the hall and the armor

since halloween is in a couple of weeks i thought i'd write a story for the occasion... enjoy!

cole's eyes watered for the very last time as his sad pupils dilated with fear. like two small black planets orbiting a grotesque sun, and losing hope with each slow spin. information voyaging from one part of cole's helpless body to the other gradually slowed. weeks to breathe in, months to exhale, years to blink. the black planets still spinning slowly, still watering. one telephone pole and a black and white sky were all cole was able to see, from his prone position. two steel-blue figures stood upon the wire and laughed horribly at him from their perch. the black planets slowly focused; they were crows. "oh god," cole thought, "how i wish i would have spent more time outside, watching birds, breathing air... living." cole let his eyes unfocus once more, for now it was too hard to focus on any one thing. "you still awake?" said dezzy. "i thought one would be enough, no matter." she plunged another needle into his arm, deep beneath the waves of his skin, and let the submarine release its toxic torpedos into cole's blood. dezzy went blurry and spoke deep. "my guests will be arriving shortly and i cant have them seeing you like this, you understand dont you?" cole's mouth hung open, slightly, and remained that way, and still remains that way. he was just able to gaze down at his lower torso and to his suprise, it was gone. covering it now, was heavy armor, cold and not at all human. dezzy worked silently and then, suddenly she was finished and all cole could see was a sunless landscape, inches from his face. she stood the armor up with great effort and now cole was rigidly upright. dezzy lit a cigarette and smiled sourly at the work before her. the black planets spun slowly, watered, and then stopped. dezzy giggled as the door bell rang. "that must be my guests, cole my dear, you wait here and i shall return soon." she showed her guests around the enormous house, through the marble entrance, and the long velvet hallways strewn with tapestries and then through the dining area. one of her guests stopped, "oh what a lovely suit of armor, my dear, where did you get it?" "oh this, well i sorta collect them, there all over the house you'll see," dezzy replied. dragging quietly on her cigarette, she led her guests on, through the house as their wickedly thick laughter echoed across the long line of armor, decorating each hallway. the sad, black planets stopped spinning and the grotesque sun sank lower still, and cole's mouth hung open, slightly... cold.

posted by drew carlascio