By the time he arrived, Tammy was fast asleep. He read the arcane, unintelligible words thrice. Invisible to him, an aura coalesced around Tammy’s prone form and was sucked like smoke into the protruded opening of the artifact. Its agate eyes glowed and fired rays of scarlet light on her forehead. Tammy’s frowning in her sleep was replaced by a beatific smile. The next day, Clayton was resigned to the possibility of the charm being no more than exotic decor when Tammy displayed remarkable changes. She stopped thinking like a bimbo, and had radiated a confidence and alertness that made Clayton feel at ease. In the edays that followed, she did the groceries, housekeeping, and a lot of delectable cooking. She was even excited about her future plans to take a college degree. She started watching Oprah and Tyra, cheering with the studio audience. Clayton was moved to tears, and he was eager to have her meet his friends, Jarrod and Doyle, and his beloved Aunt Maylene, who raised him when his parents died. During those dinners, Tammy was witty and glib enough to impress clayton’s friends and their girlfriends, although Doyle almost recognized her as the pornstar but couldn’t reconcile it with the well-dressed but sexy hottie, steering the conversation through the U.S. economy, Republicans, and Bin Laden’s current lovers. After that, they visited Aunt Maylene in her California home, and she was all motherly towards her. Tammy blushed when she broached the question of marriage. Clayton’s life with Tammy became picture perfect, and he thought, as he stroked her straight locks as she dozed after such great sex.
~~~
Jarrod had a minor asthmatic condition as a kid. However for the past two days now he had difficulty breathing, and had bought a medical spray and some salbutamol tablets. As he lay in bed, he suddenly sniffed something acrid and pungent. At this, his lungs recoiled at that invasive odor and heaved, and his bronchial passages threatened to asphyxiate the life out of him. He felt enervated, and he groped for the drawer’s edge where the airspray lay. He managed to open it, and was about to hold it when it seemed to move on its own and fell on the rug. He sat on the bed and bent down, but again, it moved farther. This time he knew, a minute more and his lungs would close in and it would be his last breath, damn the wierdness of it all. He dove for the sprayer and got it. He was tryhing to put the nozzle in his mouth but it resisted. Finally with a shout, he pulled, puckered, and pressed. Particles of adrenoceptor inhibitors raced through the shrinking passages. He began to breathe easily and sat on the bed. He suddenly became aware of a presence before him. He squinted and discerned a semi-solid shadow, its gray pseudopodia were gingerly inserting themselves on his upper torso.
“Goodness gracious, jeezz!!!” Jarrod’s adrenalin powered him as he ran smack and banged his face on the door, opened it, and bolted outside. He ran all the way to the nearest 7-11 where he stayed all night, teeth chattering.
At first light, he called Clayton.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Filed under: Behavior, Horror Thriller, Psychology, Relaxing Funny, Sci-Fi, Short Story, Writing, death, humor , artifact, horror, paranormal, scary, serialized stories
