Star Frog Adventures

I walked into the bar, the heavy thick fog of smoke and liquor drowned my lungs and nostrils, approaching the counter, I sat on the decaying stool, head slumped on the bar. Mike Dawson of Darkseed fame, cleaning a cracked glass, chipped on the handle, looked down at me.

"What'll it be, mac?" He asked me, with his cold, familiar, hateful stare.

"The usual Mike Dawson of Darkseed fame, Rum and Coke, except hol-" He interrupted me abruptly

"Except hold the rum, Slip, I've seen you in here for years, I know your drink"

He poured me the usual; we jabbered on as we always do, I'd tell him of my glory days, fighting Andross, saving the galaxy, having all the glory taken away by Fox, Falco and that old damn rabbit, all those gambling debts from Go-Fish with the big 'Ridders', as his street name was…and Ginger Balls, a memory I try to forget…Mike Dawson of Darkseed fame repeats the same, how Darkseed should've sold more copies, how there will be a kick-starter to revive the franchise anyday now, and how Rita deserved justice. We'd been down this road hundreds of times, and we were doomed to go down it hundreds of a time more, that's just how things are when you're worth less than the drink you're drinking.

As I drowned myself in the 4th sippy cup of coke, I saw her, in the corner in of my beaten eyes, a girl, fair haired, with pale skin, rose cheeks that could make a dead heart warm, and a smile that made my cold skin feel warm, she felt familiar, her aura reminded me of good days, before I practically lived here in the bar.

I slammed my drink on the counter, practically ignoring the continued remorse of Mike Dawson of Darkseed fame, she was putting down the phone attached to the wall, twisting round to bump into me. We both in state of awkward panic, looked around immediately, said sorry, and she went past me, lighting up a cigarette. She fumbled in her pocket, looking for a lighter, I could tell she didn't have one, but was digging anyway, trying not to look desperate. I lit her match, mustering my confidence. Her exotic snout was lighted in the beauty of the cigarette, briefly, before the smoke of the cigarette stole it from me.

"Having trouble?" I blundered out, trying to impress her with a cool wit.

She turned to me and smiled "You know, you're not that awful for a cop"

I looked to the floor, a small blush resided on my cheek

"Even if you are a ginger balls"

Her snout gave me a warm sensation, the glare from her beady, beautiful black eyes, she squealed in a girlish laugh to herself, she seemed charmed by my desperate attempts at coolness.

"Well I've gotta get going" She looked disheartened, like she was being sent to death row. "I'll visit sometime, I know where your apartment is"

I was confused "How do you…?" She started walking out of the bar, just at the door she turned to me, her piggish skin made even more stunning by the flickering light of the bar "My brother mentioned it"

Pigma…Why did you never mention her…

After a few sips more I returned home, climbing once again up the creaky stairs, through the dim hallway, to the crap musty pit that I call home. It was empty, Pigma was nowhere in sight, that made a change, usually at this hour I'd find him buried in a pizza, watching The Golden Girls season 4 on DVD, with the usual sloppy saliva dripping out of his mouth. But he was nowhere to be found, I checked the fridge, there was actually food, something must be going on.

I examined around the apartment, usual musky sense of bacon, a smell of regret and piss and an odour most foul. Nothing seemed too different, and yet the storage food without being gobbled by Pigma, made that most evident. I approached the answer machine, one message, I pressed play.

"Boy, it's me, Comish' Ridley, I need you get down to 7th street immediately Slip, theres been…Well you've gotta see it for yourself, bring fatso…Pigma, with you too, we need you both here"

Unusual, the chief doesn't usually make direct calls, usually he tears off the ceiling and tells me to get to work.

I rushed down to 7th street, the sirens blazed as people could see panicking, something was going on here

Pigma stood there, crying into a Dominos provided handkerchief. The police line was drawn all around an alleyway, Ridley stood there, stunned in silence, he turned around to find me standing by the wall, curious as to the situation, he waved me over, something truly horrifying must've happened to get this much of an reaction.

"Young girl, 24, stab wounds everywhere, and her body was clearly mutilated, this wasn't a normal moi'da, this was a message!"

"What makes you say that chief?"

"Look"

I stared down at the body, as the coroner took away the sheet, I saw her, those beady…beautiful..eyes…Miss Pigma…I couldn't think, not sadness, not anger, just nothing and then I saw the message, written from the blood taken from her insides…it said

'I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want, so tell me what you want, what you really really want, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really really really wanna DEAD TOAD'

To be continued…

Authors note: Mike Dawson of Darkseed fame Mike Dawson of Darkseed fame Mike Dawson of Darkseed fame Mike Dawson of Darkseed fame