Darned to Heck

A Gift

I woke up on the floor of Passus' office with a sore head and a bad attitude.

"She's waking sir."

"You'd better not be wasting my time with this Oriucipes."

"I swear my life to it sir, I know what I saw."

"Very well. Girl, sit up. I have a gift for you."

I heard some kind of noise come out of my mouth but I'm not exactly sure it was words, whatever it was it sounded sarcastic. Passus grunted impatiently and Oriucipes rushed forward to yank me into a sitting position. I swatted at him weakly, coming to my senses a bit more and hauling myself up to look at Passus square in the eye.

Passus crouched down and held out his left hand, about thirty centimetres up and palm open over an area of the floor to his side. The rock melted and waved into a little pool, dancing under invisible currents. I watched as it seamlessly flowed up to his palm, like reverse pouring a drink out of a glass. A large sphere about the size of a soccer ball formed on the underside of his hand before it stopped flowing. Passus returned his hand upright and the rock instantly solidified into an unmarked, perfectly smooth, perfectly black globe.

I watched wide eyed. It was definitely the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Hold out your hands." He commanded.

I complied and on doing so felt the vast weight of the sphere as he placed it into them. He looked at me for a moment, and then let go of it completely.

It smashed into the floor, burying my hands underneath, the unimaginable weight ruthlessly crushing them.

"AAAAGH AAAAAAAAAGHH!" I screamed out, I felt the tears rolling instantly and endlessly down my cheeks.

"Lift it."

"I-I-I C-CAN'T." I wailed. This was pure agony.

"Lift it."

I tried futilely to wiggle my hands out from underneath it but even slight movement caused intense violent pain to radiate through me. I was left gasping and sobbing.

"Lift. It."

I can't fucking lift it. I can't I can't I can't. It's impossible. Why are you asking me to lift it? Wait, what... what the hell is that?

Through the pain of my hands I was beginning to feel something else, slight, gentle, questioning. I focused on it, scrunching my eyes shut and biting through the pain. What are you...who are you? I questioned. The rock was humming, it was soothing me. I let out the breath that I had been unconsciously holding.

"Sir..."

"SHH." Passus silenced Oriucipes

The vibrations rose imperceptibly up my arms. Lift it. I thought. The sphere began ever so slightly to tremble. It became a little lighter. Is it listening to me? The rock directly over my hands began to pull at my skin again, asking a familiar invisible question. I directed the thought down my arms and into my hands, over and over again. Yes yes yes yes a thousand times yes. I began to feel the emotions of the rock. It was happy, so ridiculously happy. Please uh, please lift up for me?

It practically leapt into the air, remaining spherical but in an instant becoming liquid. My eyes followed it in disbelief, and then shot back down to my crushed, mangled hands. Staring at them the pain came shooting back and I cried out weakly. The rock seemed to sense my pain and flew down instantly, enveloping my hands entirely in a warm cushiony, and altogether bizarre way. Simultaneously sending me many apologetic thoughts. I almost felt bad for how bad it felt. It began to hum gently around my hands again, and the pain melted away.

Only now could I begin to focus on something other than my hands. I looked up to see Oriucipes staring at me with a mixture of awe, fear, and complete disbelief. And Passus, who was still crouching by me with an odd look on his face, longing maybe? Like I was some rare beast that he wanted to own.

"Well Miss Jones, it seems there is a little more to you after all."

I had no idea how to reply, I couldn't even think of anything sarcastic to say. Not that I would've remembering the punishment he had all to gladly administered not less than 48 hours ago. I shuddered thinking about it and to my surprise globs of the black liquid rock bubbled away from the weird hand blanket it had formed and started rolling along the bare skin of my arms. They flowed up and over my shoulders and between my shoulder blades, running down the deep gashes in my back, humming soundlessly all the way. I felt a tingle and then warmth, then the pain was gone. What the hell is this stuff? The look of puzzlement on my face caused Passus to half-smile, I gotta say it looked weird on his humanoid pig face.

"My sincerest apologies about that."

I didn't  believe for one second that he was even slightly sorry for any of the pain he caused me but I wasn't going to spoil his good mood by telling him so. He stood abruptly and harshly addressed Oriucipes.

"You are to tell no one of this. Your life depends on your silence. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Leave."

"Yes sir." He practically ran from the room.

"There is someone who wishes to see you Miss Jones. If you would come with me."

I didn't see there was any way for me to refuse so I just nodded my head and went back to staring at the fluid blob of weird that clung to my hands and back.