The Accursed Scritches
- wargreyfics
- Feb 12, 2019
- 7 min read
Content warning: death, snake.
I came from the darkest depths of the underworld. The people of old feared me; the sound of my tail brought weeks long nightmare to those who heard it rattling. The people of old feared me so immensely they gathered their best monks to seal me inside a sad, tiny, claustrophobic little box! It’s where I live for four hundred years. Every few decades, someone would find that box, open it, and temporarily released me from my prison. I eat their soul as thanks. Even when trapped in a small box, I am still feared.
But you… I don’t get you.
I came out as usual: practically exploded out of that stupid box, heavy serpentine body dropped with a jaw-shaking thud, thin black mist perspire from the crevices of my scales. My sleek long fangs bared as I hissed, my six arms spread, brandishing each of their sharp claws.
“Well, hiya!” you said. I expected you to scream, not this. “Damn, you’re a big one.”
You had a smile on your face. A big bright one. Why? What is wrong with you?!
“Can I touch your snout? The snoot?” You reached your hands out to me and touched me on the chin.
“The what?” I asked, but then your fingers started to do the thing. You curled your fingers back and forth, their odd blunt tips scratching my chin, and I–
I was a puddle of black misty goo…
It’s been a little over twenty days, I still haven’t eaten the soul of the human that released me. The curse is hitting you clearly, but for some reason you don’t seem affected. It’s not the first time I decided to play with my food first before eating it, but even my presence and influence alone should’ve rotten the will to live of anyone cursed for releasing me from the box. And it never took longer than a week!
Why are you still able to make terrible puns and laugh like a hyena?!
This needs to stop. Your ability to shrug off the curse is almost divine, I don’t trust you.
I silently climb up the willow tree behind you while you’re reading at the park. My long serpentine body hugs the trunk while my arms scale the branches and pull me up. I am going to strike in from above, my jaws are prepared to swallow you whole. I will enjoy hearing you scream and beg for your life inside my belly before you ran out of power to scream and die a slow, painful death as I return into the box and await my new food.
Wait, what’s that noise? I look up.
Oh shit, shi–!
The branch I hang from snapped under my weight–which should have been ghostly light–have I gained some corporeal weight during my years of being sealed? To make matters worse, you saw that. And now you’re snorting and trying to stifle a laugh.
“I’m not–pffff–’m not against dreaming big, but I don’t think you’ll ever cut out as a bird, my dude,” you snicker.
“Silence, puny human!” I growl, embarrassed. I hate that I feel this way and you get to see it.
“Aw…don’t be mad. I was just joking,” you coo, closing your book so your hand can reach out to my snout–no, don’t!
And I’m a puddle of slime again…
Two months now. I’m still unable to eat you, you bastard. And the curse still hasn’t affected you either. Why…
I don’t care. My goal is and always has been to eat you whole and send your soul to the depths of hell. It’s getting embarrassing. Back in the underworld, I was some sort of a mob boss. Now I’m an incompetent imp who can’t even scare people right.
I peeked your chat last week about volunteering at a park with the duck pond in it. Different park from the one I tried to eat you from a tree. You sure do love parks, though. You’re even willing to work unpaid just to clean that park’s duck pond. I may be a snake demon with six arms, but I do recognize and admire dedication when I see one. Still, doesn’t stop me from wanting to consume your soul; you still released me from that box.
As you clean the pond, ducks floating around you minding their own business, I slither underwater. I can see the ugly knee-high rubber boots you wear while picking up trash buried by the mud. Worry not, human, I am going to relieve your suffering from wearing those ugly boots when I drag you to the middle of the pond where it’s deeper. My tail is already coiling around your leg.
And then I yank! Hard! You fall into the water, the ducks screech and swim away in panic. Now die, you carefree scum!
I pull you in, intending to drown and eat you underwater. I can breathe down there, water will not make me choke.
Your head breach out of the surface and I hear you cough. “Dude! What the hell!” you yell. How the hell can you still breach and catch a breath?
Oh.
I, uh…am ashamed to admit that…the water feels deep because I flatten my whole body underwater. It’s shallow enough for you to be able to pop your head out of the water; when you sit down, the water reaches up to your neck. Damn my faulty sense of depth!
“If you want to swim, you could’ve asked me to take you to the private pool. Or the beach,” you continue to scold me, but I can see you are not angry.
I hate chlorinated water and I most absolutely hate the sea water. You literally will have to throw my cursed box into one of them if you wish to torture me. Fresh water, though, I love it. That’s why I wanted to drown you and eat you there. But the pond is too shallow!
I scowl but I say nothing. If I tell you to shut up again, that’ll just make me appear weaker. To my surprise, you give me a warm humble smile. You reach your hand out again, cupping my face. The suddenly, your face presses against my nose!
“We’ll have fun in the water next time, I promise.” You nuzzle me! And thanks to you, I am now a puddle of black misty goo again, except this time, I’m in the water, so my goo particles split up like oil...
I can no longer take anymore breaks! As soon as we get home from your volunteer work, I aim to eat you at your home. No more stupid schemes to eat you in the most horrifying way possible! Your home is where you’ll die!
I barge in in the middle of your bath time and you yelp in surprise when I slam the door open. My body slithers in a speed of a sprinting cheetah and wraps tightly around your naked wet body. For once, your eyes widen as you stare at me. Is that fear I finally see? Good.
“No more playing around this time!” I growl straight at your face, a drop or two of my saliva sprayed onto your face, but the shower water washed it away. “Your soul is mine and I will consume it, to be strong and finally able to break away from this binding curse! Don’t you dare foil me again this time! Embrace death!” My mouth opens wide, lower jaw unhinges so I can swallow you whole. I am about to eat you and you get to see it face first. No one else gets that honor. I’ve always eaten them in a way that fuels horror stories.
“So it’s time already,” you mutter. There is no fear within you.
No. I was wrong. There is, but you’ve hidden it so well I missed it. Yet, it isn’t fear caused by my presence. Something greater has caused you fear.
I pause, mouth closes, and I notice you looking confused. I, too, am confused–confused of what could’ve made you afraid that is not me? “What do you mean by that?” I ask.
The expression on your face drops. Your wet hair makes you look more pitiful I almost feel sorry. “Oh, it’s nothing,” you smile it off. It’s fake. What is this? You must have seen me getting annoyed because you continue, “Don’t worry about it too much. Just know that I’m happy I get to know you. You always make me laugh. I thought I won’t be able to laugh, but with you around, I just can’t stop smiling from ear to ear!”
“I shouldn’t make you happy!” I snap. I can’t accept what you said. “I am supposed to instill fear in your heart, that is how I drain the will to live from my prey! But you…you’re different. Something’s wrong with you.”
Your expression continues to drop, but your fake smile remains. It…it hurts to look at. “You can say that, I guess.” You look away, I feel like you’re trying to avoid saying something. “Being eaten by you doesn’t sound as bad, though. I don’t feel that scared for some reason.”
A growl escapes me. “Who is making you afraid that is not me?!” I sound almost like I am jealous (frankly, I sort of am) but I need to know!
“It’s not ‘who’, it’s ‘what.’” You sigh; I can feel your body becoming limp in my constriction. “Okay, look, I really like you, I feel like I shouldn’t say this. But because you’re such an important person to me…I guess you deserve to know.” Your voice cracks and you pause, composing yourself.
I am an amalgamation of confused and…sympathetic. Nobody has ever made me feel that way. In fact, I shouldn’t be feeling this way–you are my food. But now you have made yourself unappetizing, I'm not sure.
“Before we met, my doctor said I probably have about less than a year. Possibly faster, possibly slower. That sucked, you know, like what’s the point anymore? Like, what if it’s only less than half a year left? But then you showed up.” You look up and smile again, but the smile was…sad. “It’s weird, isn’t it? When you show up, I thought, ‘Oh, is this how it’ll end?’ and I suddenly feel better. I dunno… I guess if I’m gonna leave this world, being consumed by a cute naga would be pretty cool.”
I’m quite sure you’re crying at this point; your face is flushed and your eyes red, but the shower camouflaged the tears possibly streaming down your face. I find myself loosening my body around you, but not yet away. You need my serpentine body to lean against. My stomach feels…full. As if I had eaten a continent’s worth of souls.
Bony, corpse-esque arms engulf you in an embrace, you lean into my chest, seeking comfort in its thin faintly greenish skin. This is a gesture I have never done before, I don't know what drove me to do this. I have chosen not to eat you, until the time is right. I can't even guarantee I will be able to. I instinctively nuzzle my snout against your forehead.
I do not turn into goo this time…
Reposted from kaibuntsu, with changes.
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