Sweet -N- Sour

The Good, the Bad, and the Robed

X:WP's "Hate is the Star / Hearts Are Hurting (Part 2)" to the right, "Doubt is the Ace / Reunited" below ;-D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was good news, not so good news and downright bad news. The good news was that the voracious quicksand hadn't killed them. The not so good news was that they were still trapped in sand (run-of-the-mill sand) up to their necks. And the bad news was they didn't have a clue as to how they would be able to free themselves. Unfortunately, the sand encasing them from neck to toe was tightly packed, leaving the confused and anxiety ridden pair barely enough room to wiggle their fingertips. In short, they were stuck like a wad of used bubblegum on the bottom of a sneaker.

Turning her head with some effort, Joely observed their surroundings. Five humongous trees with trunks as thick as the frame of a standard-sized vehicle stood proudly around them. She heard the gentle crashing of waves in the ocean behind her, but was unable to make like a character in The Exorcist and look. Turning toward her left, Joely noticed that Blaire was silently gazing at her.

"What do you think is happening now?"

Blaire was about to offer a reply when she and Joely caught the creaking sound of something badly in need of WD40. Two pairs of eyes fell on the tree to Joely's right. To their chagrin, a previously unseen door in the trunk of the tree was slowly opening and if that wasn't frightening enough, the same was occurring with the remaining four trees. Her eyes almost impossibly wide, Joely returned her attention to the other woman.

"Um, Blaire, I think... we... this... bad... no good." Although she realized that she was stuttering, she didn't care. This was enough to cause someone to have a heart attack!

"Yes, I realize that, Joe." Nodding, Blaire listened to the ominous music beginning to play while a quintet of figures dressed in long dark robes stepped from the tree trunks. It was impossible to tell what they looked like since hoods covered their entire faces. Blaire gulped as her body broke out in a cold sweat beneath the sand. That's if they even had faces. They could be demons or...

As though they were capable of hearing her thoughts, four of the figures now standing side by side about ten feet away, reached up to push their hoods back, revealing who they were. However, Blaire only knew two of them -- her mother and Stacy. The guy sang a few lines to her earlier, yet she didn't have a clue who he was. When she asked Joely if she recognized the other pair, she quickly filled her in.

"Harold and Simone. I used to date them both."

Blaire arched a curious brow.

"Not at the same time!"

Any further conversation they might have had was deferred as the robed began to sing; though, they didn't sound half as pleasant as the fishermen and pirates. Their voices sent chills down the buried women's backs.

The Robed:

You are trapped in this world 

'Cause of cruelties you hurled 

Shouting this, throwing those, begrudging that 

You will never get released 

Unless the anger starts to cease 

Relinquish this senseless tit-for-tat 

Your fury and suspicions will ultimately consume your life 

And it will be impossible for you to survive

Doubt is the ace; it will show on your face