Sunday, September 8, 2013

The Devil's Mask


"There was no light in the room. She reached for the wall light switch and flipped it on. The single ceiling lamp shone a soft amber. The room, having a bed, a dresser, no wall mirrors, was thickly carpeted—the only room in the house so. There was no table lamp, for he had played with the light bulbs and crushed them with his hands. The bed sat low, its curved legs in deep chocolate finish, sturdy looking. He sat on the floor at the footboard, both hands tied to the leg of the bed. She saw that he wore a black mask, the devil’s mask worn by the hamlet’s lobster hunters. The mask, fashioned after the devil’s pod of water caltrop in glossy black, was sculpted to resemble a leering goat-horned demon. Seeing him in bondage with such a mask on, like he were being sacrificed to some dark gods, she held her breath momentarily, then sat down by him."

a short story
SQUAWK BACK (September 8, 2013)

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