The squeaky sounds of footsteps stopped. I peeked through the half-closed wooden shutters of the balcony doors and saw the group gathering in front of a door not far from me. One of the men inserted a key in the doorknob. He turned it a few times, but the door wouldn’t unlock. The keys on his key chain jingled as he, with nervous glances toward Fujiwara, searched for the right one.

The persons in the group shifted slightly their position, enabling me to see all of them better. My eyes were drawn to a figure in a hooded cloak, closely surrounded by Fujiwara’s men. By the silvery strand of long hair, which peeked from the side of the hood, and the rich, floral embroidery of the cloak I assumed the person was a woman.

The man finally found the right key and unlocked the door. Fujiwara stepped to the side, making space for the cloaked woman to enter. The woman, however, didn’t move, so the two men at her sides put their hands on her shoulders and nudged her forward. She tried to resist them and in doing so, her cloak opened, revealing her feminine figure in a long blue dress as well as the fact that her arms were tied behind her back.

Fujiwara uttered a word and the man that stood behind the woman aided his companions by giving her a push on the back. Just before she was forced to enter, she turned her head toward the balcony. I flinched at the unexpected sight of a thick, golden veil covering her face.

The second she disappeared inside the apartment, Fujiwara put up his hand. The two men that were still in the corridor went quiet while he turned in my direction.

With the sun casting its light directly into the corridor, I knew it was unlikely for anyone inside to see me behind the half-closed shutters. Yet, I got that uneasy feeling that Fujiwara sensed something. I quickly moved away and pressed myself against the narrow wall between the door and the edge of the balcony.

With dread I listened to each squeak of Fujiwara’s approaching footsteps, praying silently he wouldn’t open the balcony door and at the same time cursing my decision to hide.

I should have just greeted him…like any other normal person would do…fuck!

In that precarious moment, a big crow landed on the balcony’s balustrade. Flapping its wings it uttered a cry and started pacing back and forth. Its black feathers shone in the sunlight, its dark eyes mirroring my tense face. I’d seen such large crows in the park of the compound, but I never faced one so close.

The bird cawed again then flew away. At the same time, I heard footsteps moving away from the balcony and then the sound of the door closing.

I stayed glued to the wall until sweat started dripping down my face. Clenching Sunny’s bag in one hand, I sheltered my eyes from the direct sun with the other. Slowly, I detached myself from the wall and peeked through the shutters. Seeing the corridor was empty, I quickly re-entered. I tiptoed past the door of the apartment Fujiwara and his company had entered and dashed toward the staircase.