Tuesday Tales Staring Into a Mirror- Do We Always Like What We See?
Without further ado...please see my snippet with "mirror" as the prompt word.
Owen tried again. “Pearl, is that you?” He parted the underbrush
to get a better look. However, he stopped before he made any actual forward progress.
The rest of the group stood back, speechless, and watched
Owen’s movements. Owen looked to Caleb for assistance. Caleb shifted his backpack and moved backward,
but he subtly pointed toward the young woman. Owen gulped and nodded. “Hello?
My friends and I just want to know if you’re okay.”
With still no response, Leandra got involved. “Hello in
there, we just want to know you are safe, then, we will leave.” The young woman
still did not move a muscle, not a twitch.
Kalista threw up her hands. “Look, guys, let’s go,
obviously, we are in this girls’ space and she wants us gone.” She resumed
walking again on the path that led to the main road.
Caleb, then, Leandra fell in line, and they joined Kalista
on up the path. But, Owen stayed back, looking helplessly from his friends to
the girl sitting cross legged in a clearing of trees. “Aw-right, fine then, I’m
outta here. Continue with your mumbo jumbo yoga voo-doo crap.”
“It’s not voo-doo crap and you guys are invading my safe
place.” Pearl finally spoke, but didn’t move.
A strange static electricity took over and Owen felt the
hair on his arms rise accordingly. The dense air lifted and dried out, filling
Owen’s chest rapidly. His lungs expanded and he gasped. The strength of three
men filled him, his muscles stretched and he flexed. “Pearl, what’s going on
here.”
“Welcome to my world, Owen. It’s just another day in
paradise for me.”
A rush filled his veins. His tension lifted and he smiled.
Something akin to a drug flowed through Owen from head to toe. Energy boosted
his responses, he stepped closer to a still-seated Pearl. “What is this place?”
Awe filled his tone. “It is
paradise.”
“Your friends will want you to leave me.” Pearl spoke
matter-of-factly, almost void of emotion.
The air drew from his stomach, as if he’d been sucker
punched. He looked rapidly from Pearl to the path his friends had taken.
However, he saw no sign of any of them. “Are you still here?” Owen yelled to
the rest of his friends. “Listen, everything is good. I’m going to stay with
Pearl for a while. I’ll meet up with you at Mr. Richard’s place.” He kept
yelling, hoping none of them came back.
Instead, Caleb rushed back toward Owen. “Look, dude, we need
to discuss this. Do you really want to stay out in the middle of nowhere?” His
feet stopped several feet in front of Owen. Caleb pushed, but, only swayed
front to back, his feet could not go another step further. The air on Caleb’s
head pulled strangely toward the sky.
“What the hell is
this? I can’t move.” As if a giant balloon continued to rub against his head,
static electricity surrounded him, embracing his limbs. His arms pulled
strangely toward the direction Pearl sat. “This can’t be safe.”
Owen smiled and rolled his shoulders back. “This is amazing
dude. Have you ever felt anything like this before?”
“We need to leave.”
Caleb pulled backward out of the circle of energy. “Owen, come on.”
“You look like the Heat Meiser, man. I don’t want you to
blow up or something.”
The electric sensation stopped and the chorus of frogs,
crickets, birds, and other bugs began again. Both Caleb and Owen regained their
full mobility. Owen stretched his hands out and gazed at them in amazement. “Whatever
she is doing, I want to learn.” Owen sat down next to Pearl. “I mean it.” He
looked at Caleb decisively. “I’ll be good.”
Caleb ground his back teeth. “Dude, this can’t be, you know,
okay.”
"I don't know about you, but, I can look in a mirror
and be just fine with the things I've done. Owen is just as safe with me as he
is with you.” Pearl slowly looked directly into Owen’s direction. “He is a good
person. No harm will come to him. I guarantee it.”
“As if that makes me feel any better.”
Owen’s expression softened. “You go on ahead. I’d like to
stay here and spend some time talking with Pearl.”
the Critter Getter series Goodreads
Comments
Loved it!