"Kotuus?"
"Yeah, the thing that almost killed you."
It appears there was quite the battle. How did you hold out that long?"
"I thought you had answers."
"Right, right, forgive me."
"I'm what you'd call a monk, and I've been after that Kotuus since it esca—I mean, came up from the nine yards."
His tone was assertive, and his face sat still; he seemed to know what he was talking about. But the well-pressed black suit and jet-black hair wrapped back in a messy bun appeared far too human for someone hunting this creature.
"Monk? Nine yards?"
"What does that mean?"
He reaches for something from inside the duffel bag that's on the table between us. I must still be on edge because I tighten up and fall back into the sofa. What he pulls out is this huge black and cream-colored cloak with odd symbols.
"This is sort of like my uniform; I mean, you don't go shifting in trunks, am I right?"
"Shifting?"
"Ohh… never mind. Anyway, we monks are from the nine yards, which is a 'less than friendly" labyrinth of cavities within the earth."
"And from a place like that you'd expect some pretty terrifying stuff."
"The Kotuus."
"Exactly, and we're tasked with 'keeping those guys in check and protecting the heavens."
It's still hard to wrap my head around all this.
Cavities, Kotuus, heaven. But then again, the last time I was skeptical, it turned out to be true.
"What do you know about this? What do you know about hexes?"
"You're a rude one, aren't you? Don't worry; the middle finger means the same thing it does down there as up here."
"What? No, I mean this ring. I think it's a hex. You asked me how I survived against that thing for so long; it was because of these rings."
"Let me see that."
So that's what it is…
"This ring here has fragments of the 'ore.""
"The ore?"
"Us monks use what you'd call "hexes" made entirely from the "ore" to channel the laws in a fight."
"Laws?"
"Man, you don't know anything; the laws… you know, the 12 laws of Metatron."
"But with something this low in 'ore, even I'd have a hard time trying to draw a law from it."
"You'd need something like this…"
Bzzz... Bzzzt... Bzzt...
Bzzz... Bzzzt….bzzt ...
Just as he was about to pull something else out of the bag, his phone rings; he lazily reaches into his chest pocket to retrieve and answer it.
"What's the matter, sis?"
"Uh-huh…Yeah, he's with me. Yeah, yeah…don't rush me."
"Hello."
"Hellooo"
"Guess she hung up."
"Good news, kid, it's time for your interview."
"Interview? What? I hope this wasn't some kind of pitch for me to join your crazy band of monks.
"What? God no... not some amateur… weird... gloomy..."
"Okay, I get it."
"Put those on; we're leaving."
He points to a brownish suit, the jacket with many buttons and fancy piping and the pants well creased.
"What am I, your butler!?"
"Just get it on; we don't have all day."
"And aren't you a little too enthusiastic for someone that hasn't even buried his sisters yet?"
….
"What did you say?"
"I mean, you haven't mentioned them once since you woke up; I bet you haven't thought about them since either."
"Of course I do; they're dead!!"
"And it's because I couldn't protect them."
"What do you know!"
"I think you're relieved; you're glad that they're dead, aren't you?"
"What!"
"Let's face it: you weren't fighting so hard to avenge them; you fought because you wanted to live; you fought because you felt like you deserved to live, am I right?"
"Enough!"
"After all, you'd do anything to live right."
"Shut up! Shut up!"
"Even if it meant killi…"
"I said enough!!!"
I stand up and cock back my elbow and fist for a punch, but upon releasing, I stumble and fall onto the table.
"Ahahahahhah"
"I knew it."
Come to think of it I don't know what he did while I was out; I was under the impression that he helped me, but did he do something else?
"What did you do?"
"Me? hahaha nothing"
"I really did heal you the best I could, but did you really think after fucking up your back and leg like that and then plummeting off a cliff you'd be fine?"
He was right; I try and stand up again and take a few steps, but I find myself leaning more to my left to make up for my right leg's immobility.
"I knew you'd walk funny."
"Ahahah"
"Now hurry up and change, bellboy."
….
We soon reach the lot where my house used to be before that thing flung it.
"Wow, I guess you can call anything a house these days."
"It flew further up over those trees."
"Ahahahh"
"You sure you don't need me to get your wheelchair, Gramps?"
"…"
"Okay, okay, let's get going."
We make it to the ruins of the house; I look slightly beyond it to see the large pools of dried blood and scattered remains, but no bodies. On my knees, staring at the gruesome scene, I try my best not to imagine what they went through in their final moments.
"No dice, huh?"
"I'm sorry, kid, but it seems the Kotuus got its fill."
"We still have time; gather the remains. I'll take you to a crematory."
"No, first get me some needle and thread."
"Huh."
"From where?"
"We're on a mountaintop, kid."
"Just go find some; I'll wait. I still owe you a good punch from before too."
"Don't say scary stuff like that."
"Fine, don't go hopping off anywhere."
….
"Took you long enough."
"For your information, Gramps, there aren't that many grandmas willing to spot me their spool."
"What are you going to do with it anyway?"
We didn't have that much money, so the girls could only get new clothes once a year. When they got torn or too small, they'd patch it up or extend it with any bits of fabric that they could find lying around.
"What do you think?"
"Wow, I didn't think the name-calling would get to you."
"You made a stocking?"
"It's a beanie."
"Isn't it a little long?"
"Well, it's a cold world, and look, I can even wrap it like a scarf."
"Whatever you say, we should really get going; we're going to be late."
"One more thing."
"Where is it?"
"Where is it?"
"I don't think you can find anything in that house of yours anymore."
"Found it."
Ting ding ding ding
"You've got to be kidding me."
This kid is a piece of work. I hope I'm not making a mistake.