13 Bites Volume I (13 Bites Anthology Series)

by Lynne Cantwell

  Her reading is dedicated to the worlds within Fantasy Adventure, Urban Fantasy and Historical English Crime. Occasionally she turns to English Classics with Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters being favourites.

  By day she sells antique & vintage items. By night she is busy creating and writing towards her new Fantasy series set in the Aarabassa World.

  WHEN IS A NURSERY RHYME NOT A NURSERY RHYME?

  Catherine L. Vickers

  WHEN IS A NURSERY RHYME NOT A NURSERY RHYME? WHEN IT’S REAL.

  Amanda is an ordinary girl living an ordinary life of going to work, traveling home, living with her mother and putting up with her drunken stepfather. Whilst this life isn’t about to change any time soon, something swaps her life around. Those who you think you can trust are not always what they seem to be.

  LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

  The bus was full to the brim. Everyone sat or stood in their places shaking off the rain and shivering. The only noise was the occasional ring of the stop bell piercing the damp grey silence. All heads were turned down, just as Amanda’s was.

  Playing an electronic game on her mobile phone and listening to Bob Dylan on her headphones, she was content with the world. Though the journey was long and laborious after a taxing day at her job, it was familiar. Finally, she pressed the bell with relief that her stop had at last arrived. Standing up, she did the usual shuffling and shoving through the throng of unseated people. Instantly her seat was taken up, but she didn’t mind; her turn on this journey was over.

  She waited in the small line of people disembarking. Behind her stood a scruffy looking man, with a sort of deranged expression. Quickly Amanda averted her eyes; she didn’t want to stare at someone so crazy looking.

  Oh, my God, his clothes are so baggy. He’s all sweaty and his hair is mucky and greasy and his eyes, so wide, I think he’s drunk or stoned. Don’t look, don’t look and he won’t notice me.

  The drumming of the engine stopped and the bus doors opened with a swishing noise. At the front of the line was an elderly lady with a huge, slavering dog.

  God knows how she manages to keep that vicious looking thing under control — it’s nearly as big as her. C’mon, hurry up. I want to get away from this freak behind me.

  The kindly, elderly woman thanked the driver for such a smooth ride, twittering that her Maximus slept all the way and she didn’t feel one bump.

  Yeah, yeah, just get moving, will you? This guy is getting closer to me. Oh, God — I’m sure he just touched my back. C’mon, old woman, move it.

  The driver wasn’t used to receiving compliments, so he made a fuss over the dog and smiled appreciatively at the elderly owner. He thanked her for her time and for her politeness, saying that none of his other passengers ever even noticed him, and he was grateful for her praises, and he hoped she would travel with him again... blah blah blah.

  At last they were moving. The dog had become restless and tugged the old woman off the bus. Amanda gave the driver a stare that said, ‘How dare you hold us all up’ and quickly jumped off the bus so that she could put some distance between herself and the drug addict behind her.

  Okay, so it wasn’t his fault he looked so horrible, but if he just washed his hair it might help.

  Once off the bus, she breathed in the sharp, cold air of the chilly evening. As she exhaled, a white cloud of steam puffed from her lips. Chilly, cold night. At least now she was able to step back into her normal routine and think about her boring life. She wondered if her Mum would be home yet.

  Bet I’ll have to cook my own tea again. That drunken husband of hers will have his dinner on the table for when he gets home, but not me, oh no. She cares more about him than she does me. I’m just a nobody.

  What was that, dear? a voice said in her head.

  Whaaaa... what the heck was that? she thought.

  Yes, dear, that’s what I asked; did you say you’re a nobody?

  Amanda stopped in her tracks and looked around. Thankfully, there was no stalker there. She decided she must be tired. Her feet ached, so she’d better get a move on and get home. Quickening her pace down the long, dark shadowed street, she set off again. The yellowed street lights seemed to shadow all the looming trees. Every evening during the winter months, she found herself hating this walk. She imagined serial killers sat in every darkened, parked car along the way. Every bush hid a madman. Yet every night she arrived safely home just so she could get up for work and do it all again the next day.

  Hang on. Someone IS following me. CRAP. I bet it’s that smelly man with the weird eyes. Oh, my God, I’m going to die. Maybe I should run? No, then he’ll know that I know he’s there. What? Who the hell cares if he knows? SHIT. RUN! It doesn’t matter, just run ordinarily then it’ll just be like I’m in a rush. I don’t have to run like a maniac — I could just speed up my walk a bit. Get some distance between me and whoever’s there. OH, CRAP, oh, crap! I’m going to die. I’m going to be murdered by an axe man. He’s going to rape me, chop me up. SHIT, what do I do? MUM, oh Mum! I want to get home.

  Amanda walked at a stealthy pace so as not to arouse any suspicion, should whoever was following her simply be a nobody. Maybe there wasn’t even anyone there, and her own instincts were just playing ‘booh’.

  Behind her, a loud bang echoed in her ears.

  Oh, hell, he’s got his axe out and he’s using it on people’s cars, just to show me how sharp it is.

  ‘Oh, my dear, can you help me?’ A quivery voice called out.

  Should she stop? Should she look? CRAP, CRAP, CRAP. She slowed her jogging pace and quickly turned around so she would have to face whoever it was. SHIT, I don’t want to see him. I’m scared. I’m so fucking scared.

  ‘I’m sorry, dear, but I’ve fallen down and I can’t get up on my own,’ the elderly lady seemed to screech in a pained voice.

  Amanda realised that she had just made up a whole load of imaginary shit. Here was a little old woman, hurt on the path. She rushed back in her tracks to help the woman up.

  ‘I’ve hurt my foot, you see, dear.’ The woman looked near to tears. ‘I’m not too steady on my feet. I think you’re going to have to help me. Do you live near?’

  ‘Actually, I’ve not got far to go now. What about your dog? Where is it?’

  ‘Oh, he’ll be way in front,’ she replied.

  Amanda turned to find the dog, but couldn’t see it anywhere. She turned back to help the lady, but somehow she had managed to get upright without any help.

  ‘Can you give an old lady a cup of tea, dear? I’m sure your mum would approve.’

  ‘Of course I can. Please, let me help you to get there.’ Amanda smiled at herself, wondering what all the fuss was that she’d made. Besides, there were two of them now, so she should be safer.

  Crossing a small slip road, they walked together arm in arm. The old lady could move fairly quickly, considering she’d hurt her ankle. Leaving the road, they followed a footpath leading down a small slope. Darkened houses were just to their right, and a grassy embankment sloped up towards a tall wall at their left. A few lights were lit up behind curtained windows. The street lights didn’t give off much glow in this street because the neighbours complained that they shone through their windows on a night time.

  Amanda could see the dog now; he sat patiently waiting right outside her front door.

  ‘Hey, how did your dog know where I live?’ she asked, laughing.

  ‘Oh, he will have sensed your smell, dear. Dogs are very clever. Now get your keys out, so I can rest my legs. Time’s running out, dear.’

  ‘Should you be somewhere? Can I ring someone for you? Can I do anything to help?’ Amanda asked, wanting to do more than she seemed to be doing already.

  ‘Yes, you can help, stupid girl. Get your fucking door open,’ the woman snapped, and then smiled sweetly as if nothing had happened.

  ‘I know you’re hurting, but you don’t need to shout at me like that. I am trying to help you, you know.’

>   ‘I’m sorry, dear. I really need a new foot. Can we enter your home?’

  Amanda searched for the keys in her bag. She was aware that the dog was salivating. She really didn’t want to let the dog in the house; Mum wouldn’t be too pleased. She’d quickly make this woman a cup of tea and then surely she’d want to get going, wherever.

  Finally getting the door open, she hit the light switch.

  ‘Please, come in and go through the left door to sit down. I’ll go in the kitchen and put the kettle on,’ she suggested.

  The dog followed her into the kitchen. He licked at her legs and she tried to shoo him away.

  Disgusting slaver, she thought. She’d be in great need of a shower once this was over.

  Going through the motions of tea making, plus a coffee for herself, she entered into the Sitting Room to give the old woman her refreshment. The dog seemed to stick to her like a shadow.

  ‘My Mum will be home soon, so I’ll have to put the dog out. She hates dog hairs.’

  ‘Hmmm. I suppose.’ The woman seemed to be about to say something else when Amanda felt a wrenching pain in her foot. She bent down to inspect it. It felt wet and painful.

  ‘What the f...?’ she screamed in a panic. ‘My toe. Something’s happened to my foot.’

  Jumping up off her seat, she tried to stand, but the dog showed its large, yellowed teeth.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, dear,’ the old woman smiled, a sinister twinkle in her dull grey eyes. ‘I really shouldn’t have done that, but I do so enjoy feet. It’s the salt, you know. I love the salt.’

  ‘My Mum’ll be home any minute. Fuck off,’ Amanda screamed nervously, her lips quivering with fear. She felt like she was choking on her own tongue, it seemed so swollen in her dry mouth.

  ‘But you invited us in, so we don’t have to go.’ Clearly, the weird woman wasn’t shifting from her seat. ‘Now then, this is my dog, Maximus. I haven’t had him long. He so loves his new body. When my dog is happy, then I am not.’

  ‘I don’t want to know. My Mum’ll be here soon, so take your shitty dog and get out now, while you can,’ Amanda cried in pain. Tears flowed, wetting her cheeks. Her throat felt sore with the tightness of fear.

  ‘By the time your mother arrives, dear, it will all be over, so don’t worry about that,’ the woman said, but Amanda didn’t want to listen to the words coming out of her evil mouth.

  An elongated black tongue flew towards Amanda’s foot again. Another toe gone. More blood soaking the carpet. More pain. More fear.

  ‘Stop it,’ the girl pleaded. ‘Please. Oh, my God, please!’

  ‘Oh, dear, I don’t think God is listening,’ the woman chuckled, grey eyes wide, rapidly turning black. Teeth sharp and serrated to cut through bone.

  ‘Now then, do listen, dear, to what I’m trying to tell you.’

  She called to the dog who whimpered with his tail between his legs. ‘Maximus here actually likes being a dog. That’s no good to me, you see. So I need a new dog. Besides, he’s far too big for me to drag along, don’t you think?’

  The girl couldn’t speak. Seated on the floor in a pool of her own blood, she sobbed and shook with fear.

  ‘It’s all very easy, my dear. All I want Maximus to do is eat you. That’s why I can’t have too much. Shame, really. I quite liked Maximus because he’s obedient; hasn’t taken much to train him. I made the mistake of dragging him from a miserable human life, so he’s quite content as a dog. Trouble is, I feed from his misery, and he hasn’t got any. So you can understand my dilemma, dear.’

  ‘Oh, my God, I’m going to die,’ Amanda’s hoarse voice cried out. ‘Go away, you bitch, go to hell!’

  ‘Tut, tut,’ the woman mocked her. ‘You can’t use God and Hell both at the same time. Really, dear, what will they think of you if you’re asking for help from them both? The Devil is my friend, anyway. I’d quite like to visit this Hell you humans talk about. Never come across it yet. So, back to where we were. Maximus, my darling, come and have your dinner now.’

  The dog looked like a wolf, ready to gobble up Little Red Riding Hood.

  HUMPTY DUMPTY

  ‘I didn’t want to do it; I wanted to stay just as I was. Should have run away from that silly old bat when I’d had the chance. We’ve not been together that long, but I have to admit I liked being a dog. Now look at me, I’m not even back to what I was. Don’t look at me like that, dude, it wasn’t my fault. She put a bloodlust curse on me.’

  ‘I thought we’d agreed that you wouldn’t let her follow the girl.’ Charlie was clearly disappointed in the outcome of events.

  ‘I don’t know why you’re blaming me. I was under a curse, dude.’

  The boy, that was the dog, was now the girl, Amanda, and not at all enjoying it.

  ‘I feel like I’m gonna forget who I really am if I keep changing at this rate. The worst thing is I enjoyed eating the girl. When that daft old bat started nibbling at the girl’s toes, I tried really hard to fight this weird sensation that I wanted blood, but it was so strong in my brain. The fear from that poor girl’s body ignited something in me, and I didn’t know anything other than the smell of some really good food.

  ‘First I bit into her thigh ‘cos that was a real meaty bit. When she screamed and tried to push me away, her hands were all bloody and I just bit off some of her fingers. Shit, it tasted so fucking good.’

  He stood up and paced the girl’s Sitting Room, wondering where all the blood had gone. Charlie sat on a chair, very calm, listening to his every word.

  ‘It was weird what that old woman was doing. She looked like she was having a fucking orgasm, getting off on that girl being slowly ripped apart. On my part, I couldn’t resist the pull of that fucking curse. Then I ripped into the girl’s stomach and nuzzled in for her innards. Tasted like the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. I lapped up pools of her blood… it was like a really expensive wine. Somehow she just stayed alive. Nothin’ I did would kill her. The old bat was doing her mojo. I ripped this big piece of skin off her ribs so I could get to her heart. You know what, dude? It was still beating. Something kept that poor girl alive so she had to feel everything that I did to her. I’d eaten her liver and most of what was on the inside, but that heart, my god I nearly had an orgasm myself when I started eating that pumping meat. Voodoo stuff was happening, I’m tellin’ yer.

  ‘Then the old bat, she was floating up towards the ceiling and her head just twisted right around so she wouldn’t miss any of the gore I was creating. Man, this room was a bloodbath. Then I had a bit more leg meat. That body just felt like it was a meal on a plate. I thought I must be at a top restaurant picking bones from a joint. A couple of the toes were missing on one of the feet where the old biddy had nicked some of my supper. In the end I went for the throat. She was still moaning. I knew that she was still feeling that pain. The old biddy made sure she felt it all, so she could get herself high as a kite. Then my world just went black.’

  ‘I’m not impressed that you actually enjoyed all that,’ Charlie whispered quietly.

  ‘Look, mate, when you told me I was a dog, I thought you were mad,’ Maximus stated, feeling a little agitated at his comment. ‘I thought you were nuts. Then I started to enjoy the life I had; better than the life I’d left behind. When the old biddy took me, I was in a real mess. High on some drug or other from money I’d stolen. She did me a real big favour. I didn’t want to leave that dog body but I couldn’t help enjoying the feast of that curse.’

  ‘She left with a poodle, Max. What do you think of that?’ Charlie asked.

  ‘Hmm. A poodle, huh?’ Max huffed. ‘Well, at least the girl gets to be a dog. Look at me… I end up being a girl. Can’t say I’m too chuffed with that result. Considering I demolished most of the girl’s body, how come I end up being in it?’

  ‘You ate the heart, so you’ve regenerated,’ Charlie replied, as if Max was supposed to understand that statement.

  The door slammed with a loud enough bang to make the hou
se rattle.

  ‘Is she back?’ Max asked surprised.

  ‘No, it’s the mother arriving home. Remember, you look just like a replica of the girl, so act like your instincts tell you to. I’m going into fizzle mode, so you won’t be able to see me, but I’ll still be here.’

  ‘That’s not bloody fair, Charlie. You get to disappear and I’m left dealing the deck.’

  ‘I think you’ve had your share of fun for today. Now do as I tell you, and everything might be okay to be put back together again.’

  ‘Hah, like Humpty Dumpty, eh?’

  Charlie scowled at the ‘girl’ who now stood before him, genetically the exact match of the poor girl who had stood before him on the bus. He growled to himself because he had arrived too late. That old witch had cast a spell on him that had sent him off in the wrong direction. In his eagerness to try and save the girl, he had followed a ghostly image that the witch had created, leaving the witch free to do her thing. Damn if he didn’t know better; this witch was an old one, and a clever bitch.

  THE UGLY DUCKLING

  Amanda had no idea where she was. She was aware that she wasn’t dead and she was sure that she should be. She was sat down watching some children playing on a small playground, and realised she was on the floor. The sun was trying to escape from behind a large, bleak cloud but it didn’t feel too warm, because she was shivering. At least she knew it was daytime. Remembering the big dog, his teeth ripping at her innards, made her tremor. The pain had been more than she should have been able to take, but somehow she had lived through it. She stood up and tried to walk towards a large oak tree just behind a wooden bench. For some reason she could not move away. Something was tugging at her neck. It was a piece of rope. She followed the rope with her eyes. There she was, that horrible old woman. Where was her big dog?

  A boy approached from the playground and tried to touch her, but his mother shouted at him. ‘No, no, Jack, do not touch dogs,’ the woman scolded her son who was about to stroke a smelly animal and cover his hand in germs.