A mid-summer night hare (23)

Ackley finally speaks up. He says to Hareta with hardly any emotions, “I will take you have a look of our house.”

So Hareta follows him to the bedrooms. There are paintings on the side of the stairs, all of great tastes.

On the second floor, she finally steps into the place where the couple spend endless nights together. It is like heaven on earth. Yes, maybe more like haven for heathens. The décor is minimalist with sophisticated details. There is a gigantic wedding portrait where the two look passionately at each other.

Hareta is silenced. She thinks to herself, “Why does Emmy have such a surreal life? Why does she have it all? I am not any less than her. She doesn’t need all these. Why do these richie people have everything they may not even have asked for? What has Emmy done to deserve all these? Stupid incarnation. One day, I will overthrow everything. Emmy, wait and see.”

Hareta indeed is rather unfortunate. She came to Hong Kong as an illegal new immigrant with her parents, grandma and three siblings. Their caged house was just 50 square feet packed with 7 people. They only had a few bugs in their pocket in their most difficult times and could only afford to buy expired bread, the throwaway from bakery shops, when she was little. But Hareta is different from every single person on this planet. She is positive. She is optimistic. She is only forward-looking. She believes that education can change her destiny. She is the eldest child in her family so she always acts like the care-taker. On the other hand, Emmy seems so light-hearted. She is the only child in her bourgeois family. Hareta likes to imagine that Emmy grew up in a pretty pink house, warm and cozy. On top of that, there is Emmy’s legacy too.

Like many others, Hareta wants to be Emmy so much. Or should I say, the imagined Emmy: appropriate, popular, attractive, gorgeous, effortlessly good looking, decent, and most of all, loved by many. Really? Well, apart from that, Hareta also finds Emmy guillible and easily defeatable. After all, Emmy is just another youthful girl raised in the social glasshouse, overly protected, severely simple-minded, forgivingly big-headed, seriously ignorant yet indisputably blissful and irrefutably altruistic. That must have been the school that Emmy went to. Emmy grew up in a convent, isolated and secluded from all the earthly sins. Emmy surely knows nothing about the dark sides of human. What a small town disposable white trash blonde bimbo.

Supposingly, Hareta is like the flower of Cosmos, first made by Greek Gods and Goddesses with love and attention despite her obvious imperfections. She is righteous, generous, helpful, friendly and co-operative despite the lonely nights and struggles she has to go through along the way.

Hareta all of a sudden is reminded of her family. She is mindful of her own shortcomings again. She is thinking to herself again, “Emmy, you spoiled little girl. You have no filial piety or the need to do so. You have no friends, no comrades, no sisterhoods and no groups of belonging, while I am indisputably just, proud, and true to everyone. I am not a hypocite; I detest evil people like you; I am integral; I am altruistic; I am moral; I am ethical; I am going to be the Big Punisher to put you for judgement in front of the whole world; I will get rid of you. Until then, I can live on to support my family of seven. One person killed saves a village. It makes total sense. I bet anyone would have done the same too. It’s just a murder but not a crime. For the benefits of the majority, you need to be forever gone, Emmy. Everyone would be happy and cheer for your departure. My motives are holy because I don’t just do it for myself. I do it for my beloved ones. I do it for all those who hate you to death.”

So this is Hareta’s defence. Emmy has become the Richard Parker of the 21st century. How awesome! Emmy’s life is so enviable. Emmy must have been born under a rock, like everyone else on this planet is an orphan. You can use this reasoning to ruin the lives of anyone you don’t like but karma is just around the corner, sharpening her nails and sipping her coffee. She will be with you shortly.

Wait, but Hareta does not believe in karma. She thinks that at this very uniquely important moment in this world of fierce competition, she has no choice but to kill her frenemy. Hareta and her entire family will otherwise be starved to death in this land of plenty. Murders and poisoning crimes are therefore completely straight-forward, sensible, conceivable, understandable, forgivable and comprehensible. Hareta, you are sinless. You are not the evil one. If there is God, He will surely be on your side.

So, Hareta makes up her mind and tells Ackley, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

She quickly closes the window, locks the door and turns the tap on to cover up her insecurity and any sounds she may have made. She looks into the mirror and says anxiously to herself, “Hareta, you have come this far. There is no turning back now. Just do it.”

You are what you eat. Hareta, cannibalize this dummy richie Emmy and you will certainly become her. Go!

So, Hareta pours some sodium hydroxide into Emmy’s contact lens solution case, she brushes her teeth with Emmy’s toothbrush until her gums bleeds; she then puts the same toothbrush into the stool; she wears Emmy’s earrings; she puts on Emmy’s lipstick; she dips the lipstick brush in her vaginal secretion; she shaves her armpit with Emmy’s razor until red pulpy blood fills the blades; she sticks Emmy’s toothpaste up into her pussy; she wears Emmy’s panties; she spits her saliva into Emmy’s cup.

After she is done, she throws a cunning, evil smile into the mirror. She thinks that this kind of assassination and poisoning crimes is totally unprecendented. Emmy would never find out, right? According to Hareta’s plans, Emmy will unnoticingly get infected with all Hareta’s viruses and even eventually lose her eyesight. Murder is easy!

It is no coincidence that the horror fictions written by British author, Agatha Christie, are among the most popular readings across all countries, ranked only after the Bible. The moving finger writes and dictates that what’s done can never be undone.

Good luck, Hareta. May you stay positive and hopeful all the way.