The Haunted Chest

“Damn! What the...” Newton opened his mouth after he spotted Joseph ahead. Joseph who wore a smile of sarcasm as if to mock Newton, was walking towards Newton and Jessica. It was now the fourth time that Newton had run into Joseph and as before Newton’s heart rattled.

  Jessica turned around and glanced at Newton before Newton could speak another word, “Newt, please stop it.”

  “What?” Newton replied. Newton did not like what he saw ahead. He had a rattle of thought as he ignored Jessica’s credible character and he stared at her with a look which mirrored the emotions he had began to feel when he had seen Joseph approach.

  “You heard me--” Jessica snapped and whispered to Newton. As Joseph approached she pretended like she and Newton hadn’t spoken a word to each other. She hurried towards Joseph and jumped in his arms leaving Newton behind who stood aloof watched at a distance as Jessica part her mouth into a broad smile while she talked to Joseph. Though Newton Knew Joseph less, he was unsettled by him because Joseph was a reminder of Jessica’s past. Joseph used to work with Jessica in an adult film company. Therefore Newton reasoned that he had all the reasons to get upset by Jessica’s behavior towards her ex-workmates especially then that she had stopped working there and was married to Newton for a year then.

  Minutes passed by. Newton stayed aloof and waited patiently for Jessica to finish her chat with Joseph. He stood silent at the other side of the road and watched as Jessica said her goodbyes to Joseph, and then gave him a peck at the side of his cheek. Upon seeing Jessica’s behavior, Newton puffed out silently as he tried to calm his rising exasperation, his heart thumped as he once more considered that glimpse he had seen seconds ago. He wanted to act but considered Joseph’s physique-- his strong and huge muscly arms. Joseph was the only black American in that part of Transtevator enough reason for Newton to rather close his mouth and not pick a fight with a guy like Joseph. Though aloof, Newton could hear every word Jessica and Joseph said. Not that harsh, but relationship risking phrases that rushed in Newton’s ears. He gnashed on his teeth and swallowed every little bit of anger he felt was grinding parts of his heart, he felt a heat burning parts of it, and surely, Newton wasn’t easily going to get over all that he heard, and the gestures both Jessica and Joseph shared, and those cute smiles which Jessica flushed above her shoulder as she walked away from Joseph. Joseph looked pleased at Jessica’s gestures. A second more after passing her goodbye to Joseph, Jessica turned around completely and begun to stride towards Newton, but when she was half way from Newton, a mob of her fans came running towards her.

  Newton’s eyes darkened to the view. What the...damn it! He breathed a sounding gentle breath as he watched Jessica stop to her past... Again. Why can’t she put an end to this drama? She is out of that world...she is no longer an actress. I managed to make her quit acting porn films, I bet I will erase that memory of her ever acting. And her fame will no longer torment me. I bet I will. Newton folded his lips and begun to walk towards a nearby lamp post where he leaned and waited for Jessica to be done signing autographs.

  The Haunted Chest by Henry Prince Chilonga

  Fiction: Paranoid

  Copyright © 2017 by Henry Prince Chilonga

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

  or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,

  electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  With thanks to Dad, Mom, my siblings...Ernest Chilonga

  Who volunteered his time to make sure

  I got it right.