the fridge: messages from the dearly departed

THE FRIDGE.
Maiko returns to his apartment with his friend. Her name is Padi. On entering the apartment she notices the fridge right in view as you enter.
" Hey, have you guys bought a fridge, she asked, sounding surprised.
" Oh yes. Hadn't I told you?
" No. I'm seeing it now, without having heard about it before, she remarked and then added," It must have cost you a lot of money.
" Actually not very much. I bought it at an auction two days ago. It went cheaply.
" So it's actually yours? Michael didn't even have to contribute?
" No. Michael helped me take it in though. It's quite strange. It is eighty kilograms more that it should weigh. That's around the weight of a human being.
" Really?
" Yes. So far, we haven't been able to get an explanation.
" Maybe there is an invisible human being in there, she teased.
" Oh, that would a new kind of matter defying all laws of physics that I know about, Maiko responded.
" So what do you keep in there?
They had come in front of a fridge. She looked like she wanted to open it, but only after hearing an answer to that.
" Well, there are juices, water, fruits, meat and some other stuff.
" So you have stacked it up already!
" Yeah. Some things just don't go when they are not cold. And in this temperature of ours, things can get really hot.
" Wait until the global warming reaches it's peak. You'd wish you'd buy the whole north pole.
She opened it.
" Mmhh. It's beautiful. This is really something. Congratulations.
" Thanks, Maiko said then added, " I'll go to put my bags in my room.
He disappeared into one of the rooms.
When he came back she was seated on the couch reading a newspaper which Michael had obviously bought that day. He was the only one who bought newspapers in this apartment. Maiko was more into books. He loved reading, especially novels.
" So what would you like? Cold soda, cold orange juice or just some cool water?
" Give me some cool water.
Maiko went to the fridge. He opened it. He frowned.
He hadn't really looked in there when she had opened it earlier. Now he observed what was in there. He stared for a moment, thinking to himself. After wondering for a moment he decided to get the water and join his friend.
" What is the news?
" The major one is about the head of that businessman, which was found two days ago, Padi informed.
" Oh that was a cruel murder. I hear they didn't find teeth in it.
" Yeah.
" It's probably superstitious or something to do with the cults, Maiko suggested.
" It could as well be of natural motive. The man was known to have gold teeth. Maybe somebody wanted the gold.
" He had gold teeth? Maiko asked , sounding amazed
" Yeah.
" How come the rest of us are not born with gold teeth?
She laughed, then said," I guess God knew if He gave us gold teeth we'd become toothless. People would take them out and sell them to get money while some would actually be robbed.
He chuckled to that.
" Anyway, he was gruesomely killed. Somebody cut his neck to separate his head and body.
" It's strange though. When they found the body two months ago, they said there wasn't any sign of a struggle. How can one be killed in such a way and yet remain so calm?
" I told you, there are witchcraft stuff involved in this, Maiko said.
And then he decided to change the topic, he had enough of this scary talk.
And of course the situation he had observed in the fridge was starting to trouble his mind .
He had to talk to somebody and see if there could be a solution.
" Padi, how much cool water can you drink in a day?
" Maybe four liters.
" That's a maximum?
" Yes, for me though, but some can go up to ten liters. Why are you asking?
" I don't know. Looks like the consumption has doubled since the fridge came in this apartment. I noticed it yesterday, but I thought maybe guests had come for my mate. But today again! I think there is something going on.
" Like what? Padi wondered.
" I have no idea.
" Do you think maybe Michael is selling stuff you buy and put in the fridge to cool?
" No, I wouldn't think so. As a matter of fact we buy things in turn. It wouldn't make sense. The faster the things go, the more he would also spend.
" Well if you trust him, what else could happen?
" I have no idea.
She thought for moment.
" Maybe it's just because things are cooler now and you know some things just go when they are cool.
" I thought about that too. I mean even myself I probably drink more water these days. But two times!
" Talk to him.
Michael returned late that day. They talked for a moment and he went to the fridge to get water when Maiko put up the issue.
" Hey Michael, how much water do you drink in a day?
" Five and a half liters maybe.
" Did you have any guests yesterday?
" No. Why? "
Have you noticed that water consumption has doubled in these two days since the fridge came in?
" I thought you had an explanation. It's not only water, even the meat, bread, juices, almost everything that stay in the fridge.
" Really?
" Yeah, I noticed for example an apple juice was drunk yesterday and I know you don't drink apple juice. I figured maybe somebody had come in and you helped him with it. Then I noticed other things.
" I didn't have a guest yesterday. What is going on here?
" I have no idea, Michael replied.
" A thief coming in when we are gone for the day?
" The alarm has never gone off, unless he is a real professional.
" Are there any other things missing in the apartment?
" So far I haven't noticed, only items in the fridge.
" That'd be the strangest thief I have ever heard of.
" I think there is something spooky going on.
" Like what?
" I just don't know.
They put a security camera the following day and carefully counted everything in the fridge the following morning. They left for work.
In the evening when Maiko came back Michael was already there, with Padi.
" It's not as we left it. It looks like a one man's share is gone, Michael announced.
" And there is nobody else who has access to this place. What's happening?
" Beats me, Michael responded.
" Padi, you have any ideas?
" I can't think of an explanation.
Maiko went to change in his room.
" This is making me uncomfortable, he said when he returned.
" What do you think we should do? Michael asked.
" Let's think.
They became quiet.
The idea that came up was to put the camera in the fridge this time to see what was happening.
The analysis on the following day just showed the drink decreasing, the fruits getting smaller and the meat going down.
Padi entered the room and from the look on their faces knew the trouble was not yet solved. She didn't bother to ask.
" Could this be supernatural? Maiko wondered.
" You are too superstitious, Padi said.
" Well can you explain it to me what's happening? Naturally?
She looked blankly at him
" No, she replied finally.
" There are ghosts in this house? Michael was scared.
Nobody answered that.
" It started with the arrival of the fridge. I wouldn't say it's a house. It's a fridge, Padi reasoned.
" A ghost in the fridge? Michael wasn't comforted by the shift of the problem.
" It's a possibility, she remarked.
" I don't like this, Michael said .
And so days passed. With time it became almost normal for them to find things inexplicably less than they would otherwise expect them to be.
And then it was time to clean the fridge. Maiko was going to do it himself.
He was going on with the cleaning after having defrosted the inside when he found something. It was an earring. A simple gold circle. Maiko looked at it for a moment, not understanding how it got in there no matter how much he tried to think hard.
" The question is how did it get in there?
" That's the only thing you found? Padi asked.
" There is a tooth.
" A tooth? Michael was rather disgusted than surprised.
" What does that mean? Where did they come from? Padi wondered.
" I have thought long about it. If I can be superstitious I think somebody is tying to tell us something, Maiko suggested.
" Tell us what? And what kind of language is this? Michael was confused
" I have no idea what is the message.
" And who is it from? Padi inquired.
Maiko said he did not know that either, with his expression.
" Hey Maiko have you noticed it's engraved? Padi said after observing for a moment the earring.
" It is?
" Yeah, very small letters. I can't even read them, she said then added, " I could go to my neighbor living next door to mine, he has a lens. I'll tell you tomorrow.

" It says M.J.B, Padi told them the following day when she came.
" What does that mean?
" It's probably a name, Michael, Maiko said.
" So?
" Maybe this person M.J.B has been trying to tell us something?
"Why can't he just tell us directly. He is a wizard. I am moving out of this house, and I am not even paying the rent, Michael said.
" I went to the auction place today to find out more about the fridge. What's interesting is that the owner was a dentist, Maiko announced.
" And he kept the teeth in the fridge? Michael was disgusted. He felt like vomiting. " Man, I am never eating or drinking anything from in there. He immediately got up and went to throw away the stuff in there.
" We should get rid of this fridge. It is nothing but a nasty troubling mystery, he said when he came back.
" Maybe we should solve the mystery, Maiko suggested.
" Have you an idea of what the letters stand for? Padi queried.
" No, Maiko responded.
" I think that's where the answer lies, she remarked.
Michael was reading the news as usual. Then he came across the editorial, which took note of the escalating level of crime in the country, the case of the murdered businessman being a reference point.
It suddenly came to him.
He didn't mind it was working time, he immediately called Maiko.
In an hour the three of them were gathered in the apartment.
" I think I know what the letters stand for, Michael spoke proudly.
" What? Padi was anxious.
" It's Mudi J. Baringofu.
" And what does that stand for? Maiko wondered.
" It's a name for heaven's sake, Michael uttered. He was enjoying himself.
" Of that businessman murdered about two months ago, Padi elaborated.
Maiko eyes widened.
" You mean to tell me the ring belonged to him?
" I think so, Padi answered. "
How did it get in the fridge? Surely the fridge was not owned by him, Maiko reminded them.
" I think I know what this is all about. Let's go to pay a visit to the dentist, Padi proposed.
The place was a magnificent one. They went to the room where they searched until they found a nice little box, which was securely tightened.
They broke it.
There they were.
Six teeth. All gold.
She took her hand lens and checked them out. She found the initials. M.J.B. It was time to call the police.
" The man had a visit to his dentist that day. It looks like the dentist had been after his teeth. He killed him. There hadn't been any struggle since the man had been under drugs. He took out the head and put it in the fridge. The earring and the one tooth got left behind somehow. Immediately he was done he decided to sell the refrigerator and Maiko ended up with it. Unfortunately the victim wouldn't just go. He would ensure his assailant got caught and so kept on around, Padi explained.
The police where stunned, along with Maiko and Michael. The theory was far-fetched but it looked to be true.
The following day the three of them were all over the news of the arrest accompanied with the strange story which most people didn't believe. But that was it, the ghost was there. And the dentist had confessed.
Michael was still talking about the little conundrum when Maiko went to open the fridge. He was amazed at what he saw. He stood there incredulously. He took a packet of milk.
" It looks like really it was trying to tell us something. Have you seen what it has done now? Maiko said.
" I said I am not using that fridge again, Michael reminded him.
" It has drawn a picture of a hand the thumbs up, he notified them then added," I think it's thanking us.
" It's not it, it is he, Padi retorted.
" He? Maiko said.
'Yeah, the late M. J. Baningofu, she elaborated .
" Hey,Michael, don't worry. The tooth is gone. That's the one which was eating the fruits and meat and the rest of the stuff in the fridge, Maiko told his friend.
From that day on the stuff in the fridge didn't vanish mysteriously.