But Still I Smile
I smile
My confident smile
With my mouth
And my teeth
And almost my eyes.
They don’t notice. They never do. I switch it on when needed. My mask serves me well.
Too well.
They ask me again. To do more. To take charge. To take the microphone.
And I do.
Before and after, I am dizzy. So tired. The world slips in and out of focus.
But then the trigger flips my switch. And the act begins.
There are times I slip. My thoughts not sharp enough. And some notice. But never say. Or even ask if I’m okay.
And I get through. I never fail because I know the role. I act it well. And I fear their stares, confused if I just stopped or even faltered.
But it’s not the fear of failure that haunts me most.
Oh, no.
It’s the fear of success. Of moving on to the next level. The next stage. Where I will surely be discovered.
But still
I smile my confident smile.
And they smile back.
The Dark Door
Where did this come from?
This...
This feeling.
Like love
Or enchantment
Or something unknown
Swirling softly in me
Slowly whirling
Churning.
Mind tumbling
Fumbling
Stumbling
Lost in a dark room
Feeling for the door
Not looking for a way out
But a way to let you in
Though knowing
If I let you in
You will drag me deeper
Into dark, mystical minds.
But that is where I need to be
To find myself.
And find myself with you.
Chapter 183: Need I Say More (From the Relica Enchanted series) (c) 2019
Vladperialess summoned the witch Broom Hilda and the vampire Kazimir to King Halfingfalfidor’s study for further and I dare say, final, examination, since the interrogation did not work out.
Broom Hilda and Kazimir were seated across from each other as Vladperialess, Myrmidion and King Halfingfalfidor bore witness to the hypnosis.
Broom Hilda wore two wooden crosses around her neck, One inverted and the other up right. She pulled a vial of potion from her gown, “I need him to drink it,” she stated as Vladperialess came over, and tilted his head back, since Kazimir was in chains. She uncapped the vial and poured the potion down his gullet, and as Vladperialess held his head all the way back, he had no other recourse but to swallow, or choke…
“May I ask what that was?” Myrmidion questioned.
“It was pig’s blood with a dash of sunlight infused water, crushed garlic and a couple of other secret ingredients,” Broom Hilda replied.
“Do tell, I’m just dying to know,” stated Myrmidion again.
“Well if you must know sire, I used several herbs: aspen, oak, ash, maple, dog rose, wild rose, holly, juniper, millet, linden, mayflower, roses, lemon, rowan, and wolfsbane.”
“You witches and your concoctions! Might I ask what that elixir will do to him?” Myrmidion asked on.
“Are you sure you just rather not see sire?”
“I’ll be uneasy and anxious if I have to wait to find out,” Myrmidion retorted, as King Halfingfalfidor sighed and rolled his eyes, just wanting to get on with the show.
“It will basically weaken him, so he’s easier to hypnotize,” Broom Hilda replied.
“And the crosses you wear, -whatever purpose do those serve?” Myrmidion questioned.
“My God brother! Can you let her simply hypnotize the vampire already!?!” King Halfingfalfidor snarled.
“I don’t mind answering King, it’s basically for my protection. I wear two as some vampires are religious and others, -not so much. As long as there is a heaven and a hell, God or the Devil will have someone’s full attention,” Broom Hilda replied.
Broom Hilda then began to hypnotize Kazimir, as the potion made him so sick and lethargic he could hardly resist the witch telling him he was getting sleepy, and to shut his eyes, -to which he did. And upon her telling him to open his eyes and answer the questions he was going to be asked honestly, he did just that…
“Okay King, he is all yours! You can ask away. He is as lucid as a pubescent boy in a wet dream,” Broom Hilda stated, and as she said it, or suggested it, sure enough Kazimir had an erection.
“My God,” stated Myrmidion as he watched the bulge in Kazimir’s pants rise to the heavens. “I had no idea vampires were that well-endowed. I finally understand their seductive powers!”
“Enough Myrmidion!” stated King Halfingfalfidor, “Vampire, how is it you escaped?”
“I, the ghouls and the centaurion Queen formulated a plan. I for weeks at a time carefully loosened the collar around my neck until I could get it off. I transformed into a snake, slithered into the cage of the centaurion queen to drink her blood to garner strength. I then transformed her into a vamptaur, and transformed into a rat to find an exit, which I did, when I discovered in the bowels of the dungeon, a room full of zombies. I pulled a hair pin from a female zombies’ hair to unlock the cages of the two ghouls and centaurion Queen. I led them to this room where we breached the wall to escape.”
King Halfingfalfidor smiled, finally getting answers, and also at the thought of how clever, perceptive and absolutely insane and adlibbed his plan was, but the most entertaining part of his story was the idea that the centaurion Queen was now a vamptaur Queen. King Halfingfalfidor applauded, and stated, “I do like this vampire. So cunning! And genius!”
“Wow,” Vladperialess stated.
Myrmidion dropped his jaws in awe, “A Vamptaur?”
“Broom Hilda, can you tell me your thoughts, -your opinion on what a vamptaur Queen can and will do when she returns to her kingdom?” King Halfingfalfidor asked.
“My King, the nature of a vampire is to feed, as any living thing must do to survive. If all in her kingdom are centaurs, who else would she have left to feed on?” Broom Hilda stated.
“Brilliant,” King Halfingfalfidor stated, “She is likened to a masterpiece, -a bomb that will detonate in the very kingdom where we wage war.”
“But… what if she is to turn the others -into vamptaurs? What will we be up against?” Myrmidion asked.
“I doubt she even knows her capabilities or how to turn another, as she is perhaps the only vamptaur in our realms, she doesn’t have her teacher, what could she possibly know about herself, -her capabilities, when she is a new creature, -a conundrum at best? I’m willing to bet the vampire doesn’t even know the monster he’s created,” King Halfingfalfidor stated.
“Vampire, what are the capabilities of this vamptaur?” Myrmidion asked Kazimir.
“I do not know,” Kazimir replied.
“Ha! This will definitely work in our favor brother. Need I say more?” King Halfingfalfidor questioned.
Vladperialess looked bewildered. Broom Hilda smiled and Myrmidion shook his head no. None of them had ever imagined such a reveal.
Quotidian Instructions and Impassioned Interjections
Good morning, lubby!
How was your sweepy sweep?
Let's go potty.
Don't run in the house or you'll be sorry!
No!
Who's a good boy, being calm?
You hungry? Want some of mom's?
Sit down and I'll get you num nums.
Don't pee on that- it's bronze!
No!
My lubs you soooooo much!
Be careful <blows on food> it's hot to the touch. You chew it good and such.
Don't swallow your food whole! Enough!
No!
Can I get five minutes to myself, pray?
You play.
Be good today.
Put your business away!
No!
You wanna go outside, chappie?
<oof> Why must <argh> you climb me?
Ok it's time for a nappy.
Get in this house before I get angry!
Now!
You reek like death. Really?
You are filthy.
I said <grunt> it's <huffing> bathtime, silly.
Don't splash me!
No!
Who's a cutie boy? Blissful.
Shhhhhhhhhhhh. <willful>
It's quiet time- peaceful.
We don't lick people!
No!
Let's go outside again, grouchy.
Oh! Bees! Run, before they catch ye!
Did you get an ouchie?
Don't eat that! Nasty!
No!
Do you need to do a poop poop?
<my voice on an endless loop>
Baby
“You know what you have to do with it.”, he whispered.
“I love you."she said.
He couldn’t afford to get a scar in front of his colleagues so he simply hugged her. She went to the bathroom thinking how much she loved him but how badly he wanted to get rid of the child.
She said,“I will abort you.”
The baby inside was scared to see the scar in the amniotic sac.
-Adin
10 September
“The Body Snatcher”
First of all, my name is Veyna Bones and I’m a bodysnatcher. No, I don’t just take your body and do wily-nily things with it. I’m actually part wisp and part succubus, a perfect mutant who can literally copy a soul right down to its ethereal DNA. I’m also a private detective who is currently chasing down a vampire lord in a piece-of-crap, run-down building that’s about twenty-stories tall. Next to me, running on all fours, is my shapeshifting bff Grant. He can transform into anything as long as he gets a piece of DNA: hair, blood, etc. of whatever creature that suits his needs: currently, he was a black wolf with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. I stiffled a chuckle as we neared the vampire’s lair.
Upon reaching the stairs at the bottom, I looked at Grant. Giving me a nod, I then used my wispy-succubi powers and dissipated, before going “inside” him. Once there, I carefully touched his soul. With my succubus power, I took a little sip from the outer shell of his soul, granting me the ability to shapeshift. Then with my wisp power, I exited his body—like I had previously entered—and stood next to him once more. Feeling his power flow through me, I then transformed in a flame atronach: a being that was shaped like a human, but engulfed in flames; also a member of some Demonic family...
Ready for some serious ass-kicking, I motioned for Grant to enter first: he had better eyesight as a wolf and I’d rather not scare the vamps right away—I wanted to roast as many as possible for all the crimes they had committed and for all the rules they had broken. Not to mention interracial treaties between the various families. They were lucky I hadn’t chosen to be something worse than a flame atronach...
While I was standing outside, Grant went in first: I could see him sniffing around some of the darkest places on the ground floor, before grunting and letting me know it was safe so far. Entering, I was careful not to light anything on fire by accident. The building was already a mess to begin with and I definitely didn’t want it to collapse on top of us while we were hunting for this particular coven. So levitating carefully through the doorway, we went towards the back where a staircase was positioned. Following our routine, Grant went ahead of me again, checking the floorboards and making sure they were safe enough to cross. I don’t really know why he did that, since I was levitating in this form anyway, but maybe it was part of his habit.
We made it up about fifteen-stories before seeing any movement. As we reached the landing on the fifteenth floor, I saw a few fledgling vampires staring at me with blood-red eyes. Eyes that clearly stated: “I’m hungry.” I smiled at one such fledgling—who was perched on the railing of the staircase in front of me—before raising an arm and hurling a bright-orange ball of fiery death. The fledgling dodged, but in doing so, he knocked another one of his coven off the staircase; the other hissed in anger before they quickly shifted to smoke—avoiding a very long fall to the bottom.
“Move,” I told the newbie. “Before I roast you.”
“No.” He hissed, altering his stance on the railing. “You shall not pass.”
“Who are you? Gandalf?” I laughed then shook my head. “Never mind, you wouldn’t understand.”
The vampire looked at me like he was dumbstruck. Has he never seen any of the “Lord of the Rings” movies? How could he not get the reference? Shaking my head at the disbelief, I raised my arm again, ready to hurl more fireballs. “Just move already.”
“No.”
“Fine, have it your way then.” I replied, chucking a fireball in the noobs direction. He dodged again, but I was ready for it this time: I raised my other arm and hurled a second ball and caught him by surprise. It was fun watching him writhe in agony as he started to turn to ash. “One down, twenty-nine to go.”
Walking past the smoldering pile of ashes, I continued going up, killing both fledglings and full-fledged vampires. I even saw a couple of hybrids as well, but they weren’t a match for mine and Grant’s teamwork. We kept turning people into dust until finally reaching the twentieth floor, or what was left of it. Should’ve just said it was a roof since the floor didn’t have a ceiling anymore. It was also where the vampire lord and his second-in-command stood waiting for us. Behind them were some mysterious-looking bikes: both shaped like Harley-Davidson “Deluxes” from the Softail family. One was black, the other red.
“Greetings Veyna, Grant.” The vampire lord said, his short-blonde hair waving in the cool, night breeze. His second-in-command, a woman with long-red hair, flinched at the sound of our names.
That’s right, I thought, we put the fear of God into our enemies...
“Hello Alistair,” I reply. “Having a good evening?”
“No, not really, but that’s because you’re here. You’re always such a party-crasher aren’t you?”
“Hmm..only if it involves lots of dead bodies drained of blood.” I answer, floating closer towards him. His second, seeing my advance, starts to unsheathe her sword. Before she can though, he places his hand on hers: forcing her to let go of her weapon. I’m ten-feet away from him before he speaks again.
“They deserved to die. They killed twenty members of my coven, I only killed ten of their pack.” Then, waving a hand in the air, “Those werewolves don’t know when to quit. We practically fight every weekend. What’s so different this time around?”
“Well, for one, no one died in your previous conflicts and two: you killed the pack leader’s second-in-command this time. I’m sure you’d feel the same way if your second died.” Raising a hand, I showed them the power I currently weilded, and aimed it towards the woman. “Am I right?”
With a sigh, “Yes, I understand.” Alistair said, looking at his second. “I will atone for my sins then, but only if you can catch us.”
Without any warning, the vampires dash towards the motorcycles. Too slow, I missed them with my fireballs, before they took off into the night. In the distance, I could see them flying through the night sky. Only the headlights of the bikes were visible.
Grant looks at me with his silly wolf face; clearly disappointed. I was disappointed too, not because they got away—they would be easy to track down again—but because they had gotten away on custom-made motorcycles that could fly due to the magic imbued into the metal. Yep, I was really disappointed.
#xjenvanx, #jenvan91, #shortstory, #story, #bodysnatcher, #fiction, #vampire, #werewolf, #shapeshifter, #veynabones, #grant, #supernatural
Silently Sad
She was not who she wanted to be
She was not happy, she was not free
How did she get there, she did not know
Her life had fallen to an all time low
Living in silence day after day
A mother and wife with nothing to say
Should she stay or should she go
Isn't it sad, she really didn't know
Time passed and she grew old
She kept her story still untold
She never said what she wanted to be
or why she felt she was not free
Early Funny Christmas Story
I wrote this after a challenge from Prose four years ago. Christmas is coming up, I hope you adults out there will share it for a laugh or two..
Santa has a secret. He will never tell his true story because if he did, it would ruin Christmas all over the world. Unfortunately for Santa, I’m feeling a bit naughty. I am going to tell you Santa’s secret. Just how he became Santa Clause is what we never hear about because it is his secret past, Santa’s dirty little secret.
When Santa was a young man if it weren’t for the frigid North Pole weather he wouldn’t keep many clothes on. He spent hours in the barn with reindeer. He claimed he was training them to fly but the reality of the situation was that he was exploring the reindeer that could please him by using their noses. Thus, we have his favorite, Rudolph.
Santa had many intimate friends. Everyone seemed to like the chubby lad, even the strange group of short people they called Elves. Santa said they were just the right height.
Santa Clause discovered the “ladies of the night.” This is why he delivers his package simultaneously screaming “Ho! Ho! Ho!” He has always been jolly and frequently gay.
He aged. His white fluffy beard was fashionable at the North Pole. His passion could not be contained as he laid his eyes and heart upon Mrs. Clause. She was fat too though the term Chubby Chaser hadn’t been discovered yet.
Mrs. Clause was a daughter of the Gods. Her family had arranged for her to wed a man named Dudley Wisen who wore red with black accessories.
One day after a rendezvous in a large sack with her new love, she introduced Santa to her parents. Unbeknownst to Santa, a few shreds of her panties and one dark curly hair rested upon his beard.
The Gods were enraged! They considered their option to kill him. Mrs. Clause pleaded and begged for his life. They were given no choice but to accept their punishment.
· His balls would decorate trees.
· He would wear red with a black belt and black boots
· Rudolph would lead the team of flying reindeer
· Elves would make the toys
· He would work on the coldest night of the year screaming “Ho! “Ho! Ho!”
And lastly, he would live forever in the North Pole with Mrs. Clause.