The Oblivion

By Jim Redding

After a long period of being lonely and envious to her cousin (Ashlyn), Sia finally stumbles up on somebody (Michael) she falls in love with. However her love is unrequited. Her attempts to win Michael's affection ends up in a love triangle with Michael's brother (Davis). In honor of brotherhood, Michael takes no notice of Sia's efforts and chooses to be with someone else. Sia is deeply hurt by the unexpected turn of events and she decides to take vengeance in the most sinister way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503576629

Jim Redding

Jim R. Redding is a college graduate student, and a Fulbright Scholar, who currently lives in Cookeville, Tennessee. He was introduced into creative arts at the age of 13 when he attended an art school in South Africa. He has written numerous unpublished short stories before he decided to take writing more seriously after acclaims by peers. With The Oblivion, he aims to highlight various things including how love and feelings can change kind people into insecure monsters, with them being entirely blind to the transition. How little control we, human beings, have over unrequited love. Finally, how oblivious we are to what’s happening around us and the manner in which our actions affect others.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

In a gloomy atmosphere overshadowed by despair and enmity, the looks on their faces revealed that they were divided in two. The majority had a dark aura of animosity whilst the minority was ashamed and lost in confusion. There was complete silent in the room, and the audience was attentively facing the front. Friends and families were amongst them, but mostly unfamiliar faces. Mahogany pews stretched from both side walls towards the white marble aisle in the middle of the room. The enormous chamber had walls which were covered with russet vanished wood, the same material which the pews, chairs, tables and benches were made from. The marble floor had simple decorations which rendered the chamber an austere place, and vividly reflected the fluorescent light. Yet the court was gloomy in mood.

It was as though time was decelerating and everything was in slow motion, even the large door-clock right above the audience entrance seemed motionless. Everyone had gone dumb, shocked by what they were witnessing – a young man mumbling and breathing heavily and erratically. His red eyes were oozing a salty solution that streamed gently down between his cheeks, around his nose and mouth, and met at his chin. Face wrinkled with pain. Agony could be felt from him, and this feeling caused some people in the audience to have pain stuck in their throats – so heavy that it made swallowing difficult.

He took a long breath and wiped off his tears with his palms and he swallowed spit. I swear I didn’t do it. He muttered. But with the silent in the room, every word of his was loud and clear. It echoed in the heads of the struck audience.

He had broad shoulders and a wide chest. His fairly worn out grey tuxedo, over his white shirt, was mostly tight around his arms. He had crew-cut black hair, thick eyebrows, brown beady eyes, and a faint thin moustache. He sat straight up, and frequently rested his hands formerly on his thighs underneath the witness stand.

I did not, and I’d never. He said shaking his head slowly.

You didn’t do what Mr. Truce? asked the gentleman in a black suit. He was standing still, and eyeing the accused – with his thin but firm hands covering his mouth with skepticism. One could see that he was pondering and boiling with anticipation for the response. He had a serious and perceptive face like that worn by many 1600’s great scientists in their portraits. This suited his sophisticated personality. He was tall, lean, dignified and deadly earnest. His torso faced towards the judge and was angled such that it did not obscure the audience from viewing the young man in question.

The young man swallowed spit and painfully looked at his mother and brother – seated directly across him in the front pew. Then he shamefully looked at the person sitting beside the plaintiff attorney’s tables – the accuser. He was trying as hard as he could to avoid bursting into tears, but seeing his family in pain and shame like that, and also the accuser, he got overwhelmed.

I did not rape her. And I swear I’d never do anything like that. After his reply, he loudly burst into tears and his large body vigorously bobbed. Then he slowly concealed his face with his hands.

CHAPTER 2

"Good, we need to get milk next." he thought to himself after picking up a load of bread. He turned and slowly pushed the trolley between two high and long shelves that span across the store. Each shelf on either side was neatly packed in order. He moved from the bakery and browsed through countless items that lay before his eyes, while swiftly passing them. He was pushing a steel frame shopping trolley which contained bread and other food items. The supermarket had a handful of customers around that time of the day – midday. It was large enough to sell groceries and convenience products, however too small to sell uncommon products, like furniture, etc. It had several aisles divided by shelves, three cashier counters at the front, dairy and frozen/refrigerated products at the back of the store.

He was wearing a virtually tight fit blue t-shirt that allowed his chest and abdomen to protrude. Navy blue denim jeans neatly fastened, with a black leather belt, around his athletic waist. The t-shirt was long enough to cover the belt though. He had an elegant black analog wristwatch donned unconventionally on his right arm. A fairly tall and handsome lad with a newly cut short hair. His short-sleeve shirt exposed his marginally toned arms, which showed that he visited the gym often. He had great posture that resulted from his many childhood years of training karate. He had a hairless and earnest poker face. His curious beady eyes and earnest face would easily mislead everyone into thinking about was humorless and seldom smiled. He looked like a very serious and focused young man with a sophisticated personality however there was a friendly vibe about him.

He arrived at the dairy. "There we go, he muttered to himself as he reached out to pick up a bottle from the freezer. Prudently he scrutinized the numbers printed on the bottle to check the expiry date, and then gently dropped it into the trolley. Now we’re good to go," he thought. He slowly turned around and randomly selected an aisle to walk through to get to the front cashier. He increased his pace after noticing a short young lady struggling to reach an item on one of the shelves along the aisle which he trod. She stood on tiptoe with one of her hands outstretched, just few more inches from reaching, and with a grimace.

Here you go, as he reached and grabbed a pack of rolled toilet tissues.

Oh, thank you, she said thankfully with a lovely smile. She was an attractive, short, long-haired girl with a voluptuous body. Wearing thick and tight black leggings which