Lessons in the Colour Transparent 2

She walks into the bar, eyes bright and full of purpose. She’s wearing her best smile and the outfit she bought last week. She sits daintily on a bar stool and signals the bartender:
“Can I get a martini honey? And don’t be shy with the Gin,” she says with a light laugh and wink. The bartender mixes her drink and places it in front of her. She immediately fishes out the olive with her tongue and chews it slowly, savouring the taste.
“Mmm is it even a Martini if there isn’t an olive?” The bartender chuckles and places another in her cocktail. She smiles at him and casually swings the bar stool as her eyes scan the room. She never knows what she’s looking for but she always knows when she finds it. And tonight she finds it. She smiles slowly and turns around to face the bar again. She feels his energy as he approaches her and she knows the very moment he is standing behind. He signals the bartender:
“Can I get another Martini for the lady?”
“Who says I’m a lady?”
“Actually that’s the name of the cocktail.” He turns to her and smiles.
“That’s cute but I come here all the time and I’ve never heard of that particular mix.”
Just as she finishes speaking the bartender brings over a cocktail and places it in front of the man:
“One Martini for the Lady. Will that be all sir?”
She rolls her eyes and he gives a little chuckle.
“Of course” she says, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I hate to say I told you so but…” he shrugs his shoulders and smiles at her. She rolls her eyes again but she’s smiling.
“I bet you’re just the type to love saying I told you so.”
“You’re right about that.”
He half sits on the bar stool next to hers and leans into her.
“So here’s the thing. I think you’re extremely attractive, and I find you intriguing. I’d like to get you tipsy enough to make some bad decisions but not so tipsy you regret them in the morning. Then I’d like to take you home with me but I’m a reasonable guy. I’m always open to other suggestions.”
He grins at her and it’s all teeth.
“Well aren’t you bold. I’m not sure if you’re rude or just really, really stupid.”
“I’m neither.”
“Really now? So what would you call it?”
“Transparency?”
She raises her eyebrow at him and tilts her head slightly,
“You’re an interesting one aren’t you?”
“So we agree then.”
She smiles and shakes her head,
“I bet your girlfriend thinks you’re hilarious.”
“She really does.”
“Ahh so you do have a girl.”
“I do. A lovely girl but not nearly as interesting as you probably are.”
“Just like a man, always out to find the next best thing huh.”
“Hey, at least I’m straight up. Isn’t that what you women want? Honesty?”
He takes his glass and raises it to his lips. He downs the contents in one gulp and places the glass back down on the counter.
“You’re right. We do want honesty…but we also want respect. You go find that lovely girlfriend of yours and be a better boyfriend.”
She raises her empty glass in a salute to the bartender then turns and smiles at her companion before patting his cheek. She slides off the bar stool, adjusts her skirt and turns to leave. He watches her, shakes his head and lets out a sound in appreciation of her silhouette.  He turns to the bartender and orders another drink. He gives him a thankful nod and casually swings the bar stool as he eyes scan the room. He never knows what he’s looking for but he always knows when he finds it. And tonight he finds it. He smiles slowly and turns around to face the bar again. He feels her energy as she approaches him and he knows the very moment she is standing behind.
“Looks like you struck out just now.”
“Maybe she struck out.”
“A gorgeous girl like that? I doubt it.”
She leans on the bar and positions herself so she’s facing him.
“Well, let’s say you’re right and I did strike out. That means something is probably wrong with my game. So the question is…why are you over here?”
“Maybe I’m a little curious as to why you struck out?”
“Well that’s easy. Transparency.”

Lessons in the Colour Transparent

     She walks into the coffee shop, eyes lowered and shoulders slumped. She makes her way to the counter and orders her usual: one large, black coffee. She thanks the Barista and makes her way to “her” seat. She’s so intent on avoiding eye contact that she doesn’t realise someone is already there. Her eyes open wide as she stares at the crop of kinky-curly black hair spilling from the cap hovering above the table. She slides into the seat across, slightly annoyed, and clears her throat.
“Ahem.”
The hair doesn’t even stir. She frowns slightly.
“Excuse me?”
Still, nothing. She reaches over and taps the hat. The figure leans back making her gasp. There is nothing there. Just a floating hat with hair; yet she can hear the steady breathing of what should be a person sitting across from her at the table; yet she feels their presence. She looks around and wonders if anyone else can see(or not see) what she has just discovered. Just then a waitress walks over with a glass of lemonade and places it on the table in front of the hat.
“Here you go sweetie. On the house.”
She smiles and pats the hat before she turns around and walks away.
‘Was she nuts? Did this bitch know she was patting air? Maybe I’m the one who’s crazy…’
So many thought run through her mind as she fixes her eyes at the space before her, but she’s not really seeing. Not that there’s anything to see in the first place.
“It’s okay.”
      She jumps at the voice and instinctively looks left and right for its origin.
“I’m sorry if I scared you. But you’re not crazy.”
She stares at the space in front of her not knowing what to think.
“You’re not crazy,” the voice repeats. “I’m just invisible.”
She frowns and says, “Are you psychic as well as invisible? How did you know that was what I was thinking?”
He chuckles and she’s surprised to find she actually likes it.
“No, it’s your face. You can’t hide anything you’re thinking.”
“Oh really? So what am I thinking now?”
“You’re wondering if I’m invisible, what on earth am I doing here, which is actually not the question you probably should be asking. The better question would be, why am I invisible?”
He’s right. She can feel his wry smile from across the table and she lets out a little sniff.
“Ah…I can see I’m right…and you don’t like to be wrong. Correct?”
“Great…I’m getting a therapy session from the Invisible Man,” she says, rolling her eyes and giving a little laugh of disbelief.
“The Invisible Man. How original.”
“Oh shut up.”
He lifts his glass of lemonade to his mouth and she watches with interest as the contents of the floating glass disappear into seemingly nothing.
      “Okay. I’ll bite. Why are you invisible?”
He’s silent for a while as if he’s thinking.
“Have you ever read The Metamorphosis?”
“Kafka? Sure. Years ago.”
“Samsa was human and one morning he just woke up this giant insect thing. It’s kind of like that for me too. One night I went to bed normal and the next morning I woke up like this.”
Her lips twitch and she tries to stifle the smile that threatens to break across her face.
“I don’t think that’s what Yonce meant when she made Flawless.”
He lets out a chuckle.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Didn’t you go to anyone? A doctor, scientist…magician?”
“A magician? Really?”
She shrugs her shoulders and rolls her eyes.
“Hey…they make things disappear all the time. Maybe they can do it in reverse.”
“Well that’s certainly one I’ve never heard before. I’ll be sure to call up David Blaine and ask for his help.”
She knows he’s rolling his eyes and it makes her smile. As she speaks to him she feels an incredible connection with him. Up to this point they had led very similar lives. Both only children, both ridiculously intelligent, both had very few friends when they were younger and even fewer now, both had jobs which they were over-qualified for, both alone.
     As she sits comparing their identical lives, she finally realises. She’s invisible too. Her parents were dead and she had no best friend, no boyfriend, no one to worry about her when she’s ill, no one to say I love you to…no one to cry if she disappears. The parallels which at first make her feel so comfortable are now making her disgusted. She hadn’t been living, only existing. She’s unaware that he’s stopped speaking and is now looking at her intently. She begins to gather up her things.
“Leaving already?”
She jumps a little as his voice breaks her reverie.
“Umm…yeah…there’s some stuff that I…that I need to handle.”
“Alright. Maybe I’ll see you around then.”
She looks in his direction and smiles.
“Not if I can help it.”
She makes her way to the exit and walks into the crowded street outside. He smiles to himself as he lifts his glass to his lips. How sweet.

Two Shots

      The doorbell was ringing. It took all my strength to make my way to the door, my lethargy being at its highest. The ringing continued until I was right before the door with my hand outstretched to turn the handle and then it stopped. I hesitated for a second before shrugging and opened it. And there it was. A simple cardboard box. One of those ones you see in offices where you assembled them yourself. White and completely void of any writing or print. I frowned not remembering having ordered anything in the past couple of weeks; even months. I bent over and lifted it then quickly let it fall. It was heavier than I had estimated.  I steadied myself and tried again grunting over the strain of the weight. I used my foot to open up the door a little more so I could get through and carried the heavy box to the dining room table. Setting it down I moved back to close the front door. The telephone rang 6 times before it went to voicemail. “Hey it’s me. Haven’t heard you in a while and I’m just checking in...so...yeah. Give me call when you can. Bye!” The television was still on and the laugh track on the obnoxious sitcom was loud in my ears. Same day. Same sequence. I was getting real tired of doing this every day. Only the box was different. Oh right, the box. I moved to the kitchen and found a knife to cut it open then went into the dining room. It was pretty big. Large enough to hold a gaming console or a designer bag none of which I had purchased. I frowned again and started to cut it open, folding the flaps back.

    Dark, bare, smooth, shiny, stiff, cold. It was a boy. He looked to be about 4 or 5 which would explain why he so easily fit inside. He was positioned how I imagine a fetus lies in its mother’s womb; with his knees tucked up to his chest and his hands curled under his chin. His eyes were closed and his lips slightly apart. He could’ve been asleep except for the fact that he wasn’t.  Skin so clean and unmarked that I almost thought he was a doll. No being could be this perfect. I stared into the box for minutes before I moved, arms shaking I lifted him. My eyes traced his little face tenderly and I could feel warmth originating from the soles of my feet, touching every corner of my body. Love. I already loved him. I walked with him through the dining room to the stairs which would take me to the Treasure Room. I climbed the stairs feeling every groove beneath my feet, skin tingling with anticipation. Good thing I always forgot to shut the door.

   I loved the Treasure Room because there were all sorts of…prizes. And I was sure he would love being in the Treasure Room too. Just like all the other good boys. I gently placed him on the fluffy carpet, face up and set next to him holding his hand. We spoke for hours. About his favorite toys and his best friends; which teacher gave him trouble at school and if he liked firemen; whether Superman or Batman would win in a battle; if he knew what real love was. His laugh clenched my heart and stirred something deep in my stomach. His skin was cool to the touch and I felt him tremble as my fingers got lower. I took everything off. First my shirt, then my pants, then my underwear. All the while his eyes were closed and he exhaled and inhaled quickly in pleasant anticipation. He was so lovely. We played for a long time. Doctor has always been one of my favorites. His on the other hand, was Mommy and Daddy. And then I carried him to the bed and put him down gently before climbing in myself. I turned him so he faced me but his eyes were still closed. I guess he was just enjoying the moment. I pulled him to me and wrapped my arms around him. He fit snugly into my arms as if he was designed especially for me and then I realized.

He was a gift.
For the first time in months I smiled.
God’s son had returned.

Swim Good

Hotel Room
Ocean View
Swim Good....


    Sitting high in her tower she dreams. Through the opened window overlooking the sea, she watches the ships sail. Sometimes leaving, sometimes coming but always filled with possibilities. The Lady was her favorite. It wasn't the biggest boat and it wasn't the prettiest but there was something about it. No matter how many times she watched it come and go she could never realise what it was until that day. He was new to the crew. He noticed her one day looking out of her tower window. "Who is that? In the window?" he would ask everyone around him and they would just smile. For a week he stared at the window; every night until he finally got the courage to approach it. Deep breath. Here we go now. Over the pier. Almost there now. He was surprised to see no entrance into the tower. Frowning he decided to call to her. "Ahoy up there!" She looked outside and saw him, trying to hold onto his sailor cap as the night air blew fiercely. Tilting her head she frowned not knowing why he was there. "Hullo, isn't there a way to get inside?" She smiled sadly and shook her head, then looked past him into the night. "What are you looking at?" He looked back trying to see what it was she saw but could only make out the black velvet of the night. What a strange girl. Since he couldn't seem to get a word out of her, he decided to find a way into the tower. He took a walk all around the structure, even tapping its walls just in case there was some sort of secret passage but came up empty. After a few hours, dejected and tired, he decided to call it quits for the night. It's so dark. I'll come back tomorrow when it's light and maybe I'll see something I missed! With that thought giving him hope, he went back around to her window and waved at her with a smile then made his way back to the ship.

Good. He's gone. I thought he would never leave. "Nathaniel,he seems like a good boy." Boys are never good my dear. And besides, you know if Luke ever sees him he'll be in danger. Do you remember what happened to the other one? "You're right as always. But I'm tired of being alone. I like this one." If you like him you'll stay away. For both your sakes.
   
    The next day the sailor was at it again. He slipped out during the afternoon while all his fellow shipmates were having lunch and made his way across the pier to the tower. "Hello inside~ It's me again." He waited under her window until he saw her solemnly leaned her head out. She tilted it at him and frowned. "Are you quite sure there's no way in?" She shrugged non-committal, and went back inside. I guess I'm doing this on my own then. For three days he went back to the tower in search of a way in. Each time he tried to get her to speak and each day she refused to. Each day he he got more and more determined to get to her. On the fourth day he carried with him a rope and some stones. Tying a stone to the end of the rope he threw thee rope toward the window until he finally got it in. She ran to the window and leaned out with wide eyes when the rope flew into her room. He grinned up at her and saluted. "Can you find something to tie it onto?" She nodded slowly, still wide eyed, then moved to tie the rope to the leg of her bed.
   
     What are you doing? Luke is going to be mad! "I can't live like this anymore Nathaniel. I'm going crazy inside of this place. I have to leave." Don't say I didn't warn you..She pulled on it to make sure it was really secure then ran back to the window. "Did you do it?" She nodded quickly. "Alright. I'll be back tonight and you can come down then okay?" She smiled down at him and he made his way back to the ship, happily awaiting the moment he would finally meet the strange girl in the tower. She paced and bit her nails all the while she waited for her sailor. Soon she fell asleep and before she knew it, night had fallen. She heard his happy whistle as he approached the tower and she prepared herself to leave. And where are you going? "Luke!..I..I'm leaving the tower. You can't keep me locked up in here forever." You're never leaving this tower as long as I have breath. I control you my dear. If you try to leave you know what will happen to you and your friend. Luke please. Don't be hasty now. Stay out of this Nathaniel. If you had let me punish her the last time like I wanted to we wouldn't be in this mess again. "Shut up! Both of you! I'm going and there's nothing anyone can do." You'll be sorry.   
    The happy sailor finally got to the tower and called out to the girl in the tower. He grinned when he saw her peeked out of the window. "Are you scared?" She bit her lip and nodded. "It's okay. I won't let anything bad happen." She glanced back into the room then squared her shoulders and began to climb down the rope. Her heart beat rapidly as she made her way down, then finally her feet touched the ground for the first time. She turned around, finally able to meet him face to face. "You're even more beautiful than I could see from up there." He reached out and stroked her cheek, and she leaned into his touch closing her eyes and pausing for a few moments. "I'm happy you came for me." His eyes widened. "You...talk?" She smiled, her eyes still closed then she slowly opened them and he was afraid. "Are you ready to leave here forever? With me?" She grabbed his hand earnestly. "Y-Yes. I am." "Then let's go."
   
Luke. Luke what did you do? Don't worry Nathaniel. She won't be disobeying us anymore. And that sailor won't give us any more trouble. Luke...I have a bad feeling. What did you do? Don't worry. It's all taken care of.

There's an old legend in a small little fishing town where there's an old tower. They say when the moon rests behind the clouds and the night turns to velvet black, that the screams of a young girl can be heard down by the sea. And if you look very closely you will see the body of a young man in a sailor suit. His body half beneath the surface of the water. 

Beautiful
Ocean View
Swim Good....

Pay Attention

                     Monster,
               How should I feel?
               Creatures lie here,
            Looking through my window.

It's 6 pm and outside is already covered in darkness.
You smile as he takes your hand and pulls you close. You spent 3 hours talking in his car, just the two of you. About anything. About everything. You invite him in when it got too dark to see. Your parents aren't home so you're about to have a good time. He's sitting on your bed looking at the pictures on the wall.
Your history.
You close the door not noticing that it doesn't shut all the way in. He holds out his hand to you and you take it. Your stomach acts unnaturally and you can't quite understand why your knees feel so weak. You watch his tongue as it dances across his bottom lip. Suddenly you're aroused. Your hand moves towards his chest as his roam your body. You're feeling good right? Take your clothes off. The next step is the best. Before you realise they're lying on the floor and he's on top of you. You close your eyes as his lips touch yours and the shaking in your knees begins to subside. Your heart races faster as his voice permeates your entire being and you cease to understand anything but his touch. You've never felt this way before. Every move he makes brings you closer and closer to that moment. To the greatest feeling you'll ever know in the entirety of your life. And just when you're about to reach the height of your existence she walks in with the redness in her eyes and the metal in her hands.
You're history.
She aims it at your heart and pulls. The last thing you see is her face; not his. You die never having experienced that ultimate pleasure. She smiles as she watches the light leave your eyes and he screams with your blood on his face. He's still buried deep inside of you.

"I hate you both."

One Shot

(1st One Shot of many to come. Experimentation of sorts. Thanks for reading!)   
 

    There was something wrong with that girl. No sound was heard until you felt her breath on your neck and turned to see her smile. Her long black hair covered her eyes and her yellow-stained teeth made your skin crawl. She was always alone until one day she was not. They appeared like three henchmen, always two steps behind her. They never spoke and didn't seem to ever eat or drink. She controlled them but only because that's what they wanted. A heaviness surrounded her and the air was stifling beside them all. No one could penetrate their circle, at least not on purpose.
     No one knew where she came from and no one was brave enough to ask her. She lived alone. Her parents walked out on her a long time ago. At least that's what everyone thought. They didn't know. About the night daddy first came into her room. About the nights that followed. The beatings mommy gave her for "telling lies". No one knew what she had to do. No one knew what I had to do. How I took the knife to their necks while they laid sleeping in each other's arms. How mommy's eyes rolled back when she saw what I did to daddy next to her. How I smiled seeing the look in her eyes.
     Lous, Light and Lived saved me; cleaned the blood and dumped the bodies. They took care of me and still take care of me. Even as I'm stuck here between the living and the dead they protect me from the spirits of the unfortunate. I like being here. It's warm and cozy and I have lots of friends. They understand me and never make fun. And I have one person to thank for bringing me here and making me feel welcomed.
Hello Saetun.