the player. I turned the volume up, and hopped on the hood next to Vel.
The music poured out around us, and Vel closed his eyes and leaned back.
“Let’s just listen for a while,” he said.
It was hard to breathe. I leaned back on the windshield next to him, and we both stared at the sky, the pink-orange of sunset streaking across the clouds. Vel reached for my hand, and I held it tightly. His fingers were relaxed and cool.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked, pulling me off of the hood.
There was something terrifying about this dance. He held me too close, and I stared wildly over his shoulder while he hummed, dragging me around through the sharp rocks and pieces of old seashells. The driving beat of his CD changed to something young and light, and then to something painfully ancient and angry. The inappropriateness of the music made the dance seem even more bizarre.
He dipped me once, and I realized just how close we were to the edge.
“Vel, stop it!” I pulled back, but he wouldn’t release me from his arms. I didn’t think that I wanted him to, anyway. I tried to imagine myself as something tall and stable for him, but I felt how wispy my spirit really was.
“Please,” I pleaded. I felt my eyes burn. “Please, let’s back away from the edge.”
He didn’t move, just hummed with the CD. His eyes were seeing far beyond me now. I felt my hands fall loosely at my sides. It was like I couldn’t control them.
“Look at me. Look at me!”
He finally focused on my mouth, concentrating on what I was saying. I enunciated as clearly as I could.
“I don’t want to watch you jump.”
His smile was warm, and made it all the way up to his eyes. He put his hand on my face and started waltzing me around again. I wasn’t nearly as clumsy this time.
“You could come with me, you know.”
He didn’t miss a step as he said it, just swung me around and spun me under his arm. The music was playing a wild, broken tune that reminded me of Old Norse battles.
“I...I don’t think I want to.”
“But we’re meant to be together, you and I.” Vel swayed his head with the music, and suddenly I felt like twirling, so I did. His smile was more beautiful than the stars. “Nobody understands me like you do.” The surreal quality of it all was making me light headed. Look at us, I thought. Waltzing to The Mickey Mouse Club on these cliffs. Just look .
Vel was singing, “You and me, you and me, into the sea...” and laughed so hard that he nearly doubled over. He was happier than I had seen in a long time. The setting sun streaked his hair with pink.
“The sun is going down,” I said.
He nodded. “It is.”
The music changed to something soft and innocent, with just a hint of sadness behind it.
“This is my favorite song,” I said, surprised. I hadn’t noticed it on the mix before.
“I know.” The humor had gone completely out of Vel’s voice, and he stopped dancing. He stepped closer to the edge and pulled me with him. He slid his arms around me, his touch butterfly soft, and studied me very seriously.
I looked down the cliffs at the sea below, and then back at my truck, and finally at Vel. “I think I hate you for this,” I said.
He didn’t even blink. “No, you don’t.”
And smiled.
AXES
She seemed like such a nice girl, so the whole “being an axe murderer” thing was pretty hard to handle. She was so squeamish. She didn’t even like to touch raw meat. Naturally I was pretty surprised when I ran down the cellar steps and saw her dismembering the cat lady from next door with an axe.
“Whoa,” I said. That was my first mistake.
Jill whirled around, her huge axe shining in the dim light.
“Cripes, Jill, it’s me! Don’t mow me down!” I ducked to one side, holding an oversized package of pork loins in front of my face as a shield. Jill’s axe dropped a bit, hovered, and then dropped a bit more.
“What are you doing down here?” she asked me. She had blood smeared
The music poured out around us, and Vel closed his eyes and leaned back.
“Let’s just listen for a while,” he said.
It was hard to breathe. I leaned back on the windshield next to him, and we both stared at the sky, the pink-orange of sunset streaking across the clouds. Vel reached for my hand, and I held it tightly. His fingers were relaxed and cool.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked, pulling me off of the hood.
There was something terrifying about this dance. He held me too close, and I stared wildly over his shoulder while he hummed, dragging me around through the sharp rocks and pieces of old seashells. The driving beat of his CD changed to something young and light, and then to something painfully ancient and angry. The inappropriateness of the music made the dance seem even more bizarre.
He dipped me once, and I realized just how close we were to the edge.
“Vel, stop it!” I pulled back, but he wouldn’t release me from his arms. I didn’t think that I wanted him to, anyway. I tried to imagine myself as something tall and stable for him, but I felt how wispy my spirit really was.
“Please,” I pleaded. I felt my eyes burn. “Please, let’s back away from the edge.”
He didn’t move, just hummed with the CD. His eyes were seeing far beyond me now. I felt my hands fall loosely at my sides. It was like I couldn’t control them.
“Look at me. Look at me!”
He finally focused on my mouth, concentrating on what I was saying. I enunciated as clearly as I could.
“I don’t want to watch you jump.”
His smile was warm, and made it all the way up to his eyes. He put his hand on my face and started waltzing me around again. I wasn’t nearly as clumsy this time.
“You could come with me, you know.”
He didn’t miss a step as he said it, just swung me around and spun me under his arm. The music was playing a wild, broken tune that reminded me of Old Norse battles.
“I...I don’t think I want to.”
“But we’re meant to be together, you and I.” Vel swayed his head with the music, and suddenly I felt like twirling, so I did. His smile was more beautiful than the stars. “Nobody understands me like you do.” The surreal quality of it all was making me light headed. Look at us, I thought. Waltzing to The Mickey Mouse Club on these cliffs. Just look .
Vel was singing, “You and me, you and me, into the sea...” and laughed so hard that he nearly doubled over. He was happier than I had seen in a long time. The setting sun streaked his hair with pink.
“The sun is going down,” I said.
He nodded. “It is.”
The music changed to something soft and innocent, with just a hint of sadness behind it.
“This is my favorite song,” I said, surprised. I hadn’t noticed it on the mix before.
“I know.” The humor had gone completely out of Vel’s voice, and he stopped dancing. He stepped closer to the edge and pulled me with him. He slid his arms around me, his touch butterfly soft, and studied me very seriously.
I looked down the cliffs at the sea below, and then back at my truck, and finally at Vel. “I think I hate you for this,” I said.
He didn’t even blink. “No, you don’t.”
And smiled.
AXES
She seemed like such a nice girl, so the whole “being an axe murderer” thing was pretty hard to handle. She was so squeamish. She didn’t even like to touch raw meat. Naturally I was pretty surprised when I ran down the cellar steps and saw her dismembering the cat lady from next door with an axe.
“Whoa,” I said. That was my first mistake.
Jill whirled around, her huge axe shining in the dim light.
“Cripes, Jill, it’s me! Don’t mow me down!” I ducked to one side, holding an oversized package of pork loins in front of my face as a shield. Jill’s axe dropped a bit, hovered, and then dropped a bit more.
“What are you doing down here?” she asked me. She had blood smeared
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