A giggle chimed through the rainy forest.
It was getting dark out, and the sky lit up like a deranged flame. The sky was like a sea of blood, and it dripped with a fiery venom that could torch a pure creatureâs innocent soul. No, noâshe wasnât like any other. She saw things differently. Out there wasnât a sunset to admire. Out there were blood and hate and violence. Life wasnât something to be thought of as precious.
How come Rewq saw things so differently?
How come no one saw the harshness of life?
There were ways to get around such ills of life though. This little boy standing right in front of her seemed to have the right idea. âA potion? You need a potion to see the spirit world?â She said. The little boy, with big eyes and a big heart, nodded âOh, please. Iâm not so sure! This is quite the dangerous goal, yâknow!â Rewq nodded with an equally large smile. âPotions to the spirit world open up endless possibilities, and you⊠You are a kind soul with a beautiful, pure heart. Iâm not so sure a spirit wouldnâtâŠâ Rewq paused, tossing a thoughtful glance toward all of her medicines, potions, and poisons, â⊠Try to take you as their own. Hearts, especially one nearly untainted, are precious commodities.â
âI want to see my mother.â The little child replied in a voice that oozed determination. âI have to see my mother.â
âYou want⊠to see your mother. Ah, I see.â At this, the young witch turned her back on the little boy to focus on her wares. She knew just the thing for this little boy. Her fingers twitched and tingled as she moved along her wooden shack, surveying the shelves upon shelves of vials and glass bottles filled with vibrant chemicals. She had created all of these potions. Rewq was quite proud of all of the potions she had whipped up. They were physical proof of all of her knowledge. âFirst, you must tell me. What do you think of the value of life?â
This was a question a little over the young oneâs head. He stood, and he stared. âFather tells me itâs precious.â At this, Rewq giggled again. It was a young and sweet giggle, one that danced among notes of playfulness. It was as if Rewq knew something the little boy didnât, and she could see that he shifted uncomfortably. Of course, she knew this little sweetheart would ignore all of the signs that screamed danger all around him because he was just that blinded with love and hope for his mother. It was sad, really. Still, Rewq had her own goals. She stood on a strong shelf to make up for her short height, so she could reach and pull down a tiny, tiny vial filled with a silvery liquid. It was all they would need.
âAre you sure?â Rewq questioned as she stepped closer to the youngster, bending at the knees to give him more direct eye contact. âAre you sure this is what you want?â He nodded enthusiastically, getting excited. Rewq grinned again; it was a warm smile this time. âThis is a warning, little boy. You could die.â
âI donât care! I want to die if it means seeing my mother!â
At this, Rewq began to unscrew the black lid. âThatâs all I needed to hear. Take just a sip of this, and youâll be able to see the world beyond.â The teenage witch waited as the boy snatched the vial with grabby hands and as he followed her instructions obediently. She watched intently as the base of his neck swerved back and forth in the rhythm of swallowing. âThere.â Rewq whispered, taking another vial of mystery liquid from a pouch hanging on her side, draining it as the little boy slipped into a daze. âI suppose youâre ready.â The passion seeped from her voice as she sat down with a clumsy thud beside the child, her bloody irises and black pupils revealing such a strong hunger as she moved forward with an animalistic crawl toward the boy. Oh, she was mesmerized. Hungry; she was so incredibly hungry.
âYou could dieâ She gave the warning loud and clear. She wasnât a thief, because she had basically asked the child for his life. He had given her permission.
⊠And she was doing him a favor. Life among the living in this world was nothing but a living Hell. The sky with its deranged, bloody color was the color she always saw. She saw red. She saw hatred. She saw violence. She saw ugliness. LifeâPfftâlife was nothing more than a joke. She was this boyâs savior. Rewq was his hope.
Rewq moved steadily forward as the little boy moved his lips in an unintelligible whisper. No doubt he was talking with his mother in the spirit world, totally immersed in its beautiful mystery. Oh, how lucky he was. Mothers seemed to be like that, always sticking by their beloved children, trying to protect them even when the energy to do so was nigh impossible to attain. This made mothers almost sadistic in a sense. Pointless hope, pointless loveâIt was all nothing but sadism. Rewq would be this motherâs savior too. She would free the spirit mother from her pain.
Rewq continued to move with the stealth of a cougar. That giggle, a trademark of hers, sprang forth from the pit of her soul as she watched the boyâs lips form a certain string of precious words. âNo mother. I wonât move. Iâm not in danger. Iâm safe. Iâm safe right here next to you. I loveââ Rewq didnât let the child finish. She better move now. This was her chance! HahaâOh, she grabbed onto his shirt, ripped it open, and pulled the glistening, blue energy from the depths of his being. The adrenaline raced through her veins like a slithering snake (and how she loved snakes). Reaping the energies of these hopeful people was her drug, filling her being with a smooth and ethereal bliss. He writhed and shook, gasping and crying out, before finally falling still. A couple of seconds passed, and he changed into a smoky creature. A spirit. It melted into the shadows, not attacking, fleeing. Rewq felt her fingers shaking, her legs aching from their light tremors. Her own energy was drained from the exertion, but it didnât matter. The bliss was still there, lingering like a hazy fog, like a vicious scavenger.
Her hunger was satiated. The potion that had let her steal his precious soul energy was beginning to wear off, and she finished up the reaping of that energy by devouring it. Life⊠was difficult. She wanted it to be over for her, but she had been let on to a secret. The more spirit energy that was stolen, the stronger she would be in her beloved spirit world. Rewq needed that powerâŠ
And after each reaping, she felt good. A kind of giddiness would wash over her. She saw life differently. It was something to save people from. She saved that little boy. âI was his guardian angel.â She whispered with a soft smile, running a shaky hand through her wavy, frizzed hair.
Rewq was an intellectual.
RewqâShe would be stronger than any other. Power was her ultimate goal.
