Janus

I can’t stop myself from looking at him – snow white skin, hair, dark as chocolate, topaz eyes borrowed from a bird of prey, soft lips, bowed in a mischievous arch – vibrant memories, which won’t  let me sleep, won’t let me close my eyes. Even if I do, I’ll open them up, asap. Feeling his breath, his gaze peeled to whatever there is to be to be noticed in my face.

Even in the darkness of the room, drawn curtains, and the half moon shining… Even in the solid black mist his eyes seems to glow in that strange orange golden light. He seems to emit it, his faces, his mouthes, his shiny teeth… All screaming curiosity.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I´ve never seen someone fall asleep before.”

“What? Never? Why?”

“I never sleep. So I’m curious.”

“Suit yourself.” Indeed, I’m exhausted, and ´bout to fall asleep. “So you never sleep, hm? Do you – ever dream?” My lips move lazily. The bed sheets still hot and messed up. Feeling heavy on my skin.

“Yes. But mine are different from yours. I do not lose myself doing so.” His voice softens, moves closer somewhere near my left temple. “And when you’ll lose yourself, you’ll be empty – a living, breathing hollow shell. Just waiting.” His voice sounds now like a whisper, moves suddenly from my left to the right ear… Of course -forgot- two mouthes. Two tongues. Strangely, they sound the same.

Can’t open my eyes, sleep burns inside of them. It is a soft warm black, that keeps dripping, dissolving into my mind. “Mhm. What for?” Words drop out hazily, I just breathe them out.

“For me, to do as I please… Shhh, now. Go back to sleep…”

professional

He looked at the photo closely. His thumb felt the glossy surface of the printed paper. Black and white. Actually this was the photo of a drawing.

The table was a mess. Coffe in different cups, different blends of age, vaporizing ever so slowly. The ashtray looked overcharged. Smoking can kill you- yes it can. The lack of it too…

turn here

“Hold onto someth-” He doesn’t finish his sentence.

The car skids round the corner with screeching tires. I already have my fingers digging deep into the backseat, but my head thuds against the window anyway.

He’s checking the rearview mirror. I’m not happy. And it’s written all over my face. I just keep my mouth shut, cause I’m grateful to the man who just saved my ass. No comments on his driving.

He floors the accelerator. I rub my head. “It’s going to be a lump” I state.

“Well, dude… That’s your smallest problem.” He grins and throws my wallet on the backseat.

“How did you get hold of it?” I wonder. I don’t remember that he could have swiped it… I look baffled to the mirror, but doesn’t look back, nor does he bother to answer. “Fine. Don’t tell me.”

“So… What do you have in your bag, that is so important?” He asks with a low rumble in his voice. What  have I gotten myself into again?

“Nothing!”

“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll find it out by myself,” he laughs a throaty laugh. And it’s not benign. I grab my bag tight and lock my arms around it. “I´m just curious”, he tries.

“Curious, my ass!” I spit. Now he’s bursting into honest laughter, slowing the car down to normal speed.

“You hungry? I know a great place!”

jelly fish love

 Secretly, I hoped for this. A chance to see the jellyfish. Well, not like this… I hoped for this, but differently…

No, not my dive headfirst into the Moon jellyfish tank. That was an accident.

I slipped, I swear. I was supposed to check the filters. Thank god, there aren’t any costumers watching. They’d be laughing their heads off. I’d be probably too if I wasn’t the loser taking a swim.

Lucky me, I did not fall into the Nomura’s jellyfish tank, or lion’s mane jellyfish tank. I’d be fucked. Painfully. Maybe lethally. The Moon jelly stings a bit though…

The current in the Kreisel tank is swift, I won’t be able to swim all night.

Now how do I get myself outta here?

snake magic

It´s been some decades now… Since things started to be calamitous and sinister. At first, she did not understand what happened.

One early morning in June she woke to the  terrified screams of her husband. Why was he yelling like that? Was he in pain? That cursed morning she was still too sleepy to get her brain working. Horrified, he clawed at the lamp on the nightstand and hit her with it. He tried to blow her head with it…

Why did he tried to kill her?

Becoming furious, she hissed at him, she spun around to face him -then she saw it! In the mirror of their bedroom…

There was her husband, and instead of her, a huge black snake. She shrieked at her own reflection, but the sound she made peaked into a low dangerous hiss.

Woken up from the screams her oldest son ran into the room. Her five years old lovely son dashed in – moved directly between both of them. He was so fast, came up too close to her.

That blasted moment.

If she could cry, she would. She closed her eyes, that was the closest to human crying a snake could manage… Her nictitating membranes squeezed each a little droplet out.

And there it happened. It has been all reflex. She couldn’t stop herself.

She bit.

She killed her own son.

He died.

He died fast.

She knew, that there was no way anyone could save him. His  little body was too weak for her poison. She didn’t mean to… The only thing there was left for her to do, was to stay with him. She didn’t let anyone come close to him. Not even her husband.

A mother has to look in the eyes of her child. She has to… So she’d never forget, how death looks like.

She waited. Uncapable to do  any good for anyone she loved, she had to leave.

She managed  not to kill anyone else in her family. She managed to leave the mansion without meeting anyone else. She managed  not to kill cattle, nor chicken, nor ducks, nor goats. She had to get out and leave everything behind.

She had to be a snake now.

She slipped out of  her hole, and  searched for a sunny spot. The sun has always been friendly to her.

And from humans, she kept away, as long as possible. But they kept coming at her.

 

sockfairies

“Traditions define us! Loyalty means something to me. Even if it is just a word to you!” I say. Let’s be honest- I’m old fashioned. Restrain. Nothing but complains tonight. Anyway.

“This isn’t what I asked for, Ira!”

I roll my eyes. Still. I can’t be angry with her. This time I cannot give her what she wants. It is impossible. Even if this is our hundredth discussion. “I’d give my head on a plate. But don’t claim that. Please! Please…” She can be as annoying as a hungry puppy, while I’m eating a steak. “I told you. I can’t get you that! I do not have the autorisation for that! And I told you.” That can’t be helped. “I’m doing more than just risk my job for you. You know, what will happen, if they catch me. Getting fired is the most pleasant thing, that they could do to me.”

“I DON’T CARE!”

What?! She really said it… “I’m sorry, Ira. I didn’t mean to…”

“You did.” It hurts. Like swallowing glass shards. I forgot. Natasha is… Natasha. I knew she chose me for a reason, and stays with me as long as I serve her purposes. And I know she’s not in love, or anything. I don’t need her to… I’ve got enough for both of us. It will be good – for a while.

Maybe I… I. No. I don’t even know her real name. She lets me call her Natasha. When we first met, in ‘Roadrunner’, a night club, she was sitting at the bar, staring into her Martini. Not looking  for company, not interested at all. I was drunk and pretentious. I said, she looked like a ‘Natasha’. So she stuck with it. I don’t know, why she didn’t punch me in the face, for being such an ass.

She made it clear. The first night we spent together. She’s a stray. She doesn’t belong to anyone. Only to herself. Sweet Natasha. Her big  brown eyes burning with madness, or anger, or sex. Sometimes I can’t tell the difference. Her wonderfully soft lips, speaking those words with such cold cruelty. The clicking of her teeth, her jaw muscles working under the skin of her cheeks. She fought for those words. She fought herself. I fell for her, that night.

As the weeks passed, she showed her gratitude… In different ways. And it meant more to me, than I ever could imagine. More, than I wanted them to mean to me. So here I am. Living with a stray woman, who needs things… Things I can supply her with.

“Come on, Ira. I’m sorry. I really am! You know that. Come on. Look at me, darling. Please forgive me! You know I’ve got temper. I don’t want you to get hurt. My mouth was faster than my brain. Forgive me.” She smiles sad.

I smile back at her. “I’ll just say, that it was the sockfairies…”

“I’ll be there. To pick you up,” she promises.

But I know she’ll be gone. Maybe by morning. Maybe tomorrow, or next week…

safer alone

That’s me… Leaning at the bar, staring myself down, in the mirror. God, I look awful… My face. Always crumpled-up, like the artist just didn’t like it. Carelessly thrown away. Old coffe-stained drawing of me – there you go, my life in a nutshell.

On my left, a gorgeous lady, with assassins look, drinking champaign. She smells of dark chocolate, her curves carefully wrapped in satin, like a summer night, solid black, eyes like the edges of ice in my already emptied glass.

On my right, a drunk. A future me? Two years ahead, or maybe just two months, two weeks? Anyway… I imagine. Laying my hand on her tights, to get down into that black night of hers, drown in it… Those lips… “`nother!” The bartender smirks and nods.

“Sweetheart. You’re having too much,” she states. I know, but instead of an answer I nod. “Don’t you wanna have more fun, than getting hammered? Spare some energy. Do it for me, pretty please?” Her smile. I’d die for that. I’d give everything for it, if it was real. If it was not directed to my wallet. But it is. And she’s fake, fishing for clients. Getting paid hourly…

“No” Getting drunk is cheaper anyway. It is safer. For her, maybe for me too… I don’t need more blood on my hands.

“Poor baby. Having a bad day? Let me ease your pain. Oh, your shoulders, why are you so tensed up? Does it hurt? Oh, dear. You’re ravenous…”

“I need to tell you. Something.” I swallow. I really should tell her. I… “You… It’s. Simply, you’re um, ravishing.”

She laughs. A beautiful victorious giggle, narrowing her gleaming eyes. Come on, tell her. She really should leave me alone. For her own sake.

germs

 

Lately, matter is clustering…

That’s news to me, since there was none before.

And I wasn’t constantly bumping my elbows or knees or heads in it. Seriously, you just turn around and pay attention to that dark energy thingy, and BAAAM! You bump your head into a galaxy. You should have seen the look on my faces.

Surprise! Someone is tossing dirty snowballs at you, just send them back flying into oblivion.

Space is expanding, which is good, now I can stretch, at least. Really! My back is killing me. Figure of speech!

It’s getting cold too. I don’t like cold. My kind loves heat. All kinds of heat and pressure. It’s just a matter of time, when it will be so freezing, that I start to hibernate. Duh, fingers already clumsy. I should start looking for a proper place to rest… Sleep comes soon enough.

Stretching is fine, ah.

I only wish I wouldn’t toss those little pebbles around. This is annoying. Look at that one. It flies right into my eyes. Stings like hell. Little mudball.

Gah, KONTAMINATION!

Germs! GERMS!

Germs be GONE!

thief honor

The blades were rusted

The screeching noise sounds like a banshee cry.

“Put it back! The blades are rusted… Why do you have to be like that?! Looking means looking! With your EYES, not your hands. Why do you touch everything?” I already hear the words in my head, even before she inhales to hiss that answer.

“Because. It´s. INTERESTING!”

“Fine” I can’t hold back and grimace her words. I tell myself to let it go. It is interesting, alright. I turn my back on her and  start to look at some old books and newspapers. One says eighteen-seventy-something. „Through the Looking-Glass?” Oh my god… First edition? Can’t be! Can’t be! Did we just hit jackpot?!

“Look! Look! LOOK!”

I turn round and see a… “What´s that?” A huge rusty sword. Crap, she managed to pull one out of it´s sheath. With both hands, she lifts it over her head and rumbles: “There can be only one!”

“Sssssssshhhhh! Are you crazy?! If they find us!” I try to calm her. Shish! I swing my flashlight through the room. Armors, spears, swords, paintings… What is this place, anyway? Old stuff, even older stuff. Seems to be really antique. I grab that book and shuffle it in my bag.

“Are we thieves now?!” She asks. I didn’t hear her sneak up on me.

„Mmmmhnoooo…?” Or maybe yes. I don’t know. Yet. “I don’t want the rats to read it, and then sleep in it.”

“As if! You’d never deny a rat good literature… Unless. Unless it is valuable literature. You’ve found something worth it, haven’t you?” I don’t like how easily she sees through me.

“Everything here is valuable. It´s a weird attic with everything I find interesting… It´s like we´re in my head.” I tell her and smile, hoping she´d be satisfied with that answer.

“I knew it,“ she snorts. “How much?”

here birdie, birdie

This could have been such a nice, sunny day to doze off, having nothing to do, but to fit my butt between the bulges on the couch and stare at the telly. Occasionally yelling at it, or giggling, or snoring- maybe…

I merit to have those days in sweet neglect of the world outside my living room! I really do.

I’m a nice guy, you see. Easy to cope with, understanding, a good friend, polite, a hard worker… But lately, all I get is a shit load of trouble I didn’t sign in for…