Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Vampire

You don't understand the thirst. It is like your throat singed by fire, as you walk amongst pools of water. Some are dirtier than others, but others are so pure they sing to you. Even though one tries not to succumb, the throat burns, and even jumping off a drug cannot be worse, especially when it is so readily available. Animal blood is like filthy, stained water, and impure. Sooner or later you will drink some that is tainted, and it can no longer fulfill your need. Such is the thirst we live with every day.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Godetia

From a friend who played that word in scrabble

They gathered in the royal garden to watch it bloom. The well-to-do came in their suits and dresses especially for the occasion. Vendors sold candied fruits and pinwheels. You could smell a thousand perfumes, and women determined to outshine the flower. Pictures had been painted and stories had been told of its marvelous beauty. The city sold tickets and prices went up every year. Now only the richest could afford it. The flower itself was large, sitting in its own green area surrounded by the audience. The petals started to stir, and women in the audience began to coo. They ran to take their seats, ready to enjoy their wallet-given right. The flower started to open, releasing a rich mix of aromas in the air. The women started to go into rapturous ecstasy; the men smiled to themselves and stroked their moustaches. The flower was now fully open, large as a man's head, the petals almost luminous as the newly installed lights shone upon it. Suddenly one could smell a different tinge in the air. The smell was starting to become foul. "Did someone fart?" the duchess scolded. No one owned up. The vile smell was starting to grow. Some covered their noses. A doctor waved his hands. "It's coming from the flower!"

"How dare you?" shouted a policeman. He took out his gun and shot the doctor. Women started to scream. The air was suddenly filled with screams, and then a buzzing sound joined the cacophony. The audience turned to see a huge swarm of bees flitting towards the arena. The insects descended upon the flower, and the audience started to run in panic towards the doors. The scene was descending into chaos. The flower, as though satisfied, started to close its eye. It looked down upon its garden and saw the bodies around its stem, and was pleased.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Werewolf

It sought refuge from the snow, the hunger within it gnawing away. It had managed to squeeze itself in through a loose board at the side, and it looked at the photographs and other mementos within. The smell was different; almost wonderfully so. It sat on one of the sofas, and gazed at the photograph on the side-table. It showed a family in front of a lake. The parents and two smiling children. The wolf gazed long at it. It looked down at itself. It realised that the fur was receding from its body. It turned its paw, and saw that it was now a hand. It remembered its daughter prying it open and trying to hide the fortune within. "You'll have a long life daddy. A long one." He heard her in her head. It looked around again, and found that the room was becoming recognisable. It looked at the photograph, and started to realise how cold the room was. There was a sound outside; someone was at the door, and soon it would be unlocked and open. It sat and waited.

Monday, December 10, 2007

The dragon

The boy wanted to be away. The farm was no place for him. He wanted to see the world, and knew becoming a farmhand and repairer of rooftops was not the life he wanted to lead. But how could he get away? One night, as he was catching fireflies, he came across a large beast resting on the farm. By its appearance the boy knew it was a dragon. It had eaten one of the old horses, and looked sated. It spread its wings which cast a huge shadow. The boy, seeing his chance, dropped his jar and jumped onto the dragon's back. The dragon took off just as the boy clasped the back of the dragon. Fast and far away the dragon flew, to lands further than he could ever dream. The dragon did not react to the boy; to it he weighed like a leaf. The dragon flew higher, and the boy felt cold, but he clung on. The dragon crossed the world, and the boy saw mountains and rivers and seas. Once, the dragon caught a whale that had leapt out of the clear blue water. Another time, it joined a group of swans in flight, scattering them with one last swipe of its wing before soaring up in the sky, where the boy could see stars. Eventually, the dragon came to rest next to a lake, and the boy got off. The dragon turned around and noticed the boy. The boy was afraid, but the dragon did not mean any harm. The dragon shook its head, and flew off, leaving the boy there. Some villagers discovered him, and he was adopted. He grew up to be a farmer, and led a common life, and never spoke of how he came to arrive at the lake.

Monday, December 3, 2007

The shed monster

Sally discovered the monster in the shed. She was looking for the cat and she discovered its bones, white as fresh snow. She heard a chewing and burping sound, and when she peeked in, she saw it. It was hairy, and just looked like a round ball of fur. She ran home to tell Joe about it, and the rest of the gang. The next night they came down again. Joe bought a piece of meat he stole from the refrigerator, and threw it into the shed. They heard the creature chomping at the meat eagerly.

They hatched a plan. The gang were the rejected ones in school. Greg, who stuttered every third word. Lisa, whose dad had run off with another woman when she was three. The popular kids made fun of them. Sally lured Clarissa, the most popular girl, down to the shed.

"Go in," said Sally. "There's something interesting in there."

"Why?" said Clarissa.

"It's... a beautiful statue."

"You dragged me all the way down here to look at a statue? Why am I hanging with a creep like you?" said Clarissa. And she walked off.

But Joe was near. He rushed up to Clarissa and hit her in the head. Sally screamed. Joe then dragged Clarissa to the shed, shoved her in, and closed the door. She came to inside, and yelled to be let out. Then she started to scream, and Sally ran away.

There were lots of questions about Clarissa's disappearance the next day. Joe told Hank, the star athlete he had seen her in a field. Hank followed Joe that night, and Joe told him he was in the shed. Joe closed the door behind Hank, and smoked a cigarette as he listened to the screams.

The others in the gang started to use the shed to get rid of more and more of those folks they weren't happy with, but Sally stayed away. The police were getting increasingly frustrated with the strange disappearances, and Sally wanted to report the gang to the police. But Joe watched her house, and followed her wherever she went. The monster was the best thing to ever happen to him, and he wasn't going to let it stop.

One day Sally slipped away. She found Greg there with his grandmother. "Stop it!" yelled Sally. "Don't go into the shed!"

Greg was angry and threw stones at her. Sally continued to shout. "You all are terrible!"

Joe was behind and he grabbed her. "Open the door Greg!" he shouted. Greg's grandmother had already gone off.

Sally couldn't resist. She was being pushed to the shed, and she was not going to overpower Joe. She screamed, and remembered how Clarissa had done the same. Greg opened the door, and Joe shoved her in. The door was closed behind her. The ground inside the shed was sticky with blood. It smelt like cat pee and worse. She closed her eyes and waited for the monster. It was coming closer. She could smell its thick fur.

She put her hands over her ears. And she stopped screaming. The creature looked at her curiously. She was not afraid. She did not want to give Joe or Greg the satisfaction of hearing her die.

"Eat me," she said to the beast, and realised what sad eyes it had. The creature, however, did not. It looked at her strangely. It shook its head and went back to its corner. Sally wondered why. She kept silent.

"Is she dead?" she heard Greg say.

"Probably," said Joe. "We need to get your grandmother. She'll tell what we did," he said.

Sally waited. The creature did not move much. A lone toad came into the shed, and started to croak. The creature leapt on it and gulped it down. Sally realised what it was; the monster hated noise. It had eaten those people it did because of their screams. Sally swore she would never scream.

A few hours later, she heard footsteps outside. Joe and Greg were coming back. The door opened, and Sally leapt right out even before they could push Greg's grandmother in. Sally picked up a stone and threw it at Joe, making him scream. In the confusion, Greg just clung on to his grandma. He screamed "Get her! Get her!" He didn't see the large creature stumbling out of the shed. Joe screamed when he saw the great mouth closing over George. Sally grabbed Greg's grandma and motioned her to shush. The creature turned to Joe, who was running, and screaming, shouting at Sally to help him. It loped towards Joe with a chimpanzee-like gait. Joe screamed as he fell down, and as he turned, the great mouth of the beast devoured him. Sally clasped her hand over her mouth so that she would not scream.

When she lifted herself and Greg's grandma from the grass, there was no sign of the creature; only the devoured remains of the two boys. Carrying Greg's grandmother carefully, they walked back slowly, quietly towards the town.