The Conceiting Portrait (Part 2)

The Conceiting Portrait (Part 2)

The foggy atmosphere choked Joan, but her enthusiasm kept her going deeper and deeper into the dark misty room. After walking for a couple of minutes, she arrived at something that resembled much more of an archive. There were high bookshelves all covered in dust, but astonishingly, they were empty. She walked on in hope to find something that would catch her eye in amazement. After passing the huge bookshelves, she stumbled upon a stack of paintings that lied on the floor, covered with an old yellow cloth. As she picked up each painting, she looked at them in awe "Now that's a painting that makes sense." she muttered to herself. She held a painting high in her hands and examined it from head to toe. The golden frame that enclosed its beauty, the vibrant colors that brought it to life, the perfect anatomy of the Indian woman in her expensive-looking silk saree made it mesmerizing. She held the second painting and then the third, admiring it every time she moved on to the next one. Finally, she stacked up all the paintings and moved forward. She put on the jacket which was tied around the waist as the air around her started to freeze and as it became colder, it also became darker. So, she decided to take a candle from the corridors to keep her warm as well as to lighten up her way. Again, after walking for another fifteen minutes, she stopped in front of a metal door. Locked she thought to herself. There was a machine beside her. She moved towards it. It required a password in order to unlock the door. Well, this one's a piece of cake! She took out her phone and connected a cable with one end attached to the machine and the other to her phone.

She read the machine's code and hacked into it. In no time, there was an open door in front of her. She walked but was frightened when the door behind her locked itself. Relax Jo! It's just an automated door… she assured herself. She clutched on to the jacket and the candle in her hand. There was a dim blue light in the room but preferred to carry the candle as she was afraid that her enthusiasm might die with an unexpected frightful yell. She could hear the sound of her boots echoing in the empty metal space. Then she came before a painting. She couldn't make out what it exactly represented. As she lifted the candle a little higher, a drop of molten wax fell on her hand. She pulled her hand back and dropped the candle. She shook her hand violently and immediately stamped on the flame to extinguish it. She pulled out a band aid from her bag and dressed the burn. Then, when the pain subsided, she diverted her attention to the painting and she could not understand. She looked at it as the dim blue light focused on it. Soon, she realized that she couldn't move her eyes and her body was paralyzed. She stood there blankly, looking at the painting, in dark, in the blue.

Approximately five hundred meters from her, Max was pacing up and down restlessly, waiting for his sister to walk through the line any moment. He had his eyes transfixed on line when Clara snapped her finger in front him. "Hey Max! Long time no see. So, what have you been up to?" she asked cheerfully.

"Hi Clara. I've been up to nothing but Jo has been up to something and this time, I think it's going to backfire really bad."

"Tell me something Max, when is she not up to anything?"

"Never!"

"And, I believe, this time too you helped her out with it?"

Max sighed.

"I don't blame you. You couldn't have resisted the temptation to help her out anyway. What was your condition this time?"

"In your words, lame as usual."

"Where is she? I came here to thank her for the amazing guide she booked for us."

"In the restricted zone."

"Boy! That boomerang is gonna hit you both really hard that it might leave a scar! Watch out for it!"

"Yeah, thanks!" Max said sarcastically. He then noticed a staff walking into the restricted zone. He swiped his card and opened the door. Max grabbed Clara's hand and dragged her into the restricted zone. Through the slightly ajar door. Clara didn't stop Max because deep inside, even she longed to go in the restricted zone. So, you can say that the only difference between Jo and Clara was that Jo had the guts to get what she wanted, even if she had to use the path of peril whereas Clara didn't. Max quietly followed the staff's trail with Clara behind him. The staff just walked a few steps to get hold of a file and was just about to turn. As soon as Max realized that they would be noticed he crouched and pulled himself and Clara in the lowest shelf of the huge bookshelf on his right. As soon as the staff started to walk away, Max came out of the shelf and walked in the same direction as the staff but Clara stopped him and showed him a trail of footsteps, so they followed it to find Jo.

Clara followed him. He passed the stack of paintings Jo had stumbled upon but Clara noticed something different in that stack. "It has been touched by someone else maybe a few minutes ago." Clara said. "What?" Max turned around to see her standing beside the paintings. "Jo had touched these paintings. See, these paintings are not covered in as much dust as they are covered in." Clara pointed out another set of paintings opposite to these. "The cloth is much cleaner than the other one too." Max added. "This means that Jo was going in this direction itself. Come on!" Max prompted her to keep moving forward. They walked on. When they realized that it was getting darker and darker, Max suggested that they should take a candle from the corridors but Clara denied and took out a torch from her bag stating that a torch was a safer option. They walked on until they reached the same metal door Jo had arrived at. "It's locked. How do we get in?" Clara asked. "We don't have to! Jo must have not been able to decipher to code. Besides, if it's locked than how can she get in?" Max replied confidently. "Now you seem to be dumber than you were. Jo is a hacker. Decoding this thing would have been a piece of cake for her." Clara reminded. "Then it's easy for her brother too!" saying so, he moved towards the digital lock and pressed the numbers 1-9-6-3. The metal door unlocked. Clara was shocked. "You knew the password?" Clara asked awestruck. "Nope! It was just a guess. 1963 is the year this museum was constructed. Pretty slick don't you think?" Clara smiled and moved forward. The door behind them shut, but they didn't bother as now they were only worried about Jo.

"Hey Max! Don't you think this blue light is giving creepy chills down your spine?" Clara asked sheepishly. "I hope Jo is fine." Max was worried. Max had already faced the worst by losing his actual sister. He now did not have the courage to lose his beloved sister again. Suddenly a figure caught his eye. It lay lifeless on the floor in the dark. Max ran towards it and cried loudly on recognizing that it was Jo. Clara walked closer and shed a few tears for Jo. When she took Joan's hand, it was warm. Clara stopped crying and checked her pulse. Her eyes widened and she shook Max violently by his shoulder to get his attention. He lifted his head in dismay and asked what had happened by the tears in his eyes. "She's alive." Clara whispered. Max felt a ray of hope in his heart. He lifted his sister in his arms and started walking towards the door. Clara too ran towards the door and entered the password for the door to open up. She ran forward and yelled out to Max, "I'll go get help! Wait here." Max placed Jo on the floor and with her head on his lap. He waited there for Clara to return. In this time span, he drifted of the memoirs that he and Jo had spent together. He still remembered the first time they met.

Around three years ago, she walked in the college like a fresh new piece with short hair, denim jeans and a flower printed shirt. She wore no eyeshades or lipsticks. She was very simple and organized. Her locker had only a few essentials that she required on daily basis. She never carried fancy make-up kits or nail polish bottles. Max desperately wished to talk to her. He first thought of taking advice from his friends but then realized that it was not a good idea as his friends worked like the BBC news channels. Had he taken their advice; he would have never been able to show his face to Joan. He was lost in his thoughts when the bell rang into his reverie and it was time for the next class. It was during the recess; the actual fun began. All the students were on the turf. Max was no sportsman so he just stood in one corner waiting for his new sister to show up. He waited but she was no where to be seen. So, he decided to go to the locker room and get his stuff and get prepared for the next class. It was then he realized that he was not alone. Someone else was too there in the locker room. Max held his breathe and searched around. He found a boy sneaking into Joan's locker (he did not know Jo's name at that time) and taking books or, as he interpreted it, stealing books. Max thought that this was the right moment to save Jo's books from being stolen and be her friend. So, he pounced on that boy and pinned him down on the floor. "Hey!" the boy yelled. "Stealing is an offence!" Max shouted at him confidently. "But he wasn't stealing." A sweet voice reached his ears. Max turned and got up immediately when he saw Jo standing behind him. "Hi?" Max greeted her hesitatingly. "Hi? Why did you attack him?" Jo questioned him. "He was stealing your books. I was just trying to…" Jo burst out laughing interrupting Max. Max was confused. "April Fool!" Rylie called out to Max. The boy was sitting down all this time stood up and started laughing as well. Jo finally got her laughter into control and offered her hand for a handshake. "I'm Joan." Max did not think any further. He shook his hand with hers and said "I'm Max".

"Max!" Clara shouted. Max wiped his tears and looked at Clara. He was back in the present. She was followed by two men behind her. They rushed to him and picked up Jo from his lap. Max stood up and followed them as they took her to the medical ward.

After several hours, Jo opened her eyes with a painful headache. She mourned and sat straight on the bed. Max, who was sitting on the couch came closer and asked, "How are you feeling my little cupcake?" "Where am I?" Jo asked. "In the City Hospital." Clara replied from the far end of the room. "Hospital?" Jo asked confused. "Clara and I waited outside the restricted area for nearly two hours. Because you didn't show up, we snuck into the restricted zone ourselves and followed the trace you left for us." Max explained. "I left a trace?" Jo asked unaware. "Your footsteps were clearly seen on the dusty floor. We just followed that and that led us to you. You lay there on the floor unconscious. First, we thought that you were dead but then when I checked your pulse, I was surprised to know that you were alive. We didn't waste much time and quickly brought you out of the suffocating chamber you were stuck in. I ran out to get help while max stayed back with you. When we got you to the medical ward, they said that you were unconscious because of dehydration and that you would require so many bottles of glucose that they couldn't provide. So, we brought you to the City Hospital." Clara summarized th

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eir journey. "And that is you seventh bottle." Max said pointing towards the saline bottle. Jo sighed trying to remember what had happened with her. "Jo, what happened in there?" Max asked as put his hand on her shoulder. Jo looked at him and then stared on the mattress. Tears started coming from her eyes because this question puzzled her as well and even, she was struggling to find the answer. Clara put her hand on Max's shoulder and said, "Give her some time." Max nodded his head in approval and got up to leave. Before leaving he said, "If there is anything you want, just call me, okay?" "Okay." Jo replied and retired to the bed. Maybe it's because of my headache that I'm not able to remember what happened. She assured herself and closed her eyes to take some rest. As soon as she closed her eyes, the world around her seemed to spin faster than usual. Was it her head or the world, she had no idea. She felt collapsed and could not regain her bold spirit. She felt feeble and had no control over her senses. She felt paralyzed. When she opened her eyes again, she felt better. But she realized that she was not in the hospital. She also noticed that now she was wearing her denim jeans and shirt with her jacket around her waist instead of the hospital dress. In fact, she was wearing the same outfit she had been wearing in the museum. She looked around. It was dark and there was only a small ray of dim blue light coming from the ceiling. She extended her hands to check for any walls. She couldn't find any so she pulled her hands back. When she pulled them back, her hands had turned blue. She rubbed her hands. Paint? It's blue paint. But how could it be? She walked ahead into the dark ignoring the paint in her hands. She could barely see a thing when she heard something moving around her. She stopped and turned behind. There was no one. It's just your hallucination. "No, it isn't" a voice whispered. Someone had just answered her thoughts. A drop of sweat trickled from her head. She started getting goosebumps. She could feel the air around her grow colder and colder. Then she felt a thin line of cold air passing through her spine. Jo held her back straight and stared into the darkness. She could see a dark figure walking towards her. She couldn't make out who it was but the figure's deep blue eyes pierced into her soul and she felt such a throbbing pain that she fainted on the floor. Trying to be in her senses, she tried to get up but her energy had been drained. Her legs wobbled and her body shivered. It was as if someone had gnawed into her peaceful mind and filled it with unstable atoms moving constantly hither thither, destroying the harmony in her and killing her as every minute passed by. She wished to snap out of the nightmare. She pinched herself.

The next moment she was sitting on the hospital bed, in her hospital clothes. She was all drenched in sweat. The bed, the blanket, her dress; everything was wet. She quickly switched on the lights. Her hands were not blue anymore. She pressed the calling button beside her. Max and Clara, along with a nurse, came in. "Jo, you're all drenched in sweat. Did you see a nightmare?" Clara asked. "What's the time?" Jo asked ignoring Clara's question. "It's quarter to eleven. The doctor said that you can go back to the hostel. I've paid the bills so you need not worry about that." Max said. "The museum must be close now." Jo said lost in her thoughts. "Sweetie, should I get you a new dress or are you leaving today?" the nurse asked politely. Jo didn't reply. Max and Clara looked at each other and exchanged worried expressions. "Sister, we'll get her discharged today. Thank you for coming." Max replied to the nurse. "No worries dear! Don't forget to take the vitamin supplements from the pharmacy." The nurse reminded and left. Max sat beside Jo on the wet mattress and asked her again, "Jo, is everything alright?" Jo looked at Max helplessly and narrated whatever she had seen. Max and Clara had their eyes wide open. The exchanged looks every now and then. Jo sat on the bed waiting for a reply. "Is there something else you feel within yourself when you see that figure?" Clara asked. "I don't know. My brains stop working. It's a mixed emotion. But, when I see that figure, it reminds me of someone. It's like I've met that person somewhere but I don't…" Jo said as her memories faded away. "I need to get to that portrait. I know I can do something about it." Jo requested. "No. You are not going in there again. All of this has happened because me. I shouldn't have let you go. There is nothing in that room and whatever happened was just a dream. Forget everything." Max said sternly and walked out of the room. Jo was disappointed. "I'll get your clothes. We're getting you discharged before eleven thirty." Clara said and walked out of the room. Jo sat alone thinking what to do next. Idea! She grabbed her phone which was beside her and called someone. "Hullo?" a voice said from the other end of the line. "I hope you recognize me." Jo said.

"Well well… If it isn't Joan McCallister. Why have you called me up so late?"

"I'm sorry about that but I desperately needed your help."

"I thought you flied solo." The voice mocked.

"I did, until my own brother shut me out."

"Poor you. So, what do you want me to do?"

"It's quite surprising to know that you actually agreed to help me out after what happened today. I thought I would have had to plead and request till dawn."

"If you don't tell me why have you called me in the next five seconds, then I'm sure to hang up the call and never help you."

"Well, I wanted permission to get inside the restricted zone. Can you help me out?"

"The restricted zone again? Why are you so obsessed with it?"

"Can you help me or not?"

"I can but you will have to tell me why."

"Deal. I'll meet you two hours before the museum opens in the parking lot. I'll explain everything then. Have a nice night!"

Jo hung the call. She smiled. It was then Max entered the room with her clothes. "Here are your clothes. Get ready. I'll drop you off." "That won't be required. I already hired a cab." Jo denied Max's offer. "Fine. I'll be off then. Do you need some money?" Max asked. "No. What about Clara? Did she leave?" Jo asked him. "Yeah, she said that she had to leave early for college tomorrow for her final presentation practice." Max said, wished her good night and left. Jo quickly changed her clothes and got out of the hospital to get some fresh air. She waited for her cab on the lonely streets in the midnight moonlight. Just as she was waiting, her eyes fell on the dark figure standing in front of her on the opposite path. Jo's heart skipped a beat. Jo pinched herself. No, this time it was real. And this time she could clearly see that the figure represented the anatomy of a woman. Black clouds emerged from her and clad her. The dark woman stretched her hand and gestured Jo to come towards her. Jo turned around to see if the woman was calling Jo or some other person. She saw no one behind her so turned again to face the woman. She shook her head violently in denial. "If you won't come then I will" a voice hissed and the woman started walking towards Joan. Jo couldn't hear her footsteps or even see her legs; she could see her constantly walking towards her. Her heart pumped faster than ever and she breathed faster. Jo walked backwards until she touched the wall behind her. She could feel the same gnawing pain along with a suffocating pang in her chest as she inhaled the black smoke. Her energy had started draining. The woman extended her hand again, this time aiming for Jo's throat. Joan wanted to run but she couldn't. Just when the woman was about the clutch Jo's throat and strangle her to death, the cab arrived. Before the driver could notice the dark shadow that was lurking, she had disappeared into thin air, leaving Jo who was struggling to inhale fresh air. The driver came out of his car to help Jo and safely dropped her off at the hostel.

Jo had not slept a wink the entire night but before the break of dawn, Jo was out of bed and ready to go to the museum. This time she went prepared. She booked a cab and was in the parking lot in no time. "You are going to get me in serious trouble young lady." A voice spoke. "Good morning sir!" Jo greeted. "That's an unexpected greeting but I accept it. 'Morning Jo!" the voice chuckled. "Jo? You're cool." Jo replied as they walked inside. Suddenly, Jo heard the sound of keys. She turned around to see if it was the dark figure but found no one. Must have been a mouse. She thought and followed the man walking ahead of her. Soon they were in front of the restricted zone. Jo had been narrating her entire story all the way to the man whom she had spoken to the previous night. The man had swiped his card and offered Jo to walk in first. Just when they were about to enter Jo turned around. "What's wrong?" the man asked. "I think someone is following us." Jo replied. "You're right." A third voice spoke up. Jo turned around and was surprised to see Clara. "Clara! What are you doing here?" "I think I need to ask that question. What are you doing Jo? Max had forbidden you from coming here again, didn't he?" Clara threw the question back at Jo. "I'm here to find out more about that painting." Jo replied confidently. "You can either help me out or go and complain about it to Max. You're anyways good at that." She added. Clara sighed and said, "Fine. I'll help. But seriously just tell me who is that man you were talking to all this time." The man came into the light. "Mr. Blake?" Clara said in astonishment. "He agreed to help you out?" she added. "I know it sounds insane but he's actually soft at heart." Jo grinned. "Cheesy moments!" the guide groaned.

They continued on their and made their way through the metal door. Mr. Blake said that he would wait for the girls near the door. Jo put on her jacket and started recording the place on her phone. She recorded every single aspect of the room including the carvings on the wall. Then, when she realized that the painting was close, she instructed Clara to keep her eyes anywhere except the painting. Jo moved her hand slowly in the air to capture every element of the painting. "Did you hear that Jo?" Clara asked. "Hear what Clara? It's pin drop silence in this chamber." Jo replied with her eyes shut tightly. "Jo, the painting is amazing!" Clara exclaimed. "Clara what are you doing? Shut your eyes." "It's pulling me towards it" Clara continued. "Clara snap out of it!" Jo yelled. The next moment she heard Clara collapse on the floor. "Clara!" Jo exclaimed. She opened her eyes to find Clara's body lying on the floor.

"Mr. Blake!" Jo collided with him. "Mr. Blake! Clara, she's nearly dead. Please help her!" Blake quickly called the ambulance and rushed with Clara to the City Hospital. Jo was by her side all this time. The doctors rushed with her to the operation theatre. Thirteen hours passed and no updates had been conveyed by the doctors. Mr. Blake comforted Jo as she grew restless. Jo paced up and down. Finally, after fifteen hours, the doctor came out of the operation theatre. They shook their head in dismay and said, "We tried our best but we couldn't save her. We're sorry." Jo fell down on her knees as tears rolled down her cheeks.

TO BE CONTINUED…