Cronología de la muerte

Capítulo 65

Burning Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve.

At 9:30 p.m., after her daughter had fallen asleep, Jumarin tiptoed to the bathroom, quickly shaved her thighs with a razor, massaged, and applied ambergris-scented wash. She removed her stiff underwear, hoping the moisture would erase the marks on her skin. She put on a thin, long, orange-jelly-colored cotton bodysuit. With a pounding heart, she passed Esme's bed and left the room. She walked down the thick wooden hallway to Berhali's room.

They were finally together, Berhari and Jumarin, lying in the mosquito net, their bodies illuminated by the golden glow of scented candles. Jumarin closed her eyes; a battle of wills was raging between mind and body: to maintain control or to give in completely?

Beryl drew small circles on her neck, shoulders, and chest, kissing every inch of her body, before covering her mouth before moving downwards. Warmth filled Marlene's cheeks, surprising her—such passion, such heat, such…smoke?

Suddenly, Beryl cried out in pain, rolled over, and fell off the bed, pulling Marlene down with him to the floor. They saw the cone-shaped mosquito net float on the candlelight, like a burning, snow-white Christmas tree, its white mesh turning into fluttering black tendrils.

Jumarin rushed towards the door screaming, "Fire! Fire!"

Just as she was about to run away, she suddenly realized that she was standing naked on the porch. She looked back at the house burning brightly and was unable to move.

"We have to escape!"

She cried out. At that moment, Berhali did something heroic: he grabbed a piece of clothing, wet it with a bottle of water, and slammed it violently against the flames licking the ceiling.

A few seconds later, as if an eternity had passed, Berhali put down the damp cloth and said wearily, "The fire is out."

Zhu Malin turned on the light, and the charred filaments floated in the air like withered ghosts.

Fortunately, they couldn't burn me.

Amidst the blue fluorescence and charred black fragments, Beryl and Marlene are forced to confront their own distorted bodies.

What was that sound? Screams and footsteps shaking the floor! They frantically searched for their clothes, which had just been joyfully discarded on the floor.

Beryl found the trousers and struggled to put one leg on. Marlene found only a roll of water-soaked orange gauze, realizing it was the poor wreckage of her bodysuit, which Beryl had just used to put out the fire. She groaned in pain.

At that moment, four Lanna men carrying fire extinguishers rushed in. With a scream, Marlene leaped into the bathroom, but it was too late.

Although the fire had been extinguished, the people took turns squeezing white foam into the smoky ashes to put out the smoke-filled ceiling and the few remaining embers on the charred tents.

Rupert ran in, followed by Murphy, the Masseys, and Vera. Only Benny, wearing a ventilator mask, was completely unaware of what had happened.

They waded through a puddle, shouting, "What happened?"

"Is everything alright?"

Marlene slipped on Beryl's shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw a sorrowful face: Esme.

Beryl watched as Marlene left with her daughter. She was distraught and simply waved him off without uttering a word, despite his questions and apologies. The tattered curtains had been dragged away, and the burnt-out bedding had been removed. The wet mattress before Beryl reminded him of a shameful period from his childhood.

What are you thinking about?

Both the mother and Marlene screamed at the same time, their temples beginning to throb.