Microfic #3: Mindsnatching

My poor microfic compilations are feeling neglected, but here’s the only one I’ve thrown onto tumblr within the last week or so. Inspired by reading one of Passive Guy’s posts about copyright.

FE51, you are guilty of mindsnatching and in copyright violation under Article IV, Points Six, Seven, and, unbelieviably, Eight.

A Poem Instead of a Post

Forgot How to Write Poetry

On a normal evening, these stanzas would be paragraphs
Structure, style, voice, repeat; the drumbeats in my head
But not tonight
Sorry if these words aren’t abstract
If these lines are too long or short
You see, I’ve forgotten how to write poetry
Infer, create, press Enter, repeat; it’s not quite the lifepulse, but it’s certainly different

Blinded By Arrogance

June always walked to work. Blond, perfect, smart, sexy June. At least that’s what Suzanna’s friends whispered to her when they happened to go with her along that very same path June did. Every morning, the woman usually bumped by Suzanna and her seeing eye dog, Rufus, without so much as a, “Good morning,” her candy-smelling perfume rubbing all over Suzanna’s shirt. Fake, just like her smile undoubtedly was.

On this particular day, Suzanna knew June must’ve had a rough fight with whatever stud she dated. Her breath reeked, alcohol strong and nauseating. Her heels clacked faster than usual, and Suzanna guessed they were at least three inches. Probably black to match some slimming work skirt and low-cut blouse. Today she wore a refined lavender perfume strong enough to overpower her booze stench. She all but shoved Suzanna into the street, and the blind woman only stayed on the curb because of her grip on Rufus’s guide strap. Cars flew by close enough to blow wind on her, and one honked.

“Watch it.” Suzanna held her hand over her heart, suddenly grateful she couldn’t see just how close to death she really had been.

June scoffed a little too loudly. “Guess I can’t say the same to you. You are always so damn early. Why are you even out? Isn’t it illegal for blind people to go places alone?”

“Obviously not.” Suzanna clenched the guide harness. Rufus was as calm as ever, waiting for the longest light on earth to turn red.

Then June scoffed again and her heels clacked forward, straight into the crosswalk. Rufus wasn’t moving, so that meant the light was still green. What was she doing?

The squeal of a car’s braking tires came out of nowhere. Unable to see, Suzanna wasn’t sure if the vehicle was just trying to make the light or if it didn’t see June until it was too late. Either way, June’s screams were unforgettable.

“I can’t see. Oh, God. I can’t fucking see!”

Fire Angers Water

As a man walked by Taluna laughed and dove into the bay’s waters.  She stuck most of her head into the air; water lapped just below her bottom lip.  The man crouched to splash water on his face, eyes following her every move.  Smiling, she flicked water at him with her sea green tail.  The scales reflected a rainbow sheen under the sun.

“What a beauty you are.” He walked along the shoreline.

She swam in time with his movements.  Each stroke brought her scaled body into the light, exposing their natural trails onto her cheeks, over the gills on her neck and spiny, fin-tipped ears.  The color of her eyes actually shifted from deep blue to radiant green.

“Why are you so far from open sea?”

“Do you always ask magic’s kin so many questions?” Her accent was almost Hispanic.  She came  to a group of rocks and leaned her head forward.

He chuckled.  “I’ve never met a creature so arrogant.”

The flames surrounded her before she could jump away.  The man’s eyes glimmered with greed as the net fell over her.  Hissing, she grabbed hold and tossed it away.  Too late.  Fire licked at her body.  She shrieked.  Hunter!

The net came at her again, but she managed to go through the orange devourer only to find the bay was blocked by a giant net.  Two other men stood at either side holding it steady.

“You see,” the man waded into the water, fire surrounding his upper body, “mermaids are easy to capture.  Curiosity, arrogance.  That’s all your kind is.  But those scales.” He clucked.  “You won’t need them for much longer, I promise.”

Then something sucked him under.   As he tried to fight the grip, Taluna came face to face with him.  Her pupils were slits, eyes a fearful deep grey, and he saw for the first time that her hands were webbed with claw-like fingernails.  Her smile was coy, the way a killer smiled at its prey.

He kicked and screamed.  Bubbles frothed at the surface, and the two men above fled for their lives.  Taluna heard the net drift to the seabed and laughed as the man finally stopped twitching.

“You were the hunted.  My sister’s life is now avenged.”