The Wrong Woman

10. Mouna

The blood moon was real? My grandma was right this entire time? The thought of my grandma made me fall on my knees, on the marbled tiled bathroom floor. Where was my body if I was here? Was my grandma all alone? I needed to know.

Without thinking, in this new body, I raced out but I didn't know where I was going. The house itself was completely unlike what I had ever seen in my life. Where our small apartment only had one space for both the living and the kitchen and one room where grandma and I slept, this place was like a double storey mansion.

The landing attached to oak stairs that overlooked the ground floor. The tiles were marble grey and the kitchen bench top a shiny black. The colour scheme was either black, white, grey or brown—brown being the colour of the fireplace between the couch and the large screen TV and the shelf resting against the wall where the front door was.

I stepped on the first step of the unusual staircase. Unusual because it had gaps between each one. I held onto the wooden railing with glass panes so I didn't fall through those big gaps. I slowly made my way down.

"Rani, where're you going?" The man's voice startled me and I tripped over the third step. My eyes bulged out as the floor loomed closer to my face but I was tugged back with such violent force, my shoulder ached. The man had his warm, large arms around me, glancing from the floor to me. "Careful."

Why was this man so kind? It was making it hard for me to fear him. I shoved him away, not liking that I was in such close proximity with a strange man. A strange man that could be related to Rani in some way.

"I want to visit a place," I mumbled. I couldn't very well tell this man that somehow I ended up in Rani's body. He would think she's—I mean, I'm mad! What if he shipped me off to an asylum or...or something else? What was I going to do? How was I to get back? I needed to see my grandma. I wanted to make sure she was okay and I wanted to see if my body was there.

"All right, I'll take you there right after the appointment. Come on."

"No, I want to go now!" I couldn't sit around and wait. I had to leave. I rushed down the staircase, being careful, and out the carefully carved wooden double doors. The black marble front porch with mini stairs and plants of different kinds decorated the entire area but I had no time to sit and stare. I ran past the white gates, only to stop. I didn't know where I was. The street bustled with cars and people and motorbikes but I hadn't a clue as to where I was going to walk to get an auto rickshaw.

Most of them whizzed by with people already inside.

"Rani!"

What was I going to do?! I thought.

"Hey." I jumped at the voice behind me. I wormed away, wrapping my arms around myself. "Is it important?" asked the man.

"Very."

He gestured to a car under the open garage. "Then I'll let the doctor know we'll be late."

My eyes widened. He wanted me to drive?! "I—"

"On second thought," he mumbled, scanning me, "you're not acting like yourself. Maybe it's safer if I help."

Thank goodness! Relieved, I sighed. But instead of taking the car, he gestured toward the main road.

"Thank you," I said, feeling like I had swallowed pebbles. I wanted to cry, but I didn't know how that was going to help me. He helped me to some shoes and then flagged down an auto rickshaw. Before he could get in, I said, "You can't come with me."

I expected him to ask me why or protest but he brought out a few notes of money and a phone."Call me if you need any more help."

He must think I'm crazy, I thought. Why else would he say that? I watched as he stepped away and I was able to give the driver my address. Watching the world zoom by with people smiling and chattering made me want to hurl. I was stuck in a nightmare that I didn't seem to be waking up from.

This was a cruel joke. I don't know how or why but it had to be.

As I let the cool wind wash over me on the bumpy ride, my eyes caught the bracelet on my wrist. Bracelet? That was strange. I wore the bracelet on my body...so how did it come on Rani's wrist? I tried to take it off but it was stuck to the skin like glue. Almost like second skin. The thought made me gawk at it. If I couldn't pull it off...then what was I supposed to do? The beggar had something to do with it. Him and the blood moon and the wish I made was associated.

The tale, I thought.

The reality of my situation dawned on me right then and there in the rickshaw. My mind went blank and I sat there, for what seemed like a few hours worth of a journey when we came to a stop near the area surrounding my neighbourhood. "Please wait here, I will be back in a second," I said as I gave him some cash. I ran up the creaky, chipped stairs and to the second floor. Eyeing my door, I rushed over and went to knock when I heard something.

"Mouna, is that spaghetti ready?"

Spaghetti? I thought. I didn't know how to make that. And did my grandma say Mouna? So there was someone else in my body?

"It's not that good, but I thought I'd try anyway," came my own voice. I stepped back as if I had been slapped across the cheek. Was I the only one panicking about it? How is the person in my body already accustomed?

Was staying and causing a scene the right way to go about it or should I go back? I thought. The sides of my head were starting to throb and my feet ached as if it couldn't hold the weight of my burden anymore. I needed to go back. I wanted to sleep.

Maybe if I slept it off, things would go back to normal.