Quiet Little Monsters

I told Luella as soon as I got back to the apartment. In fact, I had run home in order to tell her. Her big blue eyes widened.

"So... You didn't hear him at all?" she asked in disbelief.

I shook my head and sipped on my chai tea. "Not one fucking word," I whispered.
I cussed a lot. It wasn't something I liked too much, but it was something that just happened. Especially after hearing so many f-bombs being dropped by the entire population of San Francisco every single day.

That is so cool, Luella thought, Did you ask what his name was?

I shook my head. "Are you crazy? No. He thought I was a fucking loon, Lu. He really did. I couldn't stop staring at him!"

So? Luella thought, Maybe he was flattered.

"No. He wasn't," I sighed, "I'll probably never see him again and I'll just wonder forever and ever who the guy was that I couldn't hear. And I'll die fucking thinking about him and-"

"Shut up," Luella complained and got up to dump her mug in the sink, "You'll see him again. Trust me."

"I hope so," I mumbled.

Luella gave me a smile and returned to thinking of the latest episode of her favorite TV show as she washed the dishes. Luella Baker was the only person other than my mother who knew of my "special" abilities. We had conversations where only I spoke. She actually preferred to think rather talk when it came to communicating with me.

I sighed dismally again and rested my head on my hands.

Don't stress, Dolly. Please don't.

Luella's voice was my constant comfort.



It took three weeks for the silent stranger to return to Dolly's. He walked in with a smile and I tried to ignore the insistent pounding of my heart that seemed to shake the entire shop.

He wore a grey beanie on his head and a pale blue plaid shirt. He grinned at me and I blushed. This guy thought I was crazy, remember?

"Hey Dolly," he said, "See? I remembered your name."

"Well... I have a nametag. And the shop's na-"

"Sshh. Irrelevant," he said and smiled.

I giggled and looked up at him fully. I had spent most of our short conversation staring at my new lavender heels.

"Well, um. How can I help you?" I asked.

"Black coffee and throw in one of those brownie things," he pointed to the glass display case.

I nodded and turned to pour a cup of coffee.

"I'm Finn, by the way. Finn Watson," he said.

I froze. Why was he telling me this? What was wrong with him? Most strangers weren't so friendly.

"Are you okay?" his voice asked seriously and I went back to life, snapping the cup's lid on.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I whispered and set the coffee on the counter. He grabbed it and I started on getting him a brownie while he reached for his wallet.

"Erm. Listen, Dolly. This may seem very forward, but I was wondering if we could have a cup of coffee sometime. You and me?"

My heart stopped. There was something peculiar about him. Something... not right.

"Coffee?" I asked blankly.

"Oh. You must be sick of coffee, right. Okay. How about Thai? Do you like Thai food?" he asked and handed me a five dollar bill.

"Yeaahh," I said slowly, getting the money and opening the register.

"There's something I have to tell you," he whispered, "I'll meet you on the corner of West and Loyola at seven tonight."

Finn Watson then left without another word, forgetting his change and his brownie.



When seven o'clock rolled around, I dawdled as I took off my periwinkle blue apron and went to the bathroom in the back to comb my tangled dark hair. It had been a very long day and the familiar ache of a migraine formed behind my eyes. Locking their voices out made my brain throb.

I looked up at the mirror and found my eyes staring back at me. But they weren't my eyes. No. I didn't know who I was. I was everybody and everybody was me. There was nothing private in the world. I knew everything.

My heart panged and I looked down. My mother's voice sounded in my head, like it had so many other times, "Dolly, you are a gift from God. He gave this to you!"

I felt too worn from my day and pondered the idea of not showing up to meet with Finn Watson. Excuses piled up in the back of my head. If I ever saw him again I would tell him I fell down the stairs and got amnesia... who was he again? Yeah, that was a good fucking excuse if you asked me.

But Finn's green eyes shined again in my head and I sighed. I was too curious to not go. My heels clicked on the ground as I walked out and locked the shop.



It only occurred to me that Finn Watson could have been a serial killer when I arrived at the corner of West and Loyola. I had walked there in the bleak gray sunset, and when I arrived at the somewhat deserted crossing, I realized that this was exactly where people in movies died.

What's a girl like that doin' walking out in this neighborhood? The driver of a lonely looking car thought to himself worriedly as he drove by.

I sighed and tapped my heel on the pavement as I waited.

He probably does this all the time, Dolly. He probably lures girls out here and then brings a chainsaw or maybe a hook and slashe-

"Hey, Dolly! Psst!"

I looked up, out of my reverie to find a pretty old looking Chevy in front of me. It's engine rumbled and the hunter green paint was peeling.

"Get in," Finn muttered from inside the car.

My eyes narrowed at him.

"No," I hissed, "I will not just 'get in.' I don't even fucking know you!"

He chuckled and cut the engine. I suddenly got really, really scared as he stepped out of the car. His long, lean legs carried him to me quickly. His grin remained on his face.

"Hi. I'm Finn Watson, remember? I live on 679 Monty Lane. My parents are Glenda and Leon Watson and I was born in Alhambra, California. Okay. We're not strangers anymore; you can get in the car now."

I stared at his face. Night was creeping on us and his skin seemed to glow silver in the dark. If only I could read his thoughts. Then I would know if he was a killer in disguise.

"I... don't... know," I muttered intelligently.

"Yeah. You do. Please get in. I swear nothing will happen to you. At the end, I will drop you off at home. Okay? You will be safe." His voice was very serious.

"Can't you just tell me what you fucking need to say here?" I whispered.

He grinned. "Nope. I'm hungry. I can't focus when I'm hungry."

I shook my head. "You are one persistent motherfucker," I murmured and then nodded my head as if to say, 'Yeah. I'll go with you. But only because I HAVE to.'
Finn grinned and opened the car door for me.

"I carry mace in my purse. You should know that," I said, hoping that I sounded convincing because all I had in my purse was my wallet, makeup and gum. Yeah. No mace anywhere to be seen.

"Yep. Okay," Finn stated and closed the door.

He quickly found his way into the driver's seat and revved the engine. I found myself to be quite nervous and I wrung my hands in my lap as he switched the radio on and sang along to the classic rock station. It was nerve-racking, not knowing his intentions, but at the same time it was freeing. He was able to keep himself to himself. It was the natural order, something I'd never known. We entered the busier side of town and I felt the door tremble with the voices that were behind it. My lips tightened as I locked them away as best as I could. When I looked up, I was surprised to find Finn staring at me from the corner of his eye. We were at a stoplight and his countenance was not confused or worried. It seemed... knowing, almost, like he understood exactly what I was doing.

The silence remained and I couldn't help but sigh. It didn't take very long for us to reach a small Thai restaurant on the edge of town. It had tea lights hanging from the windows and through the glass could be seen bamboo tables settled in every nook and cranny of the tiny place.

Finn and I stepped out of the car and he opened the door for me. It was a bit crowded inside and I made sure the door was tightly shut when we sat down at an isolated table farthest from the kitchen. Finn slid the chair for me to sit in and I blushed. Why was he doing this to me? He was a polite serial killer.

"Um, thanks," I whispered and sat down.

He walked smoothly around the table and sat down also. The waitress came by in a nanosecond and smiled at Finn and batted her eyelashes. The door shook with her thoughts. I cracked the door open the tiniest bit and she was there, loud and clear.

Finnnnn. Take me nowwww. Why are you here with this bitch? She gave me a pointed look but her smile remained. Finn. Finn. Finn. Aah. When are you going to notice me-

I shut the door.

"The usual, Finn?" she asked sweetly.

"You know me best, Carrie," Finn said and nodded.

Carrie turned around and her red curls bounced as she did.

"She likes you," I stated bluntly.

"Really? How do you know?" Finn asked giving me a sharp look.

"Because... anyone can see that," I said, trying to backtrack.

He caught me in a challenging silence but I interrupted it.

"So when are you going to fucking tell me whatever it is that you need to tell me," I muttered.

"You have a dirty mouth, you know that?" Finn said with a cheeky grin. I smirked at him.

"I know. It's a habit that's hard to break," I sighed.

Finn laughed.

"I'm gonna tell you what I have to say just as soon as I've got some pad thai in my system," he said.

His celery green eyes landed on mine and I blushed and looked away. I wished he would stop doing that. It made my palms sweaty.

Soon Carrie fluttered back carrying pad thai and some strange looking thick noodles in a dark sauce. She laid the steaming plates of food before us and Finn gave her a lavish beam which sent her into a bother and she ran back to wherever she came from.

Finn ate quickly. He sure wasn't kidding about being hungry. I picked at my food. My appetite was gone because the door was being rattled by a couple across the room that was fighting over who had last paid the tab on dinner.

I took a sip of my Thai iced coffee and Finn sighed after practically finishing all the food on his own.

"Okay, now is the time, Finn. Go for it," I muttered.

Finn's grin wore off and it did not come back. Carrie came by just at that moment and offered not only herself but a cup of coffee to Finn who accepted. She rushed back within two minutes with black coffee and Finn took a deep swig of the burning liquid before making eye contact with me again.

"Do you, Dolly Gunn... Do you read minds?"