Sunflowers and Moonmonsters
Quote from Mae on July 12, 2023, 4:17 pmMercy worked out dressing herself while sitting on the floor. The clothes were comfortable, soft, stretchy in some places, and silky in others. There were some supporting layers and peculiar folds, which Mercy did not understand yet. The sleeves were long, down to the wrist, hemmed with a silvery lining. A hole for her thumb allowed it to cover her palms, which offered the simple comfort of reflected warmth. The upper garment was designed to hang behind her hips, thus covering any discomfort in the thought of a tail. Her leg was covered down to the ankle, with some strange folds here and there, and an elastic strip under the arch of her foot. The other leg in the strange garment had been thoughtfully slip-stitched out of the way. The neckhole was wide, composed of many folds that softly closed in around the shoulders, but left her collarbone bare. Some of the folds glittered like silky silver ribbons. They extended from her right shoulder to her left hip and around her waist.
When Mercy finished dressing, she used the sink to pull herself off the floor and stared at the woman in the mirror. Out of her street clothes, Mercy didn't know who the woman was. Her face was pale, and her palor sickly. Her usual olive complexion seemed lost behind a green tint. Her red hair was longer and more disheveled than she remembered. And her eyes... something wasn't right about her eyes.
"It's a terrible illness, miss..." Mercy heard George say in the back of her mind. "It turns a perfectly decent human being into an unrecognizable killer."
"They tried eradicating it in the late seventeen and early eighteen hundreds." Mary explained. "But the trouble is, if even one of them survives, the illness spreads like the plague."
"We do what we do so humanity survives." Harvey said. "We do what the rest of humanity has turned blind eyes to."
"So, why silver?" Mercy asked. Douglas breathed a half laugh as he loaded his rifle. "Because a hunter isn't going to waste a shot like that." He said.
"If it were ever to happen to me," George grumbled, "I'd trust my fellow hunters to put me out of my misery."
"Don't worry, Mercy. Stay behind me. I'll keep you safe."
Mercy clenched her teeth and bent down with some effort, bracing herself against the toilet to reach her crutches....
Rosa continued to smile as she set each blanket aside. Now, looking at Robin more fondly, she said, "I was twenty-seven when I met Abe."
"They wouldn't let him come into the hospital, even if he had been able to. No, Abe didnt see Samuel for sometime."
Rosa gently collected the bottles from Charlie's curious hands and replaced his interest with an old toy astronaut that she pulled out of the bag.
"Are you still married?" She asked.
Mercy worked out dressing herself while sitting on the floor. The clothes were comfortable, soft, stretchy in some places, and silky in others. There were some supporting layers and peculiar folds, which Mercy did not understand yet. The sleeves were long, down to the wrist, hemmed with a silvery lining. A hole for her thumb allowed it to cover her palms, which offered the simple comfort of reflected warmth. The upper garment was designed to hang behind her hips, thus covering any discomfort in the thought of a tail. Her leg was covered down to the ankle, with some strange folds here and there, and an elastic strip under the arch of her foot. The other leg in the strange garment had been thoughtfully slip-stitched out of the way. The neckhole was wide, composed of many folds that softly closed in around the shoulders, but left her collarbone bare. Some of the folds glittered like silky silver ribbons. They extended from her right shoulder to her left hip and around her waist.
When Mercy finished dressing, she used the sink to pull herself off the floor and stared at the woman in the mirror. Out of her street clothes, Mercy didn't know who the woman was. Her face was pale, and her palor sickly. Her usual olive complexion seemed lost behind a green tint. Her red hair was longer and more disheveled than she remembered. And her eyes... something wasn't right about her eyes.
"It's a terrible illness, miss..." Mercy heard George say in the back of her mind. "It turns a perfectly decent human being into an unrecognizable killer."
"They tried eradicating it in the late seventeen and early eighteen hundreds." Mary explained. "But the trouble is, if even one of them survives, the illness spreads like the plague."
"We do what we do so humanity survives." Harvey said. "We do what the rest of humanity has turned blind eyes to."
"So, why silver?" Mercy asked. Douglas breathed a half laugh as he loaded his rifle. "Because a hunter isn't going to waste a shot like that." He said.
"If it were ever to happen to me," George grumbled, "I'd trust my fellow hunters to put me out of my misery."
"Don't worry, Mercy. Stay behind me. I'll keep you safe."
Mercy clenched her teeth and bent down with some effort, bracing herself against the toilet to reach her crutches....
Rosa continued to smile as she set each blanket aside. Now, looking at Robin more fondly, she said, "I was twenty-seven when I met Abe."
"They wouldn't let him come into the hospital, even if he had been able to. No, Abe didnt see Samuel for sometime."
Rosa gently collected the bottles from Charlie's curious hands and replaced his interest with an old toy astronaut that she pulled out of the bag.
"Are you still married?" She asked.
Quote from Adriana on July 12, 2023, 4:44 pm"Unless I'm a widow and don't know it." I grabbed the scouring pad. "Maybe you've met him-my husband-Jodecai. He's a bodyguard for a faction of your pack. Maybe he's got another name, another wife, who on this green earth knows?" stupid cast iron won't come clean.
"While we're being casual, why'd they let you come here anyway? They let anyone come and go? Why won't they let him see me? He think he's doing me a favor? He know I already got turned? Can't protect me from that anymore. Man was I stupid. Wondered why those gangs got off my case so quick when I started seeing him." my filter was gone, I was shaking, my nerves rubbed raw by this whole ugly, stupid mess, my fingers rubbed raw from this stupid scouring pad and this stupid cast iron.
"You gon' tell me why the dogs didn't bark. Who sent you? Who told you how to get here?" I was done with the cast iron and left it in the sink, coming to the entry of the kitchen with a hand on my hip.
"Unless I'm a widow and don't know it." I grabbed the scouring pad. "Maybe you've met him-my husband-Jodecai. He's a bodyguard for a faction of your pack. Maybe he's got another name, another wife, who on this green earth knows?" stupid cast iron won't come clean.
"While we're being casual, why'd they let you come here anyway? They let anyone come and go? Why won't they let him see me? He think he's doing me a favor? He know I already got turned? Can't protect me from that anymore. Man was I stupid. Wondered why those gangs got off my case so quick when I started seeing him." my filter was gone, I was shaking, my nerves rubbed raw by this whole ugly, stupid mess, my fingers rubbed raw from this stupid scouring pad and this stupid cast iron.
"You gon' tell me why the dogs didn't bark. Who sent you? Who told you how to get here?" I was done with the cast iron and left it in the sink, coming to the entry of the kitchen with a hand on my hip.
Quote from Mae on July 14, 2023, 2:02 amWho sent you? Why are you here? Where is my husband?
Your pack.
Rosa's smile faded as the questions stacked up. Clearly, there was a lot to answer for.
Human concerns, compounded on inhuman agitation; fear and frustration mounting. Rosa understood. Her heart was full of sympathy. Her eyes were full of knowledge. She had answers for Robin, that much was clear. But the moment she opened her mouth to speak, the door to the bathroom opened and Mercy came out.
Who sent you? Why are you here? Where is my husband?
Your pack.
Rosa's smile faded as the questions stacked up. Clearly, there was a lot to answer for.
Human concerns, compounded on inhuman agitation; fear and frustration mounting. Rosa understood. Her heart was full of sympathy. Her eyes were full of knowledge. She had answers for Robin, that much was clear. But the moment she opened her mouth to speak, the door to the bathroom opened and Mercy came out.
Quote from Adriana on July 14, 2023, 3:17 pmI bit my tongue when I saw her countenance fall. The older woman didn’t deserve my bark. She was here to watch Charlie, I was here to take care of Mercy. Her answers wouldn’t change any of that, they probably would affect very little-except maybe bring some closure. Or open a whole new can of worms.
I’d gone all this time without knowing anyway. It was just as well.
“Mercy, this is Rosa. Rosa, Mercy. She’s here to watch Charlie for tonight.”
I went to the couch and picked up the outfit, then moved past Rosa, touching her shoulder just a moment. “I’m sorry.” no more than a whisper, but I couldn’t end our conversation on the previous note.
Now it was my turn to get changed, and maybe feel sorry for myself for a little bit. It’d been a while.
I bit my tongue when I saw her countenance fall. The older woman didn’t deserve my bark. She was here to watch Charlie, I was here to take care of Mercy. Her answers wouldn’t change any of that, they probably would affect very little-except maybe bring some closure. Or open a whole new can of worms.
I’d gone all this time without knowing anyway. It was just as well.
“Mercy, this is Rosa. Rosa, Mercy. She’s here to watch Charlie for tonight.”
I went to the couch and picked up the outfit, then moved past Rosa, touching her shoulder just a moment. “I’m sorry.” no more than a whisper, but I couldn’t end our conversation on the previous note.
Now it was my turn to get changed, and maybe feel sorry for myself for a little bit. It’d been a while.
Quote from Mae on July 18, 2023, 6:42 pmRosa caught Robin's hand before she could slip away.
"I don't know your husband." She whispered carefully. "But Abravious will. I will find out what I can."
Then she let Robin go.
Smiling, to welcome Mercy into the room, she said, "You look lovely, dear. How does it feel?"
Mercy evaluated the emotions in the room. Then she looked down and rubbed one of the sleeves in her palm. "It's nice," she said.
Rosa cleared off her bag of bottles and invited Mercy to the couch. Mercy made the effort to reach it on her crutches. At the same time, Charlie scrambled down from his chair.
Mercy eyed Rosa. She sat down and folded her leg up on the couch.
"You don't look like a werew-oof!" She began, but was interrupted when Charlie threw himself onto her. Mercy's eyes lit up and she visibly jumped from the pain, but she set her teeth and did not scold him.
Rosa intervened when Charlie, with breakfast in hand and an air of casual expectation, began adjusting himself into a more comfortable position (for himself) on Mercy's lap.
"Come sit over here, Charlie." Rosa encouraged him to sit at least a few inches out of Mercy's person, but he objected. Then, with the little toy astronaut as her accomplice, Rosa prevailed.
Charlie was contentedly situated near Mercy, but not on her, before Rosa gave Mercy the plate Robin prepared for her.
"Are you alright, dear?" Rosa said softly. "Try to eat. You'll need your strength for tonight."
Mercy was grateful for the intervention, and the food, but she only managed a small word of thanks as she composed herself.
Rosa let her to it, and set her own plate aside for later. Then she rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen where she fetched the iron out of the sink.
"That's because I'm not." Rosa replied at length. She dried the iron with a dish towel, not regarding to scrub it any further. Then she poured half a cup of table salt in it and began to rub it in with the cloth. Mineral on mineral worked to lift the grit and grime.
Mercy seemed to regain her composure. She breathed deeply and watched Rosa work.
When Rosa finished rubbing the salt, she washed, dried, and oiled the pan.
"I'm sorry..." Mercy said after some time. She rubbed her forehead vigorously, to rid herself of confusion, and flexed her visual focus around the room. "I know you both said it before I came in, but I can't think. Who did you say you were again?" .
"My name is Rosa Oldcloth." Rosa answered, patiently. She set the iron in the oven to rest and turned to wash her hands. "I am Ulric's mother."
Mercy's chin came up and her mouth opened. Rosa didn't see the flood of feeling that washed over her face.
"His mother..." Mercy breathed, nodding slowly. Then, holding her hard-won composure, she turned her face away.
Rosa looked in time to see the first tear fall.
"Mercy?" Rosa stepped to the edge of the kitchen, drying her hands. She saw Mercy's shoulders begin to tremble and quickly came back into the room. Without any hesitation or regard for any distance Rosa wrapped her arms around the poor girl and held her close as Mercy began to sob into her chest.
"Dear Mercy," Rosa breathed heartfelt compassion as she cast a glance heavenward. Then she squeezed her eyes closed and held Mercy closer. "You're going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright. You're not alone, Mercy."
Rosa caught Robin's hand before she could slip away.
"I don't know your husband." She whispered carefully. "But Abravious will. I will find out what I can."
Then she let Robin go.
Smiling, to welcome Mercy into the room, she said, "You look lovely, dear. How does it feel?"
Mercy evaluated the emotions in the room. Then she looked down and rubbed one of the sleeves in her palm. "It's nice," she said.
Rosa cleared off her bag of bottles and invited Mercy to the couch. Mercy made the effort to reach it on her crutches. At the same time, Charlie scrambled down from his chair.
Mercy eyed Rosa. She sat down and folded her leg up on the couch.
"You don't look like a werew-oof!" She began, but was interrupted when Charlie threw himself onto her. Mercy's eyes lit up and she visibly jumped from the pain, but she set her teeth and did not scold him.
Rosa intervened when Charlie, with breakfast in hand and an air of casual expectation, began adjusting himself into a more comfortable position (for himself) on Mercy's lap.
"Come sit over here, Charlie." Rosa encouraged him to sit at least a few inches out of Mercy's person, but he objected. Then, with the little toy astronaut as her accomplice, Rosa prevailed.
Charlie was contentedly situated near Mercy, but not on her, before Rosa gave Mercy the plate Robin prepared for her.
"Are you alright, dear?" Rosa said softly. "Try to eat. You'll need your strength for tonight."
Mercy was grateful for the intervention, and the food, but she only managed a small word of thanks as she composed herself.
Rosa let her to it, and set her own plate aside for later. Then she rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen where she fetched the iron out of the sink.
"That's because I'm not." Rosa replied at length. She dried the iron with a dish towel, not regarding to scrub it any further. Then she poured half a cup of table salt in it and began to rub it in with the cloth. Mineral on mineral worked to lift the grit and grime.
Mercy seemed to regain her composure. She breathed deeply and watched Rosa work.
When Rosa finished rubbing the salt, she washed, dried, and oiled the pan.
"I'm sorry..." Mercy said after some time. She rubbed her forehead vigorously, to rid herself of confusion, and flexed her visual focus around the room. "I know you both said it before I came in, but I can't think. Who did you say you were again?" .
"My name is Rosa Oldcloth." Rosa answered, patiently. She set the iron in the oven to rest and turned to wash her hands. "I am Ulric's mother."
Mercy's chin came up and her mouth opened. Rosa didn't see the flood of feeling that washed over her face.
"His mother..." Mercy breathed, nodding slowly. Then, holding her hard-won composure, she turned her face away.
Rosa looked in time to see the first tear fall.
"Mercy?" Rosa stepped to the edge of the kitchen, drying her hands. She saw Mercy's shoulders begin to tremble and quickly came back into the room. Without any hesitation or regard for any distance Rosa wrapped her arms around the poor girl and held her close as Mercy began to sob into her chest.
"Dear Mercy," Rosa breathed heartfelt compassion as she cast a glance heavenward. Then she squeezed her eyes closed and held Mercy closer. "You're going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright. You're not alone, Mercy."
Quote from Adriana on July 18, 2023, 8:20 pmWhat Rosa said was of little relief. If anything, it exacerbated the problem-another chisel to the dam of emotions welled up. I'd heard it from Steele time after time, as he kept me strung up on a hope. Her very presence here betrayed my hope that there was any good left.
Shoulders squared as I walked to my bedroom, I kept my steely facade up just long enough to close the door. Then I crumpled under the weight of it all.
I was so tired of empty promises and hollow dreams. All that was left for me, the one thing that never betrayed, was faith, that there was something more after this world to quench the thirst in my soul and cover my loneliness.
Rosa was someone's mother. And how I so badly wanted to trust her. But my trust was in such limited supply.
My eyes wandered to the touch phone and I found myself holding it - I don't remember when I got up off the ground. I dialed in a number from memory.
"Hello? Who's this? Better not be nobody telling me about no warranty, I ain't got no car or no license-"
"Momma, don't hang up on me."
What Rosa said was of little relief. If anything, it exacerbated the problem-another chisel to the dam of emotions welled up. I'd heard it from Steele time after time, as he kept me strung up on a hope. Her very presence here betrayed my hope that there was any good left.
Shoulders squared as I walked to my bedroom, I kept my steely facade up just long enough to close the door. Then I crumpled under the weight of it all.
I was so tired of empty promises and hollow dreams. All that was left for me, the one thing that never betrayed, was faith, that there was something more after this world to quench the thirst in my soul and cover my loneliness.
Rosa was someone's mother. And how I so badly wanted to trust her. But my trust was in such limited supply.
My eyes wandered to the touch phone and I found myself holding it - I don't remember when I got up off the ground. I dialed in a number from memory.
"Hello? Who's this? Better not be nobody telling me about no warranty, I ain't got no car or no license-"
"Momma, don't hang up on me."
Quote from Mae on July 26, 2023, 2:55 amRosa held Mercy's trembling shoulders until her crying slowed.
In the arms of the older woman, that mother of one was no more than a child herself. To be cradled in the arms of a stranger, to have someone whisper it was all going to be okay, when self hatred - an adult loathing - coated the inside of her soul, meant so much to Mercy. It peeled her out of her darkness and gave room for a younger, more trusting version of herself to rise; that part of herself that needed to rely on another human soul; that part that wanted and needed someone to know more than she did. For so long it was just her and Charlie, and for Charlie she had to bear the weight of all consequences. To feed him, to clothe him, to protect him, with no one to tell her how, meant putting away that innate inner child herself - to put away her own needs, to fight an adult war and to make decisions that she could never have full confidence in. Mercy had been alone for a very long time.
At last, with a heave of wet breath, Mercy lifted her head and Rosa fetched her something to wipe her nose in.
"I'm sorry." She said, feeling miserable upon herself. "I shouldn't have been there."
"No, dear." Rosa said, her words and voice full of compassion. "No one blames you."
But this circumstance was her fault. Mercy knew it. She blamed herself. It had never been just one choice that led her to hunt werewolves. At each dark turn there was the choice to go back, but she ever went further. How could she have foreseen the consequences? How could she have ignored so many warnings?
Mercy began to sob again, and Rosa embraced her in all the same way."You are going to feel so much better tomorrow," Rosa comforted. "And you can sleep the whole day away if you want."
Mercy lifted her eyes once more and Rosa offered a reassuring smile. If the old woman knew anything about the tempest in Mercy's soul, she seemed to pass over it gracefully. So, Mercy did likewise. She could not dwell on the past. It may well haunt her forever. Yet, while her thoughts were in blurred commotion, and the terrifying inevitability of tonight still lay ahead, Mercy had to focus her thoughts on facing the present.
"I feel like I could never sleep again." Mercy said, clearing her nose and eyes.
"I know," Rosa mused. "I haven't slept on a full moon night for thirty-six years."
Mercy looked at the old woman with both confusion and curiosity in her eyes. "How?" She wondered.
Rosa's spirits seemed light despite all the tears Mercy cried. She turned her light hazy eyes out at the window and laughed a sort of laugh that comes with many years of tears. No one knows who hasn't heard that sort of laugh, the kind of tears that came with it, for in this moment all is light and reflection, like the light in the window and in Rosa's eyes.
"Oh," Rosa said, "I could never sleep knowing what they all went through.""How did you find out about them?" Mercy asked. She shook her head in wonder, seeing but not understanding the light in Rosa's eyes.
The question gave Rosa reason to pause and reflect. She closed her lips and barely squinted at the window to make out the answer.
"I guess I always sort of knew about them." She said, and she looked at Mercy's face. "I had heard some things, as a young girl. There were plenty of stories to keep you entertained about that sort of thing, all those scary movies and novels and things. I liked reading back then, and believing in things that were unnatural and strange. I thought every story had to have some truth in it - be it the truth of the politics that the author wanted to illustrate through a grotesque set of characters or circumstances, or some bit of truth passed down from someone who knew something from long ago. There was always something to believe in."Mercy followed this train of thought with one of her own, and, naturally she fell into remembering a time when she thought it all a fairy tale.
"There was one movie that came out a year before I was born. I think it was called ... the Werewolf of London. Yes, a very sad story. Of course, they all were -"
At that moment, Charlie squirmed in uncomfortably and hurt Mercy again. It was an accident. He just wanted to be near her. But Mercy could not stand to be touched. She burst out loudly, "Charlie!"
Charlie immediately shrank back. His face went pale and his eyes went big. He looked at her like she were a monster, and Mercy felt it. What would he look at her like if he saw her actually become one? It was an unbearable thought."Just be gentle," Mercy pleaded, and asked him to come to her and try again. Charlie forgave her instantly, but minded himself the best he was able.
Rosa gave them room to be together, but watched over the interaction carefully. When Charlie was settled again, Mercy returned her eyes to Rosa. "I'm sorry about that. What did you say before?" She asked.
Rosa thought better of her previous train of thought and deferred to another for the present. "Well, I believed in strange things long before I knew about them." She concluded, and changed the subject. "What about you? Where did you grow up?"
Rosa held Mercy's trembling shoulders until her crying slowed.
In the arms of the older woman, that mother of one was no more than a child herself. To be cradled in the arms of a stranger, to have someone whisper it was all going to be okay, when self hatred - an adult loathing - coated the inside of her soul, meant so much to Mercy. It peeled her out of her darkness and gave room for a younger, more trusting version of herself to rise; that part of herself that needed to rely on another human soul; that part that wanted and needed someone to know more than she did. For so long it was just her and Charlie, and for Charlie she had to bear the weight of all consequences. To feed him, to clothe him, to protect him, with no one to tell her how, meant putting away that innate inner child herself - to put away her own needs, to fight an adult war and to make decisions that she could never have full confidence in. Mercy had been alone for a very long time.
At last, with a heave of wet breath, Mercy lifted her head and Rosa fetched her something to wipe her nose in.
"I'm sorry." She said, feeling miserable upon herself. "I shouldn't have been there."
"No, dear." Rosa said, her words and voice full of compassion. "No one blames you."
But this circumstance was her fault. Mercy knew it. She blamed herself. It had never been just one choice that led her to hunt werewolves. At each dark turn there was the choice to go back, but she ever went further. How could she have foreseen the consequences? How could she have ignored so many warnings?
Mercy began to sob again, and Rosa embraced her in all the same way.
"You are going to feel so much better tomorrow," Rosa comforted. "And you can sleep the whole day away if you want."
Mercy lifted her eyes once more and Rosa offered a reassuring smile. If the old woman knew anything about the tempest in Mercy's soul, she seemed to pass over it gracefully. So, Mercy did likewise. She could not dwell on the past. It may well haunt her forever. Yet, while her thoughts were in blurred commotion, and the terrifying inevitability of tonight still lay ahead, Mercy had to focus her thoughts on facing the present.
"I feel like I could never sleep again." Mercy said, clearing her nose and eyes.
"I know," Rosa mused. "I haven't slept on a full moon night for thirty-six years."
Mercy looked at the old woman with both confusion and curiosity in her eyes. "How?" She wondered.
Rosa's spirits seemed light despite all the tears Mercy cried. She turned her light hazy eyes out at the window and laughed a sort of laugh that comes with many years of tears. No one knows who hasn't heard that sort of laugh, the kind of tears that came with it, for in this moment all is light and reflection, like the light in the window and in Rosa's eyes.
"Oh," Rosa said, "I could never sleep knowing what they all went through."
"How did you find out about them?" Mercy asked. She shook her head in wonder, seeing but not understanding the light in Rosa's eyes.
The question gave Rosa reason to pause and reflect. She closed her lips and barely squinted at the window to make out the answer.
"I guess I always sort of knew about them." She said, and she looked at Mercy's face. "I had heard some things, as a young girl. There were plenty of stories to keep you entertained about that sort of thing, all those scary movies and novels and things. I liked reading back then, and believing in things that were unnatural and strange. I thought every story had to have some truth in it - be it the truth of the politics that the author wanted to illustrate through a grotesque set of characters or circumstances, or some bit of truth passed down from someone who knew something from long ago. There was always something to believe in."
Mercy followed this train of thought with one of her own, and, naturally she fell into remembering a time when she thought it all a fairy tale.
"There was one movie that came out a year before I was born. I think it was called ... the Werewolf of London. Yes, a very sad story. Of course, they all were -"
At that moment, Charlie squirmed in uncomfortably and hurt Mercy again. It was an accident. He just wanted to be near her. But Mercy could not stand to be touched. She burst out loudly, "Charlie!"
Charlie immediately shrank back. His face went pale and his eyes went big. He looked at her like she were a monster, and Mercy felt it. What would he look at her like if he saw her actually become one? It was an unbearable thought.
"Just be gentle," Mercy pleaded, and asked him to come to her and try again. Charlie forgave her instantly, but minded himself the best he was able.
Rosa gave them room to be together, but watched over the interaction carefully. When Charlie was settled again, Mercy returned her eyes to Rosa. "I'm sorry about that. What did you say before?" She asked.
Rosa thought better of her previous train of thought and deferred to another for the present. "Well, I believed in strange things long before I knew about them." She concluded, and changed the subject. "What about you? Where did you grow up?"
Quote from Adriana on July 28, 2023, 1:41 am“…You’re alive?”
”I am.”
Then the tears came freely but I was silent. I couldn’t let Mercy hear.
I talked for a long time but said little. There was more crying than talking.
Eventually I hung up and cried some more. Quietly. Tiredly. The night was coming fast and I had no idea how to handle what was coming.
Mercy and Rosa were talking. I exhaled and listened with the back of my head against the door.
“…You’re alive?”
”I am.”
Then the tears came freely but I was silent. I couldn’t let Mercy hear.
I talked for a long time but said little. There was more crying than talking.
Eventually I hung up and cried some more. Quietly. Tiredly. The night was coming fast and I had no idea how to handle what was coming.
Mercy and Rosa were talking. I exhaled and listened with the back of my head against the door.
Quote from Mae on July 31, 2023, 11:29 amMercy sighed, a vexed sort of sigh.
"All over the place" She said. "Both my parents were military. "
"I chose to follow the life they led, and ended up regretting it." Mercy frowned as she gently brushed Charlie's hair with her fingers.
"When I left the army, they disowned me." She continued, "They never met Charlie."
Rosa listened sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she said.
"It's been one bad decision after another since then. Spent the last five years just trying to get by. Get one job, lose it. Get another." Mercy brushed the tears out of her eyes and tried to iron out her brow. It was no use. "I've never been able to hold onto anything very long. One thing I'm good at - just one thing - is hitting my target."
"That's it. And it doesn't do you a thing in life. Could never hit a target without a bullet."
Mercy fell silent and looked away. It was so easy to feel sorry for herself.
Mercy sighed, a vexed sort of sigh.
"All over the place" She said. "Both my parents were military. "
"I chose to follow the life they led, and ended up regretting it." Mercy frowned as she gently brushed Charlie's hair with her fingers.
"When I left the army, they disowned me." She continued, "They never met Charlie."
Rosa listened sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she said.
"It's been one bad decision after another since then. Spent the last five years just trying to get by. Get one job, lose it. Get another." Mercy brushed the tears out of her eyes and tried to iron out her brow. It was no use. "I've never been able to hold onto anything very long. One thing I'm good at - just one thing - is hitting my target."
"That's it. And it doesn't do you a thing in life. Could never hit a target without a bullet."
Mercy fell silent and looked away. It was so easy to feel sorry for herself.
Quote from Mae on July 31, 2023, 11:52 amRosa listened as she looked at mother and child. The old woman didn't believe in fate. She believed in God. And she believed Him wiser than herself, and more able to judge a person's needs and circumstances. She believed He is a father, and that there wasn't a soul on earth He didn't love.
Could it be that Mercy was meant to be where she was now? Could it be that her Father knew the only way to get her where she needed to be was through an encounter with a werewolf?
Rosa gently embraced Mercy again. Sometimes words fail to do what hands can do. Sometimes the touch means more.
There was nothing perfect about Mercy's situation, and yet, it seemed to Rosa that there was no better place in the world for a girl like Mercy.
"You have a another family now," Rosa said. "We're going to look after you and Charlie."
Mercy looked at Rosa with a knit brow and a face that said 'what do you mean and how do you mean it?'
"When you are bitten under the full moon," Rosa explained gently, "Your blood and his became mixed. You are a part of our family now."
The explanation did not make anything clearer to Mercy. She was slow to understand what Rosa meant, and slower to trust the word of a woman she just met.
"You're not a werewolf, though..."
"No," Rosa answered. "But I have lived among them for a very long time."
Rosa listened as she looked at mother and child. The old woman didn't believe in fate. She believed in God. And she believed Him wiser than herself, and more able to judge a person's needs and circumstances. She believed He is a father, and that there wasn't a soul on earth He didn't love.
Could it be that Mercy was meant to be where she was now? Could it be that her Father knew the only way to get her where she needed to be was through an encounter with a werewolf?
Rosa gently embraced Mercy again. Sometimes words fail to do what hands can do. Sometimes the touch means more.
There was nothing perfect about Mercy's situation, and yet, it seemed to Rosa that there was no better place in the world for a girl like Mercy.
"You have a another family now," Rosa said. "We're going to look after you and Charlie."
Mercy looked at Rosa with a knit brow and a face that said 'what do you mean and how do you mean it?'
"When you are bitten under the full moon," Rosa explained gently, "Your blood and his became mixed. You are a part of our family now."
The explanation did not make anything clearer to Mercy. She was slow to understand what Rosa meant, and slower to trust the word of a woman she just met.
"You're not a werewolf, though..."
"No," Rosa answered. "But I have lived among them for a very long time."
