The Empress

A short story taking place in the late 1800s about a psycho falling in love with his empress of the city.

The Empress

 

            I take the boat to meet the empress. This city is beautiful at this time of the year. The boat I’m riding is one of the first motorboats of the 19^th century. I have returned from a foreign voyage to help the empress deal with the economic stress going on around the continent. The empress’ city has been hit fairly hard with the downfall. It’s a very developed city and I’m here to serve as an advisor to the empress.

            I land at the docks and I tip the boat driver. A man standing at the end of the docks on land waves me over to follow him. I look up at the palace and it is absolutely beautiful. I would do anything to have it. I would KILL to have it. I’m excited to see the empress. People tell me she’s beautiful. I’ve only seen the paintings of her.

            I follow the man through a series of alleys and hidden roads to a secret entrance into the palace. The entrance is from the basement. The basement looks like a dungeon. I love it already. There are more stairs that lead to the main floor of the palace. Many guards are standing at the gate on both sides of the doors outside the palace. They have beautiful rifles and colorful uniforms.

            I follow the man up another set of stairs to the top floor. When I arrive to the top floor, there is a large golden door. Oh how I wish I could live the life of this empress. The doors open and a chilling breeze flows through the building. She’s standing away from us outside on the balcony looking out into the city. The guards get her attention and tell her I am here to serve as her bodyguard and help her with the plague going around the city.

            She turns around and looks at me. She. Is. Beautiful.

Even better looking than in her paintings. For some reason, I feel so jealous. I wish I had beauty and riches like her. I feel an evil urge growing inside of me. Darkness. I have always had a dark side. Like a moon, I have a light and bright side, but I have a dark side that I show no one. I know the people here trust me. These people think I’m going to help them.  Why would I betray them? I can’t think like this. The guards left the room so the emperor and I could talk in private.

            The empress smiles at me with her beautiful teeth and shakes my hand. She thanks me for coming from so far away to see her. I can tell she has a good taste in food because I can smell the glorious steak on her desk just sitting there. She’s wearing so much jewelry. Her eyes are different colors. One brown and one green. I think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

            She lays out her papers and gives me a map of the city and tells me where to go help people. She points out her window and shows me the giant clock tower. We have a good talk and laugh. We become good friends. She gives me free scotch and whiskey anytime I want at the bar. She is so lovely.

            A few years go by and our relationship is amazing. I think she loves me. I think love her too. We have a little affair go on. But this evil inside me is ambitious for something different. I can’t explain it. I have to listen to my darkness or I’ll go mad. Maybe I am mad.

            Today is a sunny day and the economic downfall is finally coming to an end. People are finding more jobs and the stock is amazing. I think I did a really good job here.

            I sit in the room with the empress for a final debriefing before I leave back to my home country to be miserable. The darkness in my head is larger than ever now. I can’t control it.

            She’s eating steak again. I ask her if she’s going to finish it. She gives me a piece. I look around the room for a second while eating my piece of steak. She looks out at the view and turns away from me and begins talking about the beauty in life. I give the knife on the desk a good look. I hold it in my hand. I watch the grease from the steak slowly drip down the knife as I look into my small reflection.

 I stab her. I stab her right into the heart.  She bobs her head back and drops her wine glass. She cries and tears rush down her face. She asks me why. Why? Why did I do this? What did she do to deserve to die?

            All these years I’ve dreamed of killing this woman, but actually doing the deed… It’s a different reality. I can’t figure out if I feel guilty or not. I have no empathy… The darkness inside of me explodes and I go crazy. She dies in front of me as I stab her repeatedly again and again in the heart.

            Then I skin the face off of her skull and painfully sew it onto mine. So relaxing… Oh to feel her cold blood oozing slowly down my face. I have always wanted to live this woman’s life. To have everything she has. Oh the envy... I look at her pale faceless body. What have I done? This isn’t how I wanted things to go. I will always be this monster and there is no turning back. I realize it now. People die, beauty disappears, love changes, and I will forever be alone.

            I stopped caring. And started laughing.  

Author's Note

A short story that I might make into a film later on :)

Reviews

[Alene Parr]

Wow, I did not expect the Hannibal twist at the end. I like it though. Well done. I could definitely see this as a film, or a series. I think an origin story about how he became a "monster" could be really, really interesting!