Chapter 11: Knocks and Scratches

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the updated 2022 version of Chapter 11. If you are re-reading this part, you may observe some changes from the previous version.

CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains depictions of and references to kidnapping that may be upsetting for some readers. Please be mindful of this sensitive theme and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.

 Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading

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LORELEI

Mo-Mo-Ri-Ya! Mo-Mo-Ri-Yar-Ti! Mo-Mo-Ri-Ya! Mo-Mo-Ri-Yar-Ti!

PARANG SIRANG plaka na paulit-ulit sa pagtugtog ang kantang 'yon. It sounded like a chant of an indigenous tribe in the mountains. Dinig na dinig 'yon hanggang sa kuwarto ko. I tried to cover my ears, pero mukhang ayaw akong lubuyan ng tunog. Gusto ko pang umidlip, pero ayaw na akong patulugin. Baka ma-stuck pa ang tune sa isip ko hanggang mamaya.

Bumangon na ako sa kama at lumabas ng kuwarto. Iisang tao lang ang kilala ko sa mundong ito na magpapatugtog ng gano'ng ka-weird na kanta ngayong five o'clock ng umaga. Wala rin siyang pakialam kung may magising o maistorbo siya.

Sino pa nga ba? Eh 'di ang roommate kong si Loki.

"Akala ko may ginagawa ka nang ritwal dito." I leaned my back against my room door and folded my arms across my chest. Nakatayo si Loki sa tapat na pader na d-in-ecorare niya ng iba't ibang retrato. Sa gitna, may nakadikit na sticky note kung saan nakasulat ang pangalang Moriarty habang sa paligid nama'y nakalagay ang pictures ng tatlong artista. I recognized only Natalie Dormer who played Margaery Tyrell in the Game of Thrones series.

"Listening to that chant while thinking is quite stimulating," he replied without turning in my direction. Pero kailangan niya bang i-play 'yon nang paulit-ulit at gano'n kalakas? Masuwerte siya kung hindi magrereklamo ang mga taga-kabilang unit. "Just so you know, you're listening to the remix of John Bautista's last word before he died. I asked an acquaintance of mine to do it."

An acquaintance, huh? I would be surprised if he used the word friend. Tumabi ako sa kanya para malapitang makita ang tatlong artista. "At kailan mo pa naisipang magtayo ng gallery dito sa sala natin?"

"I assume that you don't recognize all of them. These three are the actors and the actress who played Moriarty in the modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes." His right hand waved in front of his artwork. When he turned to me, I noticed that the circles under his eyes got darker and deeper. "Just so you know, Moriarty—or Professor James Moriarty—is considered as the arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes. He is a professor of mathematics, but he's also the Napoleon of crime, the organizer of half that is evil and nearly all that is undetected."

That somewhat sounded like the person he had been hunting for months. Hindi pa namin nakikita sa personal ang misteryosong taong 'yon pero sapat na ang nakalap naming clues mula sa mga konektado sa kanya para makabuo kami ng sarili naming impression. The character that he had described to me was purely fictional while the other one existed in the real world.

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