watched, eyes and a nose filled in the spaces.
“And so I adapted this human form, a scarecrow you might say. Unfortunately, I can’t do teeth.” He held out his hands. “None of us are perfect, you know. I had to make do with these sharp instruments.” He grinned broadly and the needles, hundreds of them, blazed red. “Fortunately, I lack a craving for food.”
He took another hit off his pipe and exhaled the smoke before he continued.
“As you might have guessed I am not of your Earth, and this place is not of your Earth. Some thought it a land of dreams, some thought it a paradise. Neither is correct. All you need to know is that it is my home, and you, my dear Lori, are trespassing in it.”
He shook out his pipe, and I noticed that the fire behind him became more intense.
“We’re almost done here,” he said as he returned the pipe to his pocket. He looked at me and smiled. “I must tell you that your mother, brave soul that she was, nearly finished me off some time ago. She caught me unprepared, you might say. It took me several of your years to build my strength back. She was a strong one, your mother, I underestimated her.”
He took a step forward. The fire in the furnace behind him grew stronger. I could feel its heat on my face.
“To answer your earlier question, Lori, I had to punish her for that. I had to teach her a lesson.”
He took another step closer. A fierce heat enveloped me.
“And so I took her husband. I didn’t need to go far for that one, right in my back yard. Then, I regret to say, she became even more of a nuisance, so I…well, I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”
“You son of a bitch!” I screamed it at the top of my lungs.
“Such language! I was so hoping we could be friends. I suppose not. Goodbye, Lori. I sincerely hope that your daughter will be easier to handle.”
A loud boom echoed from behind me. The scarecrow looked past me and I saw his eyes widen into dark holes once more. I turned to see someone standing at the doorway. He walked toward us and as he neared, I knew who it was.
“Brian,” I whispered.
“Thought you might need some help,” he yelled out.
I heard a strange laugh from behind me. “Ah, the husband arrives to save his lady.” The voice behind me grew louder. “You forget, my boy, you are the weak link in this chain.”
“But,” Brian said in a strong voice. “I’ve brought friends with me.”
A white cloud blew in from the sky outside. It spread across the ceiling before it descended toward the back of the hall.
I turned around. “I did too.”
I placed my hand on the deer next to me and I saw its antlers blaze a fiery red and steel bands now crossed its body.
The bird lifted from my shoulder as the deer lowered its head and charged forward. It leaped high in the air, hitting the scarecrow in the chest. At the same time, the cat sprang onto the thing’s face, its claws sinking deep as the scarecrow tried in vain to pull it off. I heard the sound of wings fluttering above my head and I saw my paper bird, the same one that watched over me, fold into itself until it became a spear that shot forward into the scarecrow’s chest.
The scarecrow howled as tentacles of smoke expelled from his wounded chest. I looked up and saw paper birds, too many to count, folding their wings and becoming missiles which aimed themselves at the scarecrow.
The deer of straw leaped forward again and, as he did so, the paper missiles descended in a blur of motion, striking the scarecrow as one.
The thing howled as talons of smoke released from its core clawed at the air before disappearing. The thing no longer looked human as it staggered back toward the flames of the furnace.
The cat leaped from the scarecrow onto the deer’s back. The deer lowered its head for one last charge, but before it did, it turned to me and I saw myself reflected in its eyes; a light as dazzling as a flame.
The deer and the cat charged into the scarecrow. All three
“And so I adapted this human form, a scarecrow you might say. Unfortunately, I can’t do teeth.” He held out his hands. “None of us are perfect, you know. I had to make do with these sharp instruments.” He grinned broadly and the needles, hundreds of them, blazed red. “Fortunately, I lack a craving for food.”
He took another hit off his pipe and exhaled the smoke before he continued.
“As you might have guessed I am not of your Earth, and this place is not of your Earth. Some thought it a land of dreams, some thought it a paradise. Neither is correct. All you need to know is that it is my home, and you, my dear Lori, are trespassing in it.”
He shook out his pipe, and I noticed that the fire behind him became more intense.
“We’re almost done here,” he said as he returned the pipe to his pocket. He looked at me and smiled. “I must tell you that your mother, brave soul that she was, nearly finished me off some time ago. She caught me unprepared, you might say. It took me several of your years to build my strength back. She was a strong one, your mother, I underestimated her.”
He took a step forward. The fire in the furnace behind him grew stronger. I could feel its heat on my face.
“To answer your earlier question, Lori, I had to punish her for that. I had to teach her a lesson.”
He took another step closer. A fierce heat enveloped me.
“And so I took her husband. I didn’t need to go far for that one, right in my back yard. Then, I regret to say, she became even more of a nuisance, so I…well, I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”
“You son of a bitch!” I screamed it at the top of my lungs.
“Such language! I was so hoping we could be friends. I suppose not. Goodbye, Lori. I sincerely hope that your daughter will be easier to handle.”
A loud boom echoed from behind me. The scarecrow looked past me and I saw his eyes widen into dark holes once more. I turned to see someone standing at the doorway. He walked toward us and as he neared, I knew who it was.
“Brian,” I whispered.
“Thought you might need some help,” he yelled out.
I heard a strange laugh from behind me. “Ah, the husband arrives to save his lady.” The voice behind me grew louder. “You forget, my boy, you are the weak link in this chain.”
“But,” Brian said in a strong voice. “I’ve brought friends with me.”
A white cloud blew in from the sky outside. It spread across the ceiling before it descended toward the back of the hall.
I turned around. “I did too.”
I placed my hand on the deer next to me and I saw its antlers blaze a fiery red and steel bands now crossed its body.
The bird lifted from my shoulder as the deer lowered its head and charged forward. It leaped high in the air, hitting the scarecrow in the chest. At the same time, the cat sprang onto the thing’s face, its claws sinking deep as the scarecrow tried in vain to pull it off. I heard the sound of wings fluttering above my head and I saw my paper bird, the same one that watched over me, fold into itself until it became a spear that shot forward into the scarecrow’s chest.
The scarecrow howled as tentacles of smoke expelled from his wounded chest. I looked up and saw paper birds, too many to count, folding their wings and becoming missiles which aimed themselves at the scarecrow.
The deer of straw leaped forward again and, as he did so, the paper missiles descended in a blur of motion, striking the scarecrow as one.
The thing howled as talons of smoke released from its core clawed at the air before disappearing. The thing no longer looked human as it staggered back toward the flames of the furnace.
The cat leaped from the scarecrow onto the deer’s back. The deer lowered its head for one last charge, but before it did, it turned to me and I saw myself reflected in its eyes; a light as dazzling as a flame.
The deer and the cat charged into the scarecrow. All three
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