Sadie frowned as she pulled the top card and flipped it over.
“You again. Yes, I KNOW the whole world is on fire, you don’t need to keep throwing the fucking Tower in my face about it.”
She sighed, closed her eyes, and slowed her breathing. “I am calm, my anxiety does not define me, my magic brings good to the world”
“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”
The cards flew from Sadie’s hands as she whirled around in her chair to face the interloper, eyes wide in panic.
“Jesus raspberry Christ, Kyler, you are going to give me a heart attack!”
“It’s not my fault you have an exaggerated startle response”, he knelt down and started picking up the cards, “52 pick-up”
“78 pick-up but sure”. She softened as she sat down next to her half-brother and started retrieving her cards.
“Grandmama thought that was the funniest thing ever, ‘wanna play 52 pick up?’ Probably took us until we were in double digits before we caught on.”
Kyler handed her his pile of cards, which she combined with her own as she launched herself from the floor to the kitchen chair.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Sadie gestured to the chair across the table.
Kyle flung himself into it with a combination of the Riker move and his own special brand of bisexual hypermobility.
“its Dad.”
“oh, well that explains the damn Tower, what is it this time?”
“I’ll give you 3 guesses, starts with an ‘S’ rhymes with scientists.”
“oh no. video?”
“Thank Hecate no, just audio, but he’s getting up there in age and he only managed to eat 2 of them, the other got away.”
“FUCK”
Faster than you can say ‘Angry Lagoon Monster ate some college kids’ the pair were on the first flight to Peru they could find. Sadie anxiously fiddled with her cards while Kyler drank too much first-class champagne.
“We land in 20 minutes – you might need your wits about you if we are going to get Dad out of this one.”
“We’ve still got to land, deplane, find a taxi, get a boat, and find the fucker.”
Sadie smacked his arm with the back of her hand and gave him THE BIG SISTER LOOK.
“Fine.” Kyler waved his hand and muttered under his breath. His eyes suddenly clear, he sat up straight and blinked. “uuuuggg, sobriety.”
“Thank you, now what the hell are we supposed to do with an Amazonian lagoon creature with a taste for co-eds and dementia?”
“Well, about that. My mom found a place. . .”
Sadie’s eyes flashed
“You want me to transmogrify our dad? TO PUT HIM IN A HOME??? FOR HUMANS??????”
“Keep your voice down sis you’re scaring the normies. What did you think we were gonna do? Give him a stern talking to?”
By the time they had made it to the boat, Sadie had mellowed considerably, and when they finally approached their dad’s lair, she was resolute.
“Dad, it’s us – it’s just us, Sadie and Kyler! Don’t eat us!”
Kyler gave her a withering look as a large creature bounded towards them like a slimy golden retriever.
“KIDS! What in the world are you doing here?”
He picked them up, one kid in each arm, and whirled with glee. For a moment Sadie was 5 again and giggling. Then she saw the bodies.
“Dad! What were you thinking?”
“Huh? – Oh them. First of all they started it, and B – they’re fucking n*zi’s.” He walked over to the nearest body and kicked the white polo shirt up revealing a giant back tattoo of a word I don’t want to type.
Dear reader, it is at this point that I must apologize for the absolute mess of a plot line we find ourselves in. I mean, I’m not exactly mad about a lagoon creature who absolutely fucks, fights n*zis, and loves his kids, but I really don’t know where this thing is going. I’m afraid I’m going to have to pull a Stephen King and just sort of stop writing now and call it the ending.
Leigh Fisher 