Piper

Slightly odd story I've made.

“Who is Piper”? The deep male voice questioned clearly.

The voice which answered spoke quickly. “Piper is my ring necked snake. I found him walking outside one summer afternoon. It was hot, I remember because I was sweaty. I was walking near the power lines that run through my property. The company that owns them had to cut away all the trees and make dirt roads so they could change the lines. They used to be small and wooden, like the ones you see next to the road. Now they’re tall, really tall and red. The base alone is ten feet wide, and I’ve heard that some big city miles away uses them; siphoning the power through those long thick wires.

I found Piper in the dirt on the road. Little guy was just lying there, all dead. Someone, somewhere, within the last few hours had hit him with their truck or car. Heck, it could have even been a bike. Either way Piper was dead when I found him and still has the tire track to prove it. He was brownish with two black rings and one white one right around his neck. Little friend is only about a foot long so I found a nice stick and carried him home. I won’t lie, there was nothing proud about it, and I even dropped him twice. Yes, twice.

When we got home I put Piper in a glass jar that says 200ML on the back. It’s clear all around. I poured some grain alcohol inside and sealed the top nice and tight. Yes, yes nice and tight. That’s where Piper’s been ever since, in a jar on my headboard. He’s truly the best pet anyone could ever ask for. He doesn’t eat, sleep, or poop. He never rots or changes. Such a good listener, oh how I wished all boys would listen as well as Piper. Sometimes I think I should put my cats and dogs into a jar when they die.

In fact we just had to put down my cat a few weeks ago. He had a stroke and lost the use of his hind limbs. The vet told us many awful stories about cats who couldn’t walk, like how they would gnaw off their own dead legs. We really didn’t have a choice you see, he was in no shape. It was horribly miserable. I’m just glad that Piper can’t die. I’ll always have him. If only it weren’t for those dreadful dreams I would have my dear Muffins right beside Piper. I just couldn’t risk it though.”

 

The voice began again in whispers “See ever since I got Piper I’ve had this terrible dream, well not just THE dream, but we’ll get to that.” The voices volume returns to normal “In the dream I’m trapped inside a giant soda bottle and it’s slowly being filled with hundreds and thousands of Pipers. There’s a sea of them and they slither all around my legs and up my arms. I feel them crawl into ears and nose and eyes. They swirl all through me until I can’t feel anymore. I gasp for air, but I can’t get any. My body heaves, and more Pipers crawl down my mouth. Finally I suffocate and for a split second the lights go out. The heavenly star which shines upon this awful scene explodes and I am nothing, there is nothing, only peace. Then the pain shoots back, and I realize I am not dead. I cannot breathe, but I’m not dead. I can’t die, and in place of the endless sleep there is pain. Pain and snakes. I feel the Pipers are me now, we are connected. They aren’t just inside of me, they are me. The blood that flows through me squirms with Pipers. The brain which controls me, consists of Pipers.

That’s the feeling that really gets me. There’s a significant difference between having snakes on the brain and snakes in the brain. As much as I love Piper I just want to tear him out of my head! If there was drill in the dream I’d put it to my temple. Sometimes I think about it in the daytime too. Yes….sometimes. Sadly there isn’t a drill, and there’s no quick ending. Every time I lie there suspended for what seems like eternity. The snakes crawling through me and around me. I feel them on every inch of my body. Usually I wake up around three a.m. in a heap of sweat.

Fortunately the dreams aren’t every night. I try to sleep so little as it is, such is my terror. I will stay up for days at a time, until I finally pass out. I fear that I will die at the wheel of my car. No, it’s not every night. Sometimes it will be many sleeps in a row. I believe eight was the maximum. Other times I can go for weeks or even months without a dream. It’s been seven years since I’ve gotten Piper, and so I’ve gotten used to everything but the dreams. The sleep deprivation, the fear, even the hallucinations I can deal with. Oh the hallucinations! Yes, yes. Often times I will be alone in my house or taking a stroll down street at night when I see Piper sliding by my side. He is clear as day, or a full moon without clouds. His size differs on occasion. Once he was a big as a dinosaur. Must have been thirty feet long, but mostly he’s small, about his actual size. I know he’s probably not real, I’m not crazy. It’s just I see him a lot, and it’s nice to have a friend.

Sometimes he even speaks to me, and he never lies. He can’t lie you know. Saved my life once. I almost walked into an oncoming car, but he told me. Yes, yes he told me. That’s why I can’t leave him, you see? I know the truth, that Piper and I are connected. Piper and I can’t be separated. If Piper dies, I’ll die. That’s why I can’t throw him out. That’s why I deal with the dreams. “

Another clear deep male voice spoke. “Mr. Larson, your food is here. Eat up, it’s good for you. “

“Oh thank you Piper. See how helpful he is? Yes, yes.” A tall darkly bearded man sat alone in a small room without windows. His clothes were a dull grey and his eyes were deep blue. The walls were all white with the exception of a crude red squiggle made of what appeared to be dried blood. A tray of food sat in the corner, and the man ate every bite.