Poetry & Prose 2021

The creature curled its lip and slowly, agonisingly slowly, tilted its head, almost catlike. “Why disturb me? Why come to my domain? Why do you feel the need to intrude into my life?”

It spat every word as if it were bile upon its tongue. The girl flinched as if the words were blows, each one crushing her spirit, each one worse than the last. She turned and fled, the wrenching sobs that wracked her body echoing past the horizon.

The creature observed the dim silhouette and felt that something was gnawing at it. A ferret was nibbling on its foot, but it felt nothing. It was nothing compared to the strange feeling consuming it from the inside out. It shook, shook as the feeling speared through its veins. It sank to its knees from the writhing thing under its skin. Why, it thought. Inside its shattered excuse for a heart, it knew though. It knew and hated it.

Hated what it had done. Hated the world for bringing that pest to its doorstep. The hate scorched its veins, burning out the mysterious poison. And it burned. It pleaded with any gods that were listening to stop the blinding agony.

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