Alicia
A monster lives in Allenby Lake. If you jump in the lake, and the monster doesn’t eat you, it will grant you one wish.
David had known this for a long time. The lake was only a few miles from his hometown, where he’d lived his entire life. One day, he decided to give it a shot. He was going to go down to the lake, and wish for the monster to make him happy.
It was a silly idea, but he didn’t see what other options were left to him. He’d been lonely and miserable for his entire adult life, and he could never find anything to make him feel better; drugs, alcohol, women, sports, art, travel, all of it offering nothing but temporary pleasures. They never satisfied him for more than a few days. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt truly happy, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could live like this.
He had nothing to lose. If he jumped into the lake and survived, he’d get his wish. If he didn’t, then the beast would kill him, and he’d finally be free of his misery.
He put on a bathing suit, and drove out to Allenby Lake.
The lake was small, only about ten yards in diameter, but its depths were said to be vast and incalculable. The monster dwelled in those depths, and would be waiting for him. He jumped in, and swam out to the middle of the lake.
The monster appeared immediately, swimming out from its dark domain. Its cone-shaped body breached the surface, and stared down at him with a lone gigantic yellow eye the size of a watermelon. Its skin was translucent, and gave off a light-purple, bio-luminescent glow that illuminated the murky water. Eight tentacles stuck out from the base of its cone-like body, and floated lazily under the surface. David guessed that the beast was about twenty meters tall, from the tip of its cone to the end of the tentacles.
He didn’t move as it floated toward him.
He didn’t move as it silently stared at him.
And he didn’t move when it wrapped one of its tentacles around him, and pulled him toward it.
“You didn’t run from me.” The monster’s voice came from the air itself; a booming, regal sound, that surrounded them. The voice of God. “Why didn’t you run?”
“I’m not scared of you.” David said, which was true. “I’m not afraid to die.”
The yellow eye stared at him for a time. Finally the creature said, “Most try to swim away the moment they see me. I always catch the ones who run.
“You have remained, and for that, I shall grant you audience. What is your wish?”
“I wish to be happy.”
“Very well. What will make you happy?”
David froze. He didn’t know what could make him happy. He thought about it for a few moments, before coming up with something that sounded reasonable and effective.
He took another few moments to word his wish. He wanted to be precise.
He said, “I wish for a kind, beautiful woman, who loves and adores me.”
“As you wish,” said the monster.
And she appeared.
She stood on the shore, at the edge of the lake, in a silky white sundress. Her shy, innocent smile was framed on either side of her face, by long locks of black curls.
He walked up to her, and stared at her. He stared at her for a very long time.
“Hello David,” She said. “My name is Alicia.”
David didn’t know what to say.
Her smile vanished, replaced with a look of concern and worry.
“Did I do something wrong?” She sounded hurt. The expression on her face made his heart sink.
“Oh no no no no no,” he spoke quickly. “No you’re fine. You didn’t do anything. It’s just…Oh my god you’re beautiful.”
The smile returned, bigger and brighter and sweeter than ever. He took her hand, and felt her warmth.
David woke up the next morning with an angel by his side.
She slept in his bed, her clear skin glowing in the soft morning light. Their clothes had been left strung along the floor, and they laid together in the bed naked. He admired her elegant form, marveling it’s soft curves and delicate shapes.
She woke up, and her eyes sparkled the moment they saw him.
“Morning,” her breath smelled like roses.
“Morning,” he took her in his arms, and kissed her red lips.
She didn’t mind his messy apartment, with the stained carpet, and the grimy dishes in the sink.
She didn’t mind his physique, with the pot belly and the neck beard. And she never complained when he only wanted to play video games and drink.
She just wanted him to be happy. To hold him, listen to him, love him.
The monster had blessed him.
He’d gotten used to her being home when he got back from work, and was annoyed to find the house empty one evening.
When she finally came home, he was waiting for her, frowning, arms-crossed.
“Where were you?” His voice gruff.
“At the park,” her voice was soft and perky. “It’s such a nice day, and I wanted to go for a walk.”
Her smile annoyed him. “I expected you to be home when I got back. I don’t like an empty house.”
The smile vanished from her face. She looked away from him, ashamed.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should’ve told you. I…I’ll make sure to do that from now on.”
“I don’t want you to go out without me anymore. From now on, you stay here, in this house, unless I say otherwise. Understood?”
She didn’t say anything, but the pain on her face was unmistakable. She slowly nodded. David was pleased with this.
David and Alicia had another fight.
It went very much the same as all their other ones; Alicia had done something that annoyed David, and David was yelling at her. Alicia spent most of the argument apologizing, reminding him over and over again how sorry she was.
Occasionally, she’d try to come to some understanding about how she’d failed as a lover, and how she may do better in the future, but this just made David angrier.
This time, David was complaining that she spent too much time reading, and not enough time with him.
“Am I not good enough for you, that you have to spend all your time inside those stupid books?!” he’d asked.
“No, of course I love you,” she said, her voice still as soft, and innocent, and as eager to please as ever. “I just wanted to pass the time while you were playing video games.”
“Oh, so now it’s my fault for wanting to play video games? To want a little escape from the stress and frustration of my miserable fucking life?!”
“No. If you want, and I can sit with you, and watch you play video games.”
“I don’t want you to watch me play video games! When I play video games, I want to be left alone!”
She shirked at this, staring at him wide-eyed in fear. He thought she looked pathetic.
“And you’re starting to gain weight.” He jabbed at her belly with his finger. She yelped, and placed a hand over the place where he’d poked her. He rolled his eyes. “You need to start exercising.”
“Okay,” she nodded. A small, hopeful smile came to her face. “Maybe we can start jogging. The weather’s been beautiful lately, and the park is only a few blocks — ”
“Are you saying I’m fat?” David was livid.
“No, no, of course not, dear. I just thought it’d be a nice way to spend time together. It’s healthy and feels good.”
“You’re trying to trick me to exercise because you think I’m fat, is that it!” David grabbed her by the arms and shook her. “You think I’m stupid?!”
“David please,” Her eyes were watery. “I didn’t mean anything — ”
“Stop lying to me!”
“David, stop please.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Please, you’re hurting me!”
“You think this hurts?!” David smacked her across the face.
She fell to the ground. She didn’t cry or say anything. She just looked at the floor.
David shook his head. “You’re such a whiny little bitch.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, a single tear falling to the carpet. A bruise started to form on her left cheek.
David rolled his eyes. “And you’re too damn sensitive.”
He left her on the floor, and went to bed.
He woke up the next day, alone in his bed. He figured she was in the living room, where she often slept after they’d had a fight. Lately it seemed like she practically lived in that room.
But she wasn’t there, nor was she in the kitchen. He found her in the bathroom.
She lay in the tub, her white dress stained red with blood. Two large gashes ran up her arms, from her wrist to her elbows.
David ran up to her. He screamed her name, and shook her, but her cold body wouldn’t respond. Lifeless brown eyes stared up at the ceiling.
A small note sat taped to the wall next to the tub. David picked it up. It read:
I’m sorry David.
I was supposed to help you, show you all the love and happiness that you’d been denied. But I couldn’t do it. I just made it worse. And for that I am so sorry.
Hopefully you’ll find some peace, now that you won’t have to deal with me. And maybe you’ll find someone who won’t just make you angry.
I’ll always love you.
Alicia.
A torrent of emotions swirled within David; guilt, anger, depression, fear, confusion. But above all, he just wanted Alicia back. He knew he would do better if he got her back.
He put on his jacket, and went back to the lake.
The glowing beast resurfaced, and laid its giant yellow eye on him.
“I wish for Alicia to come back to life.” he said.
“I know what you’ve done,” the beast said.
“You do?” A pit began to grow in David’s stomach.
“I know all that happens to the products of my magic. And I’d rather my creation stay dead, than have to suffer as your plaything again.”
“Please, I promise I’ll do better this time.” Tears streamed down David’s face. “I can’t survive without her. I need her. She’s the only thing that makes me happy.”
“Nothing makes you happy.” The beast said. “Nothing will ever make you happy, because you hate yourself. The hatred within you corrodes your soul, and must find an outlet. For most of your life, that outlet was yourself. Then it was Alicia.”
David stood still, a cold hollowness overtaking him.
“That hatred will burn forever.” The beast said. “And you will live the rest of your life, as the lonely, miserable creature you are.”
With that, the beast dove under the surface, leaving darkness in its wake.
David was alone.
