Chapter Text
“You sure y’all wanna hear a story this late? Ya look tired as it is, ” I questioned. I had made dinner to try and cokes them into sleep, but I knew the moment they saw me they wanted a good papa story.
Even though little man was yawning ,rubbing his eye, and looking like the poster boy of tired, he wasn’t gonna turn down a good story if it came from me. “We ain’t gonna be tired till after the story. Please papa, we’ll go right to sleep right after.” The shrill pouty voice makes me almost wanna believe him out of pity. As the baby of the family, he was really Milking it for all it’s worth.
Little lady on the other hand, was bouncing on her heels, pulling me to my seat next to the fire. I can see little kid delirium from a mile away and I know she needs to go to bed. “ Papa pleeeease!”She whaled. I was questioning how much those lungs held. I accept her please cause I can’t say no to those big doe eyes that pierced any shell like a Nutcracker
“Alright alright take a breath, little one. Ain’t gotta pull my tail,” I said, pulling it from her grasp. We sat down around the flickering glow of the fireplace. I taken a breath of the burning pine emanating through the air. I smile to myself as the image of flames licking the sky dance behind my eyelids.
“I know the story I’m gonna tell,” I can feel excitement on the little lady’s face. “This story of how I died. Now best remember this was a long time ago. If you have any questions, save ‘em for next fire light.”
She opened her mouth and confused, only to shut it when I finish talking. I don’t know what Mama be telling ‘em, but she’s on the verge of realizing how that doesn’t make sense. Meanwhile, little man excited wait for me again. “ OK, I have a home only, but I wasn’t there and I had to leave…”
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I see the last of all I own thrown out in front of me. I look down at the dirt kicked up from my landing, if you could call it that. I watch drops of Red land in front of my face pinning the dirt in place. I turned my head slowly to see holy men bearing crosses with the whole town behind them. I look down at a long jagged X slashed across my chest from shoulder to shoulder.
I feel my left eye swollen shut. I can feel every inch of my skin throbbing from angry jagged wounds. My jaw feels ready to fall off.
I hear the crowd gathered at the dirt road. “In the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit I banished thee.” The preacher man with the cross out stretched repeated. The rowdy behind him taunted, “You ain’t welcome around here no more! leave us you demon.” But what cut worse than any other, through the laughter and berating, a quiet, pained voice whispered. “ you just might as well go. Devil.” They spit
I sniff to hold back my tears; breathing in the rancid smell of burning flesh and blood.
I rise only up to my shaking knees. Tasting the copper in my mouth I spit it to the side, lips dyed crimson from the viscus liquid.
I look across the town, some avoiding my gaze, some cowering away, and some glaring back with the same distain in their eyes for me as I feel for them. But I find the owner of the smallest voice of them all, my true love, my traitor. addressing the whole town, I declare,“ I’ll be back when you least expect it, and hell’s coming with me.”
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“Now I can read your faces, what they tell me is y’all have 99 questions. It’s late, so tonight I’ll answer 1.” I scoff at the cute little faces they made as they debate what to ask. After a good 30 seconds of deliberation they turned back to me.
Little man’s big brown eyes gazed up at me as he asked, “What did you do when you got back?”
I smiled crooked at the memory. “Like I said, they saw a demon, so I gave ‘em hell.”
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The town is on fire, central buildings crumbling from the heat. There was a serene or manic grin across my face as I breathe in the smoke. I stood in the center of it all, my arms are stretched and laughing at the destruction I caused.
They didn’t know me by my face or by the gun for just in case, but I came back to bring that town to the ground.
I had their preacher man strung up to the top of the steeple. I had their minister’s come graveling to me. Begging for their lives like I was their oh so precious god.
In mere seconds towns folk followed suit. They all fell to their knees and beg the drifter for mercy. So I raised my fist before I spoke.
“I am the righteous hand of God, and I am the devil that you forgot!” I belted to all those who betrayed me. Who left me to wanderer with no care for if I lived or died. “And I told you one day you’ll see that I’ll be back I guarantee and that Hell’s coming with me!”
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Little lady was shaking in her seat, more like shaking her seat. She was vibrating with suspense. “What happened next Papa?”
I jokingly run I hand down her face. Soft brown skin, unmarred by the suffering she would never need to experience. I smile at her little face, “Now that’s more than one question. I’d love to answer, but if I keep you any longer your mama would ring my neck. So here’s what we’re gonna do. I’ll be back for many stories and it’s your job to put ‘em together. And I promise you, no matter what I’ll be back to tell you the end.” In spite of her tired eyes, I knew she’ll remember this night. She’ll remember every night by this fire till the story’s done.
I saw that excited fire in her eyes extinguish with the news and give way to exhaustion finally. It’s far past their bedtime and little man already fell asleep. ”Fine papa.” She mumbled , rubbing her palms into her eyes like her brother had earlier.
I scoop little man into one arm and little lady into the other. Little lady absent mindedly runs her hands across my horns and through my dreaded hair. When I get them to their room I go down on one knee to place them into the beds. I press a kiss to each of their heads. “ I love y’all,”I whisper in their ears before I rise.
I walk back to the door, pulling my long tattered coat off the rack and sliding it over my shoulders. Then I take my hat perching it on top of my head, concealing my textured black horns. The dusty felt of the thing has been doing the same for others for longer than I’ve been alive while the coat reaches the ground, concealing my tail inside the back lining. I turned back, looking into the house and made a promise, “I’ll be back.”