Karla Wins (Blogophilia 16.18)

 



Thanos scanned the landscape and shrugged. The dispatches would come, and he would get the soul. If something went wrong, the bosses would take the heat. He could only hope that policy would hold with this. Karla, the target, was fair and flaxen haired  A blank canvas whose life never started. Normally, this would not concern him. But something held his eye. An almost imperceptible tattoo above her left eye.  An Artemis warrior, protected by the Goddess herself. 


He took a deep breath. There would be consequences in her taking. The human lineage never mattered in these cases. Either you were anointed or not, the vessel holding the spirit was nothing more than that. Something that could be broken or used at will. This was different. 


Who ordered this? 


Thanos was thirty yards into the meadow. Karla was a little further out picking berries. She moved toward the edge of the wood. He followed along, out of her line of sight. A glint of light appeared at her right shoulder, a silver spear reflecting the one ray of sun—a visiting warrior. No farmer would have such a weapon in his barn. The girl stopped and looked back towards the tree line and him. She was aware of his presence. With a half smile, she turned back to her task. It might be easier than he thought. The sun will be setting soon. She'll be close enough to take. 


Retreating, he weighed the methods at his disposal. Invisibility would be the easiest way, he thought. Come up from behind and cleave the head. Cowardly? Yes, but effective. The girl was aware of his presence, though. She might have laid a trap. It might be better for both if the confrontation was before the gods. Step out with the scythe and swing. 

Could she duck? 


Who was the visitor? 


If it was someone from Artemis’ circle, it would pose serious problems if he had to engage him. 


That was his last thought. The spear entered his back, piercing his heart. Karla, humming “Rock of Ages”, pulled back the hood and grinned. 


The Goddess would be proud. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In Honor of Al Jaffee

The image below is probably the most politically incorrect graphic the great comic artist Al Jaffee ever produced. Originally published in a special issue of MAD magazine in 1971, it brought protests for its seeming disrespectful tone. It even launched a brief FBI investigation into possible political subversion.  So, why am I bringing it up? 2 reasons. First, Mr. Jaffee just celebrated his 95th birthday. Second, In all of the turmoil of the Election, it is important that the pledge be for all people. Not just the moneyed elite. More importantly, to weed out infection the poisons of bigotry by all people need to be aired. Burying thoughts and ideas through euphemisms and language discussion allow the opinions to fester. The quote "Just because you silence a man does not mean you convert him" very much applies. Donald Trump has made efforts to silence his critics. His critics have made a double effort to silence. him. And nothing gets done.
Read more

The Date (Blogophilia 13.5)

So, here she was at Manuel’s, her usual fifteen minutes early.   A quick glance to make sure the lipstick line was still straight.   Satisfied, the compact disappeared into the leather purse.   Kari hadn’t been this nervous meeting anyone in quite a long time.   But then, it had been at least 20 years since she had been on a blind date.   What will he look like?   All Mary told her was he was a bachelor with a paying job and no kids.    Nothing about how old, or whether he was a slob or a crackhead.   Not even the guy’s name.   Only that she thought Kari would enjoy his company.     Just be at there at 5:30. Sipping on her gimlet, it seemed like she had never left.   The Musak was mostly Sinatra and the political types still hung to their tables like they were still in high school.   Tony, the manager, gave her a peck when he saw her and said she could come back to work any time.   No.   She’d had en...
Read more