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 An Unusual Day
 By James G. Piatt


 It was an unusual day, not because the sun had turned purple again, or the trees pink with orange stripes, it was something else, something dark something sinister. Amy felt it in her bones, and trembled. 

 In the far reaches of the Magenta forest, Sarnoff wrinkled his flat nose, shook his whiskers, and scratched his furry back. He looked up and slowly dragged his heavy body out of the bushes. He felt there was something awry, something evil; he could feel it in his sinews. He gazed at the purple sun and sighed.

 In the bubbling red swamp, Rossmoor scratched his scaly back with his tentacles as he peered out with his huge eye. His eight arms were itching and he was not happy. He felt a presence, something dark andwicked. He slithered to the other side of the pond, and sat. He knew the day was different, and he felt uneasy.

 Dacono in his iron grotto, shook his metallic body, and sighed. He looked out at the purple sun. It was a bad omen. He pulled the metal shawl around his shoulders and trembled. He then rose, and tried to shake off the bad feelings clinging to his body. He quickly looked around feeling a cold, malevolence presence. It was something dark and menacing. He was very worried.

 Amy walked to the front of her cave, she shivered and looked across the fallow fields far below. She saw a huge black mist forming in the far distance; it was starting to move across the field toward her cave. It was then she realized what it was and screamed. The movement of the black mist hesitated for a moment then continued. Amy ran back inside the cave and sobbed.

 Sarnoff smelled the air and bent his head to listen. He thought he had heard a scream. He looked far up to the side of the mountain where Amy’s cave was located. He didn’t see her at the mouth of the cave where she normally sat during the morning hours. He felt an eerie unease; he knew that Amy was always there at this particular time. He looked around and sensing the presence of evil again, climbed a tree to view the field below Amy’s cave. When he reached the top, he shuddered. He saw a black mist moving across the field far below Amy’s cave. Behind it was a ribbon of scarlet. He knew now what the evil was and trembled in fear. He quickly climbed back down the tree with his heart beating wildly. His fur was standing on end. He had to get to Rossmoor and Dacono immediately.

 The thing inside the black haze was grinning. It smelled the fear of a girl. It had been a long time since it had eaten, and a girl was particularly tasty. It increased its speed across the field. Its hunger grew as the girl’s odor increased in intensity.

 Sarnoff ran as fast as he could toward the red swamp, his heart was pounding. He knew Rossmoor was probably pacing. He figured that he knew evil was in the air, too.

“Rossmoor!” He panted. “Do you feel it?”

 “Sarnoff, it is you. Yes, I felt it vividly, it is horrible, it is the dark evil one, and it is getting nearer to Amy’s cave!”

 “Yes, I saw its black cloud of mist in the field far below Amy’s cave.

 There was the scarlet ribbon trailing behind it.”

 “It is that which I thought then?”

 “Yes, I am afraid so, and Amy is in dire harm.”

 “We must get to Dacono and then to Amy’s cave.”

The two took off running toward Dacono’s cave in the metallic woods.  They knew it would take all three of them to fend off the evil thing. Even then, it was questionable. The thing had tremendous strength and powers beyond any one of them; possibly even all three working together.

 Amy crept to the mouth of her cave again and looked down. The black mist was getting closer to the bottom of her mountain. She knew she had only a short time before it would scale the mountain and be at the mouth of her cave. She wondered if Sarnoff, Rossmoor, and Dacono had felt its presence and were on their way to save her. She trembled again as she headed back into her cave. The thing hesitated and the black mist ceased in its forward movement. It smelled the air and grinned. Looking far up the mountain, it saw the human’s cave. It knew now this was where the girl would be hiding. She would be in its grasp within a few hours now, and the once a year feast would begin. It only had a few hours of life left without its yearly meal; time was of the essence. It started rushing faster toward the mountain.

 Sarnoff, Rossmoor, and Dacono were going as fast as they could toward Amy’s mountain. They took a hidden route up the side of the mountain to her cave. The path could not be seen for a while from the field below where the evil presence was rushing toward the cave. In a short time, the three were climbing up a steep rocky path. They could smell the fetid presence of the evil being at the foot of the mountain now and were terrified. The three were panting, and their muscles were aching as they struggled up the side of the mountain. It was then when they heard a horrible roar. It rocked the side of the mountain. The thing had spotted them and was scrambling quickly up the side of the mountain. The black mist created as it rushed up the mountain, was moving much faster than the three were able to go. They tried to increase their speed, but it was of no use, the path was too steep.

 Amy came to the mouth of the cave and looked down. She saw Sarnoff, Rossmoor, and Dacono trudging up the side of the mountain, it was if they were moving in slow motion. She then looked about 200 feet to their right and saw the black mist moving up at a much faster gait.

 Sarnoff, Rossmoor, and Dacono were out of breath and energy. They looked to their right and saw that the black mist was ahead of them now. They panicked and started climbing again as fast as their exhausted bodies would go. The afternoon sun was now magenta, and the fields and mountain were cloaked with a reddish hue. An omen of what was to come to pass.

 Amy was trembling and sobbing. The thing smelled her fear again and grinned as it increased the pace toward the mouth of the cave. A short distance below, the three were struggling to get to the cave mouth as well.

 When the three finally reached the cave’s mouth, the huge thing was facing them and grinning. “Well, well, it appears my dessert is here too. You three will be the end of a perfect meal!” It then laughed and entered the cave. The three gained their composure and entered the cave too. They rushed at the thing with all of their might.

 Sarnoff flung himself on it as Rossmoor grabbed at it with his tentacles and Dacono ran his metallic head into the thing’s huge black body. It roared and in one swift motion slashed out and slew all three. Their bodies fell bloody at his feet. It then looked at Amy who was screaming, came nearer to her, picked her up, and opened its huge mouth…

  * * * *

“Amy, are you still in your room? Have you been daydreaming all day? Why don’t you got outside and get some sun and fresh air? Its like a cave in here!”

 “I have just been playing with my new toys mommy. Can I take them outside too? I think they could use some sun and fresh air too.”

 “Yes, I guess so. Why don’t you leave that big black ugly thing though, I think those three toys will be enough.”

Amy shrugged her shoulders, and threw the black thing in the corner of her closet. She then grabbed her three other toys and headed out of her room.


​ABOUT JIM:  Write Words Inc. published Dr. Piatt’s Science Fiction novel, “The Ideal Society,” in 2012. Broken Publications published his second novel, “The Monk,” in May of 2013. His third novel, “The Nostradamus Prophecies” is scheduled for release in 2014. He has also had 32 short stories and 7 essays published. His books can be found on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. Contact Jim.