Queen of the Living

Part II - Chapter 10

    “Now, if I were to tell you,”  started the man in the grey suit to his audience of one adorable little girl and her ice cream cone.  “That an undead pig, due to the very nature of being undead, is apt to surprise you; then it should come as no surprise that he successfully followed the scary man, his horse, and our dearest Nawal’s head all the way to the estate of the most nefarious of villains.  But!  If I were to tell you that said horse, at one point in time, was actually my horse; then you would know that I’m being -”

    “A hundred percent serious!” the girl interrupted.

    “That’s right.”

    Let us resume, then, with the gentle Matthias who was out rowing a boat.  It was a very normal boat, and not much would generally be said about it, except that this particular boat was in the employ of the unusual fellowship of Matthias, a large rock, and a full-grown, yet extremely bored bull mastiff.  A very odd-looking mastiff at that, as it had a full black coat and the deepest of red eyes.  Now, Matthias was dressed in a very modern ensemble of slacks, a black turtleneck, plaid scarf, and a dark green ivy cap as he led the pair off the port of Orford in Oregon.  It was quite a different look for the man, but suitable none-the-less.

    Once Matthias reached his destination, a good kilometer off the coast, he pulled the oars in and peered into the water.  “Ah,” he said.  “There you are.”  A smile grew on his face as he turned around and patted the black hound’s head.  “Get ready, it’s time to get to work,” he announced.  He picked up the rock in both of his hands and dropped it over the edge, causing the dog’s ears to perk from the sound of the splash.

    The rock made its way down the depths of the ocean until it landed, not quite so gently, on Nawal’s mysteriously present head, finally coming to rest next to her equally curious pair of legs.  She was curled into a fetal position on the ocean floor when she and the rock collided, still wearing the shorts and t-shirt she had on at the hotel.  Her eyes opened and bubbles shot out of her mouth.  She looked around, then up, pushed herself away from the ocean floor, and swam to the surface.

    Matthias was pushing up his sleeves when Nawal burst out of the water.  She treaded for a moment, appearing completely unaware of her current circumstance before grabbing on to Matthias’ out-stretched hand and pulling herself into the boat.

    “Welcome back, master,” Matthias said.

    “Thank you,” she replied, though still appearing a bit dazed.  “How long have I been down there?”

    “Approximately six months, now.”  Matthias produced a leather carrying bag out from under his seat.  “I am glad to report that the entirety of this world is satisfied with the notion that you are dead."  He pulled out a towel and handed it to Nawal.  “I, ah, took the liberty to fetch some of your clothes, my lady,” he said as he continued rummaging through the bag’s contents.  “How are you feeling?”

    Nawal wiped the moisture off of her face and neck.  “Hmm.  Fine, I think.”  Her voice was slightly muffled behind the towel.  She removed her shirt and bra, and dried her chest, arms, and back.  She was taking off her shorts when Matthias spoke.

    “I see your leg has grown back quite nicely, hasn’t it?”  He asked as he gathered her wet clothes into a pile.

    “Yeah,” she said.  She removed the her underwear and continued to dry off.  “Thank god, too.  I’d hate to fight the armies of the undead with crutches,” she added, giving him a smile.

    Matthias began handing her the clothes he had brought.  “I’m glad your sense of humor is not lost.”

    It was a bit awkward to do while missing her right index finger, but Nawal got dressed into her black tanga briefs, a very non-matching purple underwire, a light pair of jeans, full sleave black v-neck, and Georgetown hoodie.  She slipped on a pair of white, cotton socks, and finally, her brown sneakers.  Not exactly the outfit she would have picked, but she appreciated that he had brought her a dry set of clothes.  She sat down on the center-most seat, or plank, and studied her right hand, which was lacking an index finger.

    “It really worked, didn’t it?”  Nawal said, turning her hand over.

    “Yes, indeed,” Matthias replied.  “It’s a simple magic, really, but that missing finger of yours will have everyone thinking it’s your head.  It even feels like your head when they touch it.  Now," he said, motioning for Nawal to lift her leg.  "Let’s get a look at you.”

    Nawal lifted her left leg at Matthias’ beckon.  She liked him.  He always gave her straight answers, didn’t talk in riddles, and seemed to be genuinely concerned over her well-being.

    “Here we are.”  Matthias began kneading Nawal’s thigh, over her knee, shins, and to her ankles.  “No tearing, and the bones feel solid enough.”  He set her leg down and placed a thumb on her cheekbone, pulled the skin down, and looked at her eye.  “Alright.”  Finally, he held her chin with one hand, moved her lips around with the other, and inspected the inside of her mouth.  “Ah, your teeth are shaping up quite nice.”

    “Oh,” Nawal said.  She began feeling her teeth with the tip of her tongue.  “Did I grow fangs?  I‘m not sure if I want fangs.”

    “Not anything quite so drastic, although you will find them to be a bit sharper than before.  The good news is, they’re forming into a lovely set that shows off your very prestigious heritage.  Nothing like the ones from the men at the hotel.”

    “So I’m the real deal now, I guess.”

    “You always were, dear.”  Matthias picked up the oars and began to paddle.  “What do you say we get back to land so we can get off this dreaded boat?”

    Nawal turned around to greet her dog.  “Sounds like a plan,” she said as she began to pet him.  The large mastiff turned his head as if asking her to scratch the side of his neck.  “Hey you, how have you been?”  She pulled at his ears a bit while he licked her sleeve and then rested his head on her lap.  “He hasn’t eaten anybody, has he?”  She asked Matthias.

    “No, ma’am, he has behaved in your absence.  Quite content on a diet of pigeons, doors, carpets, and furniture.”  Matthias had turned the boat around and was rowing them toward the shore.

    “That’s nice,” Nawal said, still playing with the dog’s ears.

    “Not if you’re a pigeon or a landlord, my lady.”

    “I guess not," Nawal chuckled.

    Matthias rowed the boat to a secluded part of the shore, hopped out, and with a surprising amount of strength, pulled the boat out of the water where he held out his hand to help Nawal climb out.  She waited until the hound had jumped out before exiting.  Matthias grabbed the leather bag and placed the towel and Nawal’s wet clothes inside.  “We mustn’t leave these behind,” he said.  “Jack would never forgive me if I forgot your shorts.”

    “Jack!”  Nawal screamed.  “Oh my god, is he ok?”

    “Jack is certainly alive,” Matthias said.  He walked up the beach signaling Nawal to follow.  “You must know he was in a bad condition when I brought him to the hospital.  He has yet to wake up.”

    At this point, Nawal wished she had waited before putting on her shoes as she followed Matthias in the sand.  The hound was nowhere to be seen.  “Will he make it?” She asked, realizing the need to catch up.

    “Let us pray he does,”  Matthias replied.  “I had the pig place a ward on his room, so he should be safe, but there is very little else we can do for him now.”  Matthias continued walking, though he heard a whisper from Nawal.

    “I’m so sorry, Jack.”

    They walked up from the beach and passed a small patch of grass before reaching a red, Ford Focus on the side of the empty road.  Matthias opened the passenger door, placed the leather bag on the floor-board in the back and let out a loud whistle.  “One minute, my lady, and we’ll be on our way,” he said.

    Nawal turned around to see the dog approaching.  It was her first time standing up next to it, his head as high as her collarbone.  The sheer size catching Nawal by surprise.  “Wow,” she said.  “You going to fit in there?”  She asked as he squeezed his way inside, finally settling in on top of the back seat.  She pushed the seat back, sat down and turned to see him lick his nose and begin panting as dogs do.  “So,” she began, facing Matthias who just sat down in the driver’s seat.  “You know how to drive this thing, because I have no idea where we’re going.”

    “Indeed,” he replied.  He turned the key, put the car in gear, and they drove off.