Chapter 5. Uninvited Guests

Rock music blasted from the speakers of Germaine’s EarPods as she nodded her head in time to the beat. Every so often, she would stop kneading dough and bend as far back as she could, while holding her two hands in front of her, like she held a guitar and was strumming it. With her eyes closed, she would let out a loud yahoo, eliciting a look and a smile from Maria, her baker.

In order to catch her attention, Maria had to tap her EarPod or her shoulder; there were no other ways. Otherwise she would just go on and on, until she finished shaping the pastries, or until she wanted to talk to Maria. Every day was pretty much the same – get to the bakery at five in the morning, begin preparations for the pastries, and then open at six, in time for those going to work to stop by and buy to-go cups of coffee and some pastries.

Today, however, was different. Germaine was excited because she had gotten some good news the day before which put her in an excellent mood. It was something she had been seeking for almost a year now and it had practically fallen into her laps. She could not keep her yahoo’s to a minimum today. Matter of fact, full blown-out dancing followed them. Add the heat from the oven to the equation and you had an excited person.

Her phone rang, interrupting her song. “Hey, Cordelia, I was wondering when you would call.”

There was a pause before she responded. “Well, you better get here if you want to know what happened,” she cut the call and the song filtered into her ears once more, making her resume her jerking motions.

A few minutes later, someone tapped her on the shoulder and she whipped round and squealed. “Hi, Cord, I got it, I got the loan.”

Her best friend, Cordelia, squealed, making Maria cover her ear and smile. “Oh, that’s great news, I was beginning to worry you would have to give up your mom’s legacy.” She looked around the medium-sized kitchen.

“No way, never!” Germaine gasped. “I would never allow it.” Her eyes clouded up when she remembered how she had almost lost the bakery her mom had bequeathed to her. She had been worried because she did not have the funds to keep it afloat, even though she had regular customers that came in everyday to patronize her products.

The overheads were crippling. Cost of electricity and gas had skyrocketed, plus paying her two staff did not come cheap either, they were the best and knew their stuff well, so she gave them regular incentives. Over the past two years ever since she inherited it after the death of her mother, they had been by her side. Same as her best friend, Cordelia who helped when she could. Today she was available because it was a weekend and she didn’t go to work.

“You know what this means, right?” Cordelia asked, her blue eyes twinkling as she put a hand on her hip.

“A celebration, duh!” Germaine replied, hopping like a rabbit.

Their excited chatter continued until Clara, the waitress, popped her head through the swing door. “We have two orders for one Frappuccino and cappuccino and two angel cupcakes.”

“Coming right up,” Maria said, already getting the orders ready.

Cordelia removed the bottle she had been hiding behind her back when she came in and brandished it in the air and Germaine and Maria screamed with glee. They knew when the bakery closed, they would have a little celebration, but the day did not seem to want to come to an end as one order after the order kept coming through. This kept Germaine and Maria on their feet. Cordelia even had to pitch in as well.

When eight o’clock came around, it was with a tired, but happy sigh that Maria flipped the sign hanging on the door from open to closed, and shut the blinds as well from prying eyes. While these were measures they normally took to showcase the closure of the bakery, it still did not stop strays from banging on the door expecting to be let in. Germaine had a soft heart and had done that in the past but she had almost paid dearly for it. One night, she let in a man who said he wanted a large order of bread and cakes.

Her staff had already gone home and she was the only one left. With joy singing in her veins, she had gone to the kitchen and began packing up his orders, when she felt something cold pressed against her neck. Her mouth was covered with a dirty cloth and a man whispered into her ear warning her not to scream. She was turned round and came face to face with the same man she had let into the bakery herself.

If not for Cordelia who had stopped by to check in on her when she wasn’t answering her calls and seen the guy dragging her into her store, she would have most probably been raped, or worse still, injured. Worse still, she could have been killed that day. Cordelia had gotten a hold of the dough mixer and hit the man on the head where he slumped into a dead faint. The police were called and they took the guy away, still unconscious. Germaine had never opened the door again for anyone when she closed for the night.

Music thumped from the speakers as Cordelia put on an upbeat song. The wine was popped and they began singing and dancing at the top of their voices to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love”.

“Yahoo!” Germaine screamed, loosening her brown hair from its bun. It fell in waves around her shoulder. Cordelia did the same, and Maria and Trisha, who both had short hair, mimicked them. They all giggled. Soon, the bottle of wine finished and another one was opened. Cordelia had come prepared. They danced from the kitchen to the front and back again, then they repeated the process two more times before they settled in the main bakery.

The second bottle went the same way the first one did – speedily. What they did not know was the wine was fifty percent alcoholic. In a few seconds, things were going to get strange.

During the day when they were attending to customers, time had seemed to crawl, but when Germaine happened to glance at the time now, she screeched, much to the consternation of the others. “Guys, its midnight!”

Someone put the stereo off, and everyone looked at each other, aghast. “It’s the witching hour,” Maria said in a whisper.

Immediately she said so, the bright light flickered once, twice, three times, then it went out. A loud buzzing sound could be heard all around the bakery, and then the emergency lights came on. They were not as bright as electricity, but at least they were able to see each other. No one moved, no one said a thing, and then Germaine lifted a hand which Cordelia noticed was shaking and pointed at the corner of the room. “Who… who are those men?”

Cordelia frowned and looked at where she pointed. Sure enough, three men stood, looking just as perplexed as themselves. Maria shook her head and backed away, same as Trisha. Germaine opened her mouth in a scream, but only a croak came out. No one said a word, the two parties seemed to be sizing each other up, both wary, and then the three men formed a Charlie’s angel pose, at least that’s what sailed into Germaine’s mind when she saw their half-crouched position as they backed each other. She took in the sharp-looking swords, four times the size of knives, they held as the three men faced them.

Then one of them spoke. “We do not want any trouble, we are just passing through, let us go, and no harm will come to you.”

Germaine thought the man sounded funny. He spoke in English quite alright, but his words sounded stiff and stilted. She opened her mouth but could not seem to form any words. Not only did the man sound funny, the three of them looked strange as well. They were dressed in sleeveless tunics with skirts that were made from the thick fur of an animal.

‘A bear. I’m sure of it.’ The thought sailed into Germaine’s mind as she continued assessing them.

Two of the men had long straight dark hair that fell like a silk curtain, to their waists, but that was not what made Germaine’s mouth drop open. They were tall and muscular and had more charisma than any man she had ever set her eyes on before, all except one who was a dwarf. His hair was as white as cotton wool but not as long as the other two.

She cleared her throat as addressed them. “We don’t want any trouble either, but this is my bakery and you happen to be in it. I don’t know how possible that was, but I beg you to be on your way, we won’t tell the authorities, I promise you.”

When she had finished, she felt proud of herself. Her voice only shook a bit at the end. The men did not look at each other, but somehow she knew they were communicating with themselves, for one of them, the one in the middle, nodded, and said. “Very well, then, we bid you goodbye.”

Germaine expected them to disappear, the same way as they had appeared, but nothing happened. Cordelia made a funny mewling sound at the back of her throat, moved closer to Germaine and whispered. “Why are they still here?”

Germaine shook her head and whispered back. “I don’t know,” she said to them out aloud. “Why are you all still here? Go on, scoot, get!” She made a driving motion with her hands.

“We would, if you would stop interrupting us,” the man who had first spoken scowled. He looked at the man beside him and said something in a language she could not understand.

Then something strange happened. Even though she swore the other man’s mouth did not move, she heard his reply clearly, as if he had spoken. “It is not yet time for us to leave. Germaine has a role to play in our mission.”

Her mouth fell open. “What do you mean I have a role to play in your mission, and how did you even know my name? Who are you people and how did you even get into my shop?”

She snapped her mouth shut when they all turned their eyes on her. The second man whose words she had heard without him opening his mouth, stepped forward, and she backed away involuntarily, because his eyes – they were bright orange. It was strange but, it looked like fire oozed out from them. Flames raged unhindered in them.

“How is this possible?” Germaine asked, forgetting her myriad of questions earlier and how three strange men had appeared in her bakery, becoming mesmerized with the man’s eyes as she stared at them.

“My lady!” The man bowed low before her. “My name is Storm,” and jerking his thumb to the man beside him, he continued. “He is called Keratin.” The man in question bowed stiffly. “And this here is Kenki.” He pointed to the dwarf who was already bowing low to her as well.

Germaine blinked, and also introduced Cordelia and her two staff.

“My lady, please let us sit so we can speak to you about our mission and how you will play a role in it.”

There were only two seats to a table, so Maria, still in a daze, brought three extra seats from the other tables while Trisha busied herself making coffee for everyone. Their alcohol-induced state had long vanished, ever since they first set eyes on the strange-looking men. Some minutes later, they all sat, cradling a cup of steaming coffee in between their hands.

The one called Keratin pitched forward and began to speak. “We come from another world.”

At this, Germaine’s eyes widened , but Cordelia threw her head back and laughed. Maria just sniggered, while Trisha kept quiet.

“What is this brew you gave us?” Storm asked, taking a sip. “It is delicious.”

“Thank you!” Maria said, deferring her head to him. “It is called instant coffee.” Her eyes twinkled as she said it. “You have never drunk coffee before?”

Storm shook his head and the others looked just as intrigued, as they took tentative sips from their teacups. “Back in our world, we have a brew called broga. It is nice but not as tasty as this coffee.”

The emergency lights dimmed and Germaine groaned. “I don’t know why the electricity is acting up now.”

Cordelia got up and went to the window where she drew back the blinds. She came back frowning. “It seems this is the only building that doesn’t have electricity.”

“Let me help with that,” Storm said. He raised his hands towards the ceiling and Germaine gasped as she noticed his eyes glowing brightly.

The overhead light came back on and the hum of the freezer and the coffee machines could be heard. The girls sighed simultaneously, but Germaine turned to the men, shock and apprehension, lining her features. “How were you able to do that, and who exactly are you – all of you? What is this mission you talk about and what on earth does it have to do with me?” She shrugged. “And how did you appear in my bakery?”

It was the turn of Storm to lean forward. With eyes that brightened and flames that danced within, he began speaking.