Blank Lay: Part 1

Many thanks to my class T110 for inspiring me to write this story.

Preenkafkafmulumulugerbil-Nyoh (a.k.a Zack) was an apple. You could tell he was not just any apple – most apples did not have names, let alone strange, mouthy ones like his. At first sight, the untrained eye does not immediately recognize his strangeness, for he was very red, with a stalk attached to his averagely proportioned body. This is, of course, in accordance to the sizes and physical builds of apples in general.

Usually, it is when Preenkafkafmulumulugerbil-Nyoh starts speaking that people start to realize that he was indeed a strange, unconventional apple.

Preenkafkafmulumulugerbil-Nyoh’s role in life is, ironically, that of Apple of The Netherworld - the great white world between this world and that of the dead. The Apple acts as the primary advisor for souls who find themselves in The Netherworld, and is also known as The Afterlife Orientations Officer And Answerer To Most Of Your Questions. Preenkafkafmulumulugerbil-Nyoh was very capable in this role, for he had the gift of telepathy and was able to read minds. This made him well-equipped to handle whatever questions the recently-dearly-departed could have for him.

And he knew he was going to be answering questions pretty soon.

Two souls arrive at The Netherworld with a great red flash. One was a tall man with dark skin who looked to be in his early forties. This was Jamal, a man of Malay ethnicity who had died recently after boldly, and on hindsight, rather stupidly, swimming in a public aquarium. Jamal died with a strong distaste for electric eels, and a badly singed body.

While he was alive, Jamal was an introvert who kept very much to himself. His only companion for the last few years of his life was the other soul who arrived with him at The Netherworld: Sally. Their relationship was an intensely intimate one. They had regular sex - regular passionate sex at that. In bed, they were open, honest and experimental. Consequentially, Jamal loved Sally deeply, and vice versa. Their relationship however, was kept secret.

Sally was a blanket. A thick, blue one made of wool.

Preenkafkafmulumulugerbil-Nyoh bounced over to the two prone figures and greeted them. "Hello Jamal! Hello Sally!"

Jamal groggily looked up to look for the source of the voice. All he saw were pure white walls that stretched into infinity. He saw the walls, and he saw the Apple. "Who's there?" he called.

From somewhere close to him, Jamal heard the reply, "I am Preenkafkafmulumulugerbil-Nyoh, your Afterlife Orientations Officer And Answerer To Most Of Your Questions." Preenkafkafmulumulugerbil-Nyoh added, "You can call me Zack, for short."

Jamal was rather annoyed that he was talking to a disembodied voice, but there were more pressing issues at hand, and he voiced them, "What's Zack short for?"

"Preenkafkafmulumulugerbil-Nyoh," Zack replied simply.

Sally stirred. Meanwhile, Jamal asked cautiously, "Where are you, Zack?"

"I'm right in front of you, Jamal," Zack, the disembodied voice replied.

Jamal looked down at the apple in front of him; it had vibrated in accordance to Zack's speech. Jamal slowly took this in, his mind numbed into silence. Finally his mouth managed to say, "Sial lah! You're an apple!"

To be continued...