(Rose)
The child covered in cold sli, with pale skin and dark pink hair, coughed out the liquid filling its lungs at my feet.
A girl... In dreams perhaps. In her dreams... Its dreams.
The face of a child, the neck, and perhaps the shoulders.
Then the flesh turns reddish and goes nowhere. The animal has no arms, no belly and certainly no legs. It’s only a randomly wrinkled trunk of flesh that turns pink and in the end returns to the back of the face after a loop. The back of the head and what would be the torso are joined in a grotesque fleshy ring, that has a human face.
That thing just born is taking her first breath, its torso moving with each inhalation.
Its eyes are looking around, panicked or curious. Her teeth are non-existent. The face is of a child, but there is no bone inside and it shows. This entire organism is new-born, and...
Why does it look like a young human for its face? Why is it born with a body that way? It can’t move...
R - What the... What is that thing?
B - Oh, I get it now. It’s your karma.
R - What on Earth do you an?
B - This is the one you fed with your blood, and the one we saw the other day also. It has turned this way thanks to you.
R - Because of you an? The poor thing is unable to move.
B - No, no. It chose that form. It wants sothing for you.
R - I don’t understand what you’re saying...
B - It isn’t sad nor in pain. It’s alive, and it ca here because it’s grateful to you. Because you stepped up into its existence, as you gave it sothing from you. You allowed it to grow much better and faster.
The rmaid crawls oddly like a slug, and then lifts its soft boneless head toward . I step back again as I look at this monstrous body with human face softly drawn upon it like a farce.
Its eyes look at mine, and it smiles like a child. It’s unsettling.
What is that thing...
R - Is this a joke?
B - No... What you did mattered. Here is the result. Ey, don’t forget it never was human before to begin with. This animal chose to have this face as a an to express sothing to you.
Ah. I get it. It’s not a deford human. It’s a deford being-like-her. And so it did, to be friendly?
R - Are you really sure it’s not threatening or dangerous?
B - I kind of tried to tell you: it’s completely friendly. It beca entirely harmless. This thing is only friendly, even though it seems to spook you greatly. What are you scared of?
I wonder. The face that does look fake I guess... Can it talk?
Blu thinks it can’t. It has the mind of a young animal, not much more.
I make a light step ahead. I kneel down. The childish face is smiling instinctively. The limbless body is managing to achieve balance with difficulties. The fleshy hair, the soft trunk below the chest. It’s one strange rmaid.
And it’s just being born, yet it waits for my answer... It looks at with clear new eyes as if I were its mother?
No... It’s more than that...
It’s far more than that.
I created this thing unknowingly. Only a few days ago. All I wanted for it was not to grow as a killer or a humanoid monster... And it didn’t. It obeyed. And it’s grateful to ?
I shyly lift a hand and approach the thing. I’m a little scared of what I’ve done. I touch it to pet it.
It’s soft. It’s sticky. And it’s cooling down fast.
I brush its skin as I might for a child or pet. The cheek has a strange feel to it. It feels like a slug to the touch. The muscles react and you can’t feel cheekbones below. The face smiles greatly, a mouth without teeth. The eyes move slightly independently onto this missing skull.
R - I’m so sorry...
B - Why are you? It’s happy.
R - I feel guilty now that I see what it beca because of .
B - My, my, sleepyhead. You forgot again what it truly is. It will continue to transform as it sees fit, it won’t die just because it has no legs. Even I don’t have legs. It’s a being-like-! You didn’t deprive it of anything, you gave it so of your life experience instead. I tell you Rose, it’s thankful, nothing else. You didn’t make a new Ogre, but a new friend.
R - So my actions ended well this ti then...
My hand is sticky on its cheek. It chuckles, I think.
I sit with Blu while she reignites the fire from yesterday. The thing slithers closer to .
It’s the size of a very young child. Its skin is the colour of paper for its face and neck, then it turns to at looking flesh. The hair is rather blood vessels, connected to the other end of the body. It’s a loop. An ouroboros of so kind.
It’s looking at intensively. I begin to clean it with a wet towel from its amnion and dry it softly. No matter how thankful it may be, I still feel rather guilty about it. I intervened during its developnt on a whim. Maybe I shouldn’t have...
B - You’re alive. You have thus an influence on what you co across. Your intelligence helps you realise it and its extent. Accept it Rose. Looking at it, I can tell you it was a good thing you did.
I still need a little ti to accept that as it is.
B - You helped it becoming alive. It’s almost as thankful as !
I pull back my hand suddenly.
R - As much as you?
B - Ah ah. Don’t worry, I still love you the most. Currently it’s an animal, but as it will grow in intelligence over the years, maybe it’ll co to have affection for you too, if you want it.
R - I don’t plan to beco the mother of monsters.
B - You’re not its mother. You just helped kindly. It would have grown differently without you but it would have anyway. No you could beco rather sothing like... Hm, I’m not sure. Not a queen, you’re not like that. A friend, a helper perhaps. Not lover, since you’re mine and I’m yours. An aunt? Aunt Rose?
R - ... You’re having fun, aren’t you?
B - A lot!
She laughs. I resu cleaning the new animal, slightly flushed. I make odd friends...
This reminds of a tale of a young woman who made friends with all the monsters in the world. She was a priestess, and she always was lonely nonetheless. Lonely world...
My heart aches a little. Blu feels that and cos to embrace . I’m with you she says.
The odd animal between my hands looks at the ribbons circling around my body, surprised. Blu kisses with her ribbon and I smile.
~
Morning is well set now. The rmaid is clean and dry. It can hardly move by itself and it doesn’t roll. Blu and I are getting ready to leave.
The animal ate pieces of fruits with its human mouth. It gobbled what I handed over to it in my hand, picking them between its frail lips and gobbling them.
Its childish behaviour can be rather cute. I caressed its hair and head again. It seed happy, trembling a little, changing slightly of colours.
Blu seed to start pouting then. Maybe I didn’t cuddle her enough lately?
R - Oh... Are you jealous?
B - I am not! Well, of course I am a little envious Rose eh. I love skinship with you.
R - Well.. Here’s this then.
I go to kiss one of her ribbons gently, and instead go to kiss the forehead of the rmaid. I want to see more of Blu’s jealousy.
She pouts and complains, furious, about how unfair I am while I’m laughing maliciously and loudly. She is so cute... I love her.
The thing gets closer to . Oh, it wants to try that kissing too I think. I lower my head and stand still as it slowly moves, to let it try as it pleases. Another chance to tease Blu is always welco.
But rather than my cheek or forehead, it goes for my lips.
I’m a little surprised but it doesn’t shock too much. I don’t mind that much, and Blu’s reaction makes up for it.
I’ll be able to tease her for weeks about it.
But then a tongue suddenly enters my throat and it’s not funny anymore.
It’s glued to my mouth and I can’t breathe. I manage to push it away and its long tongue slides back out of my mouth. I cough. Blu is the one laughing at greatly now. Okay, I deserved it...
The rmaid still looks happy anyway. I guess it may have a similar personality as Blu truly... Well, Blu and I will both have sothing to tease each other about for weeks to co now.
As for the rmaid, since Blu is certain it can live on its own without worries, we leave it there. Let’s say that kiss was a goodbye gift to whatever that thing is. I bid it farewell and we return to our journey.
~
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