It's better to die happy than to not die at all

[Mrs. Garrison]

Pleasure flowed down the mountain in the form of mist, waterfalls, and songs of birds one cannot see. Pleasure flowed down, yet we chose to go up. Atop the mountain we meet every month, a representative of every agency, bundled in the finest cloths and leathers, poised to discuss and solve the most secretive and complex problems of the world. All of us assume in arrogance that our way is better and the star we share with mythological gods shines the brightest.

The top of the mountain is so secretive that it does not appear on any map and there are no known photos in existence, no pictures taken, only panoramas ingrained into our minds that we must never speak of to others at any point under any influence. In fact, the key to finding the top of the mountain is to understand that it really does not exist at all.

A large circle of us stood facing each other gazing off into the distance, preparing to share information as it pertains to the pressing circumstances of the day. Not willing to concede the highway was the alternative to my way, I turned my back to the discussion and pondered what it would be like to float to the bottom. Looking through fog I almost made out a rare animal carving perilous tracks along the rocky ledges below. Was it looking for prey or making its way to the cave or den for shelter from the harsh conditions. My own breath added to the fog below, through which I could not see the bottom of the earth below which I had been contemplating.

A loud noise went off behind me, echoing from canyon to canyon. I felt an odd sort of numb in the back of my head, which traveled down my body as I fell too my knees, cold tingling in my blood as my senses began to check out. Darkness in my vision came with a surprising amount of warmth, I told myself it was okay to fly now, escape into the bottomless abyss below. Just let go...


Palm trees greeted me outside of my hillside Mediterranean style home overlooking an exotic coast. I might have owned half of the hill, but im no king of it all. I limped up Spanish tiles along the winding path to my early century estate, taking pains to note the increasing number of dead and mutilated birds, squirrels, rabbits, lizards, etc. Something had been through here and went on a killing rampage, of critters.

Opening the door to my home I smelt the smell of a house that was not only home, but also had not been home for quite some time. Where had I been? I turned on the lights but nothing came on, so I would have to resort to candles and matches. Im still feeling rather numb and tired from my journey, which was still a mystery to me. How I messed up my clothes, whose blood was on my boots and the back of my overcoat, these would be things Id ponder over a hot bath and a few stiff drinks.

My two cats came to greet me eventually, first with curiosity, then contempt for me having left them alone for so long. Both of them had grown considerably, unbelievably, its quite possible they had doubled in size since id seen them last. Brushing up against me now, they'd almost knock me over with their size and efforts. Granted I am a bit weak, but these were no longer cuddle kitties these were predatory monsters!

I drew the hot bath and sat relaxing with a bottle of fine old whiskey setting next to flickering candles which gave a myriad of dancing reflections on the stained glass windows above the old tub. Im drifting away thinking about a massive body of water full of boats of every persuasion. The water is surrounded on three sides by land which almost instantly grows into hills and mountains, where possible the blue green water is met by tan and white buildings as old as the hills themselves, perhaps. Intensely populated these cityscapes decorate the waters edge until the cliffs take over. Blue green waters mimic the sky in the daytime and blend with orgasmic sunsets until the moon bullies its way into the picture. One can only imagine this would be the greatest show on earth, if one is lucky enough to view it through their own eyes, they will never give it up under their own power.

The pair of exotic creatures were standing guard over my hot bath fit for someone much greater than myself. Occasionally they would glance over at me and I could see dried bits of blood spotted on their chins, they purred as the candles reflected off of their perfect eyes. The breeze outside had picked up considerable, as evidenced by the palm trees, suggesting a storm might be coming in for the night to wash away the questions id hoped could wait until morning. It was time to sleep...


Steam continues to rise, comfort, until the gift has been opened and the rawness has been exposed. You can see without eyes if you know where to look.

Life without a soul is like a mouth without teeth. A face with no lips is only faith for people who prefer cold teeth.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

The mother of cats appeared to me as I slept underwater, she came to me with a message from someone whom I had not yet been properly acquainted. She made me promise that if her cats were to become lions, they must be prepared to lay down with the lamb. Eternal peace was on the table, I was speechless but thoughtful. I opened my eyes and saw them calling out to me from above the surface, their regal heads floating up and down with the movement of the waters edge.

I rose up out of the giant spa from which id been sleeping, spitting out water so that I could talk. The cats brushed up against me, nearly knocking me over with their might. Massive paws pranced across the marble floors as large tails strutted around the bathroom retreat. I found the book of matches and searched around the place for candles to hopefully provide some illumination.

Once lit, the candle flickered in the wind which seemed to source from a broken window. This would explain why I was stepping on broken glass, though I could not explain why I wasn't freezing cold. Another attempt and I had two candles lit, which revealed a dead mutilated rabbit on the marble floors. Looking back at the spa I was surprised to see several figures huddled up together in the very tub from which I had just emerged.

I might not feel the cold temperature of the house or even the water, however I did suddenly feel very naked, probably a good thing I had bothered to keep in shape all of these years. I grabbed a plush towel from the rack in attempt to cover myself but I quickly noticed it was draped in blood. Throwing the towel down on the floor, I turned in the direction I had last seen the cats and stumbled off into the darkness.

They greeted me outside of the bathroom as they often would, meowing, purring, and brushing up against me. Then they trotted off down the grand hall and looked back, shooting me that look which was an invitation to follow, naturally I did just that.

Into one of the living areas I found myself, staring not at antique furniture or exquisite paintings, instead the focus was on a room full of people who were huddled together as if they were taking shelter from some impossible horror which had stripped them of their humanity. Candles flickering and reflecting large against the ceiling was the most action in the room. The huddled mass were all very still and quiet. Though I could not see into their dark eyes I felt they were watching my every move.

My sleek and powerful cats prowled around the room, taking stock of the situation, occasionally sniffing a person here or there, looking back at me as if they wanted reassurance, and then continuing on their path.

The mother of cats had not adequately prepared me for this. Perhaps a re-negotiation was in order. Or perhaps we were merely dreaming...

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Dawn was coming, occasional rays of first light streaked across cathedral ceilings and prismed through jagged edges of broken glass. The smell of morning dew filled the room along with the sound of chirping birds.

The cats were on alert. They prowled the great room on the main floor with authority, head down, tail swishing and waiting for the kill. The cukoo clock on the wall officially signaled morning was here with six entrances from his little door followed by the abrupt announcement of his presence, the predictable retreat, and once the door was shut, nothing.

A tropical bird made his way into the balcony area. He landed on the wrought iron railing and looked down onto the scene. He surveyed the room, let out a frightened squeak, and left presumably the same way in which he had came. A baby duck, however, was not so lucky. Cat like reflexes had turned him into a morning snack through a flurry of feathers in just a few moments.

Otherwise the room was silent, watching, waiting. I stumbled to my favorite window to watch the sunrise, cats accompanying me, brushing up against me as they often do. Looking down the hillside, I come to the realization that morning would bring more questions than answers. In fact if my jaw wasn't attached to my face im pretty sure it would have hit the floor. My eyes cannot be seeing this...what in the world was happening out there?

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

A single lamb stood outside my gated entrance, as an offering, or a messenger, I could not decide. Behind the lamb, my hillside was littered with pale mannequins, their features expressionless except for the odd placement of their hands as if to shield their eyes and ears. There must have been thousands of the pale, naked mannequins. They faced the turquoise morning sky, which was littered with pink and orange clouds interrupting the serenity. A massive purple planet hovered overhead, as it appeared it was likely 10 times the size of our moon, which was fading in the distance.

The lamb gave off its signature noise and turned to slowly make its way through the sea of mannequins down the hillside. Naturally I would follow, in awe of the surroundings. I could hear happy sounds in the distance, and what looked to be a giant tent through some trees. The lamb turned to make sure I was following, and kept pace for the large tent.

Outside of the tent was an old fashioned popcorn machine, and next to that a lady sat on a chair with a smile on her face and her arms outstretched. I approached her and gave her the morning greeting, but she did not respond. In fact her face seemed frozen in time, her skin pale white, her lipstick was the only color she wore. A sign on a makeshift table next to her read simply "tickets", I noticed she was holding a ticket so I reached out and grabbed it from her lifeless hand.

I seemed to have lost my lamb, but once inside the tent it appeared I was in the middle of what might have been a circus. A giant spotlight shined down on me, revealing my surprise and my own state of undress, over the loudspeaker you could hear canned laughter turned up excessively loud. I couldn't make out much except it would appear what crowd was sitting around in the stands was more of the pale mannequins.

I noticed a whip at my feet laying in the dirt and hay, I considered reaching down with the hand I wasn't using to cover myself and grab the whip. Before I could make the decision to grab the whip, a large fabric bag of some kind was placed over my head and I felt something had ahold of both of my arms. A funny horn went off as the figure(s) led me away, much to the delight of the sparse crowd, as the loudspeaker once again came alive with laughter.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Once the bag was removed from my head, I found myself in total darkness with some kind of rope or cable like materials under my feet. I tried to move away but I was still stepping on whatever made up the floor. Suddenly a bright light came on out of nowhere, and it appeared I was in a small enclosed area which contained a couple of metal folding chairs, the light, myself, and several hundred rubber snakes on the ground. I turned around to see a lonely clown sitting in another of the metal folding chairs.

I moved towards the clown and noticed that his eyes were watching me. He had a sad expression on his face, im assuming it was the makeup he was wearing, but in this odd reality it would be hard to tell the difference. "Hello" I said, relieved to have found another living person. The clown did not respond to me, only continued to look at me with sad eyes. After a few moments of silence he broke the tension and held out his hand towards me, his eyes transfixed on the ticket I was holding in my free hand. I offered him my ticket, which he quickly snapped out of my hand.

For the first time he smiled, hopped up out of his chair and strolled across the room as quickly as his clown shoes would allow, turning back towards me to emphatically motion me to follow him. As I followed him he abruptly disappeared into the shadows of the wall. I stopped short of walking into the dark wall when a clown hand reached back through the wall and grabbed me and pulled me through.

Apparently we had been in some sort of smaller tent inside the large tent, once outside we were met by a platoon of clowns of various shapes and sizes. Some of the clowns were walking on stilts, others were juggling, some would trip and fall, and once down they would be kicked by others.

I was ushered over to a small table and some more metal chairs, where I was encouraged to sit. One of the clowns was wearing a doctors scrubs and had a stethoscope around his neck. The rest of them huddled around him as he put the stethoscope up to my chest and pretended to listen. After a few minutes the bewildered clown looked at his instrument and then looked at me with large eyes and mock surprise, all of the other clowns gasped in unison, and the sound of a loud bell signaled more canned laughter from the loudspeaker.

One of the clowns began to check my pulse while another stuck a thermostat in my mouth to check my temperature. After a minute of this, the same charade ensued, shocked clowns followed by the bell and some more canned laughter. Then the juggling clown appeared from nowhere, he was juggling needles and after dropping several on the ground he stuck one of them into my arm. I watched him as he attempted to draw blood, surprisingly enough I didn't feel a thing. Even more surprising, the needle wasn't drawing any blood.

Then all of the clowns froze in place, one may have gasped, another fell on the ground and began to shake. I couldn't see what all of the commotion was in front of them. A light was shining and shadows revealed a flurry of activity on the other side. A collective gasp rang over the loudspeaker as the light show grew even more intense....someone whispered the words mãe de gatos!

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

I was jolted awake in a cold sweat, fully clothed in dirty jeans and a t-shirt, on a couch in the middle of a strange and cloudy place. Or so it seemed. I took deep breaths to try and calm myself down, wiping the sweat from my eyes and trying to figure out exactly where I was. The couch was old and worn, upon further inspection a bottle rested between my legs with a piece of paper tucked down inside of it. I sat up and put my feet upon the ground to realize that it literally was the ground, sand, rocks, and not much else.

Off in the distance I thought I saw some sort of light, but it was hard to tell exactly because of the very dense fog. I looked around the couch to see if I had any belongings but mostly it was just me and the bottle, which I grasped, and stood up. My head began to ache so badly that I almost fell back down on the old rugged couch. Instead I stumbled forward a few steps to get my stride and then I was into the direction of the light source. I told myself I would only go a few steps in case I needed to return to the couch and had to find my way back.

Walking through the dense fog I stepped upon what I thought was a pile of rocks, but as I looked down the rocks were oddly shaped; thin, long, and curvy. I stepped over them and slowly continued upon my path while wiping more sweat out of my eyes. Wherever the heck I was this place was sure hot, and it smelled pretty badly I would discover, as the longer I was awake the more my senses seemed to return to me.

I'd close my eyes for a moment until visions of people watching me through a small window, tied down to a table and screaming while masked men were doing some type of "procedure" on me, all became a bit too much to comprehend. My head continued to throb and my throat ached along with my chest, and virtually every other part of my body as it awoke, the senses were on overload and the nerves were catching fire as they came to life.

Once again I came upon some odd shaped rocks on the dirty path, this time I went down to my knees to look at them, hoping I might get some relief from the pain. Once over them I was horrified to discover it was a skeleton of a human, no idea how long it had been there. That was enough to jolt me back upright and send me on my way towards the light. Make that several lights, I soon discovered as I got closer.

The first set of lights I came to appeared to be moving in size and shape, soon enough I would discover a fire of sorts. Without getting too close I came to the fire to realize a stack of some type of wardrobe was burning. It was hard to see through the dense fog, but I walked over to another fire and saw what appeared to be another sort of wardrobe. I wiped my eyes again and this time I saw what I thought was a body in the wardrobe. That would explain the foul odor....

In the distance I heard something rumble, something very instinctively scary and large, like a creature of sorts. I thought about the couch and realized that was not any type of shelter. I was helpless in the fog, and I could hear the deep roar once again, this time sounding perhaps a bit closer. I looked off in another direction and could see something flickering red, ever faint, I decided to take my bottle and head towards the little red light...

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

I made my way to the blinking red lights to find a beat up old bus sitting alone in the fog. I could not see in the windows of the bus, though after walking around the bus I came to some dried dirt on the back side, to which someone or something had drawn a message in it that read "last day of freedom before the bo ps". I repeated the phrase to myself a couple of times, trying to make sense of it, and still didn't quite understand. Clearly there were some letters missing in the last word, erased by time or something else.

The foul stench still clinging in the air was an assault to the senses. I sat my bottle down and beat on the side of the bus in case someone might be inside. I followed along the bus up the side to the front to see if I could open the door. A few attempts to push it in were not successful, so I walked around the other side of the bus and back to the rear where I had seen the message in dirt.

This is when I noticed a tiny kitten playing with my bottle, it had stuck its nose inside to sniff and then its little paw was trying to fish out the folded up piece of paper on the inside. I was frozen in place when it noticed me, letting out a quick meow before running off underneath the bus. I crouched down to look for the little kitten when I heard the loud rumble once again, this time it was much closer than the last.

I now felt it was time to make another attempt to get on the bus. I tried to see if some of the windows would open, with no luck, and then I walked around to the back door and cranked the lever to see if it would open. To my surprise it actually did open, just about a foot, or enough for me to try and squeeze through and climb up into the dark cabin. But not before I was taken back by an intensely awful smell. It was enough to almost take your breath away, stomach churning and sweat inducing, I would have to think twice about getting on this bus.

Then I heard a terrible screeching sound which could have been right next to me or underneath me, or all around, but I couldn't see anything. It frightened me enough to go ahead and see if I could take a temporary shelter on the bus. I squeezed through the door and climbed into the aisle of the old dark bus in attempt to hide from whatever it was lurking outside. Before I could close the emergency exit behind me, I was suddenly aware that the seats of the bus were filled with the source of the absurdly foul odor. I reached down and picked up one of many severed limbs, this particular one was an arm with the hand attached. It was a fresh cut apparently, still bloody and pale in color. I threw it down and moved forward and to my horror would find the next row of seats contained severed torsos, and by the time I had made it to the front of the bus I was looking at human heads piled in the chairs.

I kicked open the front door to the bus and got out of the horror, fell down to my knees and began to vomit onto the dirty ground until I had nothing left to give. Then I dry heaved for a few minutes until I was breathing in dirt and blowing it back out mixed with my own saliva and sweat. I ached all over inside and out, flat on my back staring up at the clearing fog, at what appeared to be something giant hovering in the sky overhead. The brightness of the sun was coming through the parting fog when in its way stepped a suprising figure.

Wiping the sweat from my eyes I made out a tall clown dressed in a pinstripe suit and matching top hat with a cain in his hand and extra large shoes on his feet. I struggled to get up to my knees at first, and then stand on my own where I could face him and hopefully find my voice through a raw throat. I struggled to speak, spitting at first, but grasping his arm I begged him for help. He smiled an evil smile at me and asked me for my ticket. I shook my head at him, not sure what he was inquiring about, but he pointed towards the bus and said to me, this time with a sad face "if you want to ride on the bus you have to show me your ticket".

"I....the bottle....its in the bottle" I whispered with a gasp and clutching my abdomen I bent over from the sudden pain in my side. I was bleeding from my mouth when I noticed it had pulled a large knife out of my side from where it had just stabbed me. I tried to look it in the eyes but all I could see...was slowly fading away into darkness...and then into nothing at all.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

She made her way through the jungle, carefully not to make any noise or alert her prey, the massive beast was on a mission which only she could forsee the outcome. Her journey had taken her to some interesting places well beyond her normal territory, which for this Queen of the jungle, was anywhere she may decide to go. She could hear, see, and smell for miles farther than any of her prey. And she was much more capable of navigating the terrain than anything she would stalk. Her secret weapon was her size and ability to take down anything she wanted, also her stealthy ability to sneak up on and surprise her prey making for a somewhat easy kill.

Her massive size meant everything else in the wild feared her and left her alone. They cleared a path for her when she was on the move, knowing that she would not stop until she had completed her mission. He beauty was enough to fool anyone, her majesty the stuff of legend and art, her reality though is what kept the villagers in fear for many many moons.

She had walked miles through steamy jungles and swam in dark cool waters, almost completely undetected by man. She had climbed jagged mountains and soared down their cliffs with precision usually reserved for the most capable of winged predators. At this moment she watched through the bush as a fire flickered in the clearing. A lone villager stood guard over the fire while the rest of the group slept in tents. The mother of cats was about to make another kill. The taste of human flesh had changed her and made her into the most feared predator the jungle had ever known. Two dozen kills over two years ranging for miles and miles and nobody had come close to catching this magnificent beast. The only people alive who had seen her were quickly made into her victims. But that would soon change.....



I heard the lone scream in the distance, followed by silence, and then slowly the normal sounds of the jungle would began to populate the vast nothingness that occupied the black night. I laid in the dense foliage, sick and wounded, hardly able to move, with my gear scattered among the trees and bush in the worst possibly scenario. A parachute in the tree above me gave some shelter from whatever rain would come, a large high-powered rifle was just out of arms reach, various supplies had spilled out of a camo backpack and littered the area around my landing. I would gather all of this up, if only I could move.

I didn't remember how I got here, only certain specifics of this mission were on my mind. Track and kill the monster that had been terrorizing this countryside for the last 24 months. The beast who had decided for whatever reason she would hunt and eat humans and had done so with such superiority nobody had been able to do what I had been tasked to do. As a former military sharpshooter and a current government operative, all I needed was one shot with her in my sights and this long nightmare would all be over. However, as I lay here in this jungle, I have a sickness that was not anticipated and wounds I would likely not overcome.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

My hands shook uncontrollably as I attempted to wipe the sweat from my brow. I knew I would have to overcome these shakes if I ever wanted a chance to regain my strength and continue on with the mission. It was hard for me to gather a sense of direction and any attempts to sit up would bring upon me much pain and disorientation. So I would lay back down into my sickness and wounds. I wanted so badly to drift away but everytime I started that journey something would bring me back to the harsh reality I currently occupied.

I thought I heard a crack of branches or maybe some rustling in the bush not to far in the distance. Of course this was enough to make my adrenaline flow and regain a few of my natural senses I would need to rely on. I noticed that the normal jungle sounds had suddenly gone quiet....this is when I began to feel that omnious feeling...the one where someone or something was watching me. Sure its probably the final stages of jungle sickness setting in. Im alone and would probably die before anyone could come and rescue me...that was the reality....what a way to go.

I heard another crack or rustle in the bush when I found enough strength to sit up a bit and reach for my rifle. I let out the most humanly quiet gasp possible as I secured my large powered rifle with my good arm and balanced myself with the other. Wiping sweat from my eyes with a shaky hand I picked up the gun and took sight on anything that moved. That's when I heard the growl....from behind.

I did my best to turn around and look into the eyes of the majestic creature, the mother of cats. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on, massive in size, possibly 10 or 11 feet in length from nose to tail and over 600 pounds, the most intense eyes I had ever seen reflecting the full moon which hung high overhead. Her tail twitched slightly but she remained mostly still, just watching me to see what I would do. I whispered to her that she was the most amazing thing I had ever seen, the most capable adversary, and then I summoned all of my strength and pointed the large rifle in her direction and tried my best to control my breathing; inhale and exhale, inhale and then slowly squeeze the trigger with one sweat-filled eye burning closed.

CRACK! The single shot filled the jungle sky and then was followed by silence. I let the rifle drop as id used up every bit of my strength taking that shot. The mother of cats didn't even flinch, she stood there a few feet away from me, looking down at me with her intensely deep eyes. I thought to myself, this would be how it all ends for me, succumb to the beast. No tears or regrets, only hopes I wouldn't experience extreme pain as she tore me limb from limb.

The mother of cats approached me and stood directly over me, her massive beautiful head looking down on me I could see fresh blood stains around her mouth. I began to feel a wave of relief that she had possibly just had a kill and was not hungry. But she leaned ever closer to me and with her large tongue she licked the top of my head and forehead, drying the sweat momentarily. She sat down next to me and nursed my wounds for a few moments, and then stopped and just stared into my eyes. I began to feel a strange calm over my body...I was at peace with however this situation would play itself out...but genuinely intrigued with this beast that was sitting besides me.

Suddenly she became very alert, jumped up and looked off into the distance, and then back towards me, and then she very swiftly disappeared into the thick jungle. At first I didn't know what had spooked her, but soon enough I heard it, the deliberate sound of man in the distance. The rescue and recovery party must have heard my gunshot, as they were closing in on me with medical supplies and flashlights. By the time they reached me I was almost gone, but not quite, I kept watch in the jungle where the mother of cats had disappeared to.

The medics immediately started to treat me against my wishes, warning me that if didn't get to a hospital soon the fever would overtake me. I kept looking off into the jungle though, to try and get another glimpse of the glorious beast. I wanted to stay with her, not go off to some hospital, I wanted to let the miracle of nature run it course. One of the trackers with the rescue team, a younger less experienced guy, asked me if Id seen the beast. At first I said nothing, but then he said there was a supposed sighting nearby, so I fessed up to having seen a glimpse of her.

The excited young man asked me several questions about her; how big was she, which way did she go, etc. I pointed off towards the way in which the rescue team had come, "she went that way" I said. The team exchanged nervous glances with each other before they wanted to clarify "are you sure about that?" I nodded to them and repeated that she went in the direction in which they had come.

The flashlight and guns crew lead the way towards the clearing where a rescue vehicle would meet our team. The medics picked me up by stretcher and carried me off to safety. I craned my head around to the beast hidden somewhere in the dense jungle and whispered to her one last word...."goodbye"

She would live to kill again, as nobody would ever get as close to her as I did, and noone would ever catch the magnificent beast known to me and by legend as the mother of cats.

The End.