What the Heck?

These two stories are the result of a sentence suggested to me by Derek McMillan. I decided to write two stories with the same start. Thank you, Derek, for your suggestion.

Andrée Roby – December 2021

Story 1

I felt a presence behind me but I did not look back until I heard the crowd erupt in an exalted roar. Something was about to happen, but I had no idea what. I breathed deeply. My whole body was tense and my heart was pumping hot blood around my veins. I was too tired to run away. The four-legged animals that had chased me relentlessly a few moments ago, had exhausted me.

I turned around slowly, eyeing a two-legged creature making its way towards me. The figure was approaching, its body glittering in the sun, almost blinding me. The dust from the sand underfoot formed a cloud behind the creature. As it was moving towards me, I noticed it was carrying some long colourful sticks.

The crowd roared again as the creature got level with my shoulders. I saw the sticks raised above its head, being lowered closer and closer to my back. A strange, round face was looking at me. We locked eyes. My instinct for danger had always been good and it told me it was time to run. My anger manifested itself noisily, my nostrils were wide open, letting the steam which had invaded my brain, suddenly escape. My front legs were twitching, my feet scrapping the sand, my body aching to charge forward.

Just as I was about to annihilate the threatening, glittering being in front of me, the noise of the crowd stamping their feet on the ground, and cheering, distracted me. I turned my head ever so slightly, but that was enough for the matador to swiftly and expertly plunge two of the sticks into the base of my neck. I was stunned. Then more searing pain came from another two ‘banderillas’ lodged between my shoulder blades. I was disoriented, feeling like life was slowly leaving my body. My legs were weak. I slumped onto the hot sand of the bullring. A loud ‘Ole’ once again erupted from the crowd.

I heard myself utter an agonising scream. An ethereal voice reached my consciousness.

“Wake up, Gina, I’m gonna count you back to the present. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Awake and aware now.”

I was emerging from a trance. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the therapist who had carried out the past life regression for me. My back was painful, and a mixture of anger and shock filled my heart.

“What the heck happened to me? I was a bull at a bullfight and the matador speared me. How weird.”

“Well, Gina, you wanted to know where the chronic pain between your shoulder blades came from, now you know!”

Story 2

I felt a presence behind me but I didn’t look back until a crushing weight was pressing on my shoulders, along the length of my spine, against my buttocks and the back of my thighs. Whatever the weight was, it was moving, breathing and getting more persistent. Suddenly I was propelled forward by the mass (that’s how I thought about it in my mind), my shoulders now hunched under the weight, my face dangerously getting closer to the living room carpet, my feet almost off the ground. The mass was the only word which came to my mind. Not knowing what it was, I could not describe it any other way.

I sensed a warm breath gently warming a small spot of bare flesh between the top of my t-shirt and my hair line. What the heck? Who, or what, was breathing in my neck. Who was using my back as a landing pad? It was time I turned around and stopped being a coward too afraid of finding out what was behind me.

Cautiously, I turned my head to the right, hoping to catch a glimpse of my assailant over my shoulder. My neck only managed a small turn when my right cheek was met with a big, warm, wet tongue. What was that? Using all the strength of my small body, I straightened up, shaking off the weighty mass the best I could. I turned sharply and was faced with the blurry figure of the tallest dog I have ever met. It may not be huge but as a small ten-year-old, the outline in front of me could have been a giant for all I knew.

“Surprise.” My parents said. “This is your birthday present, Anna. Meet Ruby your guide dog. Friendly eh?”

 

Author bio:

Andrée Roby is an independently published author.  Andrée Roby is the chosen pen name of Régine Demuynck and is a tribute to her father (André) and her uncle (Roby). Originally from France, after spending over thirty five years in South London, Régine moved to West Sussex, UK. As a language teacher, Régine has a passion for the spoken and written word.

Her crime fiction novella "Double Vision" was published in January 2019 and revamped in July 2021. Her second book published in April 2020 is a collection of original poems, flash fiction and short stories. This multi-genre anthology shows her versatility. Her latest book "Failed Vision", launched in October 2020, is the prequel to “Double Vision”.  

She is the editor of an anthology of international short stories to be published by Book Hill Int'l.  The anthology is called “A glimpse into my country”.