7 September 2025
Flame licked the hearth and Meron watched them.
Old stone, licked and licked and licked, no moss here. All dead and gone. Licked away.
The warmth feels attractive to Meron and she lays beneath the fire, exposing her belly to gently roast.
She thinks of all the licks of flame she’s seen before. She rolls to her side and puts the back of hand to her forehead.
“Trembles me to think of tumbling thee.” She whispers to herself.
Earlier
YOOSH a branch says as Meron glides past.
YISH another says.
Close and fast enough to sound like Tommy when he’s cutting wood. After a kiss, he’d draw his arms back, Meron would step aside.
He’d swing his arms down, and Meron only a hands length away, would hear YOOSH-CRK.
Meron’s hopes were tied to those strong arms and how they’d swing an axe.
Breathless she comes through to a clearing in the woods. It’s dark but there’s a faint white figure on the other side.
The figure appears to be looking at Meron as she gasps for air.
“Merooooooon” it whispers from behind her. She’s used to that now.
“Come back here you BITCH”.
The figure turns and glides into the brush, disappearing. Meron gives up the chase and squats in the grass, gathering herself.
Earlier
“You don’t get it. I can’t talk to you.” Door slams and Meron sits on the bed.
A big frown on her face doesn’t waver and the racing thoughts in her mind are apparent on it.
She sits puts her head on her hand, mulling.
Tommy can be such a stick sometimes. She can hear him out there banging the pots and pans as he begrudgingly makes dinner.
She won’t be going out there unless he comes in, she can’t keep banging her head against the wall that is him.
Night slowly fades and they haven’t seen each other since arguing. Meron’s been called out for food in a short terse manner, only to find Tommy’s gone to the study to eat.
She gathers her stew in a bowl and brings it back to their room, picking sullenly at the too hot food.
Feeling tired, and despondent due to the inaccessibility of satisfaction, whether that be due to the food or the argument, she lies down and falls into slumber.
Awakening with a lurch, she hears a groan from the other side of the house. There’s a faint, uncomfortable heat in the house. Meron grabs at the bedside and pulls herself up, fingernails scraping at the wood.
She pulls at the knob of her door and flits through. She walks through the kitchen, then braces herself in the middle, listening keenly.
A rustle like leaves she hears, through the door to the study.
She walks to the door and knocks.
“Merroooooooon” – spoken as though from her shoulder. A whisper so faint she can’t believe it happened.
She begins to sweat. She licks her lips and twists the knob to the study, having heard no answer from Tommy.
As she brings a gap open, sweet, hot air flows onto her face.
She lets the door swing fully open, letting the moonlight from the kitchen bring the image of Tommy to bear.
His shirt unbuttoned, asleep on his back. His posture unassuming, but his pants pulled down below his waist leaving the erotic nature of his recent experience to be unquestionable. “Merroooooooon” the wind gusts through a slit in the study window and blows Meron’s heavy plaid skirt. She takes a step back with a tremble. For a moment she sees a pale white figure of a woman sitting on Tommy’s hips.
The woman’s head is turned over her should, to give Meron a ghostly smile.
“Meron.” It says in her ear.
Meron runs at the ghost and attempts a kick at her head, but it’s already at the window, smiling at her still, as it slips away.
Is this why he’s been so tired lately?
Meron pulls at her skirt to free her legs and chases the ghost through the window.
