The Student

This one is from the Zombie Tarot, one of my favorites to use as a creative prompt. The page of swords represents a studious child. They may be perceived as clever, or aloof. 332 words. (A revised version can be found here.)

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The love songs of the night gave way to the chatter of birds as the girl wandered over the meadow to the hut. Dew drops reflected the overcast sky, turning the field into a dreamlike silver, cut through with a green brush stroke winding behind her as her toes tickled dew to the ground.

She watched a butterfly testing its wings in the rising sun, fluttering lazily, enjoying a few more minutes in its silky floral bed. She was tempted to tease it on to her finger, but catching butterflies was a child’s game and she was too old for such things now.

Father had stopped howling. He was likely either dead or sleeping. The virus didn’t grant him much peace, she wasn’t sure which one she preferred.

Inside the hut, the smell had quieted down, grown more earthen. She would have expected something sour. Like when fruit turns to wine. This smelled more like mushrooms. He sat quietly, observing her as she observed him. He wasn’t breathing.

“I promised Mother I wouldn’t kill you. Do you remember Mother?” He was still enough to be made of stone. Except for those eyes, sharply focused on her. They seemed darker. She peered more closely. The irises were so large, they were almost black. Were they too large for that level of light? Did the virus make his eyes sensitive to the light? That would explain why the monster had stuck to the shadows.

She opened the curtains, letting the dawn creep closer to the thing that used to be her father. The chains rattled as he shifted his weight away from the light, but there was no other reaction. Interesting. That implies physical distress, but not at a critical level.

“We never did spend a lot of time together, Father. I think I will remedy that. I propose a partnership. You shall teach me exactly how to defeat the plague. I pray I don’t cause you too much discomfort in the process.”