Titan Jozef

By Abha Vaijnath

It’s only ten degrees hotter than our steam room, boys win the bet, yay them. but we must leave because we’re not all boys. Our swimsuits started to suffocate us, plus it smells like a sewer dungeon in here.

We grab our semi-wet towels and head for the massive door. Ari and I reach for the doorknob but draw back in a trice. And now, all of a sudden, a clandestine bet on which steam room bears the highest temperature seems like the worst possible idea we ever had.

We hear footsteps

Heavy footsteps

Man size- eleven footsteps

Footsteps of a person who grew a beard in a day

Footsteps of Lucifer's long lost cousin, and he’s back from the gym.

Ari and I immediately trudge backwards. The boys suggested we run into one of the cubicles and lock ourselves in, bless the amount of half-wit ideas we seem to come up with. Anyway we make a run for it and I manage to lock the door with my trembling hands.

The big door opens, and the nine pm air has us freezing. Georgie moronically WELCOMES the Titan to the bathroom and his voice goes three-octaves high trying to make an awkward conversation, so much for keeping low profile.

The titan stomps around and from what we hear he’s made it to the urinals. Moments later we hear Niagara Falls, with great trajectory.

INT- the cubicle

I turn my head away from the door to Ari standing crouched on the toilet seat cursing the architects who came up with the genius idea for half doors with a gap down below. Minutes pass and we can’t wait to walk out of this stink hole, but we thought it best to wait it out here.

We noticed that the boys had gone quiet, in fact the whole bathroom took a vow of silence. There was a faint odour of sweat, sweat from the gym. It was Titan Jozef.

I suddenly fell short of breath and time had lost an exit, and BAM. What sounded like a man size- eleven foot just hit the lid of the toilet seat in the cubicle right beside us. Ari and I share an uncertain look for a second which seems to last an hour. I cut eye contact and sensed a dark, incomprehensible figure taking form on the wall ahead of me. I closed my eyes and let a concentrated clump of time waft over me. I look up, knowing my parents would have to replace my bed with a coffin.

Untamed beard, curly hair drenched in coconut oil, terrifyingly chiselled cheekbones, bloodshot eyes staring down at us in an ungentlemanly angle.he was about to bite our heads off.

And I knew right there, that we committed a terrible misdemeanour, no, a misdeed, an illegal act, a violation, a full fledged felony.

We seduced the boys, we were dressed inappropriately in our full body swimsuits, we tried to have fun and distracted our friends of the opposite sex what CRIMINALS we are.

“Yes, oh mighty colossal Titan Jozef, we are wretched and whores and desperate for male attention, it’s all on our faces if you haven't made that distinction.

Are you enjoying the view while you decide our fate? Please spare the boys unless it’s too late.”

We were never going to trespass again. We gave our word. And he gave his? He gave his word? He winked at the boys and walked off.

Ari said he let us go,

Did he though?

By Abha Vaijnath