At the Edge of Murklight
Ebb stood at the Edge, under the dirty purple sky, her little lantern glowed feebly in the mist that poured onto the land from the void sea beyond. Black shapes fluttered above her head – the bats roosted in the roof of the rickety house she lived in. It too was cast in a purple and black smudge but was in fact a lovely red brick affair or so her father told her – Ebb had always lived in the twilight of Murklight, the sun was setting, it would not be dawn for another hundred years.
She hung her lantern on the post and took out a little flute, it was smooth and creamy coloured, she whispered into to it and it played sublime, the sound washing away from her in a musicality that lingered on the ear and the mind. The mist began to stir, it swirled and danced in lovely patterns and then she saw what she had been hoping for, two large eyes the colour of magenta glass, glowing as if a candle were lit within.
The eyes swivelled independently on fleshy stalks emerging from the head of something Ebb thought of as a sea slug, the mottled flesh looked purple-ish pink and move in the purple twilight. It opened it’s mouth and gargled a greeting.
Ebb smiled and scratched it fondly behind the eye stalk, ‘dear Tsu we need more fish to dry for the long night ahead of us.’ The creature fell back to the void sea and a fan shaped tale fin was visible for a moment. A noise behind her made Ebb turn, Wane her bother stood there with the offering for Tsu, a lovely carved emblem showing the world encircled within the coils of a creature very much like Tsu.
‘Oh! Wane she will love it!’ Ebb whispered and took the gift in her hands.
‘I carved it myself!’ he said proudly and truly it was a beautiful piece of work.
‘It must have taken an age!’ he nodded and she hugged him.
A silken splash told her that Tsu was returning, a rain of fish fell from the fount of water the serpent was jetting from her flexible rubber lips. Eddi and Flow emerged from the house with pans to collect the fish, they were laughing and skipping. The fish were still pouring down is purple sliver flashes.
‘Oh thankyou Tsu!’ Ebb cried and hoped to the very edge of the void sea, leaning out over the dark depths she hugged the monstrous creature, it gently nudged her back to safety and turned it’s large eyes upon her, tilting it’s large head to the side in an almost patience. Laughing Ebb showed the serpent the lovely carving, it gurgled and flapped it’s little side fins. Ebb understood the creatures joy and using her sash dress she fastened the emblem to it’s neck. Tsu licked her and disappeared into the swelling mists beyond.
Sighing Ebb turned to her family and helped her siblings to collect and smoke the fish, there were less each time she called the creature but her family had been stocking food for the night for a long long time. She was sure they would be fine, she wondered if there would be a moon to light the night.
Posted: Monday, September 17th, 2012 @ 2:16 pm
Categories: Flash Fiction.
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