The Incident

Gul panicked, and for a reason unbeknownst to him, felt the need to hide immediately. He tossed the food back in the pot, and dropped the spoon in the sink–all very quietly–and briskly rushed toward the pantry door. Once inside, he shut the door without a sound. He stood close to the wall, practically pancaked flat to it, and pressed his ear to the door. All he could hear was his own racing heartbeat thumping uncontrollably.

The shuffling footsteps were closing in and it sounded as if they were right beside the pantry door. Someone was in the kitchen. All he could hear were those footsteps that were now a little lighter and slower. Whoever it was seemed to be stopping and moving around, not at all like the steps of someone who might be rushing. Gul gingerly opened the door, very slightly, just enough to peek through. He could see a light shadow moving around, but then they moved right past the pantry door and that was when he saw the face. He recognized the face but didn’t know his name. He was one of the eunuchs who attended to the needs of the women of the house. Gul had seen him talking to his mother over the course of time and got the feeling that she didn’t particularly like him.

He found himself breathing irregularly. He shut the door quietly and stood in the dark, firmly holding the doorknob as if he could keep the door from being opened. He was unable to control his racing heart and he couldn’t seem to get any air. Then he heard someone else entering the kitchen.

“Chaman, what are you doing here?” He heard a female voice addressing the eunuch. He could sense a false annoyance in her voice.

“I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” the woman said jokingly. “You sure eat a hell of a lot.”