Page 19

Chapter Nineteen

Such ticklings

I f the tomes that held records of the monstrous affairs of Queen Perantiqua wished to highlight the first great act of unity of all monsters, then it would be this dusk.

Though plague existed, and a possible slide to ruin, there was this dusk where monsters might share in great joy—in the greatest scare to exist.

Princess Raise entered my private chambers where Valetise frantically executed the last of her alterations. My wardrobe monster had woken already knowing of my human reset agenda. She had remained awake all day to create clothing for the event.

“My queen,” said the princess. “The radio broadcast is effective. The humans gather at the presidential grounds.”

I sensed that the princess had enjoyed her day in the shoes of a radio announcer. I was not sure what human could resist the monstrous tones of her voice. By the sounds none. “The event will broadcast through all pulses?”

“Yes, my queen. Your stairway pawns will record a visual of the scare. They are best equipped to quickly find the best angles for such a thing. Copies of this will be distributed.”

Movies did exist in this world. Mostly old copies of discs found in ruins and rubble, though rudimentary short films had been attempted by some of the rich with too much idle time. We were about to create the first horror movie since The End.

I smirked, feeling the magnificent tickle of impending fright.

My outfit was a floating gown of simple white that would supposedly brand the symbol of me in humans’ minds forevermore. I could not see how such a thing was very terrifying, but Valetise assured me that a stitched-together woman, barefooted in a flowing white dress would achieve everything necessary.

This dusk, the notion of skulls would be erased, and in its place? I had not decided on what to call myself to humans. Queen Perantiqua was commonplace and befitting of monsterdom, not humanity.

“I am done,” said Valetise, swaying on the spot after.

“ She was done in power and mind,” said our narrating skeleton, sitting unobtrusively in her armchair in the shadows of the courtyard.

I sent a small jet of power through my queendom, and Picket appeared soon after.

“Care for Valetise before we leave,” I ordered him. “She has done the queendom a great service this night.” I gently squeezed her hand, for Valetise was but a gentle and simple monster, really. “Valetise, you are a wonder, and I am struck anew. Thank you for your part in this scare.”

I glanced at Picket. “You are sure of your role?”

“Yes, my queen. The picket will respond to my call. I will do my part in bringing your vision to life.”

Such ticklings of future frights.

I looked to my skeleton next. “Dearest new monster, you have remained out of the walls of late. Are you ready to speak your name?”

For a beat, it appeared as if she might duck into the walls again, but she remained still in the shadows. When she spoke, her voice was shy. Shy, as it never was when she narrated the inner thoughts or state of the other monsters in the room.

The elephants in the room. I smiled at the idiom from my human existence.

“I am called Candor,” she whispered.

Such uncertainty in herself, but none in voicing the hidden heart of matters. “My, but I connect how you will help monsters to communicate the true thoughts of their hearts always. Our wellness cannot turn sour in your deep-seeing comments, nor in the bravery of yourself to declare them without hesitation.”

The skeleton fidgeted in her armchair. “In purpose, I am never uncertain. Many lies have existed before you, and they will not continue beyond. Not in the safe walls of your queendom.”

“Candor,” I said. “You are aptly named. Welcome to my queendom, and thank you.”

“ The queen meant every word she said,” stated Candor, then squeaked. “Thank you, my queen.”

“We depart,” I announced after.

My dreaded wooden horse awaited, but what a wondrous transformation. A living horse tossed its mane of tasseled wool and reared high to show its hooves of copper and its coat of splintered wood. Everywhere but the saddle was an injury for anyone so foolish as to touch the mount.

Air flowed in and out of its mouth. Breaths expanded the mount’s chest. The horse’s very real eyes rolled, and sap-like saliva frothed from its mouth.

“Mother,” I said. “I am sorry to have doubted the journey of such a creature.”

I would present a fearsome image indeed to humankind. They were so fragile about such things.

My mount lowered for me to settle atop the saddle, and I paused to set a fingertip to a particularly savage splinter. A prick of blood remained behind, and I stared at the drop. “Life. That is your name, dear mount. Life is Mother-given. Life is unpredictable. Life is joy covered with splinters, and beauty tangled amid discomforts. Life is your name.”

The mount rippled his wood mane in answer.

I settled atop Life, and Picket opened the wall of bars.

Candor called, “ The queen rode toward grand hauntings with her trusted subjects.”

There was a great rustle of pride in monsters at her announcement, and what better moment and feeling to start up a trot for the presidential grounds.

I had rarely visited them. My mother was not much for gatherings and announcements being more focused on preparing for her withering days and spending all her days with me. We were unusual on the matter. Most citizens in Vitale jumped at the opportunity for any event that brought disturbance to the monotony of their days. At such grounds, the president addressed his people. Here Vitalians might celebrate the few festivals that still existed after The End—solstice and harvest celebrations, along with the middle of winter when harder times turned the page into an easier slide.

Behind me walked, slimed, and padded fifteen pawns. A wagon carried Valetise, Picket, and Candor. As we continued, the minion shells of King Take came in, as ordered by their liege.

What a grand feeling to have monsters united behind me. An age of this awaited us on the other side of struggle and strife. A great reminder of why I fought the battles I fought.

“My queen,” called Is. “This location is ideal to dismount and disperse for the grand fright. Humans have gathered in near entirety.”

Deep, unmatched excitement trilled in me. “Is the stage set?”

“Yes,” he hissed, and the most delightful pawn symphony arose as pawns laughed together. A nervous laughter triggered a rumbling amusement and low staccato snicker. A chuckling chime layered over raucous snorts. Goodness, that was my favorite gift from pawns.

I dismounted, feeling the preordained tearing of my white gown on the savage splinters of my horse’s coat. I stroked its tasseled mane after and then turned to monsters and shells.

“This fright will go down in the history of monsters. This dusk you share in a fright of immortals, of ages, and humans shall speak of this night forevermore. Be filled with honor of this terror, dear monsters. I would not prefer to scare alongside any others.”

With that, I jumped very high to the top of a distant building. If I managed to reveal myself, as I believed I possibly could, then I could not be close.

Pawns and shells dispersed, some sliming, and some disappearing underground, while others melted into shadows.

After watching them for a time, I strode to the edge of the towering apartment building that overlooked the presidential grounds. My toes clawed over the edge, and I relished in the sway and rock of the building.

Humans had gathered, certainly. The important ones—a laughable concept—sat on a raised platform off to one side. There was a palpable confusion to the gathered creatures, a tang of confusion and fear. Why were they all here? They could not rightly say, but that a mysterious voice upon the radio bid them to.

A thick cloud covered the blaring light of the full moon, and a deeper darkness than dusk gripped Vitale.

Screams arose.

“Ah, the beginning,” I said with a grin.

Higher rose the screams, to add to the scent and feeling of the gathered humans. Delightful. So delightful that I could not bear to witness it alone. I had not thought to invite him to join me.

Yet the thought apparently summoned him for me.

“A grand fright,” murmured King See from behind.

I listened to his footsteps until he stopped on my right side. “Will you enjoy this with me?” I asked him.

“It would be my honor. What has happened?”

“My sliming pawns just stuck the humans to the ground. They are stuck.”

“The children?”

“Them too. Their view of the scare will be limited, but where adults might still question the truth, the children here never will, and so a generation will pass before my reset is full and complete.”

King See chuckled. “A scare to last across ages.”

Panic. Horror. Humans tried to rip their bodies free.

“Werebeasts,” I murmured.

They circled the presidential grounds, and their snarls were terrible.

I cast forth my power and pulled. Just gently. There was a veil over the eyes of humans meant to keep them whole. If I wished the ideas of skulls eliminated, then I must break humans just enough, as I had been broken just enough in the process of finding queendom.

I pulled gently at their veil of humans, and knew I had succeeded when their screams switched off to silence. They were locked in terror. Perfect.

Now they could see just enough of the werebeasts that prowled and snapped and raced through their midst. Saliva, mange, and yellowed eyes. Frozen as they were, the humans could only hope their time was not up.

As it was, I could feel some humans slide into insanity despite the gentleness of my unveiling of them. Some were more fragile than others, and though the ruin annoyed me, I could only fathom that the insanity of some would strengthen the experience of this dusk.

Werebeasts continued their prowl, retreating to the outskirts.

“My princes?” asked King See, wrapping an arm around my waist.

I, too, felt the utter romance of this moment. This might be our first date, and I could not think of how such a date might ever be outdone and bested. I rested my head back on his shoulder. “Taking pawns.”

My pawns of fang and spear sliced through humans, giving them small wounds—a few accidentally deeper than others—that would last beyond this dusk and provide further proof of the real horrors of this night.

I pulled further on the veil, so humans might see some terrifying details of my taking pawns.

Stairways erupted in the next beat, and my raising pawns, who had been recording the whole on large contraptions, sent unlucky humans hurtling through the air. How terrifying to see rubble careening toward you with no ability to move out of the way. Bruises, nightmare, impossible power. A tangible sign of monsters, a lasting trauma of them, and a fear of them.

I brushed away a tear. “Beautiful.”

“This is unlike anything I will experience again,” whispered King See. His hold on me tightened.

Picket was up as he sliced vicious sections of picket up through the ground between humans. A few screams here and there told me he might have caught a foot or two, and I grinned, imagining the future fright of these humans simply walking around the city while wondering if picket might erupt through their feet at any time.

King See kissed up my arm. “Your orchestra is exquisite. And you the maestro.”

And I the maestro. Yes, that I was.

Valetise and my sliming pawns set alight gigantic renditions of me.

See laughed. “King Change did you an accidental favor, I fathom.”

I laughed with him. Because Change had secured a realness of me in the minds of humans with his corn husk doll efforts.

But I did not have time to answer King See, for the second act had begun.

Princesses walked out. One to stand before the territory that used to belong to her king. And I peeled back the veil a tiny bit more. Just enough that humans might suspect that Princess Raise had no face and could drip oil—they might also see the headset over her ears and by her mouth as she broadcasted the event to all other pulses.

Princess Change appeared lifeless and empty to them, horrifically so, but they would not miss that the trees creaked loudly in their bid to reach her. Princess Take created painful desire within humans. They writhed. Some might not survive it. And Princess Bring was surely grotesque in the minds of humans, a blob and a slime. I could not make sense of their terror at the sight of her, but I did understand how limited they were by convention.

Humans were on their knees. Some were insane and many injured. They were locked in nightmare, frozen and unable to cover their eyes and ears—unable to crumble in a heap and curl their bodies over in an attempt to hide.

Wonderfully wonderful.

Princesses lifted their arms, some more willingly than others, and they began to speak all at once. The delightful—but terrible—symphony of pawnly laughter. Rumbling of the ground. The singing slice of erupting picket.

The arrangement stole my very breath.

“The finale,” I managed to choke. I took See’s hand and squeezed it. “Step back, sir. You are not the symbol.”

King See kissed the back of my hand and retired to a shadow.

My seeing pawns cast forth their small power, and humans shook and cried anew as every regret was drawn up in them in a surge. Every wish was crushed. Every dream and hope was reduced to dust and blown away with the swirling and whipping wind that was nothing more or less than the eruption of so much monstrous power in one location and all at once.

The fright was enormous, the fright attacked every sense and rendered humans senseless.

I lowered the veil by half. There was a second of relief, and of all that I had released on humans this dusk, that brief hope was monstrous indeed.

My skeleton shrieked from the rooftop next to mine. “ Born of patch. Tied with stitch. She is Power. She is All.”

I lifted my arms either side of me, and then I gathered the veil that masked me from humans. I gathered it and focused on the feel. For the next moment was crucial, and may very well fail. How fortunate that I was many minds in one skull.

Mine would be the only skull in fact.

“ She is mistress of your fate.”

I took lightning in my power. Then I forced all human eyes to the top of the apartment building, accidentally squeezing some too hard in the process.

One second. That was all this could be. So I kept my arms outstretched and felt the twist and sweep of my torn white gown in the wind.

My skeleton hiss rocketed through the air. “ Mistress Stitch is here.”

I jerked the lightning bolt to hit the top of the apartment building, then I threw off the veil on humans’ minds.

And I pointed at them. In a terrible voice, I whispered, “ Obey. ”

And as I slammed the veil back down with no more than flicker of time gone by, I saw the mind-obliterating terror of me reflected in their hundreds of eyes. I saw my power in lightning and in the barefooted stitch of me. Blonde hair flowing over white dress, face sewn on—not a patch of me matching another.

Horror blocked their very throats. The strike of lightning that had marked my flashed appearance had stolen away all sound with it. My voice was unchallenged and clear and the memory of its eeriness would never leave humankind.

Tears sparked in my eyes. The beauty of this… this history in the making. There were no words. What team effort, what vision. What reversal.

“She ties all of us with stitch,” King See said softly. “We are her skin. Skulls, in both the monsterdom and in humanity’s senses of the word.”

King Take’s minion shells circled the presidential grounds, displaying their towering number. My sliming pawns called back their slime, and humans who were survivors crawled between the impossible horrors amid them to reach safety.

I threw my head back and laughed at the idea of safe.

There was no safe. There never had been. There were ancients and their designs. Then there was us, and we were just as fragile as humans when all was said and done.

So I laughed, and See laughed with me, wrapping me in his embrace again from behind. Princesses laughed, though Raise did not interrupt her broadcasting at all. Pawns could not silence their amusement.

Humans, though. They crawled—the survivors at least.

They crawled and they would never forget.