Thirteen

Life should be like flavor candy, she thought it would be most swell if I could lick a cherry lollipop the size of life. She smiled a lazy smile while looking into the green of the solitary tree in town. She gave her belly a once over massage, grasping golden flesh till it formed lips ready to capture prey. Like anyone else, it wasn’t an intention to become bored, there was just nothing to do in this small ghost town. Dirt roads and strong winds built up huge barricades from the outside world making hers seem like a prison; filled with old biddies, drunken idiots, and pregnant half wits. Her favorite thing though, was dirt, she loved the dirt you could roll around in, make dirty love to, and tell dirty secrets with. Living in this town made her skin akin to dirt, like it was another layer she will shed as the years go by. The dirt layer made her similar to a bug, with a rough exoskeleton.

“Unholy Beelezubud is soon to be upon us!” she would exclaim, sprinkling homemade holy water on the outskirts of town. The other entire town’s people saw it on the horizon; there, thirteen specks of black just crossing that hazy mirage glass that you’d get when you mix heat with air. With dainty feet that were set in town you could tell them to be women.

“Good, we need some” Slick-back jack butted in, his massive arms crossed over his bulging chest. He received the name because of his hair was styled in a slicked fashion that ended in a ponytail.

“Ladies, guests, welcome to town, I trust that the journey was very rewarding?” He sounded like he was brown nosing or as if he knew why these women were here. The kook lady wouldn’t shut up and those who were amongst this scene, looked on expecting the unexpected.

“Yes you could say that.” One mystery character said “I trust our living conditions would be appropriate?” This lady’s voice was smooth, yet strong and demanding. She seemed to be someone who would always win her way.

“Then this would be the signal for you to take us to such arrangements,” another of the women noted, whose voice was more cultured, passionate; not only would she be from another town but maybe another world. The mayor had never heard of such talk, thus having nothing to say but only to affirm their order.

“Yes of course, why not,” his tone went down a few octaves, making him sound just like a quivering dog. He led the way, shooing off any on lookers and ordering for Jack to shut that old lady up.

“Oh, but they will know. We have something special for your little colony, Mayor. Something you’ve been aching for, everything you ran away from.” One figure sauntered up to the mayor, wrapped her thin arm around his neck and pressed his fat cheek to her bosom. She was a giant compared to his 4’ll stature. She bent down, making sure her rosy lips were close enough to his ear, close enough to take it in and chew on it. “We’ll give it to you good.”

The mayor pushed away frantically, clearing his throat and leading the group of thirteen individuals off toward the end of town while the other twelve made sounds of disgust toward their member’s sexual deviants.

About this town, there were two major points to it; the beginning and the end, nothing really spectacular happened or was in the middle, nothing really mattered. For the beginning it was a different story, it was where sorrow came in, the bad of the world was beyond that point – sorrow that wasn’t in the mood to be dealt with. It was pain that the townspeople did not want, but a whole lot of bad people knew nothing about.

The remnants of bad memories are the proof that the people of town needed. The forefathers built this town on the sorrow that they wanted to forget; it served as a means of escape. As the years passed by, the more naïve the townspeople became, refusing to let what they don’t know, have an impact on their lives. The end was another story. It was shrouded in an enigma of a sort, and nothing in the town could explain what cryptic feeling they receive from the end. Their fears and doubts limited their sense of adventure; and sides, they were either too lazy or just ceased to care about the end of the town whether it was good or bad.

The sun was high in the sky once that dirty girl named Ginger came from the spot with the tree. Her stomach had bid her to reconnect with civilization and gather a much needed meal. An on going battle between her and the separate, but joined entity had been going on since breakfast – which she didn’t eat. Her tummy had manage to win; leaving her stepping, and occasionally losing footing along a dusty and rocky trail.

“I was on a special high, till you had to go around showing your ugly mug in my bubble,” she continued walking on, until he took it upon himself to wrap one big greasy arm around her.

“You wouldn’t believe what is going on in this town,” It was futile she couldn’t get out of his musty deathtrap at all. Giving up hope and deciding it didn’t make a difference she relaxed into his embrace, going step by step in sync with his walking.

She shrugged it off and thought nothing of it. Indifference was her usual mentality; people came all the time, eventually leaving or staying. They mold themselves into town and leave it like that, becoming stuck in this eternal nothing.

“And I’m sure they will find our town just so cozy.” She pushed his arm off her shoulder and walked away, making sure to add a little strut in her walk for his viewing pleasure.

“I’ll see you later on tonight, ok slick back?” Her tone held a flirtatious hint, when she cooed that invitation to her place of comfort. Ginger smiled to herself when his dorky giggles reached her ears. Sex with Jack was the closest experience of a roller coaster ride she’ll ever have. Orgasm after orgasm, up motions and down motions, the whole thing was so exhilarating.

Kids nearby were having a sand fight; wet sand balled up and aimed to shoot at the kids’ heads. Ginger was the unlucky one to get hit with one; it blinded her in the eye and transformed her into a frenzy, emitting screams of anger and pain “You son of a bitches!” she yelled out in the opposite direction.

The children were running rather gleefully toward home. She did a 180 only to find her ass first on the ground. The sound of footsteps walking away only made her enrage. The danm nerve of these people in town sometimes irked her to burn the whole place down. The unknown, unseeingly but seemingly assailant didn’t even say their excuses.

“You can say that again.” Diana wanted to dust off Ginger, but she was confused on what to dust off, Ginger was practically a desert scorpion. Ginger attempted to get some sand and dirt out of her eyes, the wetness was already doing its part and it wasn’t helping one lick.

“I’m Diana, if you were ever wondering who your savior was.” Ginger scoffed, and held out her hand “Ginger, I take it you are one of those unsolved mysteries that just arrived in town.” Diana giggled softly, and sidestepped so to take the offered hand.

“Now I definitely know you’re not from around here,” she couldn’t believe how strange the stranger looked. No one here had pure white hair, blonde – yes, grey – definitely the old chaps.

“Where did Maria storm off to?” Rebecca came out of the mayor’s house, looking agitated beyond belief. This one resembled a she-devil with literally hair like a flame and a bulky body. The white haired one emitted a sigh and pointed off towards the line of beginning.

“I think she is planning on leaving,” Diana had said now seemingly bored but still sweet as ever. Rebecca stomped, no not stomp it was a walk that resembled stomping, a trudge that looked a little too exaggerated maybe.

“Well thanks for your help,” Ginger turned to leave, hell bent on just going home and to spend a couple of hours probably getting a little tipsy. Once again her journey was stopped abruptly only this time by the mayor “Finally,” he looked flushed, clothes in disarray, he smelt weird as if someone and cooked him in a batch of sex and candy. “I’ve been ordering for you, we need to discuss business, dealing with the current situation on our hands.” He looked like he was ready to sin and atone at the same time.

“Hurry back now mayor, more games wait.” Her sensuality sounded like poison, as if you knew she was a piece of work who could send you 6feet under without so much as a blink. Ginger couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something wicked would come this way; she didn’t know whether to feel unease or the overwhelming feeling of that rollercoaster ride.

Five minutes of walking later; Ginger found herself shaking her head, “NO!” she slammed her fist upon the bar top for effect. She saw the movies, and she knew the westerns. Town was secluded but T.V. was everywhere in this day and age, sides that kook lady who seemed to be stuck all the way in the age of puritans.

“I am not going to let a bunch of thirteen whores turn my bar into a free-for-all,” she would rather eat bullshit then the stuff mayor was forcing down her throat. Mayor laid a five dollar bill on the table and pointed to the vodka bottle on the shelf next to the concentrated punch and case of ginger ale.

“Ginger you have to, not just for me but this god for sake’n town to,” she took out a glass and handed that and a bottle to the mayor. “How can you just turn down those attractive women?” mayor swiveled around in his chair and gazed with admiration at the green haired lady sitting on the huge railing, sun bathing with sunglasses way to big for her face. He knocked back the glass and pointed for another, “Don’t think I have anything against you, or them, but like I said, no one is messing up my bar.”

“No one comes in here; I’d be doing you and your dad, god rest his soul, a favor,” he finished his glass and sat it down which she insisted on taking back. “Wait,” he covered her hand with his, making her place the glass on the counter, “I ain’t done yet.”

She poured him another and set the bottle down with a soft clatter, “I’ve been saving up to leave this place for about a while now. Plane tickets would cost a pretty person like me a pretty penny,” he stopped mid-sentence and sipped, squishing it around his mouth and letting out a sigh. “I saved up just enough to get me far away.” She filled his half empty glass and helped herself.

“Well this is what the situation is here girl. We gone from bad to just boring, this utopia is nice and all but its not my utopia, all my 46years I had to deal with the consequences that past generations put on us. My pop and his before him and probably a bunch of pops before them made a blood oath on this town. They would stick around till death and even after through their next of kin. Unfortunate to everybody I want out though, it’s that adventurer’s spirit in me.” Never minding the glass he took the bottle, chugging until he couldn’t take anymore.

Ginger stared at him wondering if this fool did wake up on the wrong side of a bed, “What you plan on doing with the rest of us?” no one bothered to take classes on basic skills and those who wanted to learn a little something would have to pay a hefty sum to the local tutor, “Y’all are perfectly capable of handling this town by yourself.” She had so many questions, but so indecisive, which to ask, what to do. She didn’t know.

“Why are those women here then, you had the plane ticket and everything else, you could of just high tailed it to the end.” She grabbed the bottle and sat it back on the shelf. “I dunno I just wanted something for you guys to remember me by maybe. When I leave I wanted to leave you with something, like a theme park attraction.”

“No time, Mayor one of those women bit Marion from the General store, got a piece of his lip right in her mouth.” The kid didn’t waste time and went to see the follow up events of the chewed off lips.

The mayor turned toward Ginger and placed the ticket on the counter, “I’ll make a deal with you; if this entertainment system does not work you can keep the tickets, and go to…I don’t know away from here.” He sat up and buttoned up his coat, and began to walk towards the swinging doors.

“You man eating hussy!” Marion’s wife screeched, but terrified in her eyes at the grinning twins; Iggy’s face was smeared with red, making sharp contrast that showed in a grin toothed smile. The other was called Izzy who didn’t think of anything to do then just stand there and look on, a slight smile in her face as well.

She rushed up and made a beeline towards the Izzy, aiming her fist right at her face. She didn’t even make a foot, when another stranger came up and grabbed her wrist, tossing her around so she landed right next to her balling husband, experiencing pain of a twisted ankle.

The wife of the silent bleeding man pointed a finger at the devil with the joker smile. Never before has a thing ever happened, they didn’t know what to call it. A human eating another human was something that never really crossed their minds. Iggy was very well known of it, that’s where the ring leader had found her; eating off the bones of her brothers and sister who were lost in the jungle.

“I thought you said there would be no violence mayor,” This ring leader forced out, trying her hardest not to get angry in front of her daughter. Out of most of them, this one looked sane enough to pass for human, brown eyes, dark hair, and almond shaped eyes she looked well in her 40’s while the rest looked younger and jubilant. She gave off the type of person that had seen her share of days and was a fighter. Her daughter was petite, lanky like she was made up of bones and skin while sharing similar traits with her mother.

“Be reassured everyone things are under control, we are going to have a fiesta with singing, and dancing. Ms. Francois and her troupe have offered their services, and it would be hospitable if you showed her how friendly we are. So everyone tonight at nine come to Ginger’s bar, its going to be full of life and color, something not everyday in this mundane life.” The mayor took out his handkerchief and dotted his balding head, the heat of his speeches even affecting him. The kook lady saw this all the way from the outskirts of town, the whole thing, how the demon took over that earthy looking creature with sun skinned. How she almost bred a demon and attached it to the orifice of Marion. The whole town was oblivious to these creatures of nowhere, but the old lady knew what would have to take place, she was going to fix her home.

Night had fallen on town and Ginger’s bar was full of life, this being a first in a while. On a little stage in the corner were six girls and nothing more, they looked fresh out of childhood and seemed acceptable to journey into a more teenage role. The pirouettes and the flips made their bodies seem more voluptuous then meet the eye; and their hair and makeup that was done to perfection, made them seem graceful and exotic. Men and women alike were clapping and keeping in tune with the music while gyrating their bodies. Everyone was alive and full of joy that looked as if it didn’t belong to them as if the thirteen had used spells and magic to capture the hearts of those who deemed it entertaining.

“Succubus,” The Kook Lady uttered under her breath while watching the merry play inside. Some even began to jump out of their seats dance on the bar and clap along with the musicians. She took out the kerosene and began to dump it all around the Bar. One match was all she had and she knew how to put that to good use. She felt good when the sounds and shouts of: “Fire!” and the hectic movement came about. She made danm sure to lock the doors and let god do the cleansing himself. Who ever is guilty will burn in the makeshift god-o-flame and who isn’t would come out unscratched. That night the kook lady made sure that everyone saw the message she was giving out; that fire had burned brighter then any star in the sky.

The next morning only a few had made it out, thanks to Ginger and the thirteen, most had been left unscratched as if a miracle had happened. Most were alive but then most were dead; it didn’t make much of any difference. More would come, seeking refuge because they want to forget the pain. They come here seeking the boredom, to not have the drive to do anything, so has not to experience the lost of something close to you. Ginger was ready to get out; all along her ticket was in her breast pocket. It had fallen out during a rather bumpy rollercoaster ride with Slick-back Jack, who was tragically crippled in the fire.

“You’re leaving?” she was met eye to eye with the Troupe leader, “Yeah I am, I figured I might as well, since the only thing I ever really called home was that bar.” She shrugged her shoulder and patted her slightly burnt ticket which was close to her heart.

She was off before another even blinked; rushing on towards the end of town, a big joker grin wide from ear to ear. She didn’t know, or she didn’t care, but when she rose from those ashes as a phoenix she had a epiphany that you only live once.