What will your muse make if this photo?
John stood tall in his uniform. A few quick passes of his lint roller and the garments were flawless. The red stripe running down the sides of his deep navy pants highlighted the fact that there was no wrinkle, no errant crease. Razor sharp pleats galloped down the front of his leg, crisp enough to be severe in their appearance.
His black shoes shone as if they were lacquered, the brass of his buttons gleaming. He checked his collar one more time, adjusting it as heat flared up his neck in anticipation of his destination.
His eyes moved to the dresser, spotting the gold brooch with the single, lustrous mabe pearl in the center. He smiled as he lifted it, turning it in his hands. It belonged to his foster mother. She gave it to him when he joined up.
He’d kept it safe, somehow keeping it intact during his tour of duty. He’d returned, but wasn’t truly home. Not yet.
He fastened the pin to his chest above his medals, giving it a place of prominence. He tucked his stiff white hat with the dark brim under his left arm and turned to leave.
It was a short walk to the hospital, and he smiled as he went. He stepped into the elevator, pressed the button for the seventeenth floor, and hummed along to the muzak version of Careless Whisper. “God, who’s idea was it to record that?”
The doors opened on the ICU floor and he stepped out, his eyes searching the long sterile corridors. When he heard a familiar voice, he followed it, breezing around the nurse’s station.
The women at the desk smiled and nodded as he passed. He walked with controlled steps down the hall, remembering what he’d learned about concealing his presence.
A woman walked ahead of him, lost in reading charts in manila folders. He checked his clothes one last time, smoothing his jacket and adjusting the brooch. He followed the woman into the last room on the left, stopping just inside.
She picked up a basin as she entered, and began tending to the man in the bed. He looked tired, but he smiled when she entered.
John smiled too, and when the moisture collected in his eyes, he didn’t wipe it away. He looked down at his foster parents, his mother, the nurse who always believed in him. His father the mechanic who taught him so many things. “Mom, Dad, I’m back!” And he was, officially, in his heart and in his soul. He wasn’t just back on soil of his country. He wasn’t merely in his home town. There in that room, he was home.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
what a homecoming! just so simply and easy yet so full of emotion!
now how will i use this brooch! let me ponder for a while
I’m glad you enjoyed it. The brooch can be used a lot of different ways, but I know you. You’ll work it in beautifully.
Nulli, absolutely beautiful.
Thank you, Flora!
Lovely Nulli just lovely
Thanks, T!
the plotting has started to use it two different ways, not sure which route to take yet
will it be a family heirloom from his side OR maybe it plays a keyrole when Jenifer sheds her last bit of skin?
I like either option. Go, go, go!
turned out a bit longer then intended but i’m sure you all won’t mind at all
enjoy part 6 of what i started calling “picture perfect” :
a/o= *…* = thoughts since we can’t really use italics.
Part 5:
Thomas was almost home when the snapping of a twig nearby caught his attention. Turning in the direction he thought the sound came from, he scanned the thin foliage for wildlife that could hide in it. Finding nothing but the tranquil peace of the forest surrounding the long pathway, he turned back to the sandy path and continued his way home. Once home, he checked for messages on his answering machine and for mails on his laptop.
In his bedroom he undressed, tossing the dirty clothes in the hamper, basketball style. He pumped his fist victoriously when they all disappeared inside not having missed a single one. Naked as the day he was born, he sauntered to his bathroom. After inspecting himself in the mirror he decided for once to indulge in a steaming bath to thoroughly relax his still screaming muscles. That couch may look comfy but after spending the night on it he was ready to chop it up and use it as firewood.
Turning on the tabs he started running hot water and mixed in some soapy concoction his mom got him ages ago. At least it wasn’t some girly scent but a manly sandalwood. As the bath filled he set about shaving that nine o’clock shadow his jaw was sporting. A few minutes later a last inspection told him not a single stubble was left and that his bath was ready.
Slowly he stepped into the hot water, sucking in his breath, knowing very well he made the water too hot. Standing still for a few seconds he concentrated his breathing before lowering himself in the scalding hot liquid.
“Every frigging time!” Some more cursing followed before he was fully emerged in the soapy water. His hand gently cradled his private parts hoping that would ease the initiate pain just a little bit.
Stubborn as he was, he just refused to wait and add some colder water, he was persistent enough to undergo the same pain each time he longed for a hot bath. He knew that after a few minutes the pain would be gone, his muscles would relax and his mind would wander to some quiet place. A few carefully planned breaths later he finally eased back and rest his head on the bath, closed his eyes and let his mind do the wandering.
* * * *
Jenifer held her breath as she mentally berated herself for stepping on a twig. He had almost spotted her but the foliage had provided enough cover. She waited a few minutes before she got up again and shook her tiny body.
Inspecting the slender paw that had stepped on the twig she noticed she had a splinter lodged in her paw. Nipping at it carefully, she manage to pull it out and she yipped contently. Sitting on her haunches she took some extra moments to lick at her paw and wait for the painful feeling to subside.
Confident her paw was in tip top shape, she went back to tracking Thomas, who by now made it to his home on the other side of the forest. Circling his house she double-checked no other animals had marked his house and that her own marks were still in place. She redid every single one of them! Human or animal, those who could read them knew this male was claimed by someone.
Doing a last check of the surroundings she picked up some cussing from inside the house. With a few well calculated jumps she made it to the large branch that just reached up to the bathroom window. Gracefully she made her way over, one last jump providing her with a nice view of a naked Thomas standing in his bathtub.
*When will you learn.*
Not that she really minded much since it gave her a nice time viewing his broad shoulders. The slight curve in his back ending in a pair of well-muscled globes she just longed to set her teeth in. She purred knowing, and hoping, that soon his back would be covered with her symbols. Keeping her gaze fixed on the nude man gently sitting down in the water, she inched a bit closer.
Again that one thing she still had to discover was kept from her. Jenifer hissed with annoyance.
*One day! You won’t hide for me then I swear on Lidura’s grave you will show my all of you, each and every delectable inch of you!*
Knowing what would follow now she leisured for some moments just watching him through the window, a constant purring vibrating through her body.
In the distance she heard the town church’s bell. Time to go! Her amulet would last for much longer than a quick run home. Swiftly she jumped back in the tree, a few jumps later found her back on the ground. One last longing look was all she permitted herself before starting the short spurt home.
She just reached the backside of her own garden when she felt the change creeping up. With some effort she made it into the shed and was grateful for the tiny hatch she made just for occasions like this. Seconds passed as a tingling feeling washed over her and she felt like shaking of the vibe just to find the fur gone and herself standing on her own two feet instead of four paws. She quickly donned the bathrobe she stashed away here for emergencies.
Another set of burning sensations started in her abdomen. She knew what was coming, she knew it burned but she also knew it wouldn’t really hurt, just feel a bit uncomfortable until the amulet had removed itself. Seconds later she smiled as she looked down and saw the pristine brooch cradles in the palm of her hand.
In the middle rested a huge pearl, surrounded by several rays of sun worshipping the pearl. It was the one item her mother was able to hide with her. She’d touched it so many times and nothing ever happened, that was until she started her last cycle into adulthood, the shedding of skin. In a blur it filled her mind with all she needed to know about this phase in her life, it also showed where her future was.
So many things finally had started making sense and thanked her mother in her prayers for bestowing this last gift upon her. She had always known she wasn’t human, that she wasn’t even from this planet. Still so many things were unknown, but time would tell, she was sure of that. Coming of age was her main concern now, seconded by making Thomas hers.
She tied up the robe, tucked the brooch in one of the pockets and silently slipped out of the shed and walked back to her house. In her bedroom she waved her hand a single time over a tiny but bright painting, revealing a magical hiding spot. Carefully she put the brooch on top of some dark velvet cloth and covered it up. stepping back she waved her hand again and all you could see was the painting again.
Shifting always made her tired and although she had slept rather well she felt she needed a little catnap to get back on her feet before she had to start her night shift later that day.
I love the title you chose, and I had to laugh at the little voyeur. Sneaky, sneaky!
Tanja
I’m as hooked on this as I am your other stories. Awesome/
Ok, I would not have chosen alien-kitty for Jennifer but I’ll take it! lol Loved her peeping tom routine and her pique at not getting a glimpse of the goodies. Eagerly awaiting the next installment
WOW! Okay made me tear up. Good job!
Thank you, WAB. I’m glad I was able to evoke those emotions in that little piece. <3
ok, this one is a little dark so be forewarned. It’s also the first glimpse into the new world I’m developing for the Children of Jarilo series that’s currently in progress.
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“I’ve watched you for years, you know.”
Caroline mewled as her sandy-haired captor entered her dimly lit prison, locking the heavy iron door behind him. Nothing about the slender young man should have inspired terror. His voice, like his appearance, was so… normal. Average height, average looks, average build – he was no different from every other student on their college campus except for a fiercely disturbed intelligence that was backed by wild and untrained magic. How could such a monster be so unassuming?
“You were a charming little kitten at seven. You were sweet, playful, a joy to be around even if you were a bit vain and flighty.” He slipped the skeleton key into his pocket as his eyes devoured her naked body. With her wrists and ankles strapped to a large, iron X, she was open and vulnerable to anything he chose to do to her. His choices thus far had given her such nightmares that she’d screamed her throat raw over the past two weeks. She barely managed a pained whimper when he began to undress.
“By sixteen, you’d embraced your whorish cat nature with alacrity, lifting your tail for any male who came sniffing around. As long as they were an animal like you, that is. Normal men had no chance with you, did they, Caroline?”
“Is that what this is about?” Pale yellow fur sprouted along her arms and legs as she struggled against her restraints. She knew what happened next; she wasn’t sure she could endure it again. “You kidnapped me and stuffed me in a basement because I turned you down for a date?” Her ears lengthened and grew matching fur as she relied more and more on her cat for strength.
“Oh, Caroline, you’re smarter than that.” He placed his clothing on the only other piece of furniture in the room, a rusty metal table by the door, but kept a small item hidden in his hand. As he approached, he turned the elegant brooch so that the faint light in the room glinted off the metal. She gasped in surprise. “Ah, I see you recognize this. Can you imagine my shock when I found it at the bus stop?”
“It… it fell out of my pocket. I swear!” Her eyes followed his fingers as they lovingly traced each golden swirl and caressed the flawless pearl cabochon. Dear God, how long had he planned this?
“I see you recognize my little gift, Caroline.” Power swirled around his slim figure, making it glow in the faint light as he paced. Her eyes followed him nervously, for each pass brought him closer to her. “Too bad you didn’t recognize its value six years ago. It wasn’t from a discount chain like your little pride of vicious cunts claimed; I’d had it made just for you in the finest jeweler in the country. I demanded 18k gold because anything less was an insult to your beauty. I even imported the finest natural pearl from Venezuela because cultured pearls weren’t good enough for you! And how did you repay me? Hmmm? How?”
Caroline hissed and pressed against the cold metal at her back as he brought his face inches from hers. When she turned her head from the fury in his swirling eyes, his fingers dug painfully into her cheeks as he forced her to look at him. Blood coated her tongue as her fangs cut into the tender flesh inside her mouth. Her captor’s eyes shone with corrupted power; fathomless pools of pure silver tainted with jet black streaks of pure evil.
“Answer me, Caroline.”
“I… um, I dropped it.” Her voice trembled from between her pursed lips and blood dribbled onto her chin to mix with the unending stream of tears she thought long exhausted.
“Did you want to try that again, kitty?” His eyes flared as he dragged the sharp pin of the brooch along her cheek, cutting deeply into her flawless skin. He grinned when her screech of pain echoed in the small room.
“Okay, God! I threw it away! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, I’m sure you are now, Caroline.” She released another agonizing scream as the brooch dug a matching furrow in her other cheek. Her claws bit into her palms as she struggled to escape the bands around her wrists. “I’m sure you’re very sorry.” His eyes flashed as he pressed the pin of the brooch deep into her shoulder. “I’m sure you’re going to be even sorrier by the time I’m finished with you.”
Oh wow! I could see all of that so clearly.
what an inside into this evil twisted sick mind of this one! one day he’ll pay!!
The only thing that made me twitch was the pin on the uniform. The military spouse in me was screaming “You’re out of regs! That’s not authorized!” but the rest of me shut her up quite quickly. XD Lovely job, Nulli!
Hehehe, yeah. I wanted to show how much he really cared about them. The pin on the uniform was a spotlight on the, “I’m here for my parents and no one else.” theme.
THE PIN
I was six when I saw the pin. My older sister wore it when she went to clean for Mrs. Braden. I loved that pin, because it was so shiny and pretty. My sister hated it. Everyday she seemed more tired that usual. Mrs. Braden was a strange woman, all of her girls had to wear one.
One day I had to go to work with her, and she had me sit in a small room. There was nothing to do in there. So she gave me coloring books and crayons. She went to work and I sat and colored. Soon I was bored.
Sneaking out of the room, I crawled down a secret passage. I stumbled across an amazing space. In the center was a humogous pin. It was identical to the ones my sister and the other girls wore.
I crawled close to an open grate to listen. Mrs. Braden sat with four other women. They were all old and had golden lines from the pin attached to their chest.
They spoke in a strange language as they watched my sisters and the others girl work. All of a sudden the girls stopped moving, and the giant pin lit up. I noticed that as the girls stood motionless, the four ladies grew younger.
I was young and not sure of what I was seeing, but I knew I had to warn my sister. She needed to turn in her pin and stop working there. Something was definately wrong here.
Uh oh! I like the premise of this. I can visualize the de-aging process very easily. Very imaginative!