A Compilation of Short Stories/Poems

Short Story 2: The Killer

I had always loved my small village, Likota, and everything about it; the brightly lit windows of the cottages that are scattered around the clear river which separates the main part of the village from the best part about the tiny village-the Light Tree, a tree that creates Light Fruits, which are a delicacy everywhere else since we're the only village anywhere that has one. The people there were always so cheerful.

My name is Micheal Smith, I am 28 years old; I'm 6'3, and I've got a scruffy brown beard with long brown hair that's normally tied into a ponytail (not uncommon in Likota). I usually wear a creme colored undershirt with brown pants and a small satchel across my chest; today's items were a small, gold encrusted dagger, my journal, and a small glass bottle.

I strolled across the river, heading towards the Light Tree. I already finished all my errands for the day, and the sun was slowly setting, painting the sky with different hues of orange and red, each more vibrant than the last.

As I got closer, I noticed someone already underneath the glowing branches. I squinted, and I noticed it was Jenny Stevenson, my ex. We dated for a year before I broke things off after I heard about her affair with my brother. My brother. And she had the nerve to say it was an accident.

I sighed, and pinched the bridge of my nose. That was the third time that week that she had miraculously shown up at the Light Tree before I had.

As I stepped closer, Jenny glanced over at me, and I could see the anger enveloped in her eyes. I looked down at her, obviously looking irritated.

"What do you want this time, Jennifer?" I asked, frustration radiating off of me. "I just came here to talk," she replied, walking a little bit closer. I quickly grabbed my dagger from my satchel, holding it in front of me,  "Do not come any closer, Jen. I'm not afraid to hurt you if it's necessary."

That made her snap. She yanked a large butcher's knife from her boot, and tried stabbing me directly in the chest. I quickly dodged it, grabbing her arm and restraining it.

She looked back at me, getting ready to strike again, but I kick her hand, knocking the knife into the river. Her eyes glanced at the river, before her head snapped back. She was glaring at me like I had just killed her entire family, and yanked her arm out of my grip.

She balled her hands into fists and started swinging in my direction. She ended up slamming her right fist into my nose, shattering the bone and causing a huge flow of blood to come pouring out. She leered at me, before she lifted her leg up and kicked me directly in my chest, knocking the wind out of me and causing me to fall back and smash my head against the Light Tree.

Jennifer wrestled the dagger out from my hands, and went to stab my heart, but I pushed her off of me and quickly pinned her legs and hands before she could do anything. She struggled so much I got cut on my arms. "Stop moving or you'll break your wrists," I growled at her, but she either didn't hear or she didn't care.

I sighed, and pinned her to the Light Tree. "If you don't stop that right now, gods help me I'll slam you so hard into this tree that you'll be knocked unconscious in two seconds flat," I spat in her face; she narrowed her eyes and huffed before she stopped struggling.

"Thank you. Now, why were you just about to kill me?" I asked, gripping her wrists tighter. She muttered something, but I didn't quite catch it, so I slammed her against the tree once. "What was that?" I growled, glaring at her. "Ow! All I said was that I'm getting tired of you rejecting me so I thought 'If I can't have you, why should anyone be able to?'"

I sigh, and grab the dagger from her small, pale hands. I get off her, and walk to the river, bending over to search for the knife she had used.

Once I found the knife, I grabbed it and handed it to her. "Wha-?" "Take it back to your dad, I know it's his." I start strolling back across the river, head held high. I stop for a moment, and look back at her. "Next time you plan to kill me, actually plan it out. That was a pitiful attempt. I expect better next time, Jen," I advise, giving a small smile before turning back around and strutting to my small cottage.