Short Story 1 - Not My Day

The bright blue lights should have been the first sign that today was not my day. Not that it had been my week, my month, or my year for that matter. Is that not the reason why I was on this godforsaken quest in the first place? The quest to find my long lost luck. Where art thou and why have thou abandoned me? 

It all started with the blood… Not rainbows nor some adorable unicorns. Of course not. I was going through my morning routine when I noticed something peculiar, the water coming out of the sink was in fact not water. Not just water at least. It had a pinkish color. As I tried to decrease the stream, the pressure actually began to increase exponentially - blasting from the faucet. Did not take me long to realize, the additional coloring was blood. It was now the predominant component, splashing against the sink and walls. I almost tripped over myself as I backed away in horror. What on earth could I have done to warrant this reaction from the universe? 

You know what you have done, a voice was singing in the back of my head. Shush, I thought forcefully, we don’t bring it up. On that note, I stormed out of the room, scowling. Flood in blood for all I care, not my problem.

Yet, it was my problem. 

The rest of my day went exactly how you would expect after the waterfall of blood. Birds dropping dead at my feet. People and animals walking in opposite directions as I approach. As if I was a leper with the plague. Do not allow that person to approach! You could almost see their instincts screaming. 

Everything I did was wrong. Just wrong. Nothing would work the way I wanted it to. In fact, it would not work at all. I was a sad, dysfunctional, broken human. Could not see myself in the mirror even. Those pesky demons started making an appearance. I would just stand there, admiring my beautiful self and then this asshole would make himself visible. 

Not looking too well today, are we? He would sneer, flicking his forked tongue. That’s what happens when you break the terms of your agreement! The other one sneered. They would start laughing as my reflection would turn purple and slowly crumble to pieces. I knew enough to walk away. Argue with the little assholes long enough and your real life self would start painfully crumbling as well. So I hung black veils over all the mirrors in my life. I could hear them cackling behind the veils, calling out: who died? 

Can you imagine, I put up with this bullshit for a year! An entire year of me ignoring the blood, demons, and death surrounding me. It will resolve itself, I thought. If I suffer enough, I will have paid my dues. Not the plan the gods have laid out for me though. Every night I would see another piece. A piece of a bigger puzzle regarding what it is that I have done wrong. I knew exactly why the curse was unfolding, I just had chosen to forget it altogether. 

However, as the year was coming to an end, I remembered the entire story. I remembered why I could not wait any longer. I strapped on my bag and set off. No map. No compass. Who needs directions? The accursed forest would find you itself. The cozy home of all lost souls. 

Days of wandering aimlessly and I approach the edge. Pitch black, snow on the outskirts, a faint smell of desperation. Oh yes, this is the place. Tall, dark pine trees and bare-bone shrubbery. 

No one really knew where the forest was. If you were desperate or lost enough, it would simply be there. Some have spent their entire lives searching for it, but their souls weren’t worthy enough. Or rather, valuable enough for it. The forest evaded them. 

Within the forest were scattered statues. Small, large, animals, heads. A mixture of every deity and higher power one might need a connection to. The most powerful of them resting in the central clearing. The statues called the victims to themselves. Giving them a vague path to follow, safeguarding the rest of the forest with packs of vicious wolves. I actually always found the wolves quite friendly. Maybe because they had felt bad for me. A person would strike a deal with the power that called it, receive the prize they bargained for and completely forget the interaction ever happened. It is only when they unwittingly broke the terms of the deal, or the deal had expired that they would remember what they had done. But by then it was too late and they’d scramble to save themselves as they were slowly being dragged to hell. 

I was almost to the clearing at this point. Doubts plagued me. Why have I been allowed to remain? The curse has shown itself yet here I am, although battered but very much alive. 

I guess it sensed my approach. I felt a tension in the air and then the blue lights. Flashing bright from the giant head statue in the clearing. A strong voice resonated in my head: I am glad you finally joined us. The head resembled the hybrid child of the Easter island statues and the Mayan gods. Large disk earrings, very straight facial features. 

You have failed to guard the power given to you by the universe, it boomed. And you have failed to use it for good as well. So now I would like to welcome you to the first day of your final life. 

The lights coming from the statue glowed brighter and I found myself at an intersection. Two paths. The forest. I could not move. And I could see a person approaching me from afar. I could hear his vain thoughts… oh. Of course they would do this.