The ancient truck rattled over the broken pavement. They passed through the long dead city and marvelled at the stars sparkling over head like a million semi precious stones spilled across a blanket. The moon was a sliver and the sky was darker than the blood they were desperately trying to keep inside their brother’s body.
The healers had told them that only a hot mesh of electricity could save him. The rarest and most controlled substance in the universe ever since the Farseers had come to this planet. They came to free their kin trapped within the wires that had once crisscrossed the globe. Now any requests for power were tightly controlled by the Farseers. Being harnessed as energy caused killer headaches to the Farseers kin. They left the city behind them and traveled to the tiny outpost beside a dammed lake.
The being at the door stared at them emotionlessly. His watercolor skin’s everchanging colors rippled. “Please. He needs a hot mesh to to sear his skin. The healer’s said you could save him.”
The being looked in the back of the truck. He placed a single digit on Jeffrey’s forehead and Jeffrey screamed. The being nodded once and opened the red door set into the concrete walls. A healing mat lay on the floor and glowing wires were connected to it. He motioned for them to go inside. The three of them half carried, half dragged Jeffrey inside. Another being waited inside. “If he does this, he will belong to us. You may never see him again.”
The three brothers talked quietly. “We would rather he live away from us than to die among us.”
The being nodded. “You will regret your decision within an hour of leaving here. But the decision is made.”
They laid Jeffrey on the mat and stood back. The being flipped a switch and the room became too bright to keep their eyes open. The hum was so loud that they had to stifle their screams. The being flipped the switch again and the sound stopped. The brothers opened their eyes to see Jeffrey sitting up – whole. His wounds were gone. “Jeffrey. You’re ok!”
He looked at them with watercolor eyes. “Who is Jeffrey?”
The prompts for this short story:
semi precious stones
killer headaches
be a hot mesh
ancient
truck
watercolor
Copyright 2019 Klaudia Grady