The Dreadful Nightmare of Snow White

by Scarlet Danae

  The Lord bristled with anger. A network sprang out of the spider’s mouth and this captivated me, straightaway. Then, I felt my body being crossed by an electric shock, which burnt every inch of my skin making my bones vibrate like strings out of tune.

  «You need to learn the good manners!», The Lord said as he listened to my screams in the same way he would have given his ears to a pleasing song.

  Suddenly, the shocks came to an end. My ears whistled in a fitful crescendo of pain. And as I mumbled and complained, I pushed my gaze beyond the net, beyond the smoky clouds that flowed, rapidly, in a sky mottled with golden strands. But it wasn’t the clouds that flowed rapidly, it was me. Shortly after, the lead grey light had been replaced by the darkness and I, for my part, I felt as if something had just guzzled me.

  «What’s goin’ on?», I asked after I recovered my consciousness.

  «The spider sucked us in!», Cogito explained. He was worried sick.

  I realised to be inside the robot when I heard some mechanical squeakings resounding in my head; the noise was so aching that I seemed to have two punching bags in place of my eardrums, and that somebody was beating them unceasingly.

  I tried to escape the net, but I got caught on with my fingers and hair, while my whole body glided away from a side to another of that hollowed-out prison.

  «Damn!», I ground my teeth, hurling the net away when I managed to free myself. I placed my hands onto a wall: another time, I had been imprisoned; another time, I had been panic-stricken. «Help! Lemme get out!», I shouted loud, Darknight! Let me get outta ‘ere!»

  A sudden movement of the spider, a sharpened and whipping sound, then I rolled away against a wall. «I gotta get out!»

  That narrowed place was chocking me; that caustic and rusty smell seeped through the mask I had on and ate my nostrils away. I drew the mermaid’s claws and began to hit the walls, the ceiling, every corner of that thing. But I didn’t manage to scratch even one inch of those iron walls. Although, my every hit made threw up in the air an explosion of sparks, enlightening for a bit the coffin where I had been caged. At every movement the spider made, I ended up being tossed away, again and again, from place to place. Stubbornly, I kept on digging with my claws, even though I was aware that I could not flee unless somebody came to rescue me.

  «What the hell is doin’ dat idiot, there? He must get me outta ‘ere!»

  «Calm down!», Cogito tried to be helpful.

  «I don’t want to calm down!» I shouted at the top of my lungs.

  I felt like smothering. That place reminded me of the basement where, repeatedly, I had my innocence trampled on, in the dark, by the shadows that would touch me, licking me, violating me, while the echoes of HER laughters resounded consuming remnants of dignity within me.

  I wanted to puke.

  I wanted to beat me up so hard, over and over again, until I’d lose my senses. But then, for the umpteenth time, and when the spider suddenly moved, I found myself with my legs up in the air. Amidst those ringing, robotic, noises I heard a feeble crack-sound and a glimmer of light cut the darkness in two. Accidentally, a hasty action carried out by the spider had opened a small passage among the plates. Overhead, I could see the Lord sitting with his back turned, as he bustled about the control board. My blood boiled in my veins; I felt them swelling as if they had taken a long deep breath. Before I could even realise, I had roared like a beast. I put my claws through the gap. I pushed violently, with all the rage within me, and, in the end, I managed to reach for the cab.

  I crumpled upon the Lord and aimed the claws at his throat.

  «Stop it! Bastard! Stop this thing!», I yelled. «Stop this fuckin’ thin’ or I’ll cut your throat!»

  «Alright! Alright!», he whined: he understood I would be able to kill him. With the claws I bordered his jugular vein and a drop of blood poured slowly down his neck.

  Terrified, he pulled down a lever and the spider stopped moving in seconds. Everything hushed, but that silence did not last for long: I barely had enough time to catch sight of a dark shape beyond the glass, that a crystals’ rainfall suddenly hit both of us; a blade had penetrated the cab and had stabbed the Lord, whose blood was now erupting out of his body like firework.

  Darknight grabbed me from my hips, dragged me out of the cabin and pulled me toward him without giving me the time to object. We found ourselves hanging over the town, and I was so scared that I began to scream. I couldn’t help but holding tight onto him. I looked up and noticed he had grabbed on to one of those ropes from the funicular railway within the Town; a kind of public transport that kept the city connected. Thereafter, Darknight jumped on the roof of the cabin and held me down. He shielded me with his body, as some guards were firing against us. He looked around searching for something, while I was still digging out from the big hit I had received. Unfortunately, he grabbed me another time and once more we flew over the city until he threw me against another vehicle.

  I understood his haste the moment I posed my eyes onto the next cabin, right before us, which blew up in a deafening explosion.

  A curse ran out of my mouth.

  «When I tell you to, you have to let it go!»

  «What!?»

  «Now!», he shouted and then released the grip.

  I did the same, but I didn’t know, actually, the reason why I had to trust him; if I could do it or less. But I had no choice.

  A shooting pain seemed to crack my backbone in two as we reached for another cabin, whereas the one we left were blowing up as many others before. Darknight pulled me up, with no elegance nor care, but held me close to him. And as I prayed for God to put that torture to its end, we jumped again. I felt queasy.

  «You’re freakin’ mad!», I shouted.

  He looked at me in the eyes and — I don’t know how — I sensed he was giving me a half smile from beneath the mask — a smile I can’t decode, even today. We jumped again and then we landed on the large foliage of a tree which cushioned our fall and made us slip down the barren ground. Considering our starting-point that was a luxury to me.

  The City of Mercenaries was now very far from us; it appeared just a misshapen shadow in the fog. A sentry-android flew buzzing across the sky. They were following us closely. Darknight kept me hidden in the dim light. He enjoined me to hush up and pressed a hand against my mouth, while enclosing vigorously my stomach with an arm. When the whirring robot was out of the way, the man left my hand and I rapidly drifted apart.

  «You’re craz…», I did not end the question since I bent forward and threw up.

  «Hell, no! Not again!», Cogito whined, disgusted.

  «Shu…», I spewed up again.

  «Cogito, is that really her?», asked the man crossing his arms.

  Cogito confirmed in a sigh. So, I turned to Darknight and asked him how he could hear the Dectorade speaking.

  «Cogito gave me his assent.», he explained.

  «Shouldn’t be me the one who gives assents?», I grumbled.

  «I’m not like the other Dectorades around, darling. I have my own free will and I can make decisions for myself!»

  «Of course, you can! Like that relaxing program and stuff, right?»

  «Anyways!», Darknight cut it short. « We don’t have time for such witless squabbles. We would do better find a hiding place. They're still looking for us», he said clearing up the situation.

  I agreed with a frown. «Okay. Let’s hear, where would you go?»

  «I don’t know yet».

  «Why the hell I’ve saved you, then?», I shouted panicking. «That deer told me you were my only chance of survival!»

  «I used to be Snow White’s keeper, not her strategist!», he specified. «The caretaker, The Deer — as you named it — told you to come and save me so that I can have your back! You wouldn’t survive a minute if you were assaulted!»

  «So, you mean to tell that he’s not a deer?»

  «Of all the things I’ve said you just focused on that part?»
<
br />   «You skipped the answer. Would you deny that the guardian is a deer?»

  «No way! Yes, he’s a…»

  «So, why point out the fact I called him “deer” instead of “guardian”?»

  «What’s wrong with you? Do you have something like victim-complex? Or... You’re just complexed?»

  «I’d say both! And, in case you're wondering, I’m also paranoid, bipolar and even a psychotic! However, you haven’t answered my question yet. Why did you have to point it out?»

  «Good Lord! Snow White would have never, ever…»

  «I’m not Snow White!», I stated smiling. «I’m not her. I’m Bianca an’ I can’t bear people that dwell on stupid things as, for example, the fact I said deer instead of guardian! Such things really tick me off!»

  «You, yourself, have focused on the dumbest part of my speech, instead of the most important one!»

  «Because I can do this whereas the rest of you can’t!»

  Darknight could not take I anymore. «Fine! Then, I would say that it was not a pleasure to meet you. I thank you for saving me, but I think our ways will part from now on!», he said, drawing a step back.

  «Darknight, wait! Please!», Cogito begged him.

  «Cogito! This freak is creaked! She's defective. She has something going wrong with her brain, bring her back to the deer!», Darknight said.

  «Ah-ah!», I laughed pointing at him. «even you called him “deer” in the end!».

  «Honestly, Cogito, she’s too childish!», he added. «I’m leaving, and you would better take my advice».

  «Do you think she would ever allow anyone to bring her back to the guardian? Have you seen her?», Cogito whined.

  «Hey! Whose side are you on?», I asked.

  «On the side of both reason and rationality.», he replied.

  «I’m leaving. I’m sorry, Cogito», said Darknight and then he set forth.

  «Look what have you done!», Cogito scolded me. «When Darknight forms an opinion on someone there is no way to make him change his mind!»

  Suddenly, I realised without Darknight I was lost.

  «Hey! D’you wanna leave? You were Snow White’s keeper, weren’t you? So, what you’re gonna do, uh?», I tried to dissuade him.

  «It came out from your lips: you’re not Snow White. I have no reason to protect you», he stated looking at me with haughtiness.

  «Aren’t you a Prince, Darknight? Would you ever leave a Lady alone and in distress?», I argued.

  «A Lady? You?», he twisted an eyebrow, and then he faked a forced laugh, it sounded laconic and unmistakeably offensive.

  The blood boiled so much within my brain, that I began to stammer nonsense curses against him. «I was wrong! You ain’t sexy at all. You ain’t… you ain’t…»

  «I don’t know what you mean when you say “sexy”. Stop saying such cryptic words!», he said partially closing his eye.

  «In my “real world” these cryptic words belong to the ordinary speech!», I yelled. «And I don’t care a shit if you don’t get my speech! Just try to understand!»

  «Stop squawking!», he growled, and he looked annoyed.

  I made a dent in his solid shield.

  I took him by the collar of his clothes and pulled him towards me.

  «Hey! Don’t piss me off!», I threatened him, angrily.

  «How could I? I can’t even understand your language! If you wish to speak with me, you’d better try to be clear. Speak properly!», he twisted an eyebrow haughtily. «You know? You should wear an armour. I bet that would look nice on you, at least», he laughed at me.

  At that moment, my anger was such that I head-butted Darknight. And I did it as hard as I could. We both bent down, holding tight our heads.

  «S-seen?», I tried to laugh but I just managed to growl out of my mouth some wails of pain.

  «I’ve had enough!», he bursted out shouting, and then he set forth again.

  «Hey! Hey! Hey!», I called him and, keeping up my robe, I ran after him. «Hey!», I shouted indignantly. «Come back!»

  «Forget about it!», he muttered.

  «What about these, then?» I said in a sneer, showing him the little back with the stolen coins. The sack had fallen from his pocket during our fight.

  Darknight turned with his eyes wide open, and then he tapped on his pants’ pockets.

  «Are you even a thief, now?», he despised me with a grimace of disgust, such that, for a second, I really felt guilty for my action.

  «Look who’s talking! Haven’t you stolen the bag from the guard’s body?», I mocked him.

  «He was dead! What was he supposed to do with it?», he tried to justify. «On the contrary, you have stolen the bag from me!»

  «You dropped it!», I frowned.

  «Really? Okay. Thank you for picking it up, now give that sack…», he replied arrogantly stretching his arm.

  «You, sick son of a bitch! You bastard! You mid-eyed!» — I thought as I stared at his pushed-out hand. But I decided not to turn my thought into a sounding sentence. I only said to him I would have kept the bag with coins with me. «You lost the sack, after all, and I found it. So, it’s mine from now on», I spoke with my hands onto my hips.

  «Don’t make me lose my temper!», he stretched his arm the more, and moved his fingers urging me to return him the little bag.

  «Uhm, sorry. Can’t read your name on it», my plan was working. «I will give you this sack along with the money within, if you’ll be my keeper. You’ll be paid. If you don’t want to protect me for you’re not loyal to me, then, I’m paying you to. A fair trade».

  «Bianca, I don’t think that…» Cogito stammered, but I hushed him up.

  «Well, at first protecting you was my intention but then I saw you misbehaving and my answer is: no. What’s more is that I’m not under any obligation to you. Now, return me my coins or I’ll be forced to take them for myself», he lost his patience.

  «Would you ever beat up a woman?»

  «One should reconsider the concept of woman if referred to you».

  I ground my teeth, I had such a high pressure that I felt like burning inside. «What if I swallow every, single, coin?»

  «I wouldn’t have any scruples to open up your stomach and then take away the coins with me».

  There was such a earnestness in his eye, that I ate my last words.

  «Oh, God! What a violence!», I twisted my nose. «Listen! I know we got off on the wrong boot!»

  He looked at me disappointed. «I don’t not understand what kind of pertinence this last sentence has with the whole discussion. Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes?

  I blinked my eyes, confusedly.

  «What?»

  «I don’t think there’s a right boot or a wrong boot to get off with. I mean, it’s all the same! The one thing that matters is to get off and walk. Anyway, all this still does not have any bearing with our conversation»

  I was impressed; I couldn’t find any relevance between my assertion and his answer. Until, I remembered I was far away from home and there, in that place, no one caught my idioms.

  «Listen! This is just a figure of speech, d’you understand?», I tried to smile. «In my world, we use this sentence when a relationship has a bad start. Do-you-understand?»

  «And why you do that? What’s the association between the act of “getting off” and the birth, whether it’s positive or negative, of a relationship?»

  «I don’t know! Okay? I-don’t-know!», I screamed hysterically. «And I don’t give a shit! Shall we start a debate on it?»

  «Why do you always say this word: “shit”? And why should you give it?», he asked me. His voice sounded a bit annoyed.

  «Okay. Pass it over!», I told him seriously. «Let’s talk about us. Let’s stop teasing each other and try to get along».

  «I’m in. Let’s start with you returning my money!», he moved a step towards me.

  «Promise me you won’t leave». I brought the sack onto my chest.


  «Personally, you can go lost in the land of Cockaigne!». He said.

  Darknight walked forward visibly pissed off, whereas I ran hiding behind a tree.

  «I suppose the place where you suggested me to go lost, must not be a funny place! So, you know what? You’re not a kind person, not even a bit!», I shouted as I peeped in from a side to another of the tree’s log.

  «You know what? I never meant to be “kind” with such a shrew like you are! Give me my money back and go to be eaten by the beasts in the wood!», he said with a voice that surprisingly sounded stentorian.

  He tried to catch me, but I moved aside changing place with him. We kept on doing this for a while, turning around the huge, mechanical, tree.

  I was so enraged that I growled: «I’m gonna shove these coins directly up in your...»

  «Pardon?», he stopped short.

  I cleared my throat. «Pass it over!»

  «If you don’t return the money, I swear it will be on you that I will pass over!», he threw himself against me.

  I screeched running away. «Okay! Okay! I’m so sorry to have you threatened to give yourself an enema with these coins! Forget it!», and then I fled, jumping around with my gown lifted up.

  «What? I didn’t even understand that! You gave yourself away! Come here!», he grabbed me for a sleeve which got ripped when I yanked me violently.

  I jumped onto a tree branch and climbed it quickly. I had done it many times before, when I didn’t want to be discovered by my stepmother. Although, I failed each time.

  «Ah!», Darknight sneered. «I knew you were a sort of a troll!» and after that, he threw the sleeve he tore on the ground.

  «Know that you’re in my power, now!», said I.

  «I told you that this wouldn’t be a good idea!», Cogito remarked, and I hushed him once again.

  «You sure?», asked Darknight, from below. Then he brought his hands onto his hips and gave me a challenging stare.

  «Of course! You can’t climb, can you?», I sniggered. «This tree is so arid and old that it would never support your weight! Fat-knight!»

  «Fat-knight? Oh, okay. Just to you know, I’m in no rush. So, I’ll stay. You’ll end up starving up there, and I’ll be down here enjoying your death. I’ll have my money, sooner or later.», he smiled mischievously.