Chapter 9. Lonely Love


Shikha and Mog had found a small cave carved into the side of a gully. It was only big enough to house at least three Morlocks. They ventured far until any scent of Morlock completely vanished away. Here the earth was quiet with barely a rustle of a tree. The birds of our time were now gone in theirs. Not a sniff of an animal anyplace, nor any insects to add songs in the nighttime. The whole world seemed to belong to just the two branches of species evolved from man.

"Mog? I keep thinking about all those Eloi we last met." Shikha was laying beside him on the grass, staring up at the moon. "Did you ever do things like that? Whip them around and lead them to their deaths?"

"Of course. Most of us had that chance. Haven't you ever seen their containment center before? Unless they strictly kept you away from there. Your mother probably has."

"No I never found it. I kept asking my mom and she would never tell it even once. I think I probably asked her a million times." Shikha leaned her head against his arm. "I miss her so much. I hope one day I can see her again."

"You will someday," Mog curled his arm over her. "As for the Eloi, they are often inspected as well. Just to see whom is breeding quality or not."

"How?" Shikha asked. "I remember being rejected. Made me feel awful inside. So does that mean I can never have children."

"You can have some if you want. It is your choice you know." Mog informed. "As for breeding, well, we just inspect the children. Sometimes but rarely one might end up being born with certain problems We just cull it. Eat it more less."

Shikha's eyes widened. "Oh why? Can't they live normal lives?"

"I dunno Shikha. It's just been that way for centuries. Besides it's extremely rare. I haven't even seen one nor has my father. Most of the Eloi are very healthy." Mog turned his eyes away. "Let's talk about other things."

"Would you ever cull me? If I had problems?" She couldn't stop now. The answers were just too horrifying to just stop discussing altogether.

"You mean now? No because you are my friend. Besides you are a free Eloi. Nobody is going to eat you and I won't allow it. Should I repeat myself?" He snarled faintly beneath his breath.

"I'm sorry." She silenced herself, not wanting to feed his anger. "You have lost weight."

Mog rubbed his stomach. "Not enough food and so much walking. Never walked such a distance in my life."

"Yes, your tummy flab is almost gone." She stuck a finger right into his belly button. Mog tensed up and brushed her hand away with a chuckle. "Exactly where are we going? We could always stay here."

"You are forgetting one problem. No Eloi equals no food for me. Plus you said you wanted to meet the Traveler. I think it would be interesting to see what this man creature looks like."

"Oh well that's a good point." She rested her blonde head on his stomach. "I bet you there would be no Morlock for miles around him. That should be our tell-tale sign."

"Probably lots of burning too and fucking killing and fucking screaming and fucking Eloi's everywhere feeling almighty." Mog growled. "I know I will feel the temptation to break his neck if I ever had the chance to get close enough. Then this whole crappy future he's trying to build up will end."

"I have this thought that might help." She leaned over towards his face. "Perhaps you should show your gentle side towards him. Show him that not all Morlocks are beasts like he thinks they are. Prove a point."

"Sounds like a plan. It will be hard to do though. I'll just think of very happy memories while greeting his ugly face." Mog writhed his lips. "If his little Eloi followers don't try and snag me first."

"If they dare harm you I will kill them all. I swear to it." Shikha growled back at him.

"No you shouldn't. If in the end I don't make it out alive I want you to just stay with his other Eloi. Even though they are against us at least you don't have to fear being eaten." Mog pleaded. "Promise me this?"

"I don't know if I can." Shikha dropped her eyes. "You already do know how much I love you. It should come no surprise to you that it's deeper then what friends have. I don't know if I could even imagine living."

Mog opened his mouth but couldn't find a right out response to this. "I honestly don't know what you find in me. I kill your kind. I am the nightmare that stalks you in the dark. I am that cruel, heartless beast that you can't comprehend. It is my nature to be so."

"Doubt it all you want. I don't care about what law binds between our kind. I do love you and nothing can change that." Shikha rolled over on the grass. "Don't mind me Mog. I am just feeling foolish yearnings I guess."

"I would never mount you." Mog finally said in a soft tone. "You should find a nice Eloi male. You would have plenty of takers."

Shikha got up off the ground, feeling very hurt by his reply. "The other Eloi have no bonds. They don't love each other. I'm sorry." She drifted back into the cave to go to sleep.

Mog sat up and called after her. "You should stop wandering off when we talk about this. Are you listening to me?"

There was no answer from her. Tired of the same reaction again and again he got up and went in. She was laying there on her blanket with knees tucked to her chin. He kneeled beside her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Quit turning your back on me Shikha. It won't solve any issues you may be having with me." He grunted firmly. "This will just keep repeating over and over again."

"Naturally it will Mog." She whispered back. "Have you ever felt love in your life? If you say no you are lying to me."

"Why do you say that? What do I have to hide Shikha? Nothing!" His grip tightened.

"I know about being a Morlock just as much as a real one does Mog. You think I don't know you. No Morlock, even a friend, would do all this for me," She went on. "I have never seen somebody so close to me as you. The way you touch me. The way you watch me for no apparent reason. The way you speak to me. Why are you so afraid?"

Mog growled deep inside his throat and huffed. "I will not discuss this any further!" He swiveled back around.

"No! You will not turn your back on me either!" Shikha grabbed him around the waist and held on.

Feeling the last of his patience gone, he spun around and roared loudly at her with fully exposed tusks. "Don't tempt me Eloi or you won't live to see morning!"

Shikha stumbled backwards and curled herself up in a ball. Mog could only stand there, shocked at his own negative reaction to her. Why did he say such an awful thing?

"I didn't-" His voice barely audible. "Here's some good advice. Just don't listen to me. " He sat back down and wiped his face. "We are just having it rough lately."

His friend didn't respond, only cowered in the corner as if she was expecting to feel those fangs in her neck any second. He bent over and gave her a rub with the back of his hand. "I would never hurt my only friend in the world. Please smile for me before I tickle you."

Shikha smiled beneath her arms and looked up. "I'm glad to have you as a friend as well." She hopped up and hugged him. "We are such an odd couple."

"Tell me about it." He grunted in laughter. "We'd be the laughingstock of all the other Morlocks. Crack jokes then meal time."

"You'd be the main course." She rubbed her nose against his. "If they care to pick all that hair from their teeth."

Mog grabbed her and rolled over on his back. He poked his nails into her sides to make her laugh and wiggle. She crawled up on his chest and sat with splayed legs.

"I wonder how much farther away this Time Traveler lives. Hopefully not too far away." Shikha sighed.

"We don't even know where he is. We are just drifting off where the Morlocks push us." Mog stared up at the ceiling. "We have no plan."

"My mother told me where he was. Well the direction that he is in. I didn't lead ya the right way for nothing." She smiled and started fiddling with the long hair on his arms. "All this makes me think about those songs again. That we sung as kids. It was always fun hearing yourself echo. Let's sing again."

"Eh we all grow out of that sooner or later." He yawned. "I don't think I can really sing anymore. You can though if you want. Eloi would sometimes sing."

"They did? I never heard them sing ever." Shikha perked up. "They must have some joy in them somewhere to sing. Only those who are happy sing."

"I heard them before at night. It's rare though since most of them are very quiet when the sun goes down. It is actually quite lovely to listen to." Mog smiled. "Don't go passing that around."

"I will sing for you." Shikha fell silent for moment then drifted on into a sweet song that she had never heard before. A song of the Eloi so ingrained in her mind. She carried on with it till her voice faded off. "I want to hear another story of our past."

"Hmm perhaps one about how the Eloi became our food." Mog grinned. "Hundreds of thousands of years ago after man had wiped out most of the other creatures we Morlocks only had these creatures called mice and rats to eat. Our food supply grew lower and lower over time. Being great in thinking ahead of time we had remembered our cousins up above. The Eloi then were taller and more intelligent then their later relatives. They also had another feature that made them easy to manipulate, their laziness. Of course there are several different stories on how the Morlocks started to use Eloi as food as there are several different methods.

We became partners with them and helped do their necessities. During the night we would occasionally steal one of them and nobody would know what happened to them. Overtime the Eloi lost all their ability to take care of themselves as they wanted us to do everything. In some ways we were also their slaves. The other creatures we ate originally gone extinct and the Eloi became our food. We shaped them into smaller and finer creatures. The past and the future doesn't exist for them for they do not bother to think of such things. They only like to play and sit around in the grass. Now we still take care of them and in return we breed them for food. In some places the Morlocks take pride in how their Eloi's look and breed them to look very refined. It makes their meat very tender and tasty. Without Eloi we cannot live and the same goes for them." He frowned. "That's why I deeply fear the Traveler. He might end up destroying both of us."

"I wish there were other creatures for you to eat. Then you wouldn't have to worry so much." Shikha dropped her face, feeling suddenly tired. "Mog? I feel so sleepy."

"I do too." Mog's eyes closed. "What is that smell? It's sweet and it makes me feel calm. I think I'm falling-"

"Maybe it's just the flowers." Shikha yawned and faded off.