Burning Moon (Wattpad Version)

Alternative ending -Chapter 22

“Leelee.” The Thai accent was unmistakable and I knew exactly who it was the second I heard it.

“Hi,” I turned around and came face to face with the smiling faces of the two guards from last year, Ang and Ginjan. It was uncanny how all of this was playing out, as if it was an exact repeat of last year- except this time I wasn’t being dragged off in handcuffs and looking and smelling like a hobo from hell.

“You come back,” Ginjan said with such enthusiasm that it seemed to be our cue to start hugging each other like long lost friends- which in a way we were.

“I did come back.” I said, half squeezed to death in Gin’s surprisingly strong bear hug.

“You become famous last year after you left airport.”  Ginjan’s eyes lit up with a scandalous excitement.

“Yes, your picture was everywhere, and we all say, ‘we know that girl’. Ang added with even more scandalous excitement in her voice.

Yes, the infamous photo had had a life of it’s bloody own, even after I’d returned to SA. The photo had continued to circulate and the applications had gotten pretty bizarre, until one little techie teenager- no doubt a pale kid with an ipad and pimples lurking in a dark messy room with Playboy under his mattress- decided to make a crudely animated cartoon of my head walking around town scaring people. He posted it on YouTube and BAM! Overnight it got over a hundred thousand hits, and it was at a whole million by the end of its first week. I know, it’s completely unbelievable, but there it was, little old me, plastered across every computer screen, smart phone and tablet across the globe. From Papua New Guinea to Patagonia, I was everywhere.

The cartoon had gotten me requests for radio and TV interviews, of course I declined them all, I didn’t want to drag this thing out indefinitely. And the pimple faced teen had apparently gotten a job as a cartoonist for a TV show. Good for him I guess. My sister- in law had threatened to sue everyone naturally, but I declined that offer too. Luckily a few months later the people of the world moved on- so fickle- they got bored of me and I was replaced by a video of a cat that appeared to be talking to a bird. Personally I think it’s a bit disturbing, but as long as it was keeping them from looking at me, I was glad.

The picture was finally forgotten and my five minutes of infamy were over.

“So you have boyfriend now?” Ang asked me.

I shook my head, “No.”

“So you and that other guy just become friends?”

“Which other guy?”

Ang pointed in the direction of the door, “The one that was just here. The one you with last time. The thin one?”

My heart started racing- could it be true?

“Damien?”

Ginjan nodded, “Yes. One with tattoos and dark eyes.”

My adrenalin spiked and my whole body woke up instantly, “Damien was here?”

I looked in the direction that Ginjan had pointed, but couldn’t see him.

Ang nodded and looked at her watch, “Only five minutes ago. He went through customs and Ginjan and I say to each other, that we know him!”

“What?” My shriek startled them and some other tourists who were standing too close.

My BFF’s looked at me curiously, “Is this good or bad thing?”

“It’s good. Very good. I came here looking for him.”

 Ang and Gnjan looked at me together, “Aaah, that so sweet. You in love Leelee?”