The Horsing of Joe, Part 1, Introduction

Author's Note: I am SinSan. I write for you a story or terror. A story of great loss and betreyal...I give you...The Horsing!

The Horsing of Joe, Part 1, Introduction

Joseph was an upstanding young man who worked at Crappy Toy Palace as a hot go-go stripper. He was loved by children and parents alike as he wagged his massive package in their faces. When it came time to give the Employee of the Month award, everyone already knew he had it in the bag. He was a handsome lad of twenty and some years, tall, with dark, piercing features. And he had his eye on a lady. The lucky gal was Asanda Parrot, a pretty poodle of a girl with long mahogany hair and breasts the size of a walrus. He loved her rough manly voice and the way she called him.

“You dumb piece o' shit, you get yer ass o'er here and clean this shit up,” Asanda Parrot screamed. Joe was startled out of his daydreaming about her walrus breasts and ran to where she was in the employee lounge. He entered the dingy room and almost burst out in song at the sight of her beautiful face. She was standing next to a short, squat man who looked to be well over one hundred years of age. His face was horrid like some carnivorous butterflies had nibbled it away. Skin hung in shreds from his face and in places the bone shone through like a light in his dark face. Above his eye was a large rotting flesh wound that oozed a gritty brown liquid down the right side of his face.

“Hello, Asanda, how can I help you?” Joe said, wishing only to make her happy.

“Shut the fuck up! Well, this is Qwar the festering gnome prince, he needs some children.” she said in her disconcertingly hoarse and manly voice.

“What? I-”

“Shush, child,” Qwar interrupted, “Bring me some delicious young thing.” His voice was like the sound of a thousand thunderstorms and like the ocean and the wind and like gurgle of a decomposing corpse. He was a creature not of this world; it was obvious, and when he looked at Qwar with his eyes squinted just the right way, he could almost imagine he saw an afterimage. When he looked at Qwar he saw an image, like the redness after looking into a light through his eyelids, an image that chilled him to the bone. He saw the withered faces of his parents and the rotting, crow-pecked eyes of children. He sa-

“Don't squint at me, child, or I'll put a curse on you,” cackled the twisted creature.

“Uh, right, I'll bring you a customer,” he said, not knowing why he was complying with their disturbing request. He felt compelled. As he walked to the front of the store, he scanned the crowds of fat hookers and their unwanted crack babies. Soon his eyes fell upon a thin, frail-looking girl who was alone in the store. He did not even stop to think. He strode over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Hi, young lady, what's your name?” he asked as if in a daze and feeling as if he were a puppet being manipulated by some sinister force.

“Why, you know me already for I have seen into your heart and soul and know all that you have ever known, ” spoke the girl with the ebony hair. “I am Lacy Zinger.”

For some reason, Joe wanted nothing more than to tell this strange girl to run, to run as far as she could and never stop running. But instead he smiled amiably and ushered her towards the employee lounge. He tried not to think what would happen. He tried only to see the face of his beloved Asanda Parrot. As they reached the door to the back room he looked at the girl and was surprised to find her smiling. Had she not sensed the horrible aura that surrounded the store? Did she not want to flee? For God's sake! He was a stranger taking her to a back room! Did she not fear rape and murder? Not that he would do that, he though, licking his lips...even if she looked delectable like he could t-

Oh, no! He shook the perverted and sadistic thoughts out of his head and opened the door to the lounge. Asanda and Qwar stood on one foot there in the center of the room, eating diced pineapple. He pulled the girl into the room and slammed the door after them. He felt feverish. His heart was beating at least a thousand times a minute! He felt a wave of desire come over him and could feel himself becoming aroused. I am becoming a monster, he thought, unable to understand these sudden changes in his behavior. It was like some mad man was writing him into a bizarre and terrifying story.

“Yes, yes, you did just as I expected,” Qwar said, rubbing his gnarled hands together, “You have seen what we could not and brought it to us! For you are a blind man, you see nothing but illusion. Your mind is like water and I have pissed in it.” The mad creature laughed and laughed.

Joe looked between the two of them and then looked at Lacy who was wearing a great big grin.

“Oh, you look confused you big hot hunk,” Lacy said, her voice suddenly high and sharp, “Shall I explain, Qwar?”

“Of course, my dear.”

“Well, Joe, you are part of our game, a long game we play and have played for centuries on and off. For we are being of smoke and fire and light and shadow. We are like the wind in your hair and embers on your skin. We are the triumvirate of Ereshyar!”

“We the sound,” continued Asanda, “of the rain in the dark...Do you hear it? We are the hiss of that first serpent!”

“Yes,” picked up Qwar, “and you are our toy.” He waved his hand and the Joe felt himself becoming faint but he also felt more himself like he could fight back. He began to move forward, feeling the familiar adrenaline of the fight.

“No, no, no,” Qwar shouted, waving his hands.

“No, no, no,” giggled Lacy, dancing around him.

“No, no, no,” growled Asanda, stomping her feet.

And he felt very faint and numb. He fell to his knees; this was not going to be a fight we could win. As he lost consciousness he heard the ruined voice of Qwar repeating again and again, “You shall be horsed!”