Sort'a Stuck

Alberto 1995 Page 12

Narrator

The wrapped-up, mummified body of Alberto lied on the dirt floor of this odd, and tiny new world, somewhere in a place beyond the house in that 'Pine Valley' neighborhood. His pillow-case gagged, lifeless face now facing straight up into the darkness of some intertwined, root-like ceiling in a place that resembled more an underground cave than the crawl-space he was dragged through earlier that night. His ankles were still secured to the bottom portion of the  guillotine, except now both had bloody stomps where his bare feet had been!

It had been a few hours since the creatures amputated Alberto's feet, now the entire tiny town was lid-up with tiny torches, all over. There were tiny tables set-up all through the path the creatures had used to drag Alberto over when they were bringing him in and taking him towards the guillotine. The large pot over a fire that was set-up earlier, had now a tiny makeshift raised patio of-sorts next to it, which the creatures used with a tiny latter to climb up to and down from so some of them could climb up to it in order to add ingredients or check on the meal they were preparing.

The creatures were all involved in the cooking that was taking place now, it looked like a festivity was about to commence. Their tiny homes were all lid-up as well, and all the tiny creatures seemed to be present now, in the tiny, dark town. The tiny tables had tiny plates on them, with tiny forks and spoons as well. A very peculiar thing about them, perhaps, was that they resembled humans a lot more than any other animal. These creatures walked upright, on two legs, not on four. They didn't only have homes, just like humans do, but wore pieces of clothing, just like humans do as well. Their apparel however, seemed to be a bit out of date, as it resembled the long-gone fashion of the medieval period.

However, the similarities to humans ended there, as once you got closer they seemed a bit different to humans. Their skin was gray, they seemed to be extremely hairy, and their eyes were of a glowing 'red'. Their teeth looked sharp, more like fangs making their tiny mouths look somewhat intimidating, if you looked closely. Their ears were large, pointy 'elf' ears, which looked a bit frightening as well. Their tiny, tubby hands had only three fingers, each with a sharp, pointy nail attached to it. Some were thin, while others were chubby, and some were tall while others were short. Their tiny voices were always high-pitch voices, and their language was as different as everything else about them.

Now as some get the tiny town ready for the 'festivity', others take care of the food, but all of them pitch-in in some way or form.

Over by the large pot, which is now situated over a fire, a few of the creatures use large spoons to stir the soup-like food they are preparing. Some of the others climb up to the raised patio next to the pot to empty buckets full of vegetables, while others add different types of seasonings in the forms of solids and liquids to the boiling content in the pot. The soup in the pot seems to be of an orange color, with lots of vegetables and other ingredients floating about, as some of the creatures continue to stir the soup-like substance, over and over again.

Right in the center of the soup, in the pot, covered in orange greasy liquid and vegetables and other ingredients and other seasonings are Alberto's bare feet, which seemed to have been placed in the pot ankles first. The bare soles and toes are showing upwards, to the outside of the boiling pot, completely covered in veggies, soup, seasoning and seem to be getting most of the attention from the creatures stirring the soup, as every so-often the toes and soles will get a spoonful of soup all over them, as well as get covered in more vegetables and more seasoning.

The creatures stirring the pot, as well as the ones climbing up onto the raised patio next to the pot, bringing more ingredients look-on at the two feet getting cooked in the pot with anticipation. Some rub their tiny bellies, while others lick their lips and sometimes drool out of their tiny mouths, just staring intently at the two cooking feet below them. Their fiery, red eyes widen like saucers, as they all watch as Alberto's bare feet, now chopped-off and in the large pot, get seasoned and boiled right before their very tiny, red eyes, and look so supple and succulent and almost ready for the 'foot-meat' festival.

All of them can hardly wait to get their fangs on that soft, and tender foot-skin, all nicely prepared and seasoned with the perfect ingredients. The foot-skin from the delicious feet of the giant that was brought down to their tiny village from the world above. This giant, as had all the others, tried to 'fight' back and though it might have succeeded during the first 'real' battle, when it was 'secured' on the first 'capture' attempt, lost miserably during the second attempt to its capture.

The creatures knew that nightfall would give them the advantage, as these giants, often, could not stay awake during the entire night. Most, if not all, seemed bewildered during the confrontation, mostly during the first attempt at capture, almost as if they were confused about what was taking place. However, once these giants were secured tightly, with whatever was used for their capture, they were as docile and tame as any other animal. They had to be kept quiet, and trussed-up so they could easily be taken away during the night from the world above, so no other giant or giants would find out, as the creatures were only unstoppable in numbers against one giant and not more than one.

Mainly, the giant that became the target of the capture would be observed for days if not weeks at a time. As the creatures learned the habits of said giant, they would devise a plan of how to capture it, then they would pick a specific week and begin their attempts, making sure to capture the giant on the first attempt, as there was the danger that their target would escape, or worse, it would escape and let the other giants know of the creatures' existence. Thankfully, over the many centuries that the creatures had to venture up onto the world above, that had never been the case. The giants had never found out about their existence, and of course, the giants targeted by the creatures to be captured, had never escaped. These giants were observed, secured in the middle of the night, and taken away from their world, up on the surface, quietly. Once down in the tiny village, they were kept secured and taken before the guillotine, so their feet could be removed from the rest of their body, as it was the body part the creatures were actually interested in. The feet of these giants, were the most succulent, the most scrumptious meat these creatures had ever tasted! It had the most nutritious meat as well, but perhaps the most powerful of its features was its smell, it was the strongest, most delicious smell the creatures had ever experienced, there was nothing like it!

And now as Alberto's dead body, lied mummified with his own bed sheet, over by the guillotine, with his ankle-stomps gushing out endless blood, and his expressionless, dead face with a pillow case wrapped tightly all around his silent mouth, gagging it...the creatures stirred the large pot over the fire, where his amputated bare feet were, covered in soup and vegetables and other ingredients, as they were going to cook them and eat them very soon.