The Midnight Court

I have been struggling with this story for days now.  I liked it, but was then told that my portrayal of Larry wasn't real enough.  So with a lot of hair pulling I reworked. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

The Midnight Court

 

Melissa blinked back the tears that blurred her vision as she used her shirtsleeve to wipe her face.  Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down.  It was over and done with.  

Sitting on the edge of the pig pen, she exhaled and looked up toward the cloudless sky.  The sun felt warm on her face and the breeze relaxing, as it blew across her skin. Facing the pen, she took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose from the smell.

Holding a bright red apple out toward her pig, she smiled.  He timidly walked toward her and sniffed the apple.  When he was close enough she reached out and rubbed the spot between his ears. “Who’s my good boy?”  

Squealing, he ran away from her and hid in the corner of his stall. “Don’t be that way.  I am sorry, truly I am, but I did what I had to do.”    Looking at him she felt a ping of guilt, but quickly pushed it aside.   Swallowing back more tears, she thought back to that night.  She sung happily in the kitchen while she prepared dinner.  They were on a tight budget and she had spent too much money, but it was a celebration.  She had good news, news that would make everything right between them once more.

The front door slammed shut and the sound of keys being thrown across the room told her that her husband, Larry, hadn’t had a good day and when he saw the steaks on the kitchen table she could see the muscles in his jaw tighten.

He sat down and pulled his plate to him. “You bought New York Strip?”

“Yes, I know it’s expensive, but I have good news and wanted to celebrate.”

“The next words out of your mouth had better be that we won the lottery or better yet, that rich, stingy bitch you call a mother died and left us everything.”

“Even better.” Melissa beamed, ignoring the comment about her mother.  “I’m pregnant.”

“You’re what?  Melissa watched his fist clinch and unclench on the table.  Her smile disappeared and her voice shook as she said, “I thought you would be happy.

Pushing away from the table he yelled, “Happy! You thought I would be happy.”

Melissa rose from the table and took a step back.

“Jesus H. Christ!  We can barely feed ourselves and you get pregnant.  What the hell were you thinking?” 

 He stalked toward her and she backed up until she hit a wall. “It will be all right.  I will look for another job, one that makes more.”

He was standing so close to her now that she could smell the stench of stale sweat, cigarettes and alcohol that clung to him.  Laughing he wrapped a hand lightly around her throat, pinning her in place. “Who the hell do you think is going to hire you?  Not only are you stupid, but you’re knocked up.” 

 “Please don’t hurt me… don’t hurt our baby.” Releasing her he walked back to the table, placed both of his hands on top of it and hung his head.  Cautiously, Melissa walked toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We will figure something out…I can ask mom…” before she could finish her sentence, he shoved the table, sending the food and dishes crashing against the wall.

Realizing her mistake, Melissa turned to run, but he grabbed her and shoved her into a wall.  “Your mother?  I know she thinks I’m not good enough for you. I see the way she looks at me, like I’m nothing but dirt beneath her feet and yet you want me to beg her for money.”

She watched as he walked toward her and his arm went back.  She felt the pain as his fist connected with her cheek and the sharp crack of her head hitting the corner before she blacked out.

 The sound of the front door closing brought Melisa to and caused her to quickly sit up.  She strained to hear who was coming toward her as she swallowed down the vomit rising in her throat.

 “Melissa,” her mother called out.  “Where are you?” 

“Mom?” She called out as she relaxed. 

When her mother walked into the room, the smile vanished from her face.  Sinking down to the floor next to her and gingerly stroked her daughter’s bruised face. “Oh baby, what has he done to you?”

Bursting into tears Melissa clung to her mom. “I thought the baby would make him stop but…” her body shook as she sobbed in her mother’s arms.

Her mother pulled away from her and used her thumb to softly brush away her daughter’s tears. “It’s okay.” She cooed. “His abuse is over; it’s past time that we deal with this abuser.” 

***

Larry sat at a bar with his hand wrapped around a mug of beer.  The coldness of the glass felt good on his bruised hand and cracked knuckles.  Steve sat down in the stool next to him, “Man, what did you do to your hand?” 

He looked down at his hand and shrugged.  “Dad always told me never to hit a woman with a closed fist.  I always thought it was for their benefit, but I guess not.” 

Steve snorted in laughter.  “Oh man, what did she do this time?” 

Ignoring Steve’s question, he got up and headed home. He had had a rough day at work and didn’t feel like talking.

Sitting in his truck he looked at his hand again he shook his head.  His grip on the steering wheel tightened and he grimaced when one of the cuts on his knuckles opened up.  

Reaching into the brown paper bag sitting on passenger seat he pulled out a beer.  Popping the top, he took a long swallow before shoving the keys into the ignition and heading home.

Pulling up to their small house, he looked at the dark windows.  He threw open the front door and stormed through the house, “Melissa!”  

 His search ended in the bedroom.  Looking around his eyes landed on a picture of his wife and mother-in-law. Picking up the picture he glared at it, “I bet that’s where you are. That’s all right, actually it’s perfect.  It’s time I showed your mother I’m not something she can look down her nose at.” He threw the picture against the wall and grinned as the glass shattered.  Taking another long pull from the beer in his hand he made sure stepped on the picture as he walked out of the room.

Standing in front of his mother-in-law’s house, he took another pull from his beer before raising his hand to bang on the door.  Before he could knock, the door was opened by beautiful woman.  In a voice of pure velvet she purred, “We have been expecting you.”   He stared at her stupidly, trying to remember what he was there for.

 When she turned away from him, his head cleared and thoughts of his wife and what he was doing here returned.  He pushed past the woman who had opened the door and stormed into the house yelling his wife’s name. Stomping his way into the living room he came to halt. Dozens of woman wearing hooded black robes stood around a dais staring at him.

Sitting on a gold throne atop the dais was a woman flanked by men in loin clothes.  This woman was even more beautiful than the one who opened the door.  Rising from her throne, she walked toward the edge of the dais, wearing nothing but a sheer golden rob.  Her long red hair flowed over her shoulders in soft waves, covering her almost naked form. Parting her perfectly painted lips, her honeyed voice wrapped around him, pulling him closer, “Is this him?”

“Yes.”  The voice of his wife brought him out of his daze and he looked around until his eyes locked on her.

 “There you are.”  He made his voice low and menacing.  He stepped forward and reached out to grab her, but was stopped by two men in loin clothes.

The woman on the dais spoke again, pulling his attention away from his wayward wife, “Enough! You will have respect for me, this court and all of the woman here.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Silence!” The woman shouted.  He opened his mouth to tell the bitch off, but found that nothing would come out.  In a calm voice she continued, “I am the Goddess Auril.  Your wife has come to my Midnight Court and filed charges of abuse against you, charges in which you have been tried and found guilty of. “

Still unable to speak, he glared at her. “Yes, I can see that you don’t agree with me, but” her laugh echoed though the room, “it doesn’t matter what you think.  You sealed your fate when you began beating your wife.”  Gracefully, she sank down on her throne and tapped a well-manicured nail on its arm.  “What to do with you.  Perhaps I will turn you into a eunuch,” she waved a hand toward the men in loin cloths, “and allow you to serve as one of my slaves. 

He clinched his jaw and balled his hands into fist as he looked around for an escape.

 “No?  Not a eunuch, oh well,” she shrugged her shoulders, “only one thing to do then.  You shall live out the rest of your life at the mercy of your wife, just as she has had to live hers at the mercy of yours.  However, you will be trapped in a form that tells everyone who sees you exactly what you are.  From now on Larry, you shall be a pig.”

A sharp pain in his ankle caused him to scream out in agony.  Falling to his knees, he looked down and saw his foot had begun to twist and transform into the foot of a pig.  He looked up at the woman wide eyed and opened his mouth to beg when he felt a stabbing pain in his jaw.  Reaching up, he touched his face only to feel that his jaw had begun to shift and elongate.  His back bowed, sending him down to all fours and his long continuous scream turned into the shrill sound of a squealing pig.

“Oh, Larry, I told you I’m sorry.  I really never meant for this to happen, but you left me no choice.  Look, I built this wonderful pen for you to apologize.” She waved a red apple in front of him, “I even brought you fresh fruit.” 

He looked up at the woman sitting on the railing.  He knew her…didn’t he?  He watched her bite into the…the…I knew what it was just a few minutes ago.  He shook his head and looked around.  He felt a moment of panic when he remembered what had happened, but then everything started to fade away.  He was a pig now…and this truly was a wonderful pen.