Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

By Sara Codair

 

“I keep getting worse,” I say looking down at the black veins creeping towards my heart.

“You should not have let the demon bite you,” replies Raquel. Her dark eyes show no sympathy.

“Was I supposed to just let it eat that kid?”

She shrugs. “The ‘kid’ is a mortal.”

“He’s only ten. He might have 90 years ahead of him.”

“Nine decades pass in the blink of an eye. We endure when we are smart. Your decision was not smart. You gave up eternity to allow a mere mortal a few pathetic decades. For all you know, he will get hit by a bus on his way home and perish in spite of you sacrifice.” Raquel picks of her bag and walks away.

I sit down on a tree stump, watching her body move with serpentine grace. However, even a being as cold as she cannot hide all emotion. Her fingers quiver, and her heels dig deep into the earth.

#

As the sun goes down, the woods come alive. Owls hoot and hunt, competing with the bobcats and foxes for the small mice and voles scurrying across the forest floor.

The poison continues to rise in me, turning my veins to black rock. It doesn’t hurt. In fact, I can’t feel much at all.  

“This will be a good death,” I say to the critters.

It’s not right to endure forever. Here, my body will fade back to earth, feeding the never-ending cycle of life and death. I have no regret about my decision to save the boy.

The crickets are singing by the time my chest goes numb and my heart stops beating. I’m prepared to cease when pain tears through my back. A blinding light consumes me as wings sprout from my spine.

End

This story was originally written for Cracked Flash.On March 3, it became my first win in their competition. Later, it was entered into another contest but did not place. It is one of my favorite 300 word stories that I have written.

©2016 Sara Codair