The road was desolate and dark, the void being broken up by streetlamps that resembled stars. I kept my head down as I walked on the uneven pavement, desperate not to make eye contact with the moon. I couldn’t see the face it was making at me, but I could feel it. The face was angry, scowling at my incompetence. I felt 3 taps on my shoulder and turned around to see a man holding a cardboard sign that said “I have no teeth.” His torso and limbs were pencil thin, only existing to bear the weight of hanging rags.
“Spare change?” he asked
“Sure!”
He dropped to the floor and his head cracked open like an egg as it hit the concrete. I knelt down at the mushy mass of flesh and frowned.
“What about the change”
The gray matter resting in his fractured skull began the decomposition process. 2 days passed and a puddle of rot took its place, in the center was a silver dollar.
“Thanks” I pocketed the money, then continued my walk down the street.
The street lamps were a color, but I’m not sure which one. A street lamp can be any color, and who am I to judge? Some people like to go around saying that things are aqua blue and magenta, but when I ask them what it means they don’t know how to answer. The balls on people! What I did know however, was how this made me feel. And to be honest it pissed me off.
“Hypocritical” said the man in rags
“What?”
“Why criticize others for a practice you do yourself? How is assuming the color of the streetlamps any worse than assuming the face of the moon? At Least they took the time to look”
“Whatever, didn’t you die or something?”
“Yes, but that was before. did you know that you’re smoking?”
I looked to the left and there it was, a hand (that was presumably mine) holding a cigarette, moths drifting in the place of smoke
“Yes I did.”
“And you’re just ok with that?”
“Yes, yes I am. By the way do you actually have no teeth?”
He smiled in response, a toothless set of gums glistening off the moonlight.
For the second time, I continued my walk. This time looking up. The moon was frowning. She wasn’t mad, just disappointed.
I turned left and entered the nicest restaurant in town, waffle house. Sitting down, I placed my silver dollar on the table and asked for another pack of cigarettes. There wasn’t anyone there to serve me but I trusted the reliability of waffle house. on my right sat no-one and on my left was the stranger in rags. His impossibly thin fingers fidgeted with themselves, the sound of clicking bones resembling a geiger-counter. The sign was leaning against his stool, this time with new writing that spelled out do not give me cigarettes
“Uhh hey man about earlier. Let me try one of those cigarettes”
“What, why? I thought you didn’t approve of them”
“Truth is, i never had one”
“I don’t know. What about your sign?”
“Don’t worry about that, just let me try one”
“I think you should do it” pitched in no-one.
Reluctantly, I handed the stranger a cigarette. He picked it up and turned it in front of his face, examining every angle of the paper tube and its contents. Eventually he popped it into his mouth and started to chew in pure ecstasy, closing his eyes as he licked his cracked, bleeding lips. After swallowing, his face split open in what resembled a smile. The bodies of twitching moths lodged between his teeth.
“Thanks kid i really appreciate that”
“Im 43”
He got up and walked towards the exit, as he turned around I saw two spots on his back bulge and pulsate. Not wanting to be rude, I said nothing.
I finished the food on my plate, spit out the filters and stretched as I got out of my seat.
I walked out and took the route home. an anxiety inducing shiver ran up my spine and tapped the back of my skull, screaming in my ear to run. I looked up and all the street lamps were white, that is, if white was a color to begin with.
“Hypocritical, don’t you think?”
“god fucking dammit what do you want from me” i turned around to see the stranger, just as thin but somehow wildly different. His eyes now a pair of bulbous mosaics.
“Look man, just let me get a few more cigarettes. that’s all i want and i
you alone i promise. I have no reason to hurt you and I know you have so just give it to me. Besides, I’m the one who paid for the pack.”
“Ok if i give you one more cigarette you’ll leave me alone right”
“No man i want the whole pack, you don’t even need it man you got bad lungs. I can smell it on ya.”
“One, take it or leave it.” i didn’t actually think he’d satisfied with the deal, but i needed a way to get him off of my back
“Yeah man. And hey look sorry about being so pushy earlier. Just pop one out of the pack and hand it to me. I’ll leave you alone man I promise.”
“Ok just this one” i said, fully knowing one (or ten thousand for that matter) could never be enough. Forcing my entire will to my hands in hopes to keep them still. My right hand pushed back denim folds and entered my pocket. My fingers dug deeper until they found themselves wrapped around a small cardboard box. My forearm extracted the pack and slowly pried open the lid. My hands, starting to lose their nerve, shook as it plucked and pulled at a carefully selected paper tube.
“Here man, one cig, just like we agreed on”
He snatched it from my hands and shoved it into his mouth. Cocoons hung from the roof of his mouth replacing what were once teeth and crushed it in pure euphoria. I picked up my pace and walked as fast as i could without running, praying i don’t draw it’s attention. The sound of snapping bone pierced my ears, startling me as I dropped the box of cigarettes and looked back. He was already in front of me, devouring the spilled tobacco and bug wings littering the pavement. I stood petrified in horror as the thin white line that spoke cracked open to reveal 87 human teeth and a bright red tongue that protruded from the demon’s mouth while dancing through the air. Its flesh pulsated and twitched, almost as though its very existence was straining. The thing stood up with an angular hunch, gangrenous and pain striking limbs twitching in anxiety.
It charged on all 4 limbs, but 4 became six as the creature grew a pair of spotted brown wings. The thing took flight and followed me into my home. The place was desolate except for the sound of our pursuit. Crashing furniture and heavy panting mixed with screams.
I looked back to see 143 human teeth lodged into the creatures gaping maw. The things tongue lolled out, drool splattering the carpet floor as we approached closer to my room. The sound of crashing feet and hot breath grew closer. But after entering my room, I slammed and locked the door behind me, then approached the blinds. I looked down and the streetlamps weren’t a color at all, this unsettled, but I found it peaceful in a way. Terrified of the punishment to come, I looked up and saw the moon, smiling with 32 human teeth.