Serpent in the Garden

Chapter 1

"There is a story about a Japanese soldier who was stuck in the Philippines while the rest of his men died. The war ended, and Japan lost, yet this man persisted in carrying out his duty. He foraged in the Philippine woods, killed innocent locals, and set fire to their paddy. Years later, a boy from Japan visited him and asked him why he went on despite every indication that the war was over. He replied that he would only surrender once his superior gave him the orders. The boy returned to the homeland and regaled the tale of the steadfast soldier in a foreign land fighting a war that had ended almost three decades ago. They found his retired commanding officer, now a bookseller, and sent him to the Philippines to bring the soldier back.  Once his superior came in person, he finally surrendered." finished Tanya.

"Wow," mused Parveen, "he was so stubborn!"

"Imagine wasting so many years of your life for such a silly reason. If I were in his shoes, I would surrender in no time or join the locals" Tanya said shaking her head. Parveen thought about it deeply.

"He was isolated and left behind. He must have thought that the locals would murder him if he surrendered," murmured Parveen.

"Exactly! He wasn't a brave warrior, but a scaredy cat!" concluded Tanya.

It was lunch break at St. Paul's school.

As it was the latter part of the hour, students who finished eating lunch roamed on the school grounds. The chatter of the students floated across the wide expanse in a resounding murmur. Boys of all ages played in the football ground and the three basketball courts on one side. An approach road wrapped around this playground, that rose towards the towering main annex of the school.

After lunch from the canteen Tanya and Parveen were walking on the approach road towards the main annex. They were first years in the Higher Secondary Biology - Maths batch. It had been two months since the first semester started. Tanya led the conversation while Parveen listened to her with earnest, supplying comments when it was expected.

Once they came right in front of the building, Tanya's eyes started straying from Parveen's curious face to the first-floor external corridor. She searched for the familiar face among the many second-year seniors who idled behind the railing.
Tanya stopped in her steps when she caught a glimpse of the tall, tan boy with jet-black hair. Tanya's pretty pixie-like face split into a bright smile.

"Samuel is here!" she exclaimed and gripped Parveen's arm. She lowered her eyes and turned to her homely-looking friend. She wore an ill-fitted uniform, sported a bare face and her oily hair hung to her waist in a loose plait. She had deliberately sought Parveen to accompany her for this very reason.

"Is he looking this way?" she asked in a hushed tone to Parveen.

Parveen glanced over to the corridor on the first floor. Sure enough, Sam was leaning on the railing with his friends while facing the football ground beyond. While scanning, his eyes settled on the two girls walking towards the verandah.

"Yes," she affirmed.

Parveen looked away from him when his eyes met hers.

Tanya's body language changed. She resumed walking in a slower, smaller gait with her hips swaying. She raised one hand to tuck in a strand of hair behind her ear while she demurely looked up through her lashes toward where he stood. Tanya called this the Princess Diana look.

Parveen wanted to look up to see the result of Tanya's performance but kept her eyes fixed on the ground. If she looked at him, Tanya would become upset. Tanya turned toward her and murmured something with a sweet smile plastered across her face. She couldn't catch what she said but it didn't matter.