Edward woke sad. Just like always. And, lately, the dreams of memories. He hated that girl who had done this to him. He hated the scientist, too. They had both made him love and then left his life forever, cruelly.
It was a habit now, not an addiction, he told himself. The wood shavings flew. Why shouldn't the tree die? So many other things did. The splinters sometimes got in his eyes. Many years he had waited, and now, he was tired. This one was a carving of her. He had dine so many over the years, it was easy now. He sliced her head off.
The doorbell rang. It never did that, exept when some stupid kid worked up the courage on halloween to come up the hill and smash at the door. Last year he had cut the plants in the shape of horrible monsters, and dressed up in one of the halloween costumes the inventor used to make. They looked very real, and the suburbian kids were easy to fool. A few years ago he had actually thought about coming down in one, but then, Kim.
He peeked his head out the hole in the celing. A sad looking woman waited outside. SHe looked up, but he ducked his head in just in time. She rang the doorbell one more time.
"Kim told me about you," she shouted when he didn't answer. "You can't hide forever." No reply. "Look, you don't have to come down if you don't want to. I just though you'd like to say goodbye-" her words choked off to a sop. "People die, you know. You may be immortal, but don't tell me you can't feel! Kim said-" She sobbed again. "Kim said you loved her!"
He stuck his head out of the window again. "Here." He said, nonchalantly as he dropped the head out the window, watching it bounce.
"SHE'S DEAD!" He heard the woman shriek, peircing his sensitive ears. "SHE WANTED YOU AT THE FUNERAL! GOOD BYE!"
So that was Kim's spawn. What stupid fool had been married to HER? He yawned and settled back into bed.
Today the inventor had assembled his chest. The skin on his head had long been grafted on, which was kind of attached to his hair. He smiled, having uttered a recitation, words never came easy to him. The mirror remained, and he was glad. Even with the chip, words didn't come easy to him. He wiggled around his neck in sheer delight. The mirror remained. He looked more human every day. His vocabulary was expanding rapidly. The thing he wanted most... hands. He had seen his father use them to create. They were useful for so many things.
The night was cold and stormy. On days like this he went to the ground floor and started a fire. This night with his artwork. It made him happy to see the wood burned easy. Indistincly he heard voices. Yelling. A lound sound, like a gunshot. Why did they always have to bother him? The costume again. He had a second though. Maybe if they saw him for what he was...
He opened the latch to find a small form huddled there. Lying, wrapped up in a blanket. Even with the firelight he could see. Young. Injured.
Using the dull edges of his hands, he managed to pick the figure up and get them into the house.
The fire cackled at them, the wooden body was taking a long time now.
This person was probabally dead as well. And why not? She was a bit older than than Kim was, probabally a college student. He managed to wrap her in a blanket.
It was a habit now, not an addiction, he told himself. The wood shavings flew. Why shouldn't the tree die? So many other things did. The splinters sometimes got in his eyes. Many years he had waited, and now, he was tired. This one was a carving of her. He had dine so many over the years, it was easy now. He sliced her head off.
The doorbell rang. It never did that, exept when some stupid kid worked up the courage on halloween to come up the hill and smash at the door. Last year he had cut the plants in the shape of horrible monsters, and dressed up in one of the halloween costumes the inventor used to make. They looked very real, and the suburbian kids were easy to fool. A few years ago he had actually thought about coming down in one, but then, Kim.
He peeked his head out the hole in the celing. A sad looking woman waited outside. SHe looked up, but he ducked his head in just in time. She rang the doorbell one more time.
"Kim told me about you," she shouted when he didn't answer. "You can't hide forever." No reply. "Look, you don't have to come down if you don't want to. I just though you'd like to say goodbye-" her words choked off to a sop. "People die, you know. You may be immortal, but don't tell me you can't feel! Kim said-" She sobbed again. "Kim said you loved her!"
He stuck his head out of the window again. "Here." He said, nonchalantly as he dropped the head out the window, watching it bounce.
"SHE'S DEAD!" He heard the woman shriek, peircing his sensitive ears. "SHE WANTED YOU AT THE FUNERAL! GOOD BYE!"
So that was Kim's spawn. What stupid fool had been married to HER? He yawned and settled back into bed.
Today the inventor had assembled his chest. The skin on his head had long been grafted on, which was kind of attached to his hair. He smiled, having uttered a recitation, words never came easy to him. The mirror remained, and he was glad. Even with the chip, words didn't come easy to him. He wiggled around his neck in sheer delight. The mirror remained. He looked more human every day. His vocabulary was expanding rapidly. The thing he wanted most... hands. He had seen his father use them to create. They were useful for so many things.
The night was cold and stormy. On days like this he went to the ground floor and started a fire. This night with his artwork. It made him happy to see the wood burned easy. Indistincly he heard voices. Yelling. A lound sound, like a gunshot. Why did they always have to bother him? The costume again. He had a second though. Maybe if they saw him for what he was...
He opened the latch to find a small form huddled there. Lying, wrapped up in a blanket. Even with the firelight he could see. Young. Injured.
Using the dull edges of his hands, he managed to pick the figure up and get them into the house.
The fire cackled at them, the wooden body was taking a long time now.
This person was probabally dead as well. And why not? She was a bit older than than Kim was, probabally a college student. He managed to wrap her in a blanket.