Drown in the Stars
One Bullet. One Shot. One Gun.
As soon as he saw her, he knew that she was as old as sin. It didn’t matter that she had the body of a child or that she wandered around the streets with rags as clothing. She still murdered naïve women and men that managed to get led by her. He was just as guilty as her though. He hid in the shadows and slid with the foggy mist that has been trapped here in Oak Forest ever since the Pagan’s settled in the 1600’s. He watched hungrily while he watched her innocent face bury itself in the blood of the victim.
Finally sick of not participating, he went up to her fragile looking body and poked her shoulder. “Hello miss,” He said with a gentle smile, “Are you lost?” She turned and looked at him with a droplet of blood hanging on the corner of her mouth. She shook her head in denial and continued walking up the lonely road. He followed.
“What’s your name?” He urged. She shrugged to answer the question. In awe, he stared at her tiny bare feet as they walked over broken glass and random sharp objects that would usually be found in the streets.
“What’s your name?” She asked quietly, in a not so young voice. He thought for a moment, not really knowing what to say. Strangers called him Moon for some odd reason. “You want to name each other?”
“Well, my name could be Moon and yours could be Mystery,” He offered with a grin. She raised an eyebrow.
“Why do you get to be Moon?” She whined and looked up at the tree branches that still had some leaves hanging on for dear life. He looked around trying to ignore the question and spotted a tree with a red ribbon tied around a branch. “Is that the tree you were looking for?” He asked pointing to the tree.
She looked and frowned. “No, they just killed someone there.” Then she walked around and asked again, “Why do you get to be Moon?”
“I don’t know. People call me Moon and I don’t know why,” He said. She finally found the tree and climbed it quickly and sat on a branch. He followed her and sat on the branch directly in front of her. The girl didn’t mind being stared at by this convenient stranger. The man didn’t mind that this murderer hadn’t bothered killing him. Either way, he knew she couldn’t kill him.
“What does mystery mean?” She asked randomly.
He snorted, “I’m sure you know what it means. You’ve been here for at least 600 years.”
“You have too.”
He grinned at her and laid his back down on the branch. The girl settled in between his legs and laid her head on his abdomen to look at the same thing he was staring at. They both looked at the black starry sky. “Stars ruin everything,” She muttered.
“How about you be Mystery and I’ll be Unknown,” He continued ignoring her last comment. She nodded and frowned at the spotty sky. His breathing calmed her and for once, she felt like she didn’t need to hide from those things that have invaded her property for all those years. Newspapers called them people, but she had called them ants that she could easily exterminate.
“Stars ruin everything,” She said again with a sigh, “They remind me how many ants I have killed and eaten. The bodies stay in my tummy but some how, they end up there and get to be stars. They stain our black blanket and hide like cowards when the Sun comes out.”
“Who says they get to be stars after they die?” He asked. A hand daringly stroked the girl’s hair and picked out twigs and pieces of human flesh out of the auburn strands.
“When they killed my partner, I knew he showed up in the sky. Oak Forest never started getting stars until that night,” She said warily. After a long and thoughtful silence, she spoke up again, “Hey Unknown…”
His heard perked up when he heard that she called him by the name he wanted. “Does this mean you accept the name?” He asked excitedly.
She ignored him and continued, “You look awfully familiar. I would have eaten you by now but you’re still here. Explain yourself so it can stay that way.”
“Even if I don’t explain myself, you wouldn’t dare to eat my body,” Unknown said slyly, “I’ve been watching you for a couple of centuries and I’ve been wondering: why do act like a child and insist to look like one?”
Mystery stayed silent and her breath froze.
“You’re lonely,” He admitted, “And I look like your partner. You kill people because you blame them for his death. You think they’re all out to ruin your life and your home. You just want Oak Forest all to yourself so that you can stop eating people. You’re full and sick, aren’t you?”
She stared at the stars for a little while longer, until she spoke again, “Tell me, Unknown, how long can you hold your breath?”
“As long as you want, Mystery.”
Finally sick of not participating, he went up to her fragile looking body and poked her shoulder. “Hello miss,” He said with a gentle smile, “Are you lost?” She turned and looked at him with a droplet of blood hanging on the corner of her mouth. She shook her head in denial and continued walking up the lonely road. He followed.
“What’s your name?” He urged. She shrugged to answer the question. In awe, he stared at her tiny bare feet as they walked over broken glass and random sharp objects that would usually be found in the streets.
“What’s your name?” She asked quietly, in a not so young voice. He thought for a moment, not really knowing what to say. Strangers called him Moon for some odd reason. “You want to name each other?”
“Well, my name could be Moon and yours could be Mystery,” He offered with a grin. She raised an eyebrow.
“Why do you get to be Moon?” She whined and looked up at the tree branches that still had some leaves hanging on for dear life. He looked around trying to ignore the question and spotted a tree with a red ribbon tied around a branch. “Is that the tree you were looking for?” He asked pointing to the tree.
She looked and frowned. “No, they just killed someone there.” Then she walked around and asked again, “Why do you get to be Moon?”
“I don’t know. People call me Moon and I don’t know why,” He said. She finally found the tree and climbed it quickly and sat on a branch. He followed her and sat on the branch directly in front of her. The girl didn’t mind being stared at by this convenient stranger. The man didn’t mind that this murderer hadn’t bothered killing him. Either way, he knew she couldn’t kill him.
“What does mystery mean?” She asked randomly.
He snorted, “I’m sure you know what it means. You’ve been here for at least 600 years.”
“You have too.”
He grinned at her and laid his back down on the branch. The girl settled in between his legs and laid her head on his abdomen to look at the same thing he was staring at. They both looked at the black starry sky. “Stars ruin everything,” She muttered.
“How about you be Mystery and I’ll be Unknown,” He continued ignoring her last comment. She nodded and frowned at the spotty sky. His breathing calmed her and for once, she felt like she didn’t need to hide from those things that have invaded her property for all those years. Newspapers called them people, but she had called them ants that she could easily exterminate.
“Stars ruin everything,” She said again with a sigh, “They remind me how many ants I have killed and eaten. The bodies stay in my tummy but some how, they end up there and get to be stars. They stain our black blanket and hide like cowards when the Sun comes out.”
“Who says they get to be stars after they die?” He asked. A hand daringly stroked the girl’s hair and picked out twigs and pieces of human flesh out of the auburn strands.
“When they killed my partner, I knew he showed up in the sky. Oak Forest never started getting stars until that night,” She said warily. After a long and thoughtful silence, she spoke up again, “Hey Unknown…”
His heard perked up when he heard that she called him by the name he wanted. “Does this mean you accept the name?” He asked excitedly.
She ignored him and continued, “You look awfully familiar. I would have eaten you by now but you’re still here. Explain yourself so it can stay that way.”
“Even if I don’t explain myself, you wouldn’t dare to eat my body,” Unknown said slyly, “I’ve been watching you for a couple of centuries and I’ve been wondering: why do act like a child and insist to look like one?”
Mystery stayed silent and her breath froze.
“You’re lonely,” He admitted, “And I look like your partner. You kill people because you blame them for his death. You think they’re all out to ruin your life and your home. You just want Oak Forest all to yourself so that you can stop eating people. You’re full and sick, aren’t you?”
She stared at the stars for a little while longer, until she spoke again, “Tell me, Unknown, how long can you hold your breath?”
“As long as you want, Mystery.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Adios.