Glass Flowers

#62 in my 100 things. Magic. Just something fun I wrote before work.

 

He could feel it moving behind him whenever he turned around, no matter which way he faced in the room. He kept catching glimpses of it out of the corner of his eye as he turned and it darted for something else semi-precious of his. The door was open, but he realised now that the thing was not going to leave. It was not going to go before it got whatever it came for. All he could hope was to keep moving, keep it moving, and not let it find it.

He wished he knew what it was looking for. It wasn’t after the trophies he’d won while at school - it had thrown them to the floor first, narrowly missing his head. It wasn’t looking for his special photographs, or anything he hid inside them as they littered the floor, even his wedding photo. It had managed to put a scratch across the glass, across his wife. Across her throat. It made him glad he’d sent her away when strange things started happening. She’d wanted to visit her sister for months and now seemed like the perfect time to him. He hadn’t told her about it. He didn’t want to scare her, not like it scared him, feverishly hunting for something in the dim light of the room. It had smashed all the lamps as it entered the room.

Stuffed toys and suits hit him from behind and he whirled around, to see the thing dash behind him again. He couldn’t even see what colour it was, let alone shape, apart from size, and even that he wasn’t too sure on. It could be serpentine for all he knew.

A hiss of delight behind him made his blood run cold.

The phone started ringing as he turned.

 

This time, it didn’t run. It stood facing him on his desk, some eight inches tall, grasping a black velvet box in its gremlin like hands.

 

He started begging as the answer machine picked up the call. He couldn’t loose that, his wife really would kill him, if this thing didn’t first.

It was the first thing she’d ever given him, telling him that he held her heart in his hands. He’d asked her to marry him that night.

 

He heard his wife’s voice distantly, almost like through cotton wool, as he begged the creature, watching as it turned the box over in its scaly, clawed hands.

 

It opened the box, and he focused a little, hearing her voice a little more. Why did she sound so desperate? What was wrong?

 

He glanced to the door, the answering machine in the hall. She wanted him to pick up… something was so wrong…

 

Looking back, the box was on the floor and the creature held the item, studying it, almost smiling at him.

 

It held it out to him, and he stepped forward, frowning slightly. What did it want? The box?

 

He held out his hands and the creature laid it gently across his palms. His heart beat faster. Something was so wrong…

It smiled at him, a big sharp-toothed, pointy smile.

Too late, he tried to turn, to protect his hands, and the fragile glass rose laid on them.

Too late as it crushed the glass into his hands.

 

Blood coursed over his wrists and down his arms as the gremlin held on, pressing harder. There was too much blood… where was it coming from?

 

Distantly, he heard his wife scream in agony and he fell.

 

He woke up some time later, not remembering anything but the glass and the gremlin. Sirens? Where were the sirens coming from? Following the sound, being careful not to drop the crushed glass on his palms, he stepped into the hall.

Strange… The sirens were coming from the answer machine.

His eyes went wide.

 

Her heart…

…She’d said he held her heart in his hands.

Author's Note

Just a bit of fun to combat writer's block. This is the first version, straight from fingertips to WC, so there's probably a few typos...

Reviews

[Tucker]

Wow, this is great. It somewhat lost me for a little bit, but I went through it over and over again in my head, and started to grasp it. I think this is great, somewhat vague, but I love the mystery about it.

[Illegitimate Artist]

The beginning was very mysterious! You had me guessing all through this piece, trying to figure out what was going on! Really awesome twist right at the end too. Loved this one, sweets. It was really brilliant!