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Alma Hoffman curled into a fetal position in the scratchy bed. She made a promise to herself to never book a room in Raven Brooks again. And obviously the woman at the counter who had angrily thrusted the key into her hand loathed her for being such an integral part of the Golden Apple Company. Sure, she had been receiving bad looks ever since she came here- and the townspeople and vandals certainly loved throwing her out of their space, but she never expected such hostility. They truly did hate her, she supposed.
A piercing cry sounded throughout the forest. The Guest clicked it's beak together angrily, gurgling in its throat as it swallowed an opposum whole into its beak. Suddenly, it came crawling out, little claws scratching against the wood. It scuttled out and fell on the grass, darting away in fear.
A little girl with ginger hair in ratty pigtails appeared before him. Brown, dried blood was painted across her nose, glassy eyes staring straight at the hood of The Guest. Drool leaked out of her mouth absentmindedly as she, in tattered overalls, bent down and snatched the opposum. It squeaked angrily and bit into her hands, rabid eyeballs green. Probably due to the toxicity of the polluted water in this town.
Dolls.” She mumbled. She only had a few teeth. They were all chipped and bloodied, giving her a lisp.
The Guest squawked fiercely and kicked its legs away, burrowing its own beak in the dirt. Therefore, it made itself stare at the ground and not at the girl.
As The Guest shook in the leaves, the girl stood unmoving. The opposum had died, just like everything else. It's long, slippery tail limp in her bruised fingers.
“You can't eat it raw, Aaron.” She whispered. “Mommy taught us how to cook.”
The Guest shivered even more, shivering so much it's massive beak hit a tree root underground. Impulsively it screeched and began to growl grossly. It spun it's body around to face the girl, keeping its head in the earth.
It stayed that way for a while and had begun to spit in the dirt to alleviate it's anxiety. The girl stayed put, instead sitting down cross legged and striking jagged sticks together. The opposum lay on her lap, eyes now glassy like hers.
“Aaron,” she muttered, “help me.” The girl nudged The Guests’ arm.
The Guest yelped and scrambled for something to hold onto. His bony hands fell on his beak, the dirty nails scratching the wood.
“You are so worried. The fire, Aaron. Let's go.”
Mya rolled her eyes and began to unclench every finger that was on his beak. With a great tug, she pulled the beak from the mud and bent it down so it could see all the sticks that were to be made as a fire.
“Come, come.” She whispered solemnly, grasping at his exposed hand and pulling it closer.
It whined but complied, crawling on hands and knees next to her. Its beak was so long that it still hit the ground when he looked downward.
The girl noticed the tassels that thread through his beak. It stuck the wood very close together. Only two of the tassels had come undone, resting against its sweater.
“Make the fire, and I will undo your strings.” She said, swiping saliva off her cheeks.
She went away and The Guest began to rub and grind the sticks together until a spark was created. He gathered lots of stones and leaves much like a bird building a nest. He placed the stones around the pit and the leaves and opposum in the middle. He struck and struck until the red glow bloomed under his clammy hands. It had to turn its beak to the side so it wouldn't become firewood.
Mya had come back to find the vermin burning. She sat by the pit and stared at her brother.
“Now you won't be sick.” She remarked, and quickly grabbed the opposum and patted it to get rid of the fire.
She knocked on his beak so it could turn towards her. She dropped the opposum down its beak like the slides they used to go down. Mya saw a glimpse of his teeth.
Mya went away again, and Aaron sat with the ashes of leaves. He cawed sadly at the ground and skittered away to whine. His tassels had not been clipped, because there was no Mya.
Alma shivered in the cot-like bed. She hated this creepy town!