#she might be concrete or maybe wood or maybe gold. you need to start laying your roots elsewhere. shut that thought down

[oatbugs]

idk how to live so im going to talk to myself out loud until i do

#listen. take a deep breath. i know your bpm is high but you need to think with me for a second. #remember that you are paper thin. all your facets are sheets of paper and what you gave her is just another one. #make a new one. you dont need it. you dont need her to see you. i know you think you need her but you will be okay. i know its hard. #you wish you could have shown her how you loved her. listen to yourself. you are made of paper. #she might be concrete or maybe wood or maybe gold. you need to start laying your roots elsewhere. shut that thought down #and blink and listen. the parts you keep thinking of arent lost. they still happened and they are yours to keep. #there is beauty in this loss. tell me about the beauty in this loss. its okay to think about it. you got to see it all and nothing more #and this is great because it would have been bad. you know it would be violent in a way you dont need. you know this to be true. #you are going to look at that empty space in her shape and youre going to fill it with everything that happened when you knew her. #the memories with her but then also the the way your friends talked you through it. the game with the clovers. #your first allergic reaction you almost died and you couldnt stop laughing and you were held so close to their hearts. #learning the names for all the floursecent gene tracking dyes that everyone else knows already. about the exam - listen again. #i know you think if you fail your life is over but you need to try your best. youre not going to get a good grade in a uni test for the fir #youre going to make up for it. youre going to make sure you make up for it. do you understand? i love you. you have to do this. #right now you need to sit up. breathe. i know your heart hurts. go to the living room. grab something to eat. i dont care if you feel full. #youre going to clean your mattress heater. youre going to study a bit longer and then youre going to sleep. youre going to tell your mother #im sorry and i might genuinely fail a test. shes going to tell you its okay. if you do badly in this course you can just become a neurosurg #just agree. dont argue right now. its okay. youre okay. you are paper thin. i know any puncture hurts. #breathe. think of your friends. think of their hands in yours. it isnt eternal.youve lived through worse. the empty sky is still beautiful. #the lack of her is still beautiful

[legendofzeldaalinktothepast]

Opalescent Tides - Chapter 1

“Amethyst wakes up on the shore of Beach City, and she couldn’t be more confused.” 

Fandom - Steven Universe 

Pairing - Pearl/Amethyst 

Rating - T 

Human/Mermaid AU. 

Next Chapter 

* 

Waves crashed against the shore, and seagulls cawed from up above. Though her eyes were closed, the glaring sun bore straight through Amethyst's eyelids. She stirred, gritting her teeth as the sand ground against her blistering skin. Finally, she forced her eyes open, letting out an audible gasp as the sunlight hit her eyes. 

As soon as Amethyst's eyes adjusted to the sun's blinding rays, she finally managed to look ahead. She was the surrounded by beach, the dark and endless ocean... and just behind her was an even darker and more ominous patch of trees. Not a single grain of sand around her was familiar. Amethyst heaved herself to her feet and looked herself over -- her dark brown skin was covered in blisters... She must have been laying in the sun for quite a while, she observed. Amethyst hissed through her teeth as she pulled a layer of skin off of her sunburnt arm. 'Gross.'

To make matters worse, Amethyst was thirsty. The kind of thirsty that made her head throb and her throat feel like she'd swallowed a mouthful of sand -- though, to be fair, that wasn't entirely out of the question. Regardless, Amethyst crouched in front of the water and cupped her hands in it, taking a reluctant sip.

'Ugh, of course it's saltwater! Dumbass.' she thought with a groan, immediately spitting it back out. 'Guess I gotta find some fruit... Or even running water. There's probably people somewhere, right?' It was unlikely she'd waken up on a deserted island -- she had no memory of a shipwreck, or being on a ship in the first place, or... Anything at all, really. Now that she thought of it, she couldn't remember anything.

'Alright, don't panic. It's probably not amnesia, I'm just... really fucking sore and thirsty. Maybe I'll feel better once I get some water.' Taking a deep breath, Amethyst made her way through the patch of trees up ahead.

From the outside, the woods had seemed endless; but after only a few moments of walking did she hear a loud crack, followed by the sound of fizzing. Amethyst tensed for a moment and gazed upward, but her fear eased once she saw a beautiful red firework shimmering in the evening sky. 'And where there's fireworks, there's gotta be people!' she thought, her heart racing. She quickened her pace and headed towards the source of the noise, grinning even harder as another firework echoed in the woods.

Her feet soon met pavement, giving her a short moment of relief before the concrete burned the soles of her bare feet. So she quickened her pace until she reached a patch of cool grass.

Amethyst looked around at the quaint little town around her. The road was lined with various vendors; some were selling meats and vegetables deep fried beyond recognition, while others were advertising toys, games where one could pop balloons with darts, people selling fish in plastic bags... The latter of which made Amethyst shudder.

"Lemonade! Only twenty-five cents!" a tiny voice drew Amethyst's attention. She locked eyes with a small, curly-haired boy sitting behind a chipped wooden table. His cheeks were bright red from the sun, and he wore a pinkish-red tank top with a yellow star on it. On the table before him, there was a plastic pitcher filled with lemonade (the ice had already melted, but Amethyst sure didn't care), tiny paper cups, and a jar filled with quarters. "Get your freshly squeezed lemonaaaade!"

As Amethyst approached lemonade stand, she fumbled through her pockets in search of change, but they were filled with nothing but seaweed and grains of sand. Ugh, really? I don't have anything?' she thought. In all honesty, she was struggling to remember what twenty five cents even looked like. Trying to remember anything other than her name made her head ache... So she shook it off. Now wasn't the time for that; dehydration was getting to her, and if she didn't get something soon, she'd only descend even further into insanity.

"Hey, kiddo!" Amethyst greeted, shoving her hands into her pockets as she approached the boy.

"Hey, Miss!" the boy greeted. "Do you want some lemonade? I made it all by myself! Well, mostly -- my dad cut up the lemons because he doesn't trust me with knives, and he also helped me squeeze them because I wasn't strong enough... But it's delicious, I promise! And only twenty-five cents! My name's Steven, by the way!"

"Oh, that's awesome!" Amethyst licked her lips, her eyes locked on the pitcher. "Here's the thing, though... I don't really have any money. At least not right now, but uh -- I'm absolutely dying of thirst, so do you think I could -- "

"Say no more!" Steven said, thrusting a tiny paper of cup of lemonade Amethyst's way. "Don't worry 'bout the quarter. It's on me."

Amethyst smiled weakly. "Thanks, buddy. Next time I get my hands on a 'quarter', I'll be sure to pay ya back." She reached for the cup and downed it immediately -- it tasted purely of sugar, with maybe a hint of lemon, but to a woman on the brink of dehydration it might as well have been liquid gold.

"No problem! And really, it's no big deal if you don't pay me back!" Steven said. "Hey, you gotta place to stay? Not to be rude, but you look like you've been sleeping on the beach."

Amethyst blushed; with her soaking wet hair, sunburnt skin, and sand-covered tank top and shorts, it wasn't hard to guess, but she still felt self conscious nonetheless. Even after the cup of lemonade, she was still too dehydrated to think... She could barely even remember where her actual home was. But she wouldn't dare admit that; no, she'd find her way back home soon enough, and if not, she'd spend the night at a hotel until she was well again. "Mm... I'm just passing through." she said with a shrug.

"Ohh, I see!" Steven said, though he didn't look fully convinced. "Well, here's another glass of lemonade for the road! On me." he added with a wink. Amethyst smiled gratefully and ruffled his hair. "Thanks again, little dude." As she turned and headed off, she took another sip of the lemonade and continued on her way.

As she walked, she glanced around in search of something, anything that looked familiar. 'Do I... live in this town? Maybe I passed out drunk on the beach... But I've never heard of hangovers causing legit amnesia.' she thought, scanning all the little houses. None of them rang a bell.

She glanced back towards the direction of the beach, her stomach turning. 'If I'm not from here, then... Maybe I washed up in some kind of shipwreck? But from where? Ah, but there wasn't a boat anywhere, so maybe not... Or maybe someone mugged me and whacked me over the head...' she thought, tapping her head as if it'd shake a screw loose and jolt her memories back into place. Everything was so foggy... And the fact that it was getting dark wasn't helping. With each shade the sky grew darker, a feeling of unease grew within her gut... She could see some of the vendors starting to close up, which only sent her anxiety even further into the sky. The only thing scarier than being lost was being lost and alone, especially at night.

Amethyst seated herself on a nearby bench, drinking the last few drops of lemonade in her cup. She tossed it into the nearby trash can and rested her chin in her hands. She watched as a family of five walked by, the littlest of the three children holding onto the mother's hand. 'Do I have even a mother...?' she thought, gazing down at the pavement. 'Or a family? Anything? Ugh, what the fuck is even going on?'

She hated just sitting there; part of her knew that she needed to keep walking, looking for a hotel so she could rest her head, or even psychological help... But her body didn't want to move. She felt like she'd been hit by a train; maybe she was beaten and mugged after all. Nevertheless, for the time being, Amethyst leaned her head back against the bench and watched the seagulls as they swarmed above.

* 

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

With her chin in her hands, Pearl gazed at the worn down cuckoo clock. It had been gathering dust in the corner of the store for months, now; an antique worth a few hundred dollars, and it drew quite a bit of attention for Beach City patrons, but none of them had the guts to actually purchase it... And after weeks of living with it, getting startled by that obnoxious bird every damned hour, Pearl was starting to understand why.

On cue, the clock struck nine and the bird popped out of its little hole. It cuckoo-ed loudly -- nine times to be precise -- before retreating back to the safety of its little wooden birdhouse.

"Thank goodness." Pearl let out a sigh of relief. After the longest 8 hour shift of her life, she was finally able to close up. Before any customers could come in for some last minute shopping, she sprinted over to the door and tugged it shut, turning both of the locks and flipping the open sign around.

Stairs creaked from above, and Pearl turned to smile as Garnet approached. "Hey there! I was just closing up." she greeted.

Once Garnet reached the bottom of the stairs, Pearl saw that she was holding two milkshakes; one strawberry, the other banana. "Here you go." she said, handing the pink one over to Pearl.

Pearl beamed with joy. "Oh my goodness, Garnet -- that's too kind of you! Thank you so much, ah..." she said, immediately taking a sip.

"It's the least I could do. I still feel terrible that you had to work alone on such a miserably hot day..." Garnet sighed, leaning against the counter.

"No, no, don't you dare let yourself feel bad about this." Pearl reassured, resting a hand on Garnet's shoulder. "I'm the one that told you to get some rest. Working in this heat is already hellish enough -- I couldn't imagine doing it when you're dealing with those unbearable cramps."

"Still... You'd think I'd be used to it, getting it once a month and all." Garnet blushed, taking a sip of her milkshake.

"While that is true, sometimes mother nature decides to be a little extra cruel. She likes to keep us on our toes." Pearl smiled, giving her shoulder a comforting pat. "Since our sales were pitiful today, counting the drawer and cleaning the store should be a breeze... And after that, I was thinking of going out for a swim... Would you like to hang out by the pool, perhaps dip your feet in?"

"Not sure... I was planning to go up and lie in front of the fan, if I'm being honest. But if I start to feel a little better, I'll head over."

"Alright." Pearl smiled sympathetically. "Feel free to use my rice sock! And help yourself to my chocolate stash as well."

"Already have." Garnet smirked. She turned and made her way up the stairs.

Once she was gone, Pearl reached for a feather duster and quickly wiped down all of the little nick-nacks that lined their shelves. Then, she unlocked the cash register and pulled out the drawer.

"Twenty five dollars and thirty cents..." Pearl sighed once she'd finished counting. "Another week of ramen noodles, I suppose. Perhaps some rice and beans if we're feeling fancy." Shaking off her frustration, she locked the money up in the safe and made her way up the stairs. 'It'll be alright. Everyone has shitty days... Especially when they're first starting out. And besides, tourist season has just begun! Perhaps we'll need to advertise more...'

* 

Pearl slipped out of her sweaty work clothes and into her modest one-piece bathing suit. She grabbed a towel from the bathroom cabinet and headed back down the stairs, slipping out the back door. "See you later, Garnet!" she called, letting the door fall shut.

She hurried across the street towards the Universe household; an eccentric family of three, and regular shoppers at the antique store, they'd once told Pearl she was free to swim in her pool whenever she pleased... And she certainly wasn't turning down an opportunity like that.

Once she reached the house, she rapped on the front door. As she heard footsteps, she smoothed out her hair -- after all, there was a one-in-three chance she'd be greeted by the beautiful head-of-household known as Rose, and while she certainly had no intentions of being a homewrecker, she wanted to look presentable around her nonetheless.

"Good evening, Pearl!" Rose greeted, and Pearl's heart fluttered in her chest.

"Good evening to you as well!" Pearl grinned. "I had a long day at work, and thought I'd stop over for a swim -- if that's still alright with you, of course!"

"It's more than alright." Rose winked. "Come on in! Unfortunately, Steven's already headed off to bed, and Greg's watching a movie upstairs... As for me, Aunt Flo is currently visiting, so I can't join either -- otherwise I'd gladly swim with you."

"Oh, that's not a problem at all." Pearl said, admittedly a little disappointed; mother nature was particularly cruel today, it seemed. "I just wanted to cool myself off, anyway! It won't be a very long swim."

Rose smiled warmly. "Alright. Next time, though! Steven's been wanting to have a pool party... perhaps this weekend?" She shrugged. "Anyway, feel free to help yourself if you need anything to drink, or if you get hungry... I'll be in the living room. Gotta catch up on some reading, now that I've got some peace and quiet."

"Thank you! I think I'll be fine, though." Pearl nodded gratefully. As Rose headed back towards the living room, Pearl continued to make her way through the house and towards the back door.

* 

Before she knew it, the sun had set; the once beautiful sunset had turned pitch black, and stars appeared one-by-one. Amethyst had half-dozed on the bench for God knows how long; and in all honesty, her body was still sore -- if anything, even more so than before. As much as she didn’t want to get up, she knew she had to find shelter soon...

'Guess I should look for somewhere to sleep.' Amethyst thought. As she pulled herself up to her feet, every muscle in her legs ached in protest. 'Fuck's sake...' she thought with a grumble.

Amethyst began to head down the road, searching for anything that resembled a hotel... She gazed with envy at the houses and apartments that surrounded her, with lit-up bedrooms and people chatting loud enough to be heard through the window screens. Amethyst came to a sudden halt as she heard a familiar voice -- the voice of the boy who'd given her the lemonade earlier, to be exact.

"Ooh, mommy, look at the moon!" he shouted, pointing out the window. "It's a full moon! Do you think there's gonna be any werewolves?"

His question was followed by the sound of an older man chuckling. Amethyst's heart sank; for a reason she couldn't quite parse, she wanted Steven to notice her standing right in front of his house... Maybe if he did, he'd have some more pity on her and let her spend the night inside.

But the boy didn't notice; he turned back around and away from the window, saying something else that Amethyst couldn't quite make out, now.

Clenching her fists, Amethyst eyed the front door. 'Maybe I should just... Straight up ask. Worst case scenario, they tell me to fuck off. I think I can handle that.' Taking a deep breath, she took a step towards the house -- only to fall right on her face.

"Fuck!" she hissed through gritted teeth, gripping her knees. As she tried to right herself, however, her legs refused to obey. 'What the...?' She ran her fingers across her calves, noticing her leg hairs slowly disappearing; purple, opalescent scales began to take their place.

"What was that?" a voice called from inside the house. She no longer wanted to be seen -- not while this was happening. Amethyst dragged herself behind the bushes just before the front door opened. Silence filled the air for a moment, before a deep voice announced, "I don't see anything." and the door shut once more.

Amethyst would have let out a sigh of relief if her legs currently didn't feel like they were on fire -- if they could even be considered legs anymore. At this point, they had begun to fuse together, forming a shimmering fish tail. And to top it all off, her unquenchable thirst had returned.

'The beach... I need to go back to the beach.' Amethyst thought. Her arms trembling, she began to struggle through the grass, though she couldn't quite remember which direction the beach even was... But before she could feel completely hopeless, something on the other side of the picket fence caught her eye -- a massive pool of water. She could faintly smell chlorine, but that didn't matter -- water was water, and if she didn't get to it soon... She feared what would happen.

She spotted a small hole beneath the fence; probably dug up by a groundhog or other woodland creature. Amethyst dug her claws into the hole that'd already been started -- taking a short moment to gawk at the fact that her fingers were webbed, now -- raking out clumps and clumps of dirt until the gap was just big enough for her chubby body to squeeze through.

The pool was finally within reach. Amethyst dragged her body across the remaining grass and leapt in with a splash, and almost instantaneously did her pain begin to wash away. She drew in a long, deep breath, allowing the water to enter the gills that opened up on her neck. No longer did her throat crave water, or did her muscles ache; like magic, she was healed.

Amethyst was confused -- far more than she ever thought possible -- and yet... she was calm. Her eyes fell shut, and she slowly drifted down to the very bottom of the pool, sprawling herself out on the floor. 

* 

Pearl made her way through the back yard, her flip-flops squeaking beneath her feet with every step. Placing her neon beach towel on the lawn chair and setting her shoes aside, she approached the pool and dipped a toe in to test the temperature.

"Eep!" Pearl immediately jerked her foot away. 'Goodness, that's cold...' Bracing herself, Pearl climbed down from the ladder and submerged her entire body in the water.

"Ah... there we go." She let out a sigh of relief once she adjusted, gazing up at the night sky. The full moon illuminated the surface of the pool. Crickets sang from the nearby bushes and trees, and fireflies glowed on the other side of the yard. The row of moonflowers framing Rose's garden had bloomed for the night. ’I wish I could stay here forever…’ she thought, smiling warmly.

Pearl’s peaceful mood was soon interrupted, however, by the mosquitoes buzzing near her exposed skin. "Shoo!" she hissed, splashing water at the swarming pests. When that proved ineffective, she sank down into the pool until the water met her nose.

But as her feet met the floor, her toes brushed something... Soft. Slippery, too. Pearl turned her gaze downward, expecting it to be one of Steven's many pool toys -- only to see a fin covered in shimmering, opalescent scales... And attached to that fin was the torso of a beautiful, lavender haired woman.

[eastergrass]

Fowl

I.

I drove up to a familiar scene. Wooden chairs in the yard, flowers, American flags and silver cloudcover. My cousin is in one of these chairs, poking at a dying laptop. An orange extension cord snaked into the house, connecting back to the charger dangling over her fleshy, flattened thigh.

The house is three stories, not including the basement. The family uses official titles for different branches: the addition, the breezeway, the master bedroom, the patio, the entertainment room. The master bedroom. I’m in the guest room, or the basement, depending on who you ask. It’s the one name they don’t agree on.

My uncle takes pride in the house because he built it himself. When I was younger I imagined him doing everything alone from the ground up. Pouring concrete. Planting the hidden machinery of wires and pipes. Up on the roof, sweating on sunny days, hammering shingles.

It took me time to realize he needed help. He had hired people, and mostly just oversaw the project. It took time to realize he had more money, time, and energy than my father.

“Somebody try to shoot you?” My cousin points to the windshield.

“Of course.”

“Nobody’s home,” she sighs. “And there’s really nothing to do about it.” The clouds move, and the sun finds us for a moment.

II.

The sun was out all day after that. We’re drinking High Life on the porch. My cousin’s wearing a two-piece and I wondered what I’d look like in it. She isn’t thin but she’s healthy and dark. She has thick hips and round arms. She inhabits her body in a way that I, something like a grown woman, envy. She’s the youngest.

“Look,” she says, pointing to the yard. She’s always seeing things I don’t.

“What?”

“A turkey. A hen. Don’t you see it?”

“No, I don’t.” She leans over the railing, looking out over the grass.

“Oh. It’s gone.”

I swallow some beer and take off my dark glasses. I’ve been feeling a certain way.

III.

My aunt and I have the same name, and she left after her fourth son was born. Before this, the joke was that I’d grow up to be like her. Nobody talks about her much anymore, but the boys have when we’re alone. They use the past tense like she’s dead, but we all think she’s in Cincinnati.

My aunt used to write stories and she probably still does. There are copies and notes and drafts on a drive in the office. I read one the other night.

Two foragers are out picking mushrooms. One of them has a growth he’s been ignoring. The other is worried about ticks. They’re stopping at every rotten stump and talking about their lives. The one with the tumor isn’t talking about his medical worries. The one with the ticks isn’t mentioning the crawling in his socks, the tickle in his armpits. They crush through the leaves, snap twigs. They find one that isn’t in the book. It’s a false morel, said the man with cancer. The one with lyme disease shakes his head no: It looks like an ear, he tells his friend. It might be poison, it might be nothing. Unsure why, they pick it and carry on. But it does look like an ear, they both think. Hair even grows out the lobes. Within an hour they have found another ear, lips, a nose. Within another hour they’ve scavenged a whole head.

They divide it down the middle and eat it in a clearing lit by the setting sun, and walk home cured.

Just like her.

IV.

I got sick by June even though it was warming up. I was the one who was cold after all. In my sweatshirt laying on a deck chair I squinted at the sun through my tinted glasses. My cousin was with me, and she wore a gold cross that lay flat against her skin. She looked through a bright flyer from the grocer. I hadn’t gone to her graduation ceremony and she hadn’t gone to mine.

Her brothers and her father were all out working, driving, sitting in trucks in parking lots. She’s asking me about college.

“Do you still have friends? Like, did you lose them?”

“What do you mean?”

She was sitting cross-legged on the porch. Her dark hair was twisted up in a thick fist on top of her skull. The paper was flitting in the wind. Out in the yard, birds were picking at the grass and the mud. But they were quiet.

“I don’t know. Did you really learn anything? People say you don’t need to learn the things you do. I know a lot of people don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t see what’s wrong with learning something you can’t use.”

“You’re right.”

“But what did you learn? Do you remember it? You’d have to.”

“I guess.” I started to wonder if I did learn anything. I thought about a course on Disney. I thought about Cather, Conrad, Dante. I remembered watching Fellini instead of reading The Satyricon. Something about algebra. “Yeah, I read a lot. I know things, now.”

“Oh.”

“I took things in, you know? Honestly, I didn’t do all of the work. Nobody does. But I know some things that I liked. I might have been … a different person. That is, if I didn’t go. I wouldn’t know what I know now. Not that I can do anything with it.”

I thought of a friend I had who had fallen in the snow two years ago. She was alone crossing campus, and it was midday. A lot of people were around, but she was alone, and she fell. Someone told me she bled a little into the snow, out of her ear. Was I losing friends?

“So, you probably aren’t interested,” she began. “But do you want to go to a party? It’s a bonfire. People your age will be there.”

“How big is the fire?”

“What?”

“How tall? How wide?”

“Well, we do it in a field. So, it goes up high, and as wide as we want.”

Okay. What time?”

“Oh, later. Like Friday.”

It is Sunday. My cousin always plans ahead.

V.

I had started coughing. Neon dust is coating the cars, the deck chairs, every unmoving thing. Kids in the neighborhood drew on the car windows. A cock. A frown, a smile. Wash me. Pollen blew in through the window over the sink and coated the dirty dishes. I coughed up something a little less bright.

I was up late, reading one of her stories.

The husband of an accused witch – an owner of two cows and a father of seven – provides the court with evidence against her, in exchange for another cow. He says she sat on his chest in the nude throughout the night, her face cratered and rotting. There was a peacock. It scratched and screeched at his cows. It clawed him and the children. The Devil is in the woods, he says. He cries on the stand while his wife sits in silence.

I minimized the draft and went upstairs. I turned on the light and turned it off and took a beer out of the fridge. Do ghosts lived in new houses? Do they inhabit bodies and not homes, and follow you wherever you went? Do you have to die to haunt someplace?

VI.

Before I moved in for the summer, their dog choked in the yard. She was a golden retriever with a patrician attitude and a name I forget. The dog loved bones and rawhide and marrow. She always slept with my uncle. He would grill steaks and give her half. One afternoon toward the end of winter, she tried to swallow a bone. (They’ve told me this story over and over.) They came home and found her sprawled in the puddles, eyes at the sky. She’s buried in the woods.

I walked into the yard and the security light flicked on. There are still bones. They are big and hollow and tall grass has started to grow into and around them. My uncle doesn’t pick them up and when he mows the lawn he rides around them. I grabbed one and threw it beyond the light. I drank the last of my beer and placed it in the pale nest of grass where the bone was. All across the yard I picked dogbones out of the grass, tossing them into the woods, counting. There were fourteen I could find, and one chewed up tennis ball.

I picked up the ball and threw it. The light went off. I waved my arms, but it didn’t notice me. I jumped, and it ignored me. I stood in the dark. I heard a woman cough in the woods. I took a step forward and waited. This is what hunters must feel when an animal freezes up. They can hear a stillness. There is a restrained movement. I sneezed.

Nothing.

I went back inside, and the light turned on as I went up the porch. As I took another beer from the fridge and my uncle came down the stairs in his boxers.

“What the hell were you doing out there?”

“Fresh air.”

VII.

On Thursday afternoon, I went to finish the story about the witch. I looked for the flashdrive, and I couldn’t find it. I thought I had left it on the ping pong table in my room, but it wasn’t there anymore. I asked my cousin about it but she just shrugged. Again, she was cutting coupons she’d never use.

“Look at these deals.”

A stack on the glass table next to her shivered in the wind. She was wearing a thick flannel over her two-piece and a Red Sox hat.

“Watch out.”

She turned just as a gust picked up her clippings and blew them out across the lawn; she chased them to the railing. The sun was shining off her glasses and she blocked the light with her forearm.

“Where did the bones go?” she wondered, frowning.

I told her about the noise I heard the other night in the trees. Without looking back at me, she said it was just the turkeys.

“They sleep in the treetops, you know.”

VIII.

On Friday night we drove out to the party and I told her I wouldn’t drink too much. I could drive us home, I said. The fire was huge. There were cars parked around it with their doors open, bugs drifting in and out. Kids were laughing the dark. The car almost bottomed out as we climbed the hill. She had opened a beer and we sat there, watching everyone through the window.

“It’s been nice having you around.”

“Thanks. I haven’t done much since I got here. But it’s been cool.”

“I know.”

“When was the last time you talked to your mom?” This question had been stuck in my mind. It almost came out in other conversations, while we baked french fries, or talked about the weather.

“I’m not sure. It’s funny.”

“Is it?”

“I guess like, four years. Maybe more.”

“Is she okay, you think?”

“Why would I care?”

“Aren’t you interested?

“No,” she said. “Nope.”

“What if she were dead?”

The windows were rolled down and she reached out, playing with the mirror. “I wouldn’t care. I mean, I don’t think I would.”

“Do you think she’d haunt you?”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“Why?”

“Ghosts don’t haunt people. They haunt houses or castles. Or forests and stuff. Or lighthouses. Not bodies. Bodies are already ghosts. Or spirits. Like a caterpillar, you know?”

“Do ghosts haunt guest rooms?”

“They haunt basements.”

IX.

She introduced me to some of her friends. A lot of them were older than her. One of them knew a guy from my school, and asked if I knew him.

“Eric? He’s super tall.”

The music got louder, the voices got bolder. I threw my cans into the fire and watched them twist and turn black. The flames were twenty, maybe thirty feet tall. I sat closer to the fire than anyone else and turned back from the heat.

I looked for things in the flames but didn’t see anything. I hoped to see faces, or numbers and letters. There wasn’t anything, though.

One of my cousin’s friends came over and sat next to me in the grass. She had thick eyebrows and short hair, I could see the makeup painting her cheeks in the firelight. She looked nice. We didn’t talk. I breathed in smoke. Over our heads, ashes floated off into the sky. When I looked around for the moon I didn’t find it.

Having some trouble, I walked into the woods to pee. With a hand against a thick tree, I squatted. On the way down my knees cracked. Nothing came out. I heard my cousin laugh and yell out I’m dead.

Finally, it came. When I was done I took a crumpled tissue from my pocket. My pants around my ankles, I heard a cough in the woods. I fell back, ass in the leaves. In my piss. This time I yelled but nobody heard me. The cough came again. A woman coughing, I knew. I pulled up my pants, and rolled over onto my side.

I watched as the thin legs of a hen stalked through the black leaves. Bird feet, something I’ve never felt. Over me, the turkey was gliding toward the field. A cough.

On my back, I looked up as she bent over me, a hood of bright hair dangling in the dark. A bare foot on either side of my head. She looked away, tilted up in the direction of the fire and coughed once more. Her nails are pale green. She wears bracelets that shake and smells like good laundry detergent. I know her from somewhere, I thought.

“You’re okay,” she told me. “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

And I thought I was cured.

#myfiction #fiction #fowl #turkey #mushrooms #witchcraft #family #writers on tumblr #short fiction

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #293

“Servers Transformed, Notch's Dream, Dinner with Deerheart, Splender is Missing, Crim Sheds, Klareese the Mothwoman”

[CP] Has watched both Flux and Deer's appearances shift as the hours crawled by.  Flux hadn't changed too much, her skin simply becoming more pale and not purple, almost like a porcelain doll.  Deer however had changed a lot, her thick blades of hair had become as slender as any human's, and her antlers had dropped and almost completely vanished under her hair.  He had to admit that he was a bit impressed at how aware both women were.  At the current moment he and Flux were the only ones awake-

[Flux] - Why don't you get some sleep, you probably haven't for at least a few days...

[CP] - Can't, Lie has to sleep with me

[Flux] Frowns a little- Why?

[CP] - Why?- He scoffs and starts stalking towards Flux- Why?!  Because if I sleep without her I see my initial removal all over again, an event you could have prevented

[Flux] - What are you saying?

[CP] - You could have stopped all of it, but instead you decided to stay distant which meant you couldn't make it in time to come to my aid

[Flux] - You think I didn't try?  That other entity got to you before I did and prevented me from helping you

[CP] - Yes, a FASTER entity, and she wasn't even near when I was attacked

[Flux] - I had my reasons for keeping my distance

[CP] - Oh and what could those have been?

[Flux] - I did not wish to poison you or your brother with my magic, something your father risked every time he came near me

[CP] Growls- You put that minor risk over the safety of those on your seed!

[Deer] - That's enough CP!  Stop taking your boredom out on her!- Deer had been awake for most of the conversation and had gotten fed up with CP's anger at the moment

[CP] - Oh shut up!

[Deer] - No, this may be your domain, but that doesn't mean you can act this way

[CP] Scowls before teleporting out of the bunker, needing to find something to kill to calm himself down-

-It's springtime outside and the woods are full of chirping birds and squirrels bustling around. There's a weird divot in the piled up dirt near the door though. It almost looks like something slammed into it. Though the impact was muffled by snow and frozen ground at the time-

[CP] - The fuck?- He goes down lower to investigate

-There's some staining and scoring on the concrete near the base where the dirt was scraped away. It looks like claw marks almost and the stains are black and oily looking-

[CP] - Maybe we shouldn't be using this bunker...

-Farther down the wall are some more scratches. The ones on the door are still visible, but it looks like a very large dog was pawing at the hinges and the lock side as well. -

[CP] - Well that's not good...- He floats upwards to see if there's anything else in the surrounding area

-There's something dark, that's either small or very far away soaring high in the clouds-

[CP] - Glances back at the bunker and debates whether to chase it or not.  Deciding he'd rather not deal with Doc yelling at him, he decides to quickly kill a nearby deer before returning to the bunker

-There's a bit of rustling in the trees above-

[CP] Is quick to summon his sword-

-Some leaves drift serenely down in the filtered sunlight-

[CP] Cautiously moves through the trees-

-Something large takes off from a branch high above and there's the sound of vast wings-

[CP] Quickly looks up-

-The shape is black against the canopy and sky, it's a bit T-shaped, mostly wings.

[CP] - That's better not be that fucking mothwoman thing

-Bit of a happy squeak as it flies up in a loop, just enjoying the sun-

[CP] Tromps back towards the bunker-

[Klaarese] Notices him and buzzes low, letting her foot brush his hair as she swoops past with a burst of happy yellow thoughts-

[CP] - Fuck off!

[Klaarese] Lands gently and squeaks at him, cocking her head curiously-

[CP] - I've got enough to deal with right now

[Klaarese] Her thoughts are hard to read, but she's indicating that he should feel good because there's lots of energy here, she shows him a shimmering portal in the sky with waves of energy coming out of it.

[CP] - Don't care, I'm babysitting three entities who are turning physical

[Klaarese] Nods- green thoughts, good place to heal, something about mounds, an image of a window. And nasty red and olive thoughts, a warning, wolves.

[CP] - I can deal with wolves

[Klaarese] Eyes, question?

[CP] - Fucking Nether, what do you want?

[Klaarese] Looks towards the woods - Orange burst with purple, bekoning-

[CP] - Fine, whatever, only because I'm bored

[Klaarese] Nod nod- She walks a bit awkwardly, shuffling a bit like a penquin despite the length of her legs, but she leads him along and down a hill until a rise of dirt the height of his chest blocks the way. It's a wall of green covered dirt that vanishes into the trees on either side-

[CP] - It's a wall

[Klaarese] Shakes her torso since she has no neck- no - She jumps up on the rise and flaps her wings-

[CP] Sighs and floats up-

[Klaarese] Jumps straight up and and goes level with him and keeps climbing-

[CP] Follows her up-

[Klaarese] Above the cloud level theres a glassy orange portal the size of a house, the energy coming off of it feels chaotic and uninviting. But the mothwoman seems to bask in it. She makes tight circles, barely flapping her wings-

[CP] - Joy, this is gonna attract a lot of attention

[Klaarese] Motions that he should look down-

-Now that they're above, the 'wall' is more easily visible. It's a giant petroglyph made out of earth and winding through the trees. It's heavily stylized and vaguely catlike, but the tail is way too long.

[CP] - Oh for fucks sake not more cats

[Klaarese] Blue thoughts, literally deep water, and a roaring feral cat, and darkness, the thoughts are somehow slimy-

[CP] - No idea what that's supposed to mean

[Klaarese] Unknowable, blackness on the void. Claws and black sludge. Stay away at night-

[CP] - Stay inside at night?

[Klaarese] Big burst of white and gold, absolutely a yes.

[CP] - Alright alright, I won't wander at night.  Now if you don't mind I have to get back to the others

[Klaarese] Happy squeak, lucky thoughts, friend, does a small loop in the air- indication that the portal will likely close once she's back through it.

[CP] - Why don't you just go bother the witch?

[Klaarese] little starbursts, probably laughter- She wheels gracefully away. Determined to enjoy the sun while it lasts -

[CP] Heads back to the bunker-

[Doc] Night fall outside and Doc returns with a merry greeting, a cake and a huge container of lemonade - the boys send their warmest regards. And Mb says go fuck yourselves, as usual. How's everyone holding up?

[Flux] - Well I suppose

[CP] Grunts from the corner-

[Deer] - I'm guessing the cake was Yaunfen's idea?

[Doc] Co- idea. Steve and Yaunfen did it together. It's super sweet with cheeries in the middle

[Deer] - But of course!  What else would it be?

[CP] Is a tad jealous that Lie didn't send anything for him-

[Doc] Lie sends her love and thoughts, I don't think she's slept either. - Xe moves away from the table and actually looks up - Deerheart.... Your antlers and Flux...

[Flux] - Yes...  Our programming seems to know that out here our usual appearances will not work

[Deer] - Not just my antlers love

[Doc] Goes to examine her more closely and looks down at her feet-

[Deer] Wiggles her toes a little-

[CP] - By the way, that mothwoman Dawn introduced us to earlier was around

[Doc] Oh dear, you're going to need shoes... Wait Klaarese was here? Did she need help or something?

[CP] - No, some weird energy portal was in the sky and she was feeding from it

[Deer] - No!  I like to feel the earth!  You know this

[Doc] I guess the woods out there pretty deep. We might be near a window area. And Deerheart, I know how you feel about it, but the ground isn't so soft or forgiving here

[Deer] Whines a little-

[CP] Looks at Notch- He's still dead to the world

[Doc] if he was awake he's likely be hating life anyway, so it's probably for the best. And I'll find you something thin, so you still feel the texture a little  

[CP] - He's not even dreaming

[Doc] is that normal?

[CP] Shrugs- I don't fucking know.  I was the last digital one to come through in the manor

[Doc] well you're the dream expert here. Did you try to get in? Or just read his mind?

[CP] - Read his mind

[Doc] Then try to get into his head, maybe you can steer his subconscious somewhere pleasant at least.

[CP] - Do I really have to?

[Doc] I would really appreciate it. I want to make sure he's okay in there. I mean it's not normal for humans to have totally blank minds. He's a game programmer, not a Zen master

[CP] Grumbles but does close his eyes and enters Notch's dream realm-

-The landscape is realistic, but unpopulated apart from some sheep. It's just hills and fields

[CP] - Oi!  Where are you!

-there's no answer but the light glints off a small glass building down the hill

[CP] - Really?  Glass?- He floats up and then flies over to the building

-The structure is basically a small greenhouse with a bed in it. The plants look a bit overgrown and the clay pots all look old and stained. There are a few worn tools on the shelves and even some grubby and well- loved gardening gloves. It all looks like a hazy memory from perhaps his childhood. At the farthest point from the door is a plain Minecraft style bed, Markus is laying flat on it like a Steve would. There's a small table beside it, almost like an altar with several items carefully placed on it-

[CP] Steps inside of the house and looks at the items on the table-

- theres a beat up wooden sword, a pink cloth collar with bloodstains, one of Lies healing flowers in a little pot, a heart- shaped pincushion with several needles, a pair of garish hand knitted socks that don't match, and a cup of coffee that seems ungodly hot.

[CP] Death glares at the collar before poking Notch- Oi

[Notch] Stirs and his eyes open a little- Cp....? Is it over already? Where are we?

[CP] - It's not over, we're in your dream

[Notch] Sits up and looks around, his eyes go wide and he sighs. - ah... I understand. I couldn't come here otherwise. All this is long gone in the real world.

[CP] - The fuck is it?

[Notch] My inspiration, at least part of it. We're in New Zealand. I had a distant aunt that I visited as a child. The countryside left its mark on me.  It's lovely isn't it? - looks down at the table

[CP] - It's dull

[Notch] it's quiet and peaceful, at least on the surface. - He reaches out to touch the little healing flower. It looks like everyone has left their calling cards doesn't it?

[CP] - Everyone who gave you blood that is

[Notch] I'm okay with that. I'm infinitely grateful for it. - He takes the collar and buckles it gently around the circumference of the potted plant.

[CP] Hisses at it a little and steps away-

[Notch] What? I'm pretty sure it's just a symbol. The rest of this I can use directly. - He pulls off his shoes and puts the socks on. - Pretty cozy.

[CP] - Pretty ugly

[Notch] Theyre soft. - he pulls his shoes back on, and reaches for the mug, blowing across it gently.

[CP] - Doc just wanted me to check on you, so I've done my part now

[Notch] I suspected as much, thank you for waking me up at least. - he takes hold of the sword and swishes it idly-

[CP] - Just go back to sleep, You still have a ways to go

[Notch] I can't go exploring?

[CP] - There's nothing out there!

[Notch] maybe that's because I'm in here. I just need to... - he struggles for the right words- load some chunks. I won't go far.

[CP] Shrugs- Not like you can get lost in adream

[Notch] Exactly. And lamb chops sound pretty good right now. Do you have any wood blocks?

-baaa from outside-

[CP] - It's a dream!  You can get them yourself!

[Notch] Sighs- force of habit. Thanks for watching over me Cp

[CP] - Whatever

[CP] Leaves the dream and opens his eyes back up in the real world-

[Doc] has put a plate with a rare and still hot steak in it  next to him. Xe's copied hir boots and is plying the metal heels off the duplicates- is he okay Cp?

[CP] - He's fucking fine

[Doc] Why so mad? Was his dreamscape something annoying? - Xe strips most of the rubber off the bottoms of the boots, leaving a thin, waffly, textured surface.

[CP] - It was fucking New Zealand

[Flux] - New Zealand?

[Doc] I don't know where that is, what did it look like? - Xe's thinning out the leather into something more breatheable and pliable-

[CP] - Many humans use it for movie sets because it's "pretty"

[Deer] - Movies?

[CP] - Moving pictures that humans use for entertainment

[Doc] So lots of green, maybe some trees, rivers and stuff? I guess it's just his happy place? - Doc flips the boots on their heels and melts the front fabric and rubber as one, making a seperate space for the big toes and testing how flexible they are.

[CP] - Pretty much

[Flux] Goes over to Notch and takes his hand

[Doc] As long as he's not in pain. I wonder if what we gave him had any effect on his dreamstate? He is kind of a Herobrine.

[CP] - Oh it did

[Doc] Is attaching some little hooks. - Do tell!

[CP] - An item on a table from each person who gave him blood

[Doc] Aww... that's sweet. I hope he gets use out of everything. Dare I ask what?

[CP] Sighs- A pincushion for you, a healing blossom for Lie, coffee for TLOT, socks for Steve, and a wooden sword for Stevie

[Flux] - A wooden sword...

[Doc] Chuckles - Socks and coffee? That is perfect.  But aren't you forgetting someone?

[CP] - Nope

[Doc] Super curious now- I think you are.

[CP] - No, I'm not

[Doc] Shakes hir head- Okay Cp. Have it your way... Okay Deerheart. Have a sit and let me strap these on so you can try them out.

[Deer] - No

[Doc] Please? They're nice and soft.

[Deer] Huffs and sits on her feet-

[Doc] But I made them just for you.

[Deer] - I don't want them

[CP] Quiet snickering-

[Doc] Sad face with a side dollop of lip quiver-

[Deer] - Oh please don't give me that look love...

[Doc] -tiniest little sniffle-

[Deer] - Fine, but I refuse to wear them indoors

[Doc] Okay. But at least try them on for now so I can adjust them if need be.

[Deer] - Oh alright- She offers her feet

[Doc] Slips the little boots over her feet, minding to get her toes in comfortably. Xe's pulling and molding the cloth as xe goes and slips the little hooks together up her calves one at a time. It's obvious xe's trying to be sensual since hir mate does like feeling a little confined. - Is black okay? Or should I change the color?

[Deer] - Brown, like my hooves

[CP] Rolls his eyes-

[Doc] Slides hir hands up and down every inch of the boots, changing the color - Here's the nifty part. Wiggle your toes, you can bend the soles too.

[Deer] Does so- I still don't like them much...

[Doc] Kisses her knee - You only need them out here. Humans are bad about littering. You don't want to step on broken glass or cracked concrete or other trash. You could get cut and sick because of it.

[Deer] - Can we even catch human illness'?

[Doc] I don't want to find out. Just trust me. There are gross things on the ground you don't want to step in.

[Deer] - Oh alright

[Doc] Scoots up next to her and kisses her, running fingers through her hair- Feels so strange... but soft.

[Deer] - I'm not used to the strands being so thin

[Flux] - The changes to both of us are odd to look at

[Doc] I'm still not used to a lot of things out here... I have to pretty much stay away from mirrors entirely.

[CP] - That trip to the shopping center was entertaining when you reached the mirrors

[Doc] Huffs a little- It's just hard... there's too much... DETAIL.

[CP] - It's not that bad

[Doc] You also think the blood and rot smell of Slenders manor isn't bad either.

[CP] - Smells like home

[Doc] Exactly. It's a personal opinion. Actually while I'm at it, Flux, do you need anything? I know you can kinda, think your outfit into existence?

[Flux] - Yes, I assume I may have to change it?

[Doc] I can alter it a little to make it more fashionable?

[Flux] - If you sketch out something more appropriate I can shift it, it's still made from my magic

[Doc] Maybe some pants, and a sleeveless top? Just shorten up your kimono and leave it open like a jacket.

[Flux] - I will try- She concentrates and her clothes twist and alter.  She soon appears to be wearing a pants suit in a purple shade

[Doc] That looks nice. Braiding your hair might be a good idea too. Most humans can't grow it that long.

[Flux] - I see...- She's never done anything with her hair before

[Deer] - Here, I'll help you with that Flux- She gets up and immediately trips

[Doc] Helps her up - take it slow. I know it's probably like learning to walk all over again without your hooves.

[Deer] Huffs in annoyance-

[Doc] I know... Would you prefer a stiff sole? Is the flexibility not helping?

[Deer] - Either way I think I'd still trip

[Doc] Helps her along. Xe flicks an eye at Cp to see if he's touched his food at all, the smell of the meat is still strong.

[CP] Food is still untouched-

[Deer] Sits kinda behind Flux and begins to braid her hair- Love can you get me something to tie this off with?

[Doc] Okay... - Xe looks around and finally just pulls a boot off and slices the bottom edge off hir pants leg to make a ribbon. - Here. It's even purple.

[Deer] - Thank you love- She takes it and ties off Flux's braid- Well I don't think your hair will drag on the ground anymore

[Doc] I'd say we should go out, but it's night. Unless you want to go to a diner or something.

[Deer] - Diner?

[Doc] Just a place where humans get food. Kind of like the bar, but without Sam. They're usually late night places.

[Deer] - Flux?  Do you want to go?

[Flux] - No, I'll stay here with Notch

[Doc] Cp?

[CP] - Do I get to murder somebody?

[Doc] Nooooo. We could go somewhere with alcohol instead if that would make you happier though.

[CP] - Nope, but you should probably change your clothes

[Doc] Scowls- Fiiine. - Xe Takes off hir coat and gloves and stows them. Hir tank top underneath is black today.

[CP] - Do you need me to make you an opening?

[Doc] Let me check the net for someplace that's decently close and open first. - takes out hir phone. - Unless you have a favorite somewhere?

[CP] - What makes you think I go to restaurants?

[Doc] I don't, I was just asking. Geeze. Here, this will do. Can you get me close to here? - Xe shows him a location on the phone.

[CP] - Yeah- He flicks his hand and creates an opening for Doc via the tv- You'll pop out in an alley

[Doc] As long as we aren't seen, that's good enough. Thank you Cp- Xe peeks out the opening to make sure it's clear and then motions for Deerheart to follow hir.

[Deer] Cautiously steps through-

-It's dark out and there's streetlights beyond the alley. The ground is reflecting the colored lights on the street because it must have rained a bit earlier. There are a few people walking, and some cars on the street.

[Deer] Becomes very nervous- Doc...

[Doc] Holds her hand- Yes?

[Deer] - What were those things that went by?

[Doc] Oh, they're cars. Don't walk in front of them unless they're fully stopped and you know the person inside can see you. It's just a big metal box humans use to get around fast in.

[Deer] - Why?

[Doc] Because humans get tired easily and they tend to live too far away from places they need to be to just walk.

[Deer] Looks around at everything, getting overwhelmed already-

[Doc] Take a few breaths, just center yourself before you step out. It can be overwhelming. Just pretend they're Testificates.

[Deer] - There's so many of them...

[Doc] I know. And they can be mean. So just don't engage people randomly.

[Deer] Moves close to Doc's side- Just stay close?

[Doc] Puts her arm around Deerheart's waist. - I will.

[Deer] - We'll try this...

[Doc] Walks her out gently onto the sidewalk. There's a lit up building with a glass facade not far away - We're just going over there.

[Deer] - So many tiny lights...

[Doc] Is watching the lights. - We're just going to stand here for a moment and cross the street. Lie taught me this. You just watch the signs. When top ones are red and the little person comes up on the eye level display, you can cross.

[Deer] - So many rules...

[Doc] Yeah... but it beats getting hit by a car.

-The traffic slows and stops and the lights chage to walk and red above-

[Doc] Okay, just stay with me and don't trip- crosses-

[Deer] Is trembling a little against Doc's side-

[Doc] Leads them safely over and hugs her close- Good. Just a little further and we can sit down.

[Deer] Almost trips on the curb-

[Doc] Catches her and disquises it as a romantic sweep into hir lovers arms-

[Deer] - Can we hurry?

[Doc] Yes, come on. -Xe helps her through the doors and into the oasis of light. The place is packed and Doc stops short at the sight of some of the people. There's a whole section of oddly dressed humans in semi drag with garish costumes and goth-y attire. They seem to be all one party occupying a whole section. The waitress leads them to a booth within earshot of the party but not right next to it.

[Deer] Sits on the same side as Doc- Human's have such strange clothes at times...

[Doc] Hell, I wouldn't have changed mine if I knew this was going on. I'd fit right in with that group. - Xe picks up the menu- It's mostly breakfast stuff and there's pictures of everything.

[Deer] - What is this?

[Doc] It's pictures of the food they serve with how much it costs. But I'm paying, so don't worry about that part.

[Waitress] - Hi, I'll be your waitress tonight, can I get you guys started with a drink?

[Deer] - Ummm...- Glances at Doc

[Doc] At Deerheart - What would you like? Coffee? Milk? Water? Maybe some tea?

[Deer] - Um, how about some coffee

[Waitress] Scribbles it down on the pad- And you sir?

[Doc] Coffee is good for me too.

[Waitress] Notes the choice- Alright, I'll be back with your drinks and to take your order- She then heads off

[Doc] Quietly to Deerheart- A lot of this stuff you've had before. They have pancakes, though sadly without the lightning berries. Bacon, eggs, lots of things with potatoes.

[Deer] Looks over the pictures- There's just so many variations...

[Doc] I'm just going random. I'm ready when you are.

[Deer] - Okay...

[Waitress] Comes back over with their drinks- So have you two decided?

[Doc] Points to some crepes with strawberries- This, with bacon and - peers at the menu- hash-browns.

[Deer] - I'll have the same

[Waitress] - Alrighty then- She takes the menus from them- I'll be back with that in a few minutes so just sit tight

[Doc] at the waitress-  Wait. Can I ask you something?

[Waitress] - Yes?

[Doc] What's going on over there? Some kind of party?

[Waitress] - Oh, that.  The local theater plays a movie twice a month and encourages the patrons to come dressed up in costume and all sorts of crazy stuff

[Doc] Xe smiles- That sounds fun. Thank you.

[Waitress] - You're welcome

[Doc] Leans over to speak quietly to Deerheart- Maybe a future date? We'll ask Lie. I bet she'll have more info.

[Deer] - Maybe, but maybe I should adjust to the real world a bit more first

[Doc] Of course- Xe starts fixing hir coffee and passes the cream and sugar to Deerheart- You just rip the little packets and pour it in.

[Deer] Explodes a packet from pulling too hard- Oh no

[Doc] It's okay, just be gentle. It's only paper. - Xe shows her how to open them

[Deer] - It's not in globs...

[Doc] Not unless it's humid. But it is portioned the same this way. - Xe stirs the mugs with a spoon.

[Deer] Is successful with the next packet and makes up her coffee- What's that creamer with the blue label?

[Doc] Looks at it. - vanilla. Like Lie's beans we use for ice cream. Do you want some?

[Deer] - Okay, I'll try it

[Doc] Adds a bit to her coffee and it swirls around in the mug. - Remember it's going to be more intense, just try a tiny sip.

[Deer] Does and is surprised by all the flavors- Mmm!

[Doc] Pats her leg - I think we might be in the making of a foodgasam.

[Deer] - Oh hush, this vanilla stuff is good though

[Doc] Is listening to the weird people. They're chatting loudly and laughing. Xe settles against the soft booth to wait for their food. Outside the rain starts up again and drizzles along the surface of the window-

[Waitress] Walks back and places their food down in front of them- Alright, here you go, enjoy your meal!

[Doc] Thank you miss. - Doc is eyeing everything. There are a lot of good smells and xe checks on Deerheart-

[Deer] Pokes at the eggs-

[Doc] They're just eggs, nothing weird. - Xe takes a bite of the crepes-  This is good. Especially with the red berry things.

[Deer] Tries her own- Your right, we should remake these when we get home

[Doc] I think they're mostly egg. I'll look for a recipie online.

[Deer] Tries a little bit of everything on her plate- This is all a bit overwhelming...

[Doc] Is eating with gusto, - it's really good though. I was super hungry anyway. - Xe stops for a moment to investigate the little pots of syrup-

[Deer] - Love?

[Doc] Tips a little of one on a bare part of the plate, and tastes it. - This is like, almost pure sugar. Yaunfen would love it.

[Deer] - Make a copy?

[Doc] Casually sweeps hir hand over the pots and palms the copies. - Done. Save those for later.

[Deer] Eats some more but is quickly finding herself tired- Doc...

[Doc] Are you okay?

[Deer] - Getting tired again, Flux and I keep going through this, though less often today

[Doc] Understood. I'll pay and we'll go. - xe tries to catch the eye of the waitress.

[Waitress] See's them and comes over- Everything okay?

[Doc] Can we have the check and something for the leftovers?

[Waitress] - Absolutely, I'll be right back

[Doc] Makes a grinchy smile and waits.

[Waitress] Is only gone for a couple of minutes before returning with a check and boxes fo rthem to put their food in- When you're ready just go up to the front and pay

[Doc] I'm going to engage in a little mischief, can you put the food in the boxes and wait right here? I'll only be a moment.

[Deer] - Sure- She begins packing their stuff

[Doc] Goes to the front and pays and comes back. Xe takes a clean napkin from the table and looks for the waitress.

[Waitress] She's busy cleaning another table-

[Doc] Zeros in on her- Be ready to go when I come back-

[Deer] Nods in understanding-

[Doc] Walks over to the waitress, rolling something in hir hands, wrapping it in the napkin. Xe presses it into the woman's hands- For your trouble - xe inclines hir head at the noisy group - open it in private. We were never here. - Xe looks slightly down so the glow in hir eyes is faintly visible in the shadow of hir brow and then quick walks away. Xe lifts up Deerheart and the bag and scoots out in the night, repressing an obvious giggle.

[Deer] - So what did you do?

[Doc] Gris hugely despite the drizzle- Gave her a diamond. Just a small one. - indicates a size about like a ping pong ball.

[Waitress] Takes the dishes to the back and steps into a corner to look at the item wrapped in the napkins.  She lets out a gasp as she see's the diamond and quickly pockets it, knowing it will help her pay off her student loans in a large way-

[Doc] I feel good tonight. And no naughty tattling on me when we see Lie again.

[Deer] - Why can't we tell her?

[Doc] She'd be annoyed with me. Irl diamonds are super small and expensive.

[Deer] - Ah, alright

[Doc] Shall we head back?

[Deer] - Yes, please

[Doc] Leads her back into the alley and does a violent headbutt near a light before pulling her back into the bunker and sealing the hole-

[Flux] Is asleep next to Notch-

[Doc] Sets the leftovers on the table and helps her to a bed - There, just relax.

[Deer] - I love you

[Doc] Kisses her- I love you too. We had a nice date. -winks- We should do this again sometime.

[CP] Shakes his head while still in the corner-

[Deer] Rolls over and quickly falls asleep-

[Doc] tucks her in and starts tending to the food. Making copies and putting the leftovers in the fridge- Xe strolls over to Cp and looks sadly at the uneaten steak- Aww, you let it get cold.

[CP] - It's fine

[Doc] Puts a little fan of still hot bacon on top of it-

[CP] - Don't you have a kid to look after?

[Doc] TLOT and Steve are babysitting, they're helpful like that.

[CP] - Yes well you've been gone awhile

[Doc] I presume you're just trying to get rid of me. I understand.

[CP] - Well as you've put it before, somebody has to protect the server

[Doc] I'm going. Do you want anything for the next time I come back?

[CP] - No

[Doc] Nods in understanding and makes an opening with a minimum of fuss-

[CP] Watches them leave-

[Doc] Shuts the portal behind hir-

[CP] Once Doc is gone he eats, reheating the meat with his own fire-

[Steve] So what do you want to do Yaunfen?

[TLOT] Is lazily fishing next to Steve-

[Yaunfen] - Gummy fish!

[Steve] Gummy... fish? What's that?

[Yaunfen] - Mada brought it, it goes in the bubbly water

[TLOT] Thinks- Is that something from your home seed?

[Yaunfen] Nods-

[TLOT] Is it stowed in the house someplace?

[Yaunfen] - Uh-huh!

[TLOT] Time to dig in the storage areas I think. - He puts his pole away and gets up, streching in the sun-

[Yaunfen] Bounces around excitedly-

[Steve] Leads them inside and puts his hands on his hips- Where should we start looking?

[Yaunfen] - Vine room!  Vine room!

[Steve] Tromps down the step and TLOT follows, his cloak brushing the stairs. The two spread out and start opening trunks-

[Steve] Man there's a lot of stuff in here. Some of it I don't even know what it is

[Pinwheel] Is sleeping on top of the dragon head in the room-

[Yaunfen] Sticks hir nose into the trunks-

[Steve] Pulls out a popsicle and licks it experimentally- Gah! Cold!

[TLOT] Snickers-

[Yaunfen] - Yummy!

[TLOT] He passes a hand over it and hands the fresh copy to Yaunfen-

[Yaunfen] Suctions it into hir mouth and then trots around while sucking on it-

[Steve] Imitates the little dragon [muffled] - Still really cold-

[TLOT] Pulls out a spawn egg and taps it accidently- what's this.. oops!

[Chocolate chicken] Pops out of the egg and stares at them stupidly- bok

[Yaunfen] Eyes dialate and xe hunkers down with a butt twitch-

[Chocolate chicken] Nervously lays a cadbury type egg on the floor-

[Steve] What the nether?

[Yaunfen] Launches self at chicken-

[CC] Runs like fuck-

[Yaunfen] Trips and luckily the popsicle comes out of their mouth-

[TLOT] Watches the red popscicle splat on the rug- that'll leave a stain-

[Steve] Helps Yaunfen up- You okay?

[Yaunfen] - Uh-huh!

[Pinwheel] Glances at them from her spot and huffs a little below curling up a bit tighter-

[TLOT] Picks up the egg and sniffs it- This might taste better then the chicken anyway, it smells sweet as all get out

[Yaunfen] - It has gooey inside!

[TLOT] Makes a copy and tentatively bites the top off of one. - Mmmfff... wow that is sweet... - He sets down the copy and looks at the chicken.

[CC] Is wandering vaguely towards the bathroom and pecks around in the netherwort by the door.

[Yaunfen] - Can we find the fish now?

[Steve] I'm still digging. I found a bucket of weird looking water, is this part of it? - He holds out a bucket with fizzy light blue liquid in it

[Yaunfen] - Yes!  Made whole bay that!

[TLOT] Then that's half the battle- Squeaks open a double trunk-

[Pinwheel] Is suddenly right next to TLOT and batting at his leg- Food

[TLOT] Jumps a little- Oh! Hey Pinwheel. What kind of food do you want?

[Steve] Yipe!

[Pinwheel] - Food.  In there

[TLOT] Oh? - He looks down in the trunk- What am I looking for? - He starts pulling things out and showing her. There's lots of normal Minecraft food, some cheese, coffee bottles, touchie wine, and a bottle full of shiny black liquid. He hesitates before touching it. - I reallly hope this isn't a vial of lust nectar.

[Pinwheel] - Food!

[TLOT] You want this? What is it? - he shakes it a little-

[Pinwheel] - Smell right

[TLOT] Gingerly uncorks the bottle and a few sparkles float out like an Enderman teleporting- OH. Here, - he tips the bottle near her so she can catch the trickle-

[Pinwheel] Eagerly eats-

[Yaunfen] - Yucky

[Steve] Too each their own. Pinwheel can't have liquid. It kinda restricts their eating.

[TLOT] Do we have any dragonwort?

[Steve] Oh, I saw some in the box by the furnaces in the corner! - He goes over and rustles around before pulling out the bundle of leaves -

[Pinwheel] Baps at bottle once it's empty- More?

[TLOT] Probably. We just need to keep looking.

[Steve] Holds out the tuft- salad anyone?

[Pinwheel] - No

[Yaunfen] - No thank you

[Steve] Aww.... - he puts the leaves away again- Hey! I think I found the fish! - holds up a bright red fish and another that's yellow. Both are a bit translucent-

[Yaunfen] - Yes! Yes!

[TLOT] So now we just need a spot to dump some of this....

[Pinwheel] - No more?

[TLOT] I'm looking- He's goes back to poking around -

[Pinwheel] Huffs-

[Steve] Helps and does find another void bottle- Here you go Pinwheel, no biting okay? - He uncaps it and holds it out so she can drink-

[Pinwheel] Is over there in a flash and is eating-

[Steve] Looks nervous-

[Pinwheel] Puts one paw on Steve's knee as she stands on her hind feet while eating-

[Steve] Is just glad he's wearing armor. - There you go.

[Pinwheel] Is soon done- I go see where Cri is now- She saunters off

[Steve] Little sigh of relief-

[Yaunfen] - How come she doesn't have baby sitter?

[Steve] Because she's the most lethal dragon on the server.

[TLOT] Don't you like hanging out with us kiddo?

[Yaunfen] - So then why was Mama and Mada watching her?

[TLOT] Exchanges a look with Steve- Ummm, wheres Splender?

[Steve] I haven't seen him in days...

[Yaunfen] - I don't know

[TLOT] ....

[Steve] Hey Pinwheel? Do you want to hang out with us?

[Pinwheel] - No!

[TLOT] Trots after her- Pinwheel? Where's Splender?

[Pinwheel] - Gone

[TLOT] Goes cold - What do you mean gone? How long has he been gone?

[Pinwheel] - I don't know, left me here

[TLOT] Did he say anything before he left?

[Pinwheel] - I don't know

[TLOT] Stay right here. Please. Just give me a minute. - calls out over the chat- Hey BEN? Can I talk to you for a minute?

[BEN] - Little busy

[TLOT] It's important. I'll be brief. How can I get in touch with Slender?

[BEN] - Why do you want to do that?

[TLOT] Because Splender is missing.

[BEN] - Yeah he does that every once in awhile

[TLOT] But he left Pinwheel here.

[BEN] - Yeah, he does that

[TLOT] Can you please just tell me how to get in contact with one of the other Slenders? Just to let them know he's flitted off somewhere. He's apparently been gone for quite some time.

[BEN] - I'll send the proxies a text

[TLOT] Thank you. - waits-

[Pinwheel] Heads down to Crim's room, ignoring TLOT's command to stay in the vine room- Cri?

[Crim] - is laying in his bed, snuggled under all his blankets -

[Pinwheel] Jumps up on the bed- Cri?  We play?

[Crim] - wiggles and pokes head out - Plays? Ok Pinwheel...

[Crim] - carefully crawls out and stretches, wincing slightly. There is a darker patch of scales on his side - What you wants do?

[Pinwheel] - What happen?

[Crim] - shrugs - Not careful, Crim was. Digging and fell into water. It's ok, is better.

[Pinwheel] Growls a little- Bad water

[Crim] Water not think, not be bad. I just.... Clumsy? - nudges her toward door

[Pinwheel] Is scootched-

[Crim] - goes into hall and makes sure to close door behind them - So, what want play? Tag? Hides seeks?

[Pinwheel] - You choose

[Crim] - sticks tounge out as thinking, then baps her with a paw as he takes off down the hall - Tag!

[Pinwheel] Gives Crim a bit of a headstart before taking off herself, her speed easily letting her catch up- I get you!

[Crim] - giggle snorts as he works on staying away - You tries!

[Pinwheel] Jumps around Crim, trying to herd him around-

[Crim] - squeaks and jumps over, latching on the wall and crawls around like a spider -

[Pinwheel] Watches and butt twitches, ready to leap at Crim- I get you!

[Crim] - snickers and dangles off the ceiling - Come tries!

[Pinwheel] Spreads her wings and leaps upwards, flapping to try and tag Crim-

[Crim] - stays dangling and wiggles paws - Tries again!

[Pinwheel] Leaps again, stretching out her neck so her nose bumps against Crim- You're it!

[Crim] - giggles and drops off ceiling - Ok, runs!

[Pinwheel] Takes off quickly, heading back towards the vine room-

[Crim] - scrabble after her, jumping off the walls to try to get alittle closer - I catches you!

[Pinwheel] - No!

[Crim] - tries harder, doing bigger jumps - Will too!

[Pinwheel] Gets in the center of the room so Crim can't use the walls-

[Crim] - does a final flying leap forward her -

[Pinwheel] Is tagged-

[Crim] - tumbles and lays on the floor, giggling - See, I catch!

[Pinwheel] - Yes, you do, but I attack!- She jumps on top of Crim and tries to cover him as much as she can-

[Crim] - fake cries and wiggles, trying to escape - Oh noes! Helps!

[Pinwheel] Giggles before jumping off-

[Crim] - dramatically flops over, belly up - Eeps, I has been hunts!

[Pinwheel] Concerened - You hurts?- She comes close and sniffs all over to investigate

[Crim] - waits for her to get close, then slurps the side of her snout as he scrambles up  - Tag!

[Pinwheel] Sputters a bit and jumps on Crim- Cri I get you!

[Crim] - tries flipping over and scoots under her - Nope!

[Pinwheel] - Yes

[Crim] - is laughing as he tries to escape - Nope!

[Pinwheel] - Yes!

[Crim] - jumps over her toward the hallway - Nope, nope, nope!

[Pinwheel] Takes off after Crim, her tail lashing about and leaving some marks in the softer walls-

[Crim] - is bouncing off walls and such, just trying to keep out of her reach. His claws are leaving some sizable marks in places -

[Pinwheel] Puts on a burst of speed and leaps to intercept Crim in the air-

[Crim] - is caught, but wraps all six legs around her and they go tumbling - I is caught!!

[Pinwheel] - And you caught me!

[Crim] - giggling - Yes!

[Pinwheel] Nuzzles Crim- You good friend

[Crim] - purs - You toos.

[Pinwheel] - We go into warm light?

[Crim] Outside? Yes, as long as no water falling. - Slowly climbs to feets as to not dump her on the floor -

[Pinwheel] - Yes, to the scratchy ground

[Crim] Ok, you leads, I follow.

[Pinwheel] Takes them up the stairs and outside. She immediately starts rolling in the grass- Scratchy ground. Scratchy ground

[Crim] - makes sure door is shut before wandering over and flopping down - That not itch, but makes itches stop?

[Pinwheel] - Yes

[Crim] - watches with half an eye, but also looking around - Why it so quiets?

[Pinwheel] - Don't know

[Crim] - sniffs but shrugs - Hum... so what's do now?

[Pinwheel] - Lay in warm light

[Crim] - slight frown, then reaches around to scratch at the dark patch on his side - Just lays? Dat all? I not tired yet, I no can sleeps.

[Pinwheel] - No need be tired, feels good

[Crim] - snorts a little puff of smoke - Can be, but warm soft rock is better. But you can no go in, it hurts.

[Pinwheel] - But this ground scratchy too

[Crim] - scratches at the ground - But hard. Yellow shifty stuff warm and scratchy.

[Pinwheel] Flumps a won't onto Crim-

[Crim] - sighs and scratches his side harder -

[Pinwheel] - It itchy?

[Crim] - nods, then shakes head - Itchy, but not. To tight. Don't know why it do this time. I has fall in water before, hurt but not do this.

[Pinwheel] Flexes claws- I try itching?

[Crim] - nods and leans so his side is arched out more -

[Pinwheel] Starts scratching at the darker claws-

[Crim] - winces then happy sighs. As she scratches, small red scales flake off -

[Pinwheel] Eeps in surprise- You coming apart!

[Crim] - cranes around to look. Under where she scratches are darker red scales, ultra smooth and flecked with small yellowish spots - It not hurt, so maybe ok. Place not so tight no more.

[Pinwheel] - I not sure...

[Crim] - looks around and picks up one of the shed scales, looking over it closely - This look like me. Maybe is like you feather. Dey fall out sometimes, right?

[Pinwheel] - Maybe... You could ask big people later

[Crim] Yeah, but place feel better. - wants to scratch more but tries not to -

[Pinwheel] - Still itchy?

[Crim] - frown - Yes. I no want to scratch until it ok.

[Pinwheel] - Then go find big people- Lazy tail flip

[Crim] Yeah, but quiets. Wonder were go or hides? - one of his back legs distractedly tries to scratch his side -

[Pinwheel] - Big gold one with long one

[Crim] -sighs- Ok, where?

[Pinwheel] - Don't know. Or you could go see really big one

[Crim] - scrunches up snout as he resists scratching and stands - Big one, anyone, no cares. Itchy!

[Pinwheel] - Go find big one

[Crim] You stay?

[Pinwheel] - No like others, only like Cri

[Crim] Others not bad. Alone bad, no fun. No safe. - shivers and wants to SCRATCH - Alrights. Be goods.

[Pinwheel] - You really want me go?

[Crim] Be nice, but I can finds myself if you want... stays..... - can't help it and scratches, causing more scales to come off -

[Pinwheel] - Fine I go, but only because you friend

[Crim] - smiles and purs, while grabbing the leg that is scratching and holding it still - Thank yous.

[Pinwheel] - Let's go- She stands and starts walking away, sniffing the air as she goes

[Crim] - follows, also sniffing and looking around -

[Endrea] - Is over in front of Lies place tearing the iron golem apart-

[Pinwheel] Bites a zombie that was under a tree- We getting there

[Crim] - hisses at the dying zombie - Ok, ok. I can smells... - stops to scratch -

[Pinwheel] - Stop that!

[Crim] I tries, I tries. - bolts ahead -

[Endrea] Comes into sight-

[Crim] Finally! - runs toward -

[Pinwheel] Keeps pace with Crim-

[Endrea] Looks up- Oh, hello you two

[Crim] Helps! Itchy! - stops and flops down, cat loaf style to keep from scratching himself -

[Endrea] Laughs a little- Let me see where you itch

[Pinwheel] Sits a distance away-

[Crim] - stands and shows side with dark patch -

[Endrea] Land in closer and sniffs it before rubbing against it a little- How did this happen?

[Crim] I digging, fell in water. Happen before, but no like this. No itches. Pinwheel scratch and scales come off!

[Endrea] - Doors it hurt to scratch?

[Crim] - shakes head - No, better. Not so tight.

[Endrea] - I see. I don't think it's anything bad, in fact I think your body may be getting ready to get bigger

[Crim] - bits claws - So ok to scratch?

[Endrea] - Yes but only where it doesn't hurt. We don't want you to pull off any scales that aren't ready to come off

[Crim] - instantly twists around and claws at the spot, sending little red scales all over the ground. -

[Endrea] Sniffs a little- You smell dirty

[Crim] - scratching - Dig dirty. Sore after fall. Sleeps. - the dark red patch gets bigger and there is a faint yellowish stripe in the middle -

[Endrea] - Well would you like a bath?

[Crim] - stops for a second - Warm soft rock red around?

[Endrea] - Well yes, but I meant from me

[Crim] - looks at her confused - Bath from you?

[Endrea] - Yes, I can clean you with my tongue. It's probably a skill you should learn too

[Crim] Crim know wash, but why wash others? They not know? - is confused enough to stop scratching -

[Endrea] - No, but it's a binding thing. It helps cement friendships and familial relations

[Crim] - thinks and frowns - Oh... Crim no family, hatch alone.

[Endrea] - That's alright, what about friends, you can always help groom them

[Crim] Oh. - scratches absentmindly -

[Endrea] - Just consider it, I bet Pinwheel might like it if you helped with her feathers

[Crim] - looks back at Pinwheel - Pinwheel friend. - scratches hardcore at one spot -

[Endrea] - And I'm certain you're her only friend

[Crim] - nods - Wish others would like too. She nice.

[Endrea] - I'm not sure why she isn't nice to others... Now then, you'll probably be itching for awhile, but try not to overdo it, alright?

[Crim] OK, thanks - turns to hop scratch walk his way back toward Pinwheel -

[Pinwheel] - What she say?

[Crim] Is ok to scratch, might get bigger soon. - scratches -

[Pinwheel] - Really? I help then

[Crim] - stops scratching and sits - Please, can't reach all.

[Pinwheel] Goes and starts scratching again- You tell me when you no like

[Crim] - nods and relaxes, slowly starting to pur -

[Masky] Sighs as he heads out into the woods.  He's about to light up a cigarette when he feels his phone buzz.  Glancing at it he notices it's from BEN and groans as he opens it.  It isn't long afterwards that he's rushing back towards the manor-

[Steve] Turned his back for a moment and Pinwheel snuck off- Aww dammit!

[TLOT] I guess I can't say I'm suprised.

[Yaunfen] - We go fish now?

[TLOT] Closes his eyes- She's not far away. We could maybe find a low spot to spawn the fish on the way.

[Yaunfen] - Let's go!  Let's go!

[TLOT] Heads out of the house and towards the spawn with the others following.

[BEN] - Hey, I sent your text, Masky says Slender's looking for Splender now

[TLOT] in chat-  Oh good. Thank you BEN. I know he has a tendancy to wander but no one realized that Pinwheel had snuck off and not been picked up by him.

[BEN] - Shit, that little menace is on the loose

[TLOT] She's not so bad. It's a bit easier now that she's talking.

[BEN] - Still, she comes near my kid, she's getting drowned

[TLOT] I wouldn't worry about her coming all the way over there. She's likely looking for Crim again.

[Steve] Has found the little waterfall near the spawn and is filling the pond with dirt to get rid of the water.

[Yaunfen] Is bouncing excitedly- Gotta be fast to catch fish!

[Steve] Pokes TLOT and shows him the bucket-

[TLOT] He makes several more of them and Steve goes back to removing the dirt and filling the space with the soda-

[Yaunfen] Switches to dragon form-

[Steve] Finishes filling the pool and spawns in some fish - Is it supposed to be frothy?

[Yaunfen] - Yes!

-Fish jump around and swim-

[Yaunfen] Launches hirself into the water to chase after the fish-

[Steve] Sits down on the edge and lets a fishing lure dangle in the water.

[TLOT] Is pacing a little.

-There's a bit of crackling and a portal is opened.  Splender hurries through and an irate Slender follows-

[Slender] - Splender you have responsibilities!

[Splender] - I'm sorry!  I forgot!

[Slender] - How can you forget!?

[TLOT] Full body shiver as they enter, and his head whips around to where they're coming out-

[Splender] - But your party...

[Slender] - Is not nearly as important as a living creature!

[Steve] Kinda scoots under a ledge so he's a bit more hidden. But his bobber starts making a plunking noise as a fish pulls on it-

[Splender] Slight distressed noises-

[Slender] - Go find your pet!

[Splender] - Yes sir!- He hurries off

[Slender] Long irritated sigh-

[notfittoprint-blog1]

Fowl

I.

Summer started cold. Driving up north for the season in mid-May, a pebble flew at my windshield. Right in the center: a pock mark. So that’s how it’s going to be.

I drove up to a familiar scene. Wooden chairs in the yard, flowers, American flags and silver cloudcover. My cousin is in one of these chairs, poking at a dying laptop. An orange extension cord snaked into the house, connecting back to the charger dangling over her fleshy, flattened thigh.

The house is three stories, not including the basement. The family uses official titles for different branches: the addition, the breezeway, the master bedroom, the patio, the entertainment room. The master bedroom. I’m in the guest room, or the basement, depending on who you ask. It’s the one name they don’t agree on.

My uncle takes pride in the house because he built it himself. When I was younger I imagined him doing everything alone from the ground up. Pouring concrete. Planting the hidden machinery of wires and pipes. Up on the roof, sweating on sunny days, hammering shingles.

It took me time to realize he needed help. He had hired people, and mostly just oversaw the project. It took time to realize he had more money, time, and energy than my father.

“Somebody try to shoot you?” My cousin points to the windshield.

“Of course.”

“Nobody’s home,” she sighs. “And there’s really nothing to do about it.” The clouds move, and the sun finds us for a moment.

II.

The sun was out all day after that. We’re drinking High Life on the porch. My cousin’s wearing a two-piece and I wondered what I’d look like in it. She isn’t thin but she’s healthy and dark. She has thick hips and round arms. She inhabits her body in a way that I, something like a grown woman, envy. She’s the youngest.

“Look,” she says, pointing to the yard. She’s always seeing things I don’t.

“What?”

“A turkey. A hen. Don’t you see it?”

“No, I don’t.” She leans over the railing, looking out over the grass.

“Oh. It’s gone.”

I swallow some beer and take off my dark glasses. I’ve been feeling a certain way.

III.

My aunt and I have the same name, and she left after her fourth son was born. Before this, the joke was that I’d grow up to be like her. Nobody talks about her much anymore, but the boys have when we’re alone. They use the past tense like she’s dead, but we all think she’s in Cincinnati.

My aunt used to write stories and she probably still does. There are copies and notes and drafts on a drive in the office. I read one the other night.

Two foragers are out picking mushrooms. One of them has a growth he’s been ignoring. The other is worried about ticks. They’re stopping at every rotten stump and talking about their lives. The one with the tumor isn’t talking about his medical worries. The one with the ticks isn’t mentioning the crawling in his socks, the tickle in his armpits. They crush through the leaves, snap twigs. They find one that isn’t in the book. It’s a false morel, said the man with cancer. The one with lyme disease shakes his head no: It looks like an ear, he tells his friend. It might be poison, it might be nothing. Unsure why, they pick it and carry on. But it does look like an ear, they both think. Hair even grows out the lobes. Within an hour they have found another ear, lips, a nose. Within another hour they’ve scavenged a whole head.

They divide it down the middle and eat it in a clearing lit by the setting sun, and walk home cured.

Just like her.

IV.

I got sick by June even though it was warming up. I was the one who was cold after all. In my sweatshirt laying on a deck chair I squinted at the sun through my tinted glasses. My cousin was with me, and she wore a gold cross that lay flat against her skin. She looked through a bright flyer from the grocer. I hadn’t gone to her graduation ceremony and she hadn’t gone to mine.

Her brothers and her father were all out working, driving, sitting in trucks in parking lots. She’s asking me about college.

“Do you still have friends? Like, did you lose them?”

“What do you mean?”

She was sitting cross-legged on the porch. Her dark hair was twisted up in a thick fist on top of her skull. The paper was flitting in the wind. Out in the yard, birds were picking at the grass and the mud. But they were quiet.

“I don’t know. Did you really learn anything? People say you don’t need to learn the things you do. I know a lot of people don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t see what’s wrong with learning something you can’t use.”

“You’re right.”

“But what did you learn? Do you remember it? You’d have to.”

“I guess.” I started to wonder if I did learn anything. I thought about a course on Disney. I thought about Cather, Conrad, Dante. I remembered watching Fellini instead of reading The Satyricon. Something about algebra. “Yeah, I read a lot. I know things, now.”

“Oh.”

“I took things in, you know? Honestly, I didn’t do all of the work. Nobody does. But I know some things that I liked. I might have been . . . a different person. That is, if I didn’t go. I wouldn’t know what I know now. Not that I can do anything with it.”

I thought of a friend I had who had fallen in the snow two years ago. She was alone crossing campus, and it was midday. A lot of people were around, but she was alone, and she fell. Someone told me she bled a little into the snow, out of her ear. Was I losing friends?

“So, you probably aren’t interested,” she began. “But do you want to go to a party? It’s a bonfire. People your age will be there.”

“How big is the fire?”

“What?”

“How tall? How wide?”

“Well, we do it in a field. So, it goes up high, and as wide as we want.”

Okay. What time?”

“Oh, later. Like Friday.”

It is Sunday. My cousin always plans ahead.

V.

I had started coughing. Neon dust is coating the cars, the deck chairs, every unmoving thing. Kids in the neighborhood drew on the car windows. A cock. A frown, a smile. Wash me. Pollen blew in through the window over the sink and coated the dirty dishes. I coughed up something a little less bright.

I was up late, reading one of her stories.

The husband of an accused witch – an owner of two cows and a father of seven – provides the court with evidence against her, in exchange for another cow. He says she sat on his chest in the nude throughout the night, her face cratered and rotting. There was a peacock. It scratched and screeched at his cows. It clawed him and the children. The Devil is in the woods, he says. He cries on the stand while his wife sits in silence.

I minimized the draft and went upstairs. I turned on the light and turned it off and took a beer out of the fridge. Do ghosts lived in new houses? Do they inhabit bodies and not homes, and follow you wherever you went? Do you have to die to haunt someplace?

VI.

Before I moved in for the summer, their dog choked in the yard. She was a golden retriever with a patrician attitude and a name I forget. The dog loved bones and rawhide and marrow. She always slept with my uncle. He would grill steaks and give her half. One afternoon toward the end of winter, she tried to swallow a bone. (They’ve told me this story over and over.) They came home and found her sprawled in the puddles, eyes at the sky. She’s buried in the woods.

I walked into the yard and the security light flicked on. There are still bones. They are big and hollow and tall grass has started to grow into and around them. My uncle doesn’t pick them up and when he mows the lawn he rides around them. I grabbed one and threw it beyond the light. I drank the last of my beer and placed it in the pale nest of grass where the bone was. All across the yard I picked dogbones out of the grass, tossing them into the woods, counting. There were fourteen I could find, and one chewed up tennis ball.

I picked up the ball and threw it. The light went off. I waved my arms, but it didn’t notice me. I jumped, and it ignored me. I stood in the dark. I heard a woman cough in the woods. I took a step forward and waited. This is what hunters must feel when an animal freezes up. They can hear a stillness. There is a restrained movement. I sneezed.

Nothing.

I went back inside, and the light turned on as I went up the porch. As I took another beer from the fridge and my uncle came down the stairs in his boxers.

“What the hell were you doing out there?”

“Fresh air.”

VII.

On Thursday afternoon, I went to finish the story about the witch. I looked for the flashdrive, and I couldn’t find it. I thought I had left it on the ping pong table in my room, but it wasn’t there anymore. I asked my cousin about it but she just shrugged. Again, she was cutting coupons she’d never use.

“Look at these deals.”

A stack on the glass table next to her shivered in the wind. She was wearing a thick flannel over her two-piece and a Red Sox hat.

“Watch out.”

She turned just as a gust picked up her clippings and blew them out across the lawn; she chased them to the railing. The sun was shining off her glasses and she blocked the light with her forearm.

“Where did the bones go?” she wondered, frowning.

I told her about the noise I heard the other night in the trees. Without looking back at me, she said it was just the turkeys.

“They sleep in the treetops, you know.”

VIII.

On Friday night we drove out to the party and I told her I wouldn’t drink too much. I could drive us home, I said. The fire was huge. There were cars parked around it with their doors open, bugs drifting in and out. Kids were laughing the dark. The car almost bottomed out as we climbed the hill. She had opened a beer and we sat there, watching everyone through the window.

“It’s been nice having you around.”

“Thanks. I haven’t done much since I got here. But it’s been cool.”

“I know.”

“When was the last time you talked to your mom?” This question had been stuck in my mind. It almost came out in other conversations, while we baked french fries, or talked about the weather.

“I’m not sure. It’s funny.”

“Is it?”

“I guess like, four years. Maybe more.”

“Is she okay, you think?”

“Why would I care?”

“Aren’t you interested?

“No,” she said. “Nope.”

“What if she were dead?”

The windows were rolled down and she reached out, playing with the mirror. “I wouldn’t care. I mean, I don’t think I would.”

“Do you think she’d haunt you?”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“Why?”

“Ghosts don’t haunt people. They haunt houses or castles. Or forests and stuff. Or lighthouses. Not bodies. Bodies are already ghosts. Or spirits. Like a caterpillar, you know?”

“Do ghosts haunt guest rooms?”

“They haunt basements.”

IX.

She introduced me to some of her friends. A lot of them were older than her. One of them knew a guy from my school, and asked if I knew him.

“Eric? He’s super tall.”

The music got louder, the voices got bolder. I threw my cans into the fire and watched them twist and turn black. The flames were twenty, maybe thirty feet tall. I sat closer to the fire than anyone else and turned back from the heat.

I looked for things in the flames but didn’t see anything. I hoped to see faces, or numbers and letters. There wasn’t anything, though.

One of my cousin’s friends came over and sat next to me in the grass. She had thick eyebrows and short hair, I could see the makeup painting her cheeks in the firelight. She looked nice. We didn’t talk. I breathed in smoke. Over our heads, ashes floated off into the sky. When I looked around for the moon I didn’t find it.

Having some trouble, I walked into the woods to pee. With a hand against a thick tree, I squatted. On the way down my knees cracked. Nothing came out. I heard my cousin laugh and yell out I’m dead.

Finally, it came. When I was done I took a crumpled tissue from my pocket. My pants around my ankles, I heard a cough in the woods. I fell back, ass in the leaves. In my piss. This time I yelled but nobody heard me. The cough came again. A woman coughing, I knew. I pulled up my pants, and rolled over onto my side.

I watched as the thin legs of a hen stalked through the black leaves. Bird feet, something I’ve never felt. Over me, the turkey was gliding toward the field. A cough.

On my back, I looked up as she bent over me, a hood of bright hair dangling in the dark. A bare foot on either side of my head. She looked away, tilted up in the direction of the fire and coughed once more. Her nails are pale green. She wears bracelets that shake and smells like good laundry detergent. I know her from somewhere, I thought.

“You’re okay,” she told me. “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

And I thought I was cured.

#writers on tumblr #short fiction #short story #witchcraft #writing #workshop

[pcsvidcn-blog]

do all of them for your fave xo

📖 for what my muse would write about yours in their diary.

❝ 15 june, 2017 01:27 a.m. pstmarin county. but they’re all starting to blur together, at this point. i know i should pay more attention, i’m not an idiot ( thought i can think of a few people who might disagree…. i digress ), but it’s like i look out into the crowds or glance around the room and there’s nothing to tell apart. should i be concerned about that ? dad’s already lost iz, he doesn’t deserve to lose both of his children, right ? does he ? am i being too naïve, too short-sighted, because it’s not as if any of his policies actually affect me ? i’m so tired of thinking. i just want to float endlessly in the sea. disappear while it’s dark and not come back.

04:52 a.m. psti think i figured it out. it’s iz. they started putting up a wall, not planks of wood but concrete too high to scale without being obvious, without holes to crawl through, between the public beach i used to go to all the time and the private club’s property further up the pch and all i can think is that that’s what’s going to happen to us. i’ll see her less and less and less and then i won’t see her at all. god. i don’t want that to happen. i don’t want to lose her. i don’t want to lose anyone but i especially can’t lose her. we’re always shared everything and i don’t know what it’s like to share nothing. i have to call her. i’m going to do that. as soon as we’re both awake. go down to the public beach and have drinks and go out as the tide comes in and find what lies under the tide pools. 

05:00 a.m. pstdad and iz. the ocean and the shore. i don’t know how i can be torn in so many different directions at once and still survive. i know i can’t do it much longer. i need to decide. i need to be truthful with iz and dad and mom and myself for once in my goddamn life. i need to get this weight off me. i need to do something. 

fuck, i need to sleep. ❞

📷 for what my muse would say to the paparazzi about yours.

❝ not funny. not even slightly. that’s my sister, that’s my family, take a moment and think about what you would feel if someone was screaming obscenities about your sister, or your brother, or your mom while all these lights are flashing in your face. just think about it. step back. i know you’d love to get pics of a gubernatorial candidate’s son swinging at you and you’d love for me to hit you or smash up your camera so you can sue, but that’s not going to happen. i’m going to ask you, politely, to never call izzie macnair that again, but if you cowards want to, say it to her face and see if you survive. ❞

💋 for what my muse would say to the person trying to woo your muse.

❝ you have to take it slow with izzie, there’s nothing she loves more than waiting for a relationship to grow. no dramatic gestures, no professions of love or anything like that. she hates surprises and she hates presents, you can’t get her anything, she wants to buy everything for herself and would probably stop answering your calls if you tried to buy her so much as dinner or flowers. it’s simple, really, think of all the things you think she would like, and then reverse it, because that’s how she works. doesn’t make sense ? do people ever make sense ? does anything ever make sense ? oh, one other thing, she loves long, long beards with crumbs stuck in them. she’s got a thing for them. ❞

17:04 jamie macnair 📲 lizard : some fool asked me for advice on ‘ wooing ’ you17:21 jamie macnair 📲 lizard : sorry if you actually liked them

🔪 for the eulogy my muse would give for yours.

❝ this is never a place where you want to be standing. it feels impossible to do my sister justice with words alone, which is one of the reasons why i wanted to speak to you all here, surrounded by one of her favourite things in the entire world, art, with the people she loved most, and maybe we can all feel the excitement and the joy and the love she felt standing in this gallery. when we were at our grandmother’s funeral when we were younger, someone told me ‘ funerals are for the living ’ for the first time. i was offended, then, because the day was clearly about my grandmother down to the hymns and verses chosen and the cathedral we sat in in boston, but i understand it now. we are the living. this is for us. and it is extraordinarily painful and i half-expect that she’s faked her own death to avoid some unwanted suitor or a rabid debt collector or because she’s going to make a performance art piece out of this movie — then she’ll really be dead, because i’ll kill her myself— but when i sit too long in silence i understand, too, that she has moved on no matter how much i loved her. and i want to celebrate her, and celebrate our lives with her, free from everything that can ever make a person suffer, unless she’s in hell, which is a very real possibility, and i want to remember her now. i want to tell every story i told her, every story she told me, every story we both starred in. i can’t promise i won’t break down, and i can’t promise i won’t run to the bathroom at some point and never come back, but i want to try. if you have something to say, please, please, come stand beside me, please tell us what you remember about her. ❞

💌 for a letter my muse would write to yours.

❝ 2 april, 2013    hey iz.             so, this is hong kong. victoria harbour to be specific. i tried to find the postcard with the most pictures on it, but none of them could really capture how vibrant this city is, it’s so alive that if you stand still for even a moment you’re going to miss something. mom hates it, probably, but she grew up in boston, so does she even understand culture ? haha. i’m kidding. she’s reading this over my shoulder. we miss you so much ! but we hope you’re having fun without us. knowing you, you probably are. just try not to forget your dear old family, climbing mountains and eating the most amazing food in the world. two words: hawker fare. two more: dim sum. one more: noodles. 

               seriously, i think you and i are going to have to come back to hk ourselves, maybe backpack around asia, because i’d love to see thailand too. there’s this ngo in thailand i’ve been researching, i think you’d love it too, it’s for children who are victims of labour and sex trafficking, there are a bunch of homes for them scattered across cambodia and thailand and they always need volunteers. maybe in the summer? i’ll remind you later. and send a bunch of links, you can check it out for yourself. 

               i’m running out of space, but i love and miss you iz, you’re killing it and i’m so proud of you, i’ll see you in a few days ! expect for all three of us to crash the second we land. you might have a dead family for a few days. love you !!!                                                                                    jamie ❞ 

📫 for a letter my muse would write about yours to a third party.

❝ james macnair                                                                     12:11 pm (4 weeks ago)

hey dad—  

                 quick note before you start writing your remarks for tonight.i talked to izzie. she doesn’t want anything to do with the rest of the campaign, and i think your time is wasted trying to get her back in. it probably looks better for you to have a politically split family in california, it draws in the liberal family vote you’ve been courting recently and could sway some of the more dead-set liberal voters if you let her say what she wants to say. ‘ more liberal by association ’, something like that. 

                  see you really soon, dad.                                                                                            thanks, your son

james patrick macnairmacnair for governor, registered in the state of california601 s figueroa st | los angeles, ca 90017-3847 | usa | direct: +1 888.123.4567 | internal: 89101  fax: [phone] | mobile: [phone] | [email protected] | electmacnair.com | bio twitter: @jamiemacnair

the information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. if you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail, and delete the original message.❞

📨 for a text my muse would send to yours.

23:44 jamie macnair 📲 lizard : iz, hear me out, come on.23:46 jamie macnair 📲 lizard : asmr is weird but this is actually really good, i fell asleep like four videos in. it’s just this japanese person ( we never see their face ) cooking with no background music or talking and it’s just really bizarrely calming. 19:46 jamie macnair 📲 lizard :https://youtu.be/3ATRf32cocg19:47 jamie macnair 📲 lizard : now, i do still love me some ocean sounds volume xiii, ….

💬 for a text my muse would send to yours to a third party.

14:08 jamie macnair 📲 [ PRIVATE] : so i was thinking we go all out, get a bunch of those gold balloons shaped like letters to spell out ‘ i z z i e ’ , i’ll probably have to buy two hundred bottles of chambord and moët, i haven’t decided on catering or whether i’ll just make everything myself but i think i can get shojin out for menu planning, obviously we have to have lots of flowers, i think there’s a place out in studio city of all place that’s known for their orchid arrangements. and venue, obviously, we need to nail down a venue as soon as possible. i’m thinking the house in hollywood hills. maybe. there’s also that estate in palisades that always feels like it’s haunted.14:18 jamie macnair 📲 [ PRIVATE] : is this too much ??? 14:20 [ PRIVATE ]   14:23 jamie macnair 📲 [ PRIVATE] : yeah, you’re right. cut the flowers. but i can still get a few bouquets right ???

💀 for what my muse would say upon hearing about your muse’s death.

❝ no. no, check again, you have to be wrong. i want to see someone else, i want someone else to check, let me check, please, just let me check, she was just— no. no, no, no. no. please don’t touch me. please. please just let me— i have to— no, no, i can’t, she isn’t gone. no. no. ❞

👪 for what my muse would say to your muse’s child about them.

❝ hi, baby. hi — yes, izzie, i have to be shirtless, it’s good for bonding, they do it in scandanavian hospitals— i’m going to be the coolest uncle ever, alright ? bonding early is a necessary part of that— lay off me, i’m trying to talk to my new best friend— that’s your mommy, we’re fighting. i think i just won. oh, baby, where do i even begin ? you’re so beautiful. wow, i. wow. i can’t believe you’re here. finally. you look just like your mommy too. i have so much to tell you, baby. let’s go over here, let’s let iz sleep, she worked hard. where do you want me to start ? all my sagest wisdom from these long years i’ve spent on earth ? your mom’s deepest secrets ? do you want to hear about your family ? i know. why don’t i sing you something, let’s sit down here.  

i see trees of green, red roses too, i see them bloom for me and you, and i think to myself, what a wonderful world…. ❞ 

👊 for what my muse would say upon hearing yours has been arrested.

❝ how much is your bail ? i’ll do my best to keep mom and dad from finding out, but i can’t guarantee anything, iz. i’ll be right over, i’ve got to go get a lawyer from that firm dad has on retainer. don’t argue, i don’t have time to find you a nice liberal attorney, you’re in jail. i’m not even gonna ask what you’ve done this time, so don’t try and tell me, i don’t want to be an accomplice. was it for a good cause, at least ?❞

💒 for the toast my muse would give at your muse’s wedding.

❝ now, as most of you know, i’m izzie’s older brother. some might say ‘ twin ’, but i prefer ‘ older brother ’ because i was born almost a full hour before her and because fraternal twins share about the same amount of dna as ordinary siblings. i’m a doctor, i know these things. but, i have to confess, it would be a glaring omission if i kept ignoring ‘ twin ’. for the first few months of our existence were were packed in very small together, and once we were born, we just kept sharing everything. we shared rooms, even when our parents bought houses with more than enough of them, we shared friends, we shared toys, and, i think, we shared a soul, a heart. we still do, despite how drastically different we appear. i’m quieter than you, iz, and the fact that you probably want to argue about what i’m about to say just proves my point further. i leave a lot smaller mark. but when i’m passionate about something, my passion is as wide and infinite and deep as the pacific, it is the pacific, and there is only one other person in the world whose passion is like that too: my sister. you’re extraordinarily lucky to be the person she loves, and i hope you know that. if you don’t, i’m coming after you. 

now, if i was to give you evidence of all of izzie’s passions, not just her new partner, we would be here for a few more hours. i read online that wedding toasts are supposed to have embarrassing anecdotes about the person you’re toasting, and i think it’s safe to say that as izzie’s older brother, her twin brother, i have more than anyone else who’s going to be toasting after me. but i think i’ll spare her tonight, mostly because i want her to keep loving me instead of turning that love to passionate hate. instead, i want to remind her of a time we thought we’d never survive, when it seemed we were on opposing sides and we would never find our way back. iz, i’m so glad we made it. i’m so proud of you. i love you. i wish you the utmost happiness and i would kill to be an uncle, at this point. to my partner in crime. to izzie. ❞

#iconic #izziemvcnair #ask #that's the asmr i watch to fall asleep dvnscoaneks #IZZIE:｡. #「 meme. 」❜+:｡. #i copied my boss' email footer gotta lov lawyers #long post

[gearyoak]

Gray, Red, Black

i am struggling to find inspiration, this is all i have lmao so how bout a lil young mcgenji in the modern zombie apocalypse??? eh?

there’s blood and stuff, and a few dead guys as well also my sub par writing ;)

The windows hadn’t been broken, and that had given him hope. Genji expressed several times over that that wasn’t something he should experience anymore. No matter how empty a home looked, how clean water seemed, or how unbroken a gas station’s windows were, McCree should never get his hopes up. Sometimes, following a hope got in the way of being smart, and being smart is what kept Genji alive for so long.

“Seems like an awful pessimistic way of livin’, if you ask me,” McCree had told him.

“Pessimistic?” Genji’s eyes were focused on the road ahead of him, pulling the truck up onto the sidewalk in front of the gas station, but he still laughed. “You’ve met my brother, haven’t you?”

“I think I’d be safe in sayin’ you and him have the same outlook on life, he just got stuck with the bad sense of humor.”

Genji laughed again, twisting the keys from the ignition and tossing them up onto the dash. “There are worse ways to live,” was what he ended up saying in his and his brother’s defense. “And quicker ways to die.”

The gas station showed no signs of a break in, but that was only because the building had been left unlocked. The shelves were relatively empty, the contents of garbage cans strewn across the floors, and the cash register forced open and picked clean. They weren’t worried on that front, not at that point yet, at least. The school still had a decent food stock from when the shelter had been running, and they had since learned to ration efficiently, but medicine was what they started to fret over. Days were getting shorter, and the weather harsher. The last thing they needed was a flu pandemic wiping out what was left of their group.

“Maybe this is why we get along so well, Jesse,” Genji said, moving a tattered piece cardboard idly with the end of his bat. “Because I am pessimistic, and you love to be proven wrong.”

McCree regarded him with a dismissive eye roll but otherwise chose to ignore him. “Any first-aid kit they’d’ve had would prol’ly be with the cleanin’ stuff. We should check out back for a supply closet.”

The freezers had been left open, but there was nothing left within to go bad or spoil. They checked each one briefly, just to ensure their emptiness. The most they found was a stained blanket, and a pair of children’s shoes. McCree shut the door to that freezer, and neither him or Genji made a comment.

Their search led them to the farthest side of the station to a closed door branded with a simple label of “CLOSET”.

“Think this’s it?” McCree asked with a grin, positioning himself on one side of the door. With one hand he gripped the doorknob – twisting it once to make sure it was unlocked – and in the other he held a knife.

Genji stepped back and away from the door. “No. They put the ‘CLOSET’ sign up there to fool us. We should keep looking.”

“Maybe that’s what they wanted us to think.”

“Maybe. I’m ready when you are.”

The door didn’t screech on its hinges when McCree pulled it open, slow and steady as to not disturb whatever might be waiting for them. Inside was still and cluttered. Shelves lined either side of two walls, along with the few that were pushed to the middle of the room, creating a narrow square path that allowed passage throughout the closet. Each shelf was filled with different containers and bottles, some having leaked onto the concrete floor and leaving a nearly overbearing chemical odor behind. Push brooms and mops were leant up against a doorway on the opposite side of them, and above that door was an unlit exit sign. In one corner, a pile of plastic tarps.

No first-aid kit in sight, however.

Genji made a low noise, a sort of disappointed hum. “This doesn’t seem to follow fire safety regulations,” he said at first, offhandedly. Then he lowered his bat and added, “I’ll go search up front again. Maybe they kept it at the register.”

“Yeah. I’ll see if I can find anything outta this mess.”

They separate, but not before Genji squeezes at McCree’s hip wordlessly, and only after McCree returns the gesture with a quiet, “See ya soon.” They had made sure the building was empty, but things haven’t seemed to go anyone’s way as of late. There was always room to worry for each other.

Now that he was alone, the front of the store seemed more eerie in its silence. Through the trees, orange light filtered in and casted long, jagged shadows along every surface. Outside, a man shuffled onto the street, nearly tripping over some torn tire rubber before disappearing into the alley across the way.

Eerie, but peaceful, in the solemn way that is brought with the end of the world.

Genji hopped over the counter and landed in the midst of several Rice Krispies Treat wrappers. The foil crunched when he kicked them away absentmindedly and he didn’t pay them any attention afterward. He crouched and opened each cabinet one by one. They were small and it wasn’t likely for something to be hiding in there, but habits like those would die with him.

He found paper towels, Windex, rolls of receipt paper, a container of pens, paper bags, and no first- aid kit. The door to the last cabinet shut a little too forcefully, and Genji let out a weary sigh. There were worse outcomes to their run, but returning to the school empty handed wasn’t ideal either. Angela was an exceptional nurse and she worked brilliantly with what little they had, but some might call that luck and it was bound to run out at some point. The same could have been said about sending people out on these pointless searches. McCree and him will return with nothing that day, but what of when they send two or three more for a hopeless run? They go out for nothing and never come back.

Genji straightened suddenly, refusing to think about it further. There was one last hope; they haven’t checked the restrooms yet and it seemed promising at this point. Their last shot.

“Jesse,” he called toward the double doors, already heading for the entrance. “I’m going around and checking the bathrooms outside.”

McCree’s response came just before he pulled the glass door open, “Hold on, I’ll come with you. I ain’t findin’ shit in – “

The other’s voice was cut off by a crashing noise, like metal scraping against concrete, and then a thunderous crash. Genji was already moving by the time he heard McCree swearing, bursting through the double doors hard enough that the echo of them slamming against the walls resounded throughout the building.

The door labeled ‘CLOSET’ had been shut in the time it took Genji to reach it, and it shook and rattled, as if there was a struggle happening on just the other side. He twisted the knob and was met with the resistance of a lock. His fist pounded once against the wood and he cursed loudly, panicked. Kicking it down would take too much time, and he didn’t have enough room in the hallway to even attempt it.

Genji repeated his curse, tacking on a few more as he retraced his steps back to the entrance. The sun had set further, and the sky went from gold to grey. With it had come a chill, but Genji hardly paid it any mind, didn’t slow even when the cool air stung at his face. Racing around the gas station, passed the bathrooms, he didn’t stop until he was faced with the metal door he remembered from the closet.

“Don’t be locked,” he begged the rusted metal, and then pulled on its handle. There was a crunch of corrosion and it gave way a little, but remained stuck to its arch. Genji couldn’t hear anything on the other side. His breath rattled in his chest and he tugged again, “Fuck, fuck – Jesse? I’m at the exit! I can’t – “ The door peeled open, swinging wide and nearly taking Genji with it. He stumbled back, steadying himself just barely and with yet another swear.

The closet was in worse shape than what he left it in. Shelves had toppled over, the chemicals that had been stacked on them now accumulating in puddles along the floor. The formation of the shelves was in disarray, one entire side of the square having been collapsed in a domino-esque fashion. Besides dripping of liquid, there was no noise. He was not hesitant to break the silence, rushing forward and around the corner with a type of reckless abandon. Even though his bat was still held in a white-knuckled grip, Genji’s thoughts were not on protection nor self-preservation. It was desperation, a need to find McCree, to get home, to lay in his own bed and ensure that he would have a cowboy to share it with.

He saw the plastic tarps on the floor and registered that they had been moved first, and that they were wet with something second, right after he stepped on one. Before he lost his footing, he latched on to one of the metal racks and threw his weight back onto the leg still on safe ground. The tarp under him shined with a red fluid, tinted deeply with brown and smelled heavily of bleach. Genji’s eyes followed the trail of plastic to where they had originally been piled in the corner, finding a circle of the same color dried into the concrete.

Old blood, his brain supplied. Not Jesse’s. Can’t be Jesse’s. Carefully, Genji stepped over the tarp and the now empty Clorox container to continue onward.

McCree was sitting with his back pressed to the closet door when Genji found him. His expression was hidden to him as his head was bowed slightly, hair falling forward to shield his face. Genji didn’t need to see it to know what he was staring at.

Across from McCree laid a man, old and shriveled but most likely middle-aged when it died. The skin was brown and cracked along the edges of its ears, its eyes, and was simply missing around its mouth, but there was no mistaking the man it had been before. It wore khaki shorts and a polo half tucked in the front; an old corpse, from the beginning. There was a knife lodged into its chest – not McCree’s; his was dropped in between his bent legs, wet with black. Genji thought back to the children’s shoes in the freezer, this man who had been buried under a pile of tarps. He couldn’t imagine the story behind them, and he didn’t want to.

He knocked the familiar knife away and took its place, dropping down onto his knees in between McCree’s thighs. With shaking hands, he grabbed at the cowboy’s left arm and searched through the mess of blood for any scratches or bites, running his fingers along the rolled-up sleeve of McCree’s flannel. There were no tears in the fabric, so he moved on.

In the time it had taken him to repeat the process with the other arm, and then checked his torso and neck, McCree had yet to respond to him. His gaze went passed Genji, still somehow locked onto the body behind him. He wasn’t used to this, Genji knew. McCree had told him he had little to do with outside of the school until recently, only having helped keep the gates clear prior. Even then that was with a gun in his hand, a brick wall, and yards of distance in between; he hardly had any experience with lame brains up close.

Gently, Genji took both of McCree’s hands into his own. He lifted one, found an inch of skin that was clean of red, and pressed a kiss there. His mouth lingered when he heard McCree’s breath stutter out in one, long sigh. Tense shoulders relaxed as much as they could when he did the same to the other hand, the underside of his wrist, the crook of his jaw, the bridge of his nose. Finally, the cowboy shifted, and he pulled his hands from Genji’s to settle them at the younger’s waist.

“I’m fine, darlin’.”

Genji hummed and slumped forward until his forehead rested against McCree’s. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not,” he assured, closing his eyes. “What was that bastard doin’ under there, anyway?”

“I don’t know.”

They were allowed a few more moments of quiet peace until time caught up to them. The sun had just set, and the others were sure to be worrying about them. Genji never liked staying out passed dusk. He tilted his head so he could share another kiss, quick and chaste, one McCree could return. He whispered about how late it was, how Ana was sure to scold them for making her fret, and the cowboy laughed at that. Weakly, but genuine. Genji was glad to hear it.

With nothing to show for their troubles – besides new bruises – Genji and McCree retreated to the truck. It started up without a hassle, and the rumble of the engine drew out the man Genji had seen meander into the alley earlier. Death seemed to follow them everywhere, in more ways than one, but he was able to drive passed it this time. It screamed and reached for them with grayed hands, but its pace didn’t quicken – couldn’t quicken. It wouldn’t catch them, not today.

Genji reached over the center console and took McCree’s hand, his heart settling in his chest when he found it waiting for him, and did not think about tomorrow.

ppl got over zombies back in like 2013 but i never did. this is part of a bigger thing that i talked about with someone but never actually wrote so like there’s a story i’m just a lazy and terrible writer and didn’t commit.

#kon's a writer #mcgenji #tw: blood #zombies #r u ready for some spooks #zombies are more of a summer thing but i get excited #genji shimada #jesse mccree

[zoe-samantha-lynn-blog]

Red, rose, ruby, yellow, and gold

“This the place?” Mike’s tone was stern, albeit worried. He’d seen this person once in his life. A mere shadow, leaving a trail and gushes of red, rose, and ruby. The injury on Mike’s knee reminded him of the chair it had lobbed at its pursuer. It worked, the chairs leg proved to be stronger than Mike’s and it stopped him dead in his tracks as the shadow disappeared through the small gap of a window into the dark of night with long strings of yellow and gold following suit. The hair and the shadow’s size - it looked to barely fit into the room - were the only features Mike could remember. No more than five seconds, he swore incessantly, before he himself had made it to the shadow’s portal of safety, and nothing was to be seen. Only a back alley, with surprisingly few arms extending from its main body, indicating no places to hide, of mention - no gold, no yellow, no shadow. At least not this murderous one. Left with the mess this creature of a human being, if it even was one, had created, Mike was eager to finally track them, or it, down. Today was the day.

“Yeah. Pull over.” Nixie’s demeanor was less worried. Cold determination. In one swift movement she unbuckled the belt, unlocked her handgun, and undeterred, she’d already made it halfway to the complex that lay before them, while Mike was still kicking down the parking brake and retreiving his keys from the ignition. “Wait up Nixie, you can’t just waltz in there on your own.”

Unintentionally giving Mike time to catch up, Nixie stoppped just short of the metal door. “You know, Mike, I very well can. Maybe, if you’re so worried, you should move a little faster.” Said and done she kicked in the door that, she figured from the ease of her entry, had no functioning locking or closing mechanism.

Mike eyed up the facade before following Nixie inside. A decrepit complex, that threatened, so he felt, to fall over onto everything in it’s shadow. Windows to the left and right were barred with metal rods, and cloaked with board of card and wood.

Inside was a hallway. A lack of doors to the left and right hand sides occured to Mike. A stairway that led upstairs - with it’s roofing and the walls around it forming a solid blockade that left no chance of passing. It seemed as though the floors above had already malformed into an unnavigable jungle of concrete. Probably no one up there. Probably. If they weren’t gonna find anything on this level or below, they’d have to get up there somehow anyway, but maybe there was another way. Mike placed this line of thought in the back of his mind and remembered to unlock the rifle he’d procured from the case inside the car.

As Mike caught up, Nixie still seemed somewhat relaxed, although way more tense than just a minute ago. We are not alone in here. She felt it. There is someone. Something? She’d found an arch at the very rear left of the hallway. It led into a black mass. Or so it seemed. A quick tap of Mike’s on her shoulder made her ready her left hand to one of the grenades decorating her belt. She held it firmly, as Mike turned on his rifle’s flashlight, strafing to the right, moving around the archway in a half-circle, aiming down into this room or hall or whatever it was. Familiar shapes. Nothing unusual. Bunk beds, a single crib, barred windows, a torn stitched carpet. Two lamps, one with no bulb and the other with a bulb blown out and broken. The room extended to the right. It was barely visible, however, the beds were covered toward the right side of the room with curtains. While the left side seemed clear, it could still hide a threat. Having arrived at the other side of the arch, Mike did not want to delay further having cast his cone of light into this room, anything inside would now be aware of their presence. Nixie and him had done this often enough. He nodded at her. Both of them crossed their respective corner, raising their weapons and Nixie also activating her hangun’s light.

Realizing the left was in fact, clear, only a wall and some shelves, she settled for following Mike while sticking to the left wall. He stopped at the end of the curtains, and Nixie started the same strafing movement that Mike performed before, while he had his hand ready on a grenade on his belt. A door at the end of the room, and more to the right, the area that beds still covered. She nodded.

Both of them breached the remaining area. Another crib, more beds. Mike stuck to the right and saw a window that was, in fact, not barred. A flicker of light. A flash of something. “Contact!” He shouted, instinctively. Nixie took note, but finished shimmying along the left wall, ensuring the remaining room was clear. She glanced over towards Mike before settling on covering the only door apart from the entry door. He was glued to the window with his rifle. But there was nothing. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Was his nervousness getting to him? He did, however, spot two tiny windows into what appeared to be the basement. Something was definitely moving in there. But it was dark. He could not make anything out, and just as he decided to take his gaze of these two tiny gates to hell, two specks of yellow lit up inside.

“You okay?”, Nixie whispered. No. I’m not okay. Not at all. My feeling about all this is beyond bad. “Yeah. Let’s go.” She placed herself on the knob side of the door, Mike behind her, tapping her shoulder. The same spiel. Like they’d rehearsed it, which, frankly, they had many times. This time it was nothing but a hallway. It extended forwards for a bit before bending right. Empty. They proceeded inside, stopping at the corner, repeating their choreography. More corridor. A stairwell leading up on the right. They proceeded. The way upstairs looked the same as it did at their initial entry point. Concrete, wood, bars, rods, a door, some unrecognable furniture buried under it. There was no coming through there, and they both figured, at this point, the upstairs was probably not where they needed to go to come to the root of all this.

The end of the corridor was marked with stairs, this time, leading down, on the right. A door just at the end of the stairs. That room would link up with those windows I saw, Mike figured. “I think this might be it, Nixie. Be careful.” Somewhat unimpressed, she rolled her eyes, but nodded all the same. Better to keep Mike on his toes than anger or frustrate him now, she thought. He has such a short temper sometimes. Especially when I make fun of him.

“I’ll place a charge. There’s no space by the door.” Nixie said as she descended the stairs. At the same time, Mike rolled a device down the way they came. It stopped in the corner, in plain sight of the door they’d passed through just then. With a tap on his glasses, a feed displayed in the corner of his right eye, of said doorway. This way, there would no surprises. At least not from that direction. He went down into a prone position at the top of the stairs, aiming his rifle down at the door Nixie had mounted a charge onto. She went prone next to Mike, readying one of her grenades in her hand.

An explosion. The door burst open, and a small part remained on the hinge, lit. Pieces of wood flew into the room, followed closely by Nixie’s grenade. A shriek came from inside the room. It could have been human. It could not. Mike thought the latter, Nixie the former. A quick glance away as they got up and the a loud bang and flash filled the basement room. Their choreography kicked in. Like droids, they proceed into the room, Nixie to the left, Mike to the front. The right side was just a wall, an open doorway at the end. Mike saw something.

Something’s there. Eyes. It must be eyes. But they were shining yellow. It’s not human. It is not. “Contact!” yelled Mike aloud, “Engaging!”, as two bullets left his rifle. The eyes wouldn’t move but Mike closed in. It was like he was captured. He could not stop, this was it, he had to face this beast, and end it. He kept firing. Edging ever closer to the doorway. And he passed it. Something was there.

On the left. He noticed it too late. Still firing on what he though to be his adversary, he was oblivious to the glow much more subtle, but much more important, to his left. Yellow. Gold. Long. Attached to but a shadow in the dark. Only as the shadow connected with Mike, releasing the same gushes of red, rose, and ruby, the nature of the beast became visible as Nixie’s flashlight lit up Mike and his archnemesis. Mike could muster nothing but a short scream, and the creature followed suit with a shriek. Nixie opened fire on it. “No! Get the fuck off him, you shit!” One and a half seconds was the time she took to reload. But the creature showed no sign of stopping, and halfway through her second magazine, Mike’s lifeless body shot towards Nixie, stopping her just long enough for the shadow to disappear through the two tiny portals of safety, into the dark night. Strings of yellow and gold were on the floor, on Mike, on the sills, and a trail of blood and guts lead to the window and outside. “Dammit! No! No, no no! This can’t be happening! Mike!” Unconcerned with the beast, Nixie hurried to the lifeless body of her companion, who showed no response whatsoever. She then rushed to the windows. Nothing. It was gone. Again.

#short story #fiction #thriller

[eastergrass]

Fowl

I.

Summer started cold. Driving up north for the season in mid-May, a pebble flew at my windshield. Right in the center: a pock mark. So that’s how it’s going to be.

I drove up to a familiar scene. Wooden chairs in the yard, flowers, American flags and silver cloudcover. My cousin is in one of these chairs, poking at a dying laptop. An orange extension cord snaked into the house, connecting back to the charger dangling over her fleshy, flattened thigh.

The house is three stories, not including the basement. The family uses official titles for different branches: the addition, the breezeway, the master bedroom, the patio, the entertainment room. The master bedroom. I’m in the guest room, or the basement, depending on who you ask. It’s the one name they don’t agree on.

My uncle takes pride in the house because he built it himself. When I was younger I imagined him doing everything alone from the ground up. Pouring concrete. Planting the hidden machinery of wires and pipes. Up on the roof, sweating on sunny days, hammering shingles.

It took me time to realize he needed help. He had hired people, and mostly just oversaw the project. It took time to realize he had more money, time, and energy than my father.

“Somebody try to shoot you?” My cousin points to the windshield.

“Of course.”

“Nobody’s home,” she sighs. “And there’s really nothing to do about it.” The clouds move, and the sun finds us for a moment.

II.

The sun was out all day after that. We’re drinking High Life on the porch. My cousin’s wearing a two-piece and I wondered what I’d look like in it. She isn’t thin but she’s healthy and dark. She has thick hips and round arms. She inhabits her body in a way that I, something like a grown woman, envy. She’s the youngest.

“Look,” she says, pointing to the yard. She’s always seeing things I don’t.

“What?”

“A turkey. A hen. Don’t you see it?”

“No, I don’t.” She leans over the railing, looking out over the grass.

“Oh. It’s gone.”

I swallow some beer and take off my dark glasses. I’ve been feeling a certain way.

III.

My aunt and I have the same name, and she left after her fourth son was born. Before this, the joke was that I’d grow up to be like her. Nobody talks about her much anymore, but the boys have when we’re alone. They use the past tense like she’s dead, but we all think she’s in Cincinnati.

My aunt used to write stories and she probably still does. There are copies and notes and drafts on a drive in the office. I read one the other night.

Two foragers are out picking mushrooms. One of them has a growth he’s been ignoring. The other is worried about ticks. They’re stopping at every rotten stump and talking about their lives. The one with the tumor isn’t talking about his medical worries. The one with the ticks isn’t mentioning the crawling in his socks, the tickle in his armpits. They crush through the leaves, snap twigs. They find one that isn’t in the book. It’s a false morel, said the man with cancer. The one with lyme disease shakes his head no: It looks like an ear, he tells his friend. It might be poison, it might be nothing. Unsure why, they pick it and carry on. But it does look like an ear, they both think. Hair even grows out the lobes. Within an hour they have found another ear, lips, a nose. Within another hour they’ve scavenged a whole head.

They divide it down the middle and eat it in a clearing lit by the setting sun, and walk home cured.

Just like her.

IV.

I got sick by June even though it was warming up. I was the one who was cold after all. In my sweatshirt laying on a deck chair I squinted at the sun through my tinted glasses. My cousin was with me, and she wore a gold cross that lay flat against her skin. She looked through a bright flyer from the grocer. I hadn’t gone to her graduation ceremony and she hadn’t gone to mine.

Her brothers and her father were all out working, driving, sitting in trucks in parking lots. She’s asking me about college.

“Do you still have friends? Like, did you lose them?”

“What do you mean?”

She was sitting cross-legged on the porch. Her dark hair was twisted up in a thick fist on top of her skull. The paper was flitting in the wind. Out in the yard, birds were picking at the grass and the mud. But they were quiet.

“I don’t know. Did you really learn anything? People say you don’t need to learn the things you do. I know a lot of people don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t see what’s wrong with learning something you can’t use.”

“You’re right.”

“But what did you learn? Do you remember it? You’d have to.”

“I guess.” I started to wonder if I did learn anything. I thought about a course on Disney. I thought about Cather, Conrad, Dante. I remembered watching Fellini instead of reading The Satyricon. Something about algebra. “Yeah, I read a lot. I know things, now.”

“Oh.”

“I took things in, you know? Honestly, I didn’t do all of the work. Nobody does. But I know some things that I liked. I might have been . . . a different person. That is, if I didn’t go. I wouldn’t know what I know now. Not that I can do anything with it.”

I thought of a friend I had who had fallen in the snow two years ago. She was alone crossing campus, and it was midday. A lot of people were around, but she was alone, and she fell. Someone told me she bled a little into the snow, out of her ear. Was I losing friends?

“So, you probably aren’t interested,” she began. “But do you want to go to a party? It’s a bonfire. People your age will be there.”

“How big is the fire?”

“What?”

“How tall? How wide?”

“Well, we do it in a field. So, it goes up high, and as wide as we want.”

Okay. What time?”

“Oh, later. Like Friday.”

It is Sunday. My cousin always plans ahead.

V.

I had started coughing. Neon dust is coating the cars, the deck chairs, every unmoving thing. Kids in the neighborhood drew on the car windows. A cock. A frown, a smile. Wash me. Pollen blew in through the window over the sink and coated the dirty dishes. I coughed up something a little less bright.

I was up late, reading one of her stories.

The husband of an accused witch – an owner of two cows and a father of seven – provides the court with evidence against her, in exchange for another cow. He says she sat on his chest in the nude throughout the night, her face cratered and rotting. There was a peacock. It scratched and screeched at his cows. It clawed him and the children. The Devil is in the woods, he says. He cries on the stand while his wife sits in silence.

I minimized the draft and went upstairs. I turned on the light and turned it off and took a beer out of the fridge. Do ghosts lived in new houses? Do they inhabit bodies and not homes, and follow you wherever you went? Do you have to die to haunt someplace?

VI.

Before I moved in for the summer, their dog choked in the yard. She was a golden retriever with a patrician attitude and a name I forget. The dog loved bones and rawhide and marrow. She always slept with my uncle. He would grill steaks and give her half. One afternoon toward the end of winter, she tried to swallow a bone. (They’ve told me this story over and over.) They came home and found her sprawled in the puddles, eyes at the sky. She’s buried in the woods.

I walked into the yard and the security light flicked on. There are still bones. They are big and hollow and tall grass has started to grow into and around them. My uncle doesn’t pick them up and when he mows the lawn he rides around them. I grabbed one and threw it beyond the light. I drank the last of my beer and placed it in the pale nest of grass where the bone was. All across the yard I picked dogbones out of the grass, tossing them into the woods, counting. There were fourteen I could find, and one chewed up tennis ball.

I picked up the ball and threw it. The light went off. I waved my arms, but it didn’t notice me. I jumped, and it ignored me. I stood in the dark. I heard a woman cough in the woods. I took a step forward and waited. This is what hunters must feel when an animal freezes up. They can hear a stillness. There is a restrained movement. I sneezed.

Nothing.

I went back inside, and the light turned on as I went up the porch. As I took another beer from the fridge and my uncle came down the stairs in his boxers.

“What the hell were you doing out there?”

“Fresh air.”

VII.

On Thursday afternoon, I went to finish the story about the witch. I looked for the flashdrive, and I couldn’t find it. I thought I had left it on the ping pong table in my room, but it wasn’t there anymore. I asked my cousin about it but she just shrugged. Again, she was cutting coupons she’d never use.

“Look at these deals.”

A stack on the glass table next to her shivered in the wind. She was wearing a thick flannel over her two-piece and a Red Sox hat.

“Watch out.”

She turned just as a gust picked up her clippings and blew them out across the lawn; she chased them to the railing. The sun was shining off her glasses and she blocked the light with her forearm.

“Where did the bones go?” she wondered, frowning.

I told her about the noise I heard the other night in the trees. Without looking back at me, she said it was just the turkeys.

“They sleep in the treetops, you know.”

VIII.

On Friday night we drove out to the party and I told her I wouldn’t drink too much. I could drive us home, I said. The fire was huge. There were cars parked around it with their doors open, bugs drifting in and out. Kids were laughing the dark. The car almost bottomed out as we climbed the hill. She had opened a beer and we sat there, watching everyone through the window.

“It’s been nice having you around.”

“Thanks. I haven’t done much since I got here. But it’s been cool.”

“I know.”

“When was the last time you talked to your mom?” This question had been stuck in my mind. It almost came out in other conversations, while we baked french fries, or talked about the weather.

“I’m not sure. It’s funny.”

“Is it?”

“I guess like, four years. Maybe more.”

“Is she okay, you think?”

“Why would I care?”

“Aren’t you interested?

“No,” she said. “Nope.”

“What if she were dead?”

The windows were rolled down and she reached out, playing with the mirror. “I wouldn’t care. I mean, I don’t think I would.”

“Do you think she’d haunt you?”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“Why?”

“Ghosts don’t haunt people. They haunt houses or castles. Or forests and stuff. Or lighthouses. Not bodies. Bodies are already ghosts. Or spirits. Like a caterpillar, you know?”

“Do ghosts haunt guest rooms?”

“They haunt basements.”

IX.

She introduced me to some of her friends. A lot of them were older than her. One of them knew a guy from my school, and asked if I knew him.

“Eric? He’s super tall.”

The music got louder, the voices got bolder. I threw my cans into the fire and watched them twist and turn black. The flames were twenty, maybe thirty feet tall. I sat closer to the fire than anyone else and turned back from the heat.

I looked for things in the flames but didn’t see anything. I hoped to see faces, or numbers and letters. There wasn’t anything, though.

One of my cousin’s friends came over and sat next to me in the grass. She had thick eyebrows and short hair, I could see the makeup painting her cheeks in the firelight. She looked nice. We didn’t talk. I breathed in smoke. Over our heads, ashes floated off into the sky. When I looked around for the moon I didn’t find it.

Having some trouble, I walked into the woods to pee. With a hand against a thick tree, I squatted. On the way down my knees cracked. Nothing came out. I heard my cousin laugh and yell out I’m dead.

Finally, it came. When I was done I took a crumpled tissue from my pocket. My pants around my ankles, I heard a cough in the woods. I fell back, ass in the leaves. In my piss. This time I yelled but nobody heard me. The cough came again. A woman coughing, I knew. I pulled up my pants, and rolled over onto my side.

I watched as the thin legs of a hen stalked through the black leaves. Bird feet, something I’ve never felt. Over me, the turkey was gliding toward the field. A cough.

On my back, I looked up as she bent over me, a hood of bright hair dangling in the dark. A bare foot on either side of my head. She looked away, tilted up in the direction of the fire and coughed once more. Her nails are pale green. She wears bracelets that shake and smells like good laundry detergent. I know her from somewhere, I thought.

“You’re okay,” she told me. “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

And I thought I was cured.

#fiction #myfiction #mushrooms #occult #ghost story #fowl #familiar #turkey #false memoir