Potato Sack

Help

My words surround me as I'm surrounded by this bag.

Help

Fish? Ooh I can smell it now. My favorite dish from back home, fish pie. What would these humans be doing making such a delectable dish in this run down diner?
My eyes began to water and my tongue began to tingle as my lips formed drops of green acid.

I open my eyes again, and it's still dark. Not because the lights are out, but because of where I am.

Help.

Andre's old man stinch makes its way through the stitchery in my carrier. Maybe he can hear me.

Help Andre. Help

Shake. Thrown. Slammed onto the ground.

That's my cue to stop.

I hear the diner door bell ring as it opens or closes and the sound of the humans is muffled behind the glass rectangle.

Bouncing away.

Flop

I think I might have knocked out 2 or 3 people.

Either by shocking them

or

by having my tail side swipe them across the face.



I can't last long. Salt. I need it.

Deena's Diner must hold some shakers.

Flop
The door opens.
Flop.
I enter.
Flop.
Another one down.

I grab the salt shaker. Throw the top in the direction of the stunned body on the floor. I gulp down the salt.

Flop.

The ground darkens.
A shadow.
He's here.

Questions

Kitty can't you see me?

Kitty can't you smell me?

My blood flowing to a pulsing beat from my tail.
Kitty Crimson?
Do you like my crimson blood?

I can see the tire marks on my split scales.
While those robbers think they only robbed a bank, they may have robbed my life.

Or whatever is now left of it.

Here

Fire.


Brian Bunderson tries to be the hero, but ends up being my archenemy.

Instead of reaching the fire, it reached me.

As the water runs off my body, I lay there on the ground in my true form.

Merman.


Welcome back to Gilberts.

Returning

As I once again return to the railroad perimeter of City Block, my eyes are blinded by a swirling array of puke rainbow colors, dizzying music, and feared memories.

"Gilbert's Carnival"

Lucky ran between the returned space beneath me.

No way am I returning to that hell hole.

Snatch

I feel myself spat out into some filthy pond.
Never before had I seen water like this. How am I supposed to breathe?

The top, covered by ice. My fingertips trace the air bubbles trapped between the water and the freedom above.

One of the giants cracks a hole through the surface. Thank you giant.

My arms drag me over the ice and up the sandy floor away from the scum.
The sun hits my bare back and as I throw my head back to soak it in...snatch.

Up
up
up.

Higher and higher. What do I look like, a worm?

The claws squeeze tight around my waste and I feel the life being forced from me, but I appreciate the warmth of the provided blanket.

Over the mountains with homes inside. It sets us on a rail. I look up and there's Phoebe Kules looking right at me. She can't be. Her eyes are locked in a gaze. This can't happen.

Snatch.

And off into the air we begin again.

Swish

Ding.
Swish.
The elevator doors open.

I hope no one walks in.

Then walks in Corbie MacIntyre. He looks down at my body motionless on the floor of the elevator. He steps over it.

Swish. The doors close. He presses 5.
Ding. The doors open. He steps over me and says "There goes another crow."

I raise myself to the floor buttons and press B for basement with a sporadic move of my hand.
Swish. The doors close.
Ding. The doors open. The basement is flooded from all of the rain that has enveloped our city. I would normally be worried, but now as the doors swish open, my transformation is complete.

Swish.
I swim through the water and climb to the window on the wall with my arms. The sky throwing rain at the streets makes it impossible to see clearly two feet ahead of where I am. No one is around...I think.
I dive into the water swishing down the side of the street.

I need to make it to that pond.

I thrust, I swim, I lash.

Down into the manhole I go.