Adrian looked into the mirror as she removed her make up. She had long black hair, big blue eyes and pouty lips. She was beautiful and she was proud of it. She kept a bottle of water on a night stand next to her bed. She took a long drink and went to bed.
In her dream she was floating in a blue pool. The stars bobbed on the waves next to her as she floated into the sun. A flock of fish swam around her and one by one they stuck to her. She kicked but they did not come off. And then a turtle stuck to her. The stars flowed into her and she connected with them. Above it all there was a huge face and it watched as everything became attached to her. She disappeared into the dirt and the fish and the stars. Her face was no longer there and Adrian became terrified.
“Where is my beautiful face,” she screamed. And the stars spoke.
We’re sorry we had to take your beauty
it’s a real pity to lose something so precious
but you weren’t doing anything with it
so we thought we’d put it to better use.
Across her body, underneath her armpit there was a land. In that land young boys liked to play pranks in the night. The land had acquired all knowledge of good and evil. They placed a gold plate on their two most evil cities. One read Sodom and the other Gomorrah. Only, the young boys moved the signs to another city, so the righteous had no way of knowing what was good and what was evil. The city that became called Sodom was once a good town, but now everyone was confused. A minister in a cloak marched into the town with an army of parishioners behind it.
The minister carried a centimeter inch thick book called truth. He grabbed the first man he saw — who happened to be with a child — and threw him into the center of the mob. The man’s young boy hid in the shadows of the wall.
“Do you repent,” the minister screamed as she lifted her hood. Adrian was startled to see her own face and behind all the faces of the army were hers as well.
“I don’t know what I’ve done,” the man said.
“You live in Sodom. You’re unholy,” Adrian said and she grabbed a knife and pushed into his head. “Repent now.”
“I do live in Sodom, but I’m a good man. I’ve done nothing.” he said.
Adrian pushed the knife against his head and slowly carved a shallow cross.
“Please, I have a child,” the man said.
She pushed the knife against his head deepening the cross.
“You’re too evil to have a child,” she said. “Repent now.”
“I don’t know what you want me to repent from. I’ve been a good father and I work hard.”
“You’re evil,” she said repeating herself and she pushed the knife in deeper. Blood began to pour from his face.
“I don’t know what I’ve done,” he screamed.
And Adrian pushed the knife deep into his head until his soul left his body and nothing was left of him but a cross in the brain.
Adrian wiped off her knife and screamed to the crowd.
“Behold we have cleansed the world in the name of God.” she said.
The crowd of hers clapped as the little boy watched in horror from the shadow of the wall.
If that is good
then I’ll be the devil’s son
I’d rather go to hell
then let her get away with what she’s done
In the next instant many years had passed. The boy was older and he kissed Adrian on the face. She held his hand and smiled as he lifted her up and ravaged her with kisses. They were in her bedroom with the mirror and the night stand. He sat her down on the bed and lifted her hands above her head.
“What are you doing,” she said.
“I’m sending you to hell,” he said.
And Adrian felt damnation, love and betrayal in one instance as the boy reached for his knife. He slit a hole above her eyeballs, pulled them out and set them in the bottle of water next to her. They watched as the knife went up and done and splashed in blood.
He screamed over and over again.
“I’d rather go to hell,” then live on your earth.
Her eyes smiled as he stabbed her. The blood filled the room until he floated in it and he became united with her eyes and the mirror and the bed and the stars until he disappeared and the boy who stabbed her didn’t exist anymore and neither did her beautiful face or body.
Adrian woke up in a sweat. She took a gulp of water and looked into the mirror. She was still beautiful. She steadied herself and went back to bed.
“Whew,” she said. “It was only a dream.”
