Masquerade

Waiting for him to do something the little creatures looked at Mitchell on the cliff. Waiting for him to act, to make them laugh, their eyes were wide open. Expectation could be felt in the air.

His heart was beating fast. Sweat wet his palms.

Every day he held a show. The little creatures always laughed, always cheered.

Today his show was different. Deeper. His blue mask was sad and serious. John was watching with his red mask in his hand. He had made it himself. He was up next.

Today the little creatures didn’t laugh. They didn’t smile. Silence fell over the grass covered cliffs.

They put their masks over their faces. Started humming a dark, strange tune. Moved towards the actor on the stage, jumped from one cliff to another. Waited. Jumped again.

Mitchell took a step back. Felt the edge under his feet. Sand and stones fell into the abyss, towards the ground so far below.

Another jump. All of them, one by one.

-Please! Please! I’m sorry! I can do better! I promise!

They stared at him through little eye holes. They waited.

The masks got darker.

-Too late.

The voice was vicious and rusty… (more)

Runaway Train

Even was driving his train through the beautiful countryside. He liked being a train engineer. The meditative tranquillity of the train following its tracks, the calm attention of keeping his eyes on the way and make sure the speed was as it should be.

-A bit more steam! He had shout to be heard over the noise. The fireman threw more coal in the fire.

Even laid back, watching the smoke from the chimney. This was the life.

The train stopped on the Droftville station. Fine people went on and off, beautiful, elegant men and women. Among them was Jessica Babbit. Her life in the spotlight had made her quite a fortune.

She sat down on the seat, looking out of the window. Touched the blue little tumour on her belly, the little lump she hadn’t told anyone about, that seemed to grow when she was nervous.

An old lady was sitting by her side.

-So, where are you going?

-I’m going into town. Paperwork, you know.

-Isn’t this beautiful? The old lady lent over Jessica, looking out through the window.

The train chooed on between tall hills and green forests.

Even looked ahead. There was a cow on the track. He pulled the chain. The whistle sounded through the valley, the cow looked apathetically up toward the train further up.

It didn’t move.

There was still a long way down, and Even stepped on the brakes.

-What the… They didn’t work. -Hmm. That’s odd, Even pulled the emergency break. The lever came off.

With the lever in his hand Even looked in terror at the cow on the tracks. It was big enough to throw the locomotive into the field.

The little lump tingled a bit, as it usually did when Jessica was annoyed. The old lady kept chatting on about grandchildren and cake and how horrible things were these days. It tingled so hard it hurt. She touched it. It had spread, grown… (more)

After the Thunderstorm

-There are no one living in the cities any more. We all left, fled into the wilderness up here, hid in our deep caves. Our city is now a ghost town, empty, dead. Waiting for the next time he’ll come around.

That day was today. The rain had stopped, the thunder was far away. They knew the One of Two Trunks would come looking for them, looking to harvest their bodies, just like it had done for the first time so many years ago.

-We were unaware, unready. The storm was fierce, vicious. Lightning and thunder breaking at once, just over our heads. When it calmed down, people walked out, to continue their shores. The clouds were moving, the sky could be seen between them.

Father silenced. Painful memories tormented his mind. That’s when it had arrived. A god, there to destroy them.

-He came down on the city with terrible force. His trunks were everywhere, killing everyone in their way. Made us run, made us flee. Only a few survived, a few who managed to escape into the wilderness.

-Now it is back, Father said to his son.

The clouds spread again, like it always did after a thunderstorm. Between them a figure took shape, bigger than the mountains, big as the sky. It moved like the clouds, seemingly slowly from a distance.

-Father, I’m scared!

-So am I, little one, but we’re safe up here. The caves are deep and long, and there are many exits in many places. If it comes too close, we’ll hide, but I’ve never seen it come up into the mountains.

They stood in silence. The monster hovered over the abandoned city, searching, waiting. It turned its head towards them. Pil could have sworn their eyes met. He could ha sworn it knew who he was… (more)

Resentment

Mitch looked down on the little village on the table. An exact replica of the village where he lived, the village where he was from. He laughed inside.

The little hairs of his so-called friends and family. The objects of people he didn’t even know. The little figures all had names now. Personalities. Hopes and dreams for him to destroy. He hated them. He hated them all.

He picked up one, put it down in the village. Mrs Maple. The old hag down the street. The one who told his parents about the dead little birds. She put her close to James, the limp. He turned the light down to night mode. Tonight they would meet, in the alley behind the church. Where no one ever walked.

He pinched James with a needle…. (more)

Smuggler’s Road

-We did it, we’re cross the border! We’re rich!

The two rugged men made a high five.

-What’s that on the sky?

-Looks like a seagull to me. But… It looks big, no?

The seagull came closer.

-Way too big, Ron said. -Damn, it looks like a plane!

The seagull circled over the truck, as if it was looking for something. It dived.

Jelly Fish

The sun stood high. The shadow from the parasol and the sunglasses gave the perfect hiding place. Tits and booties all over. Johnny laid back and enjoyed. Finally a day off. He closed his eyes, breath in the fresh sea air.

“Can you please help me put some sun block on my back?” the beautiful woman by his side said.

“Sure,” he answered, started smearing it out.

“A bit lower down, please… Lower… lower… mmmmmmhh… (more)