Grant took the elevator down to the ground floor. As he stepped out into the lobby, he decided to check the time. He slid the watch out of the small vest pocket and clicked it open. It burst green energy across the room as everyone froze in their tracks. He walked to the front door, and out into the rain which had also stopped. He caught a stationary raindrop on his tongue. He closed the watch and the world resumed.
“Cool.”
***
Murder was reading about Grant the first riding an ancient bus to meet a sales client when the ring began to glow. The tick of her old grandfather clock in the common room stopped. She peeked out the window at the silent sidewalk and the stopped cars. She saw a single moving object bathed in a green glow. It paused on the sidewalk for a moment before life resumed around her. Her iPhone rang, which she answered with a question. “Was that you?”
“Yes, and I take it the ring shielded you?”
“Yes, it did.” She smirked. “Cool.”
***
Murder decided that before she could relax and read, she would have to check on Levi. He was tucked tight, asleep, and looked peaceful. She had no idea when he’d gotten home, so she decided not to wake him yet. She got a text from Grant:
In line for coffee
Would my sweet like some sweets?
She fired a text back:
Feeling French... ooh lah lah!
Do they have baguettes?
:Kissy face:
Her phone bleeped. She would never get to read like this. Of course, it struck her that these were kind of like modern versions of love letters.
Pas de pain!
(No bread)
She replied:
Oh non!
Laisse-moi manger des petits gâteaux!
(Let me eat little cakes)
I’m good, really.
She lay back on the bed and went back to the letters.
***
Murder had had to drag Levi out of bed for the service.
“So tired.” He said.
“Ethel was Grant’s only family and now that she’s departed we’re his family, so… come on.” He had complied and they’d walked down to Redden Funeral Home. Grant was already there. He had left right after breakfast to make sure everything was ready. He picked that parlor because it was close to The Dominick. He was quite surprised when she’d shown up with the violin.
“I found Ethel and Grant I’s song in the letters.”
He smiled. “Thank you so much. That’s a beautiful way to remember her.” He kissed and hugged her. She whispered in his ear.
“It’s even in three-quarter time.” He laughed. She was certainly consistent. Grant noticed Levi dragging.
“Out too late huh? Thanks for coming anyway.”
Levi hugged him. “We’re your family now.”
They had an open casket. People had filed in. Grant had noticed there were a lot of people from the force and from all the communities he’d worked in as a beat cop. A diverse room full of the glorious melting pot that was NYC, all his friends. He felt proud. He guessed Grandma’s friends had mostly aged out. Maxwell, Giselle, and Rita were all there too. Jenna had texted condolences since she was at work. The tiny room was full and a few more uniform cops who had simply been in the area stood in the back.
Murder stood at the front of the room and performed a beautiful violin rendition of Let Me Call You Sweetheart. Grant remembered Grandma Ethel listening to an old vinyl recording of the tune when he was very small.
The people in the room began to sing along and look into each other’s eyes. Murder smirked at him and he cried joyful tears. The whole scene was perfect. Sad, but perfect.
She ended the tune and sat beside him. He stood, with eulogy in hand, prepared to tell all his friends why he’d been in a position to meet them all in the first place. It was all because Ethel had raised him to care about people. That was when he saw her in the back row. The brown-haired woman.
“What are you doing here? he demanded.
“I’ve come to pay my respects, Grrrr-ant!” She sneered. She held her hands out in front of her and pushed out like she was doing the breaststroke.
Guests fell to clear a path to him as if she had parted the Red Sea. He pulled his service pistol from his shoulder holster.
She had also cleared a path for him to shoot her. He fired three rounds. She flicked her wrist and sent them into the wall. Murder jumped up from her seat and stood at Grant’s side. The uniform officers had all drawn their weapons but had no clear shot.
Grant pulled the watch and clicked it open. The world stood still. Murder’s ring glowed.
She shot a red ball of energy at the woman. It knocked her to the floor but also out of the watch’s hold on her. The woman grabbed Levi with what could only be described as a telekinetic chokehold and slammed him against the wall. She flung Grant and Murder to the other wall in the same manner. Then, she made a motion like she was twisting and tugging a rope.
The floral wallpaper grabbed them with its new vines. They struggled to get free. She walked to Grant and closed the watch. People pushed and shoved trying desperately to leave. She crossed the room to Levi, she stroked his cheek and said a single word. “Putro.”
They could only watch as Levi’s skin dried and cracked like the desert on the hottest day of the year. They watched as his eye sockets sunk and pieces of clay fell to the carpet like clumps of dirt falling from a freshly tugged weed. Murder screamed.
The woman looked at her. “It was supposed to be a Curse, Princess!” She fumed, her sarcasm dripping off the word ’princess’. She snapped her fingers and disappeared.
Comments (0)
See all