Aaron sat in the shadows and watched. No one dared to interrupt Elmer and Ruth when they worked. And he had no desire to be discovered.

The couple’s gnarled hands held the wooden spoon together. They made a dance out of stirring the contents of the twenty gallon cauldron.

“Sisteen, camsles, wanfru al velme. Sisteen, camsles, wanfru al velme. Sisteen, camsles, wanfru al velme,” Elmer and Ruth sang, their voices increasing in strength. “Sisteen, camsles, wanfru al velme.”

Green gases swayed in a hypnotic twist up the wooden handle, wrapped around the ancient hands, and within seconds, consumed the old ones. Wrinkles began to smooth. Bent backs, straightened. Grey hair blackened. Bronze hair grew upon Elmer’s bald head.

“Sisteen, camsles, wanfru al velme,” they continued.

Purple fumes followed the green, swirling in the air and mixing with the green vapors. They clouded Aaron’s view for a brief moment, but then slowly crawled back into the pot.

The transformation was complete.

Young, vibrant, and completely naked, the couple stood.

“We have two months to find the girl, or we will return to our former selves,” Ruth said.

Elmer laughed. “It is more than enough time.”

Aaron covered his mouth to keep from gasping. He had less than two months to find the girl, or his world would crumble.

[Reply]

By Sarah on 04.04.09 3:49 am | Permalink

The bright light from outside his window woke him, What time was it? As Alex sat up, not sure of where he was, he began to focus on a few things in the room. His head was pounding and his tongue felt thick. He tried to move his tongue around to loosen it, but it just felt like he had a mouth full of cotton.

He finally focused on a glass that sat on a table across the tiny room he was in. As he stepped out of the covers to move towards it a sudden chill hit him. He climbed back under the covers and tried to talk himself out of bed again. As he stood and began to walk towards the cup the door to the room cracked open and a tiny very wrinkly old woman stuck her head inside. “Он бодрствует.” Alex could hardly hear her, she sounded muffled, but he understood. His Russian was very rusty. He hadn’t lived in Russia since he was 15. Now 20 years later he couldn’t remember how to put the sentence together to say, yes I am awake. Where am I? “Да, я бодрствую. где – я?”

The little lady seemed startled at his question. Did he say it correctly? She moved out of the door quickly and said something to another person in the next room. He couldn’t hear them, as they whispered back and forth to each other. He walked over to the table and reached for the glass. The need for a drink was over powering his desire to know where he was. He greedily drank the water, it tasted a bit bitter, but he remembered the taste from his childhood.

A frail looking old man with round eyes and wrinkles around his mouth making his lips look sunk in, bald, with rather large ears, walked into the room pushing the door wide. He looked at Alex and said in a very thick Russian accent, “you must stay here. No questions.”

He held out his hand for the glass and Alex gave it to him. The wrinkled old woman stood behind the man and he handed her the glass. She took it into the next room and filled the glass again. She handed the glass to Alex and made the motion to drink with her hand. Alex stared at his two hosts, or would warden’s be a more proper word. He didn’t know what to think or do. What was happening to him? How did he get here? He had so many questions and no way of getting answers. The old man looked fierce and not a man to be reckoned with. He didn’t dare do anything, but drink his glass of water.

[Reply]

By Brenna on 04.06.09 10:38 am | Permalink