(Today's blog comes from intrepid space cowboy and treasure hunter, William Chodos, who happens to be my brother. He has his own video production company. Check it out here!)
The beast coils in my stomach ready to attack. An ache grows behind my eyes. I hear my heart pound in my ears. My skull creaks with the groan of gnashing teeth. My arm flexes with an electrical surge. My shoulders turn to concrete and fuse to my spine.
Across from me something demands my attention. The beast in my stomach lurches and my vision returns.
“What?” I groan, the voice is not mine.
“You taking my picture, now?” The something gurgles, flashing it’s teeth. Its golden gilded teeth. Its grill.
“Please, take that out.” I nearly hiss. My neck is hot, soon it will be paralyzed. “We can’t use the photograph if you don’t take it out.”
The thing shakes it’s head and smirks “I can’t - it’s permanent” It sucks the saliva loudly from the metal in it’s mouth.
The beast gnashes and snarls, tearing at my stomach lining. I breathe fire.
“So, you eat with that in?” I imagine the gold spontaneously turning molten, I almost smile.
“Yeah,” it oozes “I got it done in Milwaukee.” It gurgles out a laugh. A laugh of neither boy nor man, it’s horrifying. I catch his eyes dart to his peers, seeking approval.
Standing nearby, a gangly wreck of skin and bone, with a fist for an adam’s apple, chortles. I catch the unfortunate creature’s gaze.
The beast rips through my stomach and tears past my lungs. It slashes into my heart where it coils up comfortably, content. It’s home.
The gangly wreck sees the change. The crooked smiles dissolves to a frown. Fear flashes in his eyes. The fist in his throat uppercuts his chin. The beast purrs.
My head swings from the appetizer to the main course. “I will destroy you,” the beast whispers to me, “You are nothing”. The grilled clown looks at me perplexed. I can hear the gears turning - little hamsters in wheels tripping over themselves. He doesn’t understand, he doesn’t know what’s coming. He is my prey.
“What?” He burps, gargling the last consonant.
Then it happens. The beast churns and bursts forth, propelled by rocket fuel. My entire body goes numb, frozen in wrath.
“HEY!”
I stop. For an instant the room is frozen, silent. My entire body is submerged in ice cold water. My voice echoes softly in the high-school gymnasium. Students, and staff alike, turn to the sudden and violent outburst. All eyes are on me, ground zero. The beast is gone.
I catch no eyes. I admit no fault. I continue to work.
“Look right here at me. Big smile. One, two.. three.”
CLICK
“Next please!”
Haiku of the Day:
Not right now, okay
Not never just not right now
Please leave me alone
Today's Drawing (inspired by the phrase "An Uphill Battle" spoken by Matt Wolf)
Today's "365" Project (Do something with a pad of sticky notes.)
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