5. Procrastinate (alternate ending)

I pulled the car over in an empty spot in front of my grandmother’s house, took the scissors out of my backpack, and snipped three of the overgrown sunflowers from her garden. Without a look back I placed them lovingly on the passenger seat, and drove off again.

When I finally arrived at my destination 2 hours later, I sat in the car, procrastinating. I could do this.

Stepping into the rain, I carried the sunflowers with me to the cover of trees. They were dense and blocked most of the rain. The world was tinted green from the filtered light that reached me through the leaves. A shadow lurked in the deeper part of the trees, watching me. I headed straight for it, heart-beat quickening as I did so.

I held out the flowers. “I want to make a trade.” I said in a steady voice. Never show fear to them. “I want my sister’s life back.”

The shadow beast cocked its head to the side and regarded me with feral hunger. It listened intently.

A hole in the center of the shadow expanded, wider, wider, wider. Until it was so large that you could fit a medium sized dog inside. The beast moved forward and engulfed my arms up to the shoulder in the inky hole that must have sufficed for its mouth. I suppressed a gasp of horror.

My arms were sticky, wet, warm. As if in a sauna. The flowers melted around my fingers into goopy sludge that dripped away into the beast. I didn’t flinch. Let it take what it wanted.

When the beast was done it moved back just a step, pulling away from my arms. Sharp pricks like teeth dragged along my skin. When my arms were finally out of the creature’s mouth, the cool air felt like ice after the smothering heat of the creature. My arms were white, bleached of all color, and felt stiff and painful. I knew they would be all but useless from now on. A small price to pay if the creature would give me what I wanted.

“What a refreshing snack” It said. The mouth had returned to a normal size, but moved awkwardly, as if lacking a jaw bone.

“Bring back my sister. I paid your price.”

“Wrong.” It said, and I swore it laughed at me, but who can really know with shadows. “You offered. I took. I never agreed to give anything in return. Come back to me tomorrow. Maybe I will feel generous then. Bring me something better than flowers.”

The creature was smiling at me. It was truly smiling! I tried to move my week arms, and felt them creaking as if they would crumble at any moment. The joints shot pain up and down my limbs.

So maybe the creature had won this round. I would come back tomorrow with something better to trade. I had already started down this path of no return. I would play this creature’s games until I had no pieces left to play with.