Song: Escape, by Aslihan Batur.
He slept calmly inside his casket, the mask resting on his belly. It was warm as always, soundless as always, yet something in the air vibrated differently. At each hour that passed, he slept even less, waking up for brief seconds and not making his way back to sleepland. He sighed and fumbled inside the casket, looking for his shoes. Carefully, he opened the casket and walked out. To his surprise, he wasn't in the saloon as usual; his casket had been transported to a huge garden, quiet waterfalls oozing a pleasant perfume, and it was night, the black skies constellated with jewels and a white crest. His mask scintillated in his hand, the wind brushed his bare chest and played around his hair. He left the casket and the shoes; he thought about leaving the mask behind but that would be too much. So he ventured into this strange and charming place, asking himself who had sent him there and why. Couldn't be Nasrin; why, he couldn't tell. Following the mysterious scent, he padded between the beautiful palms and flowers, some birds flew by, and the night watched him getting lost in the garden. It was comforting, devoid of humans, fresh and free.
Until he heard a smooth rustle at his left. He glanced and saw an orange glimmer slithering on the velvet grass. He followed its length and saw it was a long dress with a groggy tail. Soon, it slid away and disappeared behind the hedges. He screened around, weighing his decisions. And he opted for the worst one: follow the orange snake. He had nothing to lose. Just his life.
And off he went, and as he followed its trails, he felt the perfume rising and rising, wrapping around his body and licking his skin, leaping on his arms and shoulders like a drunk ballerina, rose and lemon confused in a delicate melody. He blinked and chuckled. Maybe it was the mask; last time he woke up he ended up attacked by Nasrin from all sides, especially from below. He was about to take it off when the slithering thing brushed behind his leg; he swiftly turned around and was now face-to-face to a woman.
She was clothed with gold and orange from her hood to her toes as if prepared to meet her groom. She was a bride lost in a garden. How weird was that?, thought he. But that was nothing compared to the details. Under the night every extravagant jewel glinted nicely, with no luxury, just a timid kiss in the air. And the brocade descended from the top of her head to the arms, trunk, tails, skirts, shoes, and the eyes, the chin, and the mask.
For the first time in his life, he saw a mask that overpowered every mask he had seen, touched, wore. The woman hid her mouth and nose behind God's veil. Before he could open his mouth, the woman touched his jaw, slid her finger to his shoulder, and he followed its slow trajectory. Her rings glinted happily under the night lights, and when he looked at her, it was all dark. The woman had pulled the fringes apart and kissed him. This kiss went on for many eras, death and fire swaying together, then ice and perfume drowning his mind, and when their lips parted, he realized they both had removed their masks and leaned in a nook made just for them. A casket for two.
He wanted to ask her who she was. But maybe it didn't matter. It wasn't Nasrin, so it didn't matter. And that's when the woman spoke: "Aren't you worried about your wife?" A lengthy and whispering voice. He shook his head. "No. I just think of her all the time." Her lips stretched in a smile. "That's what good husbands do."
"What's your name?" he asked, not really minding the answer. But he loved it, either way. "Rija," she sang quietly. "And what's yours?" He chuckled. "I have no name." "You are a privileged human, mister mystery." "How so?" She smiled. "Promise you'll think of me?" His smile faded away. "Are you leaving?" She didn't answer. "Promise you won't worry about me?" He smiled. "Yes, I'll marry you."
Rija and the mystery man spent the night in that secret nook, enamoured with each other's looks and masks, drowned in vanity and pleasure, until the sun peeked from the horizon and announced his leave. "I must go now. Nasrin is waiting. And do you happen to know why or how my casket ended up here?" Rija sighed and looked up at the sky. "Some things I can't tell you like this. You'll find out. And when you do, it'll be my end. Now, go, mystery man."
