve never entered Asacia Park alone in the first place.
You see, Luka was terrified of bugs.
Her father certainly never helped with that, shoving insects in her face and crushing them in his hands to prove they were nothing. Apparently, it was his way to cure her of it. Her mom would scold him for dirtying his hands. Not for scaring Luka.
So, what was stopping the current Luka (age: twenty) from sprinting a hundred meters in ten seconds?
With a gulp, she forced her hand into her sling bag and took out a digital camera. She turned it on, twisting the camera lens into microscopic mode. Every fiber in her body was telling her to bolt. Instead, she slowly extended her arms and brought it closer to the danger.
The slightest of jolts would alarm these pollinators, and (in her head) would point all their angry stingers towards her.
Snap!
[A picture taken of a honey bee slurping on some soda. Its fur, particularly its legs, was covered in pollen.]
Snap!
[A closeup of a bee’s face, revealing the fur on its eyes.]
Snap!
[A photo showcasing a bee’s translucent wings, although this one seemed to have a small tear on its left wing.]
“Wow! Look at all those bees!” A boy shouted, appearing excited at the sight of the swarm.
Luka jerked, causing the furry little bugs to spread their wings and fly off in a panic. Intimidating buzzes whipped about her ears, almost like the insects were telling her to get lost.
Well, they didn’t need to tell her twice. Luka jumped out of her chair and dashed towards the southern entrance of Asacia Park.
“Haaah… Haah…”
Her body was going to kill her by tomorrow, but all that mattered was that the danger was far away. She looked at the three photos she managed to take. Clear shots, considering. High quality enough that she got nauseous just looking at them. She really didn’t want to see them anymore.
Ding!
Bell.A: We can talk when you get back. If that’s okay with you.
Luluka: No… I’d rather not. Let me know when you’re free and we can go to a cafe or something.
Bell.A: I’ll let you know!
If Luka was lucky, Bellamy could fit her into her schedule by next week. The young woman was a busybody, and she always had something to do.
“Be selfish from time to time. Pull Bellamy away from her packed schedule.” I remember Ari telling me that once.
…
But how am I supposed to do that when most of the things she’s doing is volunteer work? “Oh, hey Bellamy, I know you’re helping feed the homeless today, but I think you should hang out with me instead because I’m lonely.”
Luka shook these impure thoughts (and Ari) away.
———
She didn’t come back to her apartment until the sun was gone, having killed time at The Cusp. It was a slow day for the cafe, so her coworkers didn’t mind her taking residence on one of the patio seats. They were also nice enough to chat with her whenever they had the time.
The train was nearly empty by the time she boarded. She didn’t mind. It was the walk from the station she always did faster than necessary.
Approaching her apartment at night, the blue roof was the easiest way to tell it apart from the rest of the street. The building was small, with only twenty residents—the landlord included—living here. Though with how quiet the corridor was, light bleeding only from under a couple of doors, she sometimes felt like ninety percent of the residents were either nonexistent or ghosts.
Heading up to the second floor, Luka glanced at 204, where Bellamy was staying. The lights were on and she could hear her talking with someone.
Now that I think about it, Bellamy’s apartment does have two rooms. If I remember, she mainly uses it as a storage room.
Although Luka was curious on who Bellamy’s cousin was, she figured they would meet eventually. No need to force herself in.
She walked a couple more steps until she reached 205. Giving her surroundings a quick glance for anyone suspicious and after seeing no one, she unlocked her door and stepped inside.
The moment she closed the door, a tingle danced down her neck, causing goosebumps to appear across her arms. It was the same feeling she’d get when she noticed a mosquito slipped into her home. Knowing that it was there, and that she couldn’t do anything to it. All she could do was to wait until it was satisfied and moved on, or get Bellamy to remove it for her.
She switched on the lights and gave her living room a thorough scan, searching for any movement. Nothing.
If there was one word that described her home, it would be minimalistic. Clean lines, no clutter, nothing to hide behind. There was a method to her simple living.
The less clutter, the easier it is for me to clean. And the cleaner my apartment is… the less chance I’ll have roaches or any other bugs.
Yep. Her fear of bugs had seeped into her way of living.
Whenever a moth or anything else snuck into her room, she couldn’t even have the heart to smack them. If cockroaches found her home suitable, well… she wouldn’t have a home anymore.
Let’s not think about that.
She went through the motions of changing into her sleepwear, washing her face, brushing her teeth, and applying lotion. Then she hit her head on her firm pillow and closed her eyes.
She would then think about… nothing. Not about the roaches. Not about the way her heart was beating out of her chest right now. None of that. Tomorrow was Monday, and that meant her morning class for psychology. She couldn’t afford to have another sleepless night.
…
Her eyes shot open, and she swirled her head around the bedroom. It was just her, her bed, her desk with a backpack on top, her slightly opened closet door, and her full-length mirror that was facing away from her bed. With a grumble, she got up, closed the closet door, and hopped back in the bed. Her blanket now covering her face, she tried to will herself to sleep.
…
Thud!
A low sound coming from somewhere. Whatever it was, it wasn’t human. The sounds were small and deliberate. It came again, this time loud enough for her to realize it was coming from Bellamy’s.
A sigh escaped her lips. It was probably nothing. But the thud didn’t return. Luka lay there, counting the seconds. At some point she stopped counting and just stared at the ceiling. No matter how heavy her eyelids were, or how exhausted she felt, she just knew sleep wasn’t coming.
Luka got out of bed for the last time, and reached for the melatonin on her desk.
Pronounced “Ah-sah-sia”.