The Watchers
She comes round to flat. She goes up to down. She discovers what hasn’t appeared, only changed. Alive before, not now. She perceives its loss of vitality. We thought she might, but we weren’t sure. Although the fat-on-boneses retain a crude instinct, evolution has vanquished their finer intelligence. Moral: do not evolve.
She turns off the TV, pity, it was nearly time for The Weakest Link. We like Anne Robinson. We’ve set up a circuit, enabling each one to regard without moving from her position-of-advantage. Next door might fling us a line, one suggests, and the same unit is dispatched to negotiate. She returns saying they want half a daddy. Outrageous. We meet in council, but vote against going to war. Now isn’t the best time.
The fat-on-bones calls other fat-on-boneses, to throng and seethe below. They agree she’s dead and it’s a mercy. They conjecture she must have (died in her sleep) and she can’t have (suffered). We observed, so we know. And we don’t care. You are the weakest link, goodbye.
This flat’s in a disgusting state, the fat-on-bones says. Just look at all those spiders’ webs. I’ll get them with the vacuum cleaner.
Brilliant, Frances! Chilling and funny but mostly just skin-crawlingly creepy. Spiders! I’ve been scared of them ever since Sarah Jane Smith got that giant one on her back in Dr Who. I love the “throng and seethe”. Excellent ending, too. I wouldn’t want to change that Hoover bag.
Comment by Sarah Hilary — June 10, 2008 @ 2:10 pm
Thank you very much, Sarah! I wouldn’t want to be INSIDE that Hoover bag, either!!!
Comment by Frances — June 10, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Very spooky, Frances. I love spider inpired writing and this is one of my favourites.
In fact, I believe several spiders are watching me now :¬)
Comment by Bill West — June 10, 2008 @ 5:20 pm
Thank you, Bill! You and Crowspark Jr figured out those spiders a long time before everyone else…
Comment by Frances — June 10, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
Gosh, unsettling is the least effect! More of this Horror please.
Cheers
Mark
Comment by mark dalligan — June 10, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
Thank you, Mark!
Comment by Frances — June 10, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
A very different and surreal piece, Frances. Nice.
Comment by Oonah V Joslin — June 10, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
Thanks, Oonah!
Comment by Frances — June 11, 2008 @ 2:17 am
Lovely jubbly. Creepy. Strange because I love spiders.
Jennifer
Comment by jennifer walmsley — June 11, 2008 @ 10:10 am