SATAN SAYS: irma

A Story by Irma Chavez

She came over last night and was obviously uncomfortable. We have known each other over many life times but she was having trouble with her most recent past, I didn’t think it’d work out- anyway I was glad to see her. I tried to help her relax. I poured her a glass of her favourite rum, but it appeared she was all on her own, fidgeting on the couch. I settled next to her into my own soft seat, feeling heavy, not looking her way I said from the most honest place, “Take off your skin.” I was crazy to see her naked and I knew she was crazy- she told me this when I first picked her up- but I never expected what came next. She took my request quite seriously and she literally began to peel off her skin. I first had to scream; it was my fault this was happening; she doesn’t yet understand comedy. I repeated the word stop with growing frequency- she ignored me- instead of slowing down, she picked up speed and all of a sudden leaped out from within. I never imagined such a sight to be possible. All the living flesh, the pulsing bloody veins, the flowing red, the red meat covering hovering bones disappeared. Her size increased significantly, although I can’t be too sure of this, I don’t know much about the physics of light- I just know I’m not blind- she filled my gaze with a multitude of ribbons spreading through the air, expanding in my living room like fantastic rainbows. She had no face, but I could perceive her smiling none-the-less. Her natural hair was conditioned to encompass the portrait of one sweet mess, but this side of her madness was wild beyond earthly compare… I couldn’t move. A part of me wanted to turn my sparkling window lights off to see her better, but I just could not move. I had been struck by lightning. She thought it was hilarious, in the distance I could hear her bells ringing as if driven by crazy winds all disguised in glorious moonlight.