Partner

Partner


This man invades my home without invitation.
Mortal arrogance.  He presumes on acquaintance.
Expects my goals to conform with his desires.
It is clear he understands my desire to protect Autumn.
He offers her harm as threat to me.  He does not mean
me ill.  To his ways of defining, I am a friend.  Bullying
is standard defense.  He feels control, not scary chaos.
He needs to know the exits and be their keeper.  My exit
is in time, not place.  He believes he has advantage of both
freedom and knowledge.  He knows where Autumn is captive.
He can be there, move or torture, before I can follow.
He wants assurances, honor bound contract.  He wants my
servitude for her safety.  He can find other street girls for
his house.  I am unique.  He assures me he has thought of
many lucrative outlets for my talents.  He has thought of me
fondly in his confinement.  Had Autumn not led him in
serendipity, he would have found me by other means.
Our fates have tangled.  Ironic gods steer us both.
“You’re a coward, Ellie.  You’d be scared of your own reflection,
if you had one.  You have no ambition, no drive but basic needs.
You could do so much with your devil-given powers; but you do
nothing.  Looks like it’s up to someone with gumption and big
ideas like me to make use of those powers.  Once we get going,
there’ll be no stopping us now.  I’m not that dumb kid I was.
I been wizened up by my bad experiences.  We partner up and
we won’t need nobody else, nobody who might be unreliable,
disloyal.”
His words are slurred, but loud and clear.  He pictures me partner
to his crimes here and hereafter.  He has captured a pet vampire
hunting companion to heavy lift, retrieve, kill on command.
I am sorry to have made acquaintance, messed in affairs of mortals.
They enjoy pointless cruelty.  They befriend with jabs, dirty jokes.
They expect complete consideration, and offer none.
Except for one.
She is tied down and frightened.  Maybe she believes I will save her.
Maybe she is figuring out how to save herself.
She is brave, resourceful, creative.  I am slave to my own weaknesses.
That I value her above me is no compliment.  It is rational truth.
He babbles, boasts.
“I ate me a taste of your little chickie, sampling the merchandise.
I know that’s not your thing; but she was real fine, a fighter.  Her
daddy ain’t got her tamed.  I know I can tame her, teach her pretty
tricks of the trade.”
He wants me to come lie beside him, whisper in his ear.  I do not
like his game.  As I lean in thinking to mesmerize, he grabs my neck.
“Sure, you try something.  But remember our old deal.  You turn me,
give me all that power and immortality.  Then, we won’t need any
mortal weighing us down.  We’ll set her loose to go on with her
silly little life.  We will rule the night.  We can have anyone, anything
we want.”
He pulls my head toward his jugular, shallowly laughing.
I whisper.  His ear is right below my mouth.
“I promised you immortality.”
He relaxes into full body smile.
“That promise was voided when you attacked my real friend.”
I insure the end of his possibility of immortality, or continued mortality.