Secret

Can you keep a secret? No, really, can you?

I need to tell someone, and you have such a warm lovely face. A trustworthy face.

So, will you keep my secret?

It happened a long time ago. I was just a bright young thing, naïve, maybe a little stupid. Eager. oh god, was I so eager. That’s probably why it happened. I was too eager.

And fuck me, so stupid.

Anyway. I had recently left my parent’s home for the big wide world for the first time. Look, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t lead a sheltered life, but the first time I lived by myself, I really embraced everything the world could offer. Different lovers every night, sometimes two at a time. I indulged in anything I could lay my hands on. You know, I think I was subconsciously trying to give each of the seven sins a taste.

And so it happened. I met these two lovely things at the market while pouring a gallon of mead down my throat.They wrapped their arms around me and danced me out of the village center and out into the woods. We want to play a game, they whispered and sang, spinning me around every few steps as we danced deeper and deeper into the dark wood. I was still chugging back the mead, staggering along with their dance, laughing like a fucking fool. We stopped in a clearing, the moon full above us hitting me in the eye as I drop down, laughing, onto the soft damp grass, causing me to flair my arm over my eyes, nearly hitting myself on the head with the mead jug. They lay down next to me, their heads lightly touching mine, so close I can smell the flowers from their shampoo.

Let’s play now, their voices drifted through the mead-induced haze.

“You sound so funny!,” I laughed. “Let’s rather find some mushrooms and visit the faeries,” I laughed.

No, we are going to play now.

They pulled me forcefully to my feet so quickly I felt dizzy. They dance me backwards to a fallen log and sit me down, pulling the jug from my hand and pulling my hands away from my body. A sudden sharp pain shot up both arms.

What the fuck man, I shouted, suddenly sober. They each have a long sharp nail dug into a wrist each, blood dripping down, leaving dark smudges on the ground. I try and pull my arms back, but they are much stronger than me.

Let me go, I struggle and shake, until I managed to free one arm, the creature, no longer so lovely, spins backwards and hits their head on the tree behind them. I lash out at the other, the thing clinging on hisses at me, lets go suddenly and disappears. The other thing is stuck passively to the tree.

I picked up the jug, took a swig, and then staggered over to investigate.

Fuck me, I must have been really drunk, I think looking at the thing in front of me. It was pale, long golden hair that glows in the moonlight, fine features, small sharp teeth visible between the slightly parted lips. There is a dark streak of blood running down the side of their face, and their beathing is ragged.

Fuck you, I screamed into its face, and then paced around a bit, repeating this a few times, until, suddenly, it opened its eyes.

I freaked out, man. This thing was fucking scary. And, my instinct was to fight, so I swiped at its head with the mead jug, and hit out again and again, landing blow after blow on its skull until it was no longer head shaped.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

I shook the mead jug, hoping for a bit more liquid courage.

I dragged the body back to the tree stump, and shoved it into the open side. I wished I had a knife, or an axe, or something.

But I shoved that motherfucker in as deep as I could, and stuffed leaves into every open space around it, making sure it is hidden.

I staggered back to the village and into my little cottage. I must have washed every inch of my body several times before I fell into a deep sleep.

It felt like minutes later when I woke up with a start, sat up, and saw them, both of them, standing at the foot end of my bed. I was paralysed. They smiled faintly, looking ever so much like the lovely creatures I met at the market, whispered We’ll play again one day, and disappeared.

I did go back to the woods, a few weeks later, and there was no sign that anything happened, other than these two scars on my arms.

So, can you keep a secret? And do you want to play a game?

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I am not participating in NaNoWriMo this year, but will be trying a short writing every day, following the prompts from  https://www.patreon.com/thequietsun