Cult of Personality (standard:horror, 1554 words)
Author: Alexander Williams	Added: Feb 23 2001	Views/Reads: 3822/2266	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A short bit of prose about the realizations that come about your co-workers.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

out of the office a lot. 

He moved.  I definitely heard him move.  Was he looking at her?
"Absolutely."  Such decisiveness!  "I'll expect you there at the usual 
time." 

The scuffling passed back down the hall.  I found myself intrigued. I
was more so when Sarah came up the way and leaned far enough over 
Steven's desk that a quick glance upward, stolen, I admit, with the 
deftest of motions, revealed exactly how short her skirt that day was.  
Ah, bliss!  A consolation for a lifetime of strife! 

Her voice ran like honey around in my head when she said, "Sugar,
definitely on tonight, right?  I just can't wait to see you there!" 
Curiouser and curiouser, I thought.  His reply, "Absolutely," was just 
as firm as the first.  I could hear the little peck on the cheek and 
sashay away of little miss Sarah.  What is it with this guy and girls 
whose names start with 'S'? 

I had to go with them, right?  Surely you understand this.  It was vital
to my well-being to know what was going on.  I'd hung about with them 
before, separately or together.  The few times I'd gone home with Sarah 
were some of the happiest moments in my life. They'd be yours, too. 

I never quite understood how we ended up at the warehouse. Midnight,
deserted warehouses, people in black robes.  I recognized a few voices, 
and there was no mistaking Shelia or Sarah in theirs; women like that 
really fill out sackcloth, let me tell you.  I'm not much of a public 
guy, so I merely drifted around in the shadows near the corner.  No one 
took special notice, I guessed they were just used to it. 

Steven ... Steven surprised me.  Everyone else had their hoods up. His
was back, and his long hair streamed out over his shoulders.  He was 
gorgeous.  I could have eaten him up right there, he looked so good.  I 
wanted him, and that's no lie at all. 

There was some lighting of candles, and some chanting in some weird
language.  I tried to keep up with them, since I'm no slouch, but I got 
lost fast.  Nothing much you can do there.  Luckily, I didn't make too 
much of an impact on their voices, they sounded ethereal and beautiful, 
men and women's voices mingling in the hollow spaces. 

I started pressing forward, pushing up to people's backs just to hear
the voices better.  But they wouldn't let me by.  I wanted to push 
them, shove them out of my way but I knew they'd just stop singing, so 
I stopped, caught my breath, counted a dozen and let them go on.  I was 
happy enough listening where I was, right behind Steven.  I think he 
knew I was there, he looked over his shoulder and sort of smiled. 

Then things got weird.  I felt all tingly.  Part of that might have been
because Sarah walked into the middle of the circle and, well, dropped 
her robe.  Then Steven did the same.  I'm really not too sure what 
happened next, because I felt woozy and goofy, the way you do when 
you've stayed awake for too long and eaten too many sweets. 

My hands were numb.  That I remember very well, looking down at my hands
and seeing nothing but red up to the elbows.  Around the circle 
everyone was looking at me!  They let me in!  I started singing with 
them and some of them seemed to like it and some of them just turned 
away.  I made sure to remember who they were, the turners.  I don't 
like them much. 

Sarah and Steven were lying on the floor, in the middle of the circle,
with weird writing all over them.  I guess I must have had something to 
do with that, but I swear that I didn't hurt them! They were my 
friends, I'd never hurt them.  I'll never let anyone hurt them, but ... 
I felt hurt they'd ignored me so long.  Sarah wanted to be with Steven. 
I guess I could live with that.  I guess.  I am living with that. 

Shelia ... Ah, where would I be without Shelia?  She's my angel.  I
wanted someone to hold me, someone warm and soft and loving, and she 
came right out of the circle as if meant for me!  I got lost in her 
eyes for a while.  I barely even noticed she'd dropped her robe too. 

Now things are different.  My friends give me attention.  Just last
Sunday, Sarah came to sit by my side and show me a new baby.  It was so 
sweet and innocent and pure.  Just drinking it made the headaches I get 
on Sundays go back a bit.  Shelia and I are going to have our own baby 
soon, you know.  I'm hoping its a boy.  I want to teach him all about 
his daddy. 

Anyway, the night's almost over.  I'll have to bring this letter to a
close. 

-- Nicholas Baalson 

LocalWords:  Shelia Shelia's bunned 


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