A/N: The second part of this Dragonball Z parody of "The Monkey's Paw" by
W.W. Jacobs. I don't own DBZ or "The Monkey's Paw".
Chapter 2 - Wishes
Bulma sat before the fire, reading a book. No one was home yet. Bulla should have been back by now, she realized. Her eyes continued to scan over the same line. Her eyes flicked up to the hearth, then back down. Up, then down. Up, then down. She sighed and got up.
Vegeta was home, at least. She opened the door for him, but there were no smiles for today. They both watched the tail discreetly throughout the evening until a knock on their door disturbed their respite.
A small, slender girl stood on the doorstep. Bulma recognized her as one of Bulla's friends. "Oh, hello Alice," Bulma greeted her warmly. Then she looked around. "Did you see Bulla? Did she come with you?"
Alice's shoulders shuddered. "I-I came to tell you something, ma'am." Bulma's sixth sense was tingling. She knew in her bones that something was seriously wrong. "You see--Bulla and I were at the mill, getting ready to go home." Vegeta, shaken out of his stupor, fixed the girl with a rigid, constricted gaze. "She turned to go with me out the door and-and...her hair got caught in the machine." Tears began to drip down the girl's face.
Vegeta got up swiftly, grasping the girl by the shoulders. "What happened?"
She looked into his eyes, her own large with hurt. She shuddered again and said, rather bluntly, "Her-her scalp was torn off. Her funeral is being held whenever you consent." Her lips trembled as Bulma gasped. Vegeta made a small noise, shaking his head, his eyes disbelieving. "If it's any comfort to you...the millworkers are giving you a death consolation." Bulma's eyes went wide. She grasped Vegeta for support as the girl took a piece of paper from her pocket.
"Here's a check. Tw-two hundred dollars."
When Trunks returned, he found a broken household and family. Bulma was numb, Vegeta silent, Bulla absent.
He entered tentatively. "Mom? Dad? What's wrong? Where's Bulla?"
At hearing Bulla's name, Bulma burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing as Vegeta put a hand on her shoulder.
"Bulla-" Bulma gasped, tears streaming down her face, voice muffled. "She died this afternoon!"
Trunks let the door swing shut numbly. "What happened?"
"It was that confounded tail!" Vegeta growled suddenly, his gaze shooting up to the Saiyan Tail, which was curled up innocently on the hearth. Bulma's face shot out of her hands.
"That's it, Vegeta! The tail!" she gasped, lunging for it. Vegeta caught her arm, stopping her for a second.
"Mom!" Trunks hissed warningly. "That--thing--is what killed Bulla!"
"What kind of a mother are you?" Vegeta rasped. "Who knows what might go wrong? We don't want her to live in pain for the rest of her life!"
Their words drifted in Bulma's ears and out again. There was a crazed, hysteric gleam in her eye, and her desire allowed herself to wrench out of Vegeta's hold. She grasped the tail as Vegeta gave a yell and Trunks ran forward.
He was too late. She grasped the tail in clutching fingers. "I wish my daughter were back, knocking on this very door!"
The knocking began just as Vegeta reached his wife. She dropped the Saiyan Tail and ran to the door. Trunks intercepted her, hindering her long enough for Vegeta to dive for the hearth. She wrenched out of his grip as Vegeta found his face a scant inch from the hoaring hearth gate.
He rose and wheeled, the Tail in his hands. Bulma reached out--her fingers brushed the doorknob--
"I WISH SHE WERE BACK IN THE GRAVE!"
The knocking stopped abruptly. Bulma froze, the tears running down her face, her hands brushing the doorknob. Trunks stared at her, then at his father, who's gaze was locked on his shocked wife.
She wrenched the door open, and screamed into the blizzard. "Bulla! Bulla! Bulla, please, please come back!" Then she fell back from the door, sobbing, in Trunks' arms. Vegeta, dropping the Tail, took her up.
"It was for the best, Bulma. You know that."
The Saiyan Tail gave another twitch, then, writhing, turned into ash on the floor. And so the story ends, a motionless tableau. So one finds the curse of avarice and the price one pays for greed.
Chapter 2 - Wishes
Bulma sat before the fire, reading a book. No one was home yet. Bulla should have been back by now, she realized. Her eyes continued to scan over the same line. Her eyes flicked up to the hearth, then back down. Up, then down. Up, then down. She sighed and got up.
Vegeta was home, at least. She opened the door for him, but there were no smiles for today. They both watched the tail discreetly throughout the evening until a knock on their door disturbed their respite.
A small, slender girl stood on the doorstep. Bulma recognized her as one of Bulla's friends. "Oh, hello Alice," Bulma greeted her warmly. Then she looked around. "Did you see Bulla? Did she come with you?"
Alice's shoulders shuddered. "I-I came to tell you something, ma'am." Bulma's sixth sense was tingling. She knew in her bones that something was seriously wrong. "You see--Bulla and I were at the mill, getting ready to go home." Vegeta, shaken out of his stupor, fixed the girl with a rigid, constricted gaze. "She turned to go with me out the door and-and...her hair got caught in the machine." Tears began to drip down the girl's face.
Vegeta got up swiftly, grasping the girl by the shoulders. "What happened?"
She looked into his eyes, her own large with hurt. She shuddered again and said, rather bluntly, "Her-her scalp was torn off. Her funeral is being held whenever you consent." Her lips trembled as Bulma gasped. Vegeta made a small noise, shaking his head, his eyes disbelieving. "If it's any comfort to you...the millworkers are giving you a death consolation." Bulma's eyes went wide. She grasped Vegeta for support as the girl took a piece of paper from her pocket.
"Here's a check. Tw-two hundred dollars."
When Trunks returned, he found a broken household and family. Bulma was numb, Vegeta silent, Bulla absent.
He entered tentatively. "Mom? Dad? What's wrong? Where's Bulla?"
At hearing Bulla's name, Bulma burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing as Vegeta put a hand on her shoulder.
"Bulla-" Bulma gasped, tears streaming down her face, voice muffled. "She died this afternoon!"
Trunks let the door swing shut numbly. "What happened?"
"It was that confounded tail!" Vegeta growled suddenly, his gaze shooting up to the Saiyan Tail, which was curled up innocently on the hearth. Bulma's face shot out of her hands.
"That's it, Vegeta! The tail!" she gasped, lunging for it. Vegeta caught her arm, stopping her for a second.
"Mom!" Trunks hissed warningly. "That--thing--is what killed Bulla!"
"What kind of a mother are you?" Vegeta rasped. "Who knows what might go wrong? We don't want her to live in pain for the rest of her life!"
Their words drifted in Bulma's ears and out again. There was a crazed, hysteric gleam in her eye, and her desire allowed herself to wrench out of Vegeta's hold. She grasped the tail as Vegeta gave a yell and Trunks ran forward.
He was too late. She grasped the tail in clutching fingers. "I wish my daughter were back, knocking on this very door!"
The knocking began just as Vegeta reached his wife. She dropped the Saiyan Tail and ran to the door. Trunks intercepted her, hindering her long enough for Vegeta to dive for the hearth. She wrenched out of his grip as Vegeta found his face a scant inch from the hoaring hearth gate.
He rose and wheeled, the Tail in his hands. Bulma reached out--her fingers brushed the doorknob--
"I WISH SHE WERE BACK IN THE GRAVE!"
The knocking stopped abruptly. Bulma froze, the tears running down her face, her hands brushing the doorknob. Trunks stared at her, then at his father, who's gaze was locked on his shocked wife.
She wrenched the door open, and screamed into the blizzard. "Bulla! Bulla! Bulla, please, please come back!" Then she fell back from the door, sobbing, in Trunks' arms. Vegeta, dropping the Tail, took her up.
"It was for the best, Bulma. You know that."
The Saiyan Tail gave another twitch, then, writhing, turned into ash on the floor. And so the story ends, a motionless tableau. So one finds the curse of avarice and the price one pays for greed.