Death lesson - 27

 "We are flesh prisons with an ego."

                                        - Unknown author.



Six feet tall, glass on three of its four sides beneath its lid and on top of its legs. The Fiji mermaid was beautiful in that macabre dance way, but its eyes always seemed to follow Jolene where she was. She found herself unable to lose sight of it even on the side of her vision. Imaging much of the same predicament for the mermaid. Its prison was coin-operated only taking pennies. Green and gold spirals on the lower part of the stand and an overall sideshow attraction art deco? (if such a style exists)
   She put in a penny and expected the mermaid to move, but it's grotesque grey arms were still, it's catfish tail motionless, and the distorted screaming face of the creature unchanging. But like some meat grinder organ glittering bells rang, or, a music box from a horror film started to play either way Jolene heard evil music. The black clouds overhead, the spark of a storm in the air. The Krogers was empty though the sun was up. Doors locked and never opening again the world she occupied was abandoned. Then out came a card a fortune cookie style fortune on it. It said, "the early bird gets the worm, but the second rat gets the cheese!" Jolene stared at the obviously cheap paper rolled it into a ball a thought about throwing it at the machine but still feeling the eyes she put it in her pocket and started her way to the bus stop.
    "I wish it would rain," she thought "this was my only lead, and there weren't many legs to it." the buss got there before the storm came through. The torrents of rain, not really going crazy, till she was at the stop she got off on. Drenched for the last twenty minutes of the walk home. Her shaved head being thumped with heavy drops of rain.  A little stream of water rolling down the hill on the corners of the road. A river for her shoes that had cracks on the bottom so that they absorbed most of the flow as she crossed. A small puddle splash and then heading straight for home.
    Her mom wasn't home "thank god." she thought. Than flipped on the lights in the damp, chilly air of the rain though now inside with it behind her. Taking her shoes off and throwing the socks in the dryer along with the rest of her clothes. She heard something from downstairs, so she put on a shower robe and went down the stairs to the basement. Liam was playing the Nintendo classic she had hacked for him. "hey" he said holding up a peace sign. Still with the rotting hole in his head and the dawn of the dead complexion to his skin.  "how long you been back?" she said with a smile. "about an hour." he said. "I got lost, I have been looking for this place for the last four days." "it's good to have you home," she said with a smile on he lips.  though her arms were crossed if more in fascination than frustration.