Life With A Werewolf

How Khied Lost His Beard part 5 - Home Invasion

          The two new Khied’s stood around the body of Ms. Smythe. They had a small ceremony, just by themselves, honoring her as a lawn gnome should be honored. A simple ceremony that should be done with a whole community, but can be adjusted for just one. Khied Falkurk stood at her head, while Khied Faenie stood at her feet. They looked at each other in sorrow but love. Tears were in both of their eyes.

          It had taken half the night for Khied Faenie to pick the flowers that surrounded Ms. Smythe. She arranged them in a colorful pattern, the same way that we lawn gnomes arrange for ourselves. White lilies were near her head symbolizing purity. Red roses on her hands to symbolize life, and finally dark blue violets near her feet to symbolize her journey of passing from this world into the next one.

          Both Khied Faenie and Khied Falkurk raised their hands, and spoke a single word, drawing energy up from the Earth as they did. The body of Ms. Smythe crumbled inward, drying up into dust. As the energy faded nothing of Ms. Smythe’s body was left but a pile and a gust of wind blown in through the window, pulling the dust outward. The flowers dried up next, and followed, carrying them all on the wind. A single blue violet was left behind. It danced in the wind for a moment and came to rest at the feet of Khied Falkurk.

          “She gave a gift to you,” said Khied Faenie. “Quite the honor.”

          He gave a single nod in response, a gentle tear trickled down his cheek. “Her own kind abandoned her. Our own kind betrayed her.”

          Khied Faenie nodded. “It’s like neither side wants happiness. They just want to struggle.”

          “Sometimes,” Khied Falkurk said, “you have to force others to see the light.”

          Khied Faenie smiled slightly. “I was thinking the same. One day, this will never happen again. Not to us, not to them. We will show them what family truly means. And they will give us proper security.”

          Khied Falkurk had been rubbing his freshly shaven chin all night. He did so one more time with the flower in his hands. Then walked up to Khied Faenie. “It’s not from my beard,” he said, “but, I think it’ll do for our purposes.” He slid the flower behind her ear, then kissed her cheek. “Khied Faenie, I wish to marry you. But I have no community to do it with.”

          “Yet,” Khied Faenie said. “You don’t yet. But we will. Tonight, we start next door. The neighbors has one rambunctious little girl, who I always felt was more gnome than human.”

          “I will begin to draw power,” Khied Falkurk said. “I will do it right. No more mistakes. No more death.”

          Khied Faenie turned and walked back towards the window. “They will beg,” she said. She looked out at the lawn gnomes. It was early morning now. Every gnome in the neighborhood was in their proper spots. Every gnome had subtly turned away. As if they were turning their backs towards the Khied couple. “They will beg our forgiveness when we’re through.”

          “All flesh will be ceramic,” Khied Falkurk replied.

          They had been at the window for a while. They stood and watched the kids get on the school bus. They watched the parents go to work. It was strange to see their goings on and day to day activities out in the open like this. To just stand in watch, not trapped in a single pose for the meaties sake. No human seemed to ever see them or pay much attention. Except the one little girl, whom Khied Faenie had already said was more gnome than human. Her dark hair was braided in twin braids that lay across her shoulders on either side, almost like an imitation of Khied Faenie’s old locks.

          When their eyes met, the girl twisted around in her bus seat, turning her head back towards the front with a look of fear on her face. “See,” Khied Faenie said to him. “She shapes her hair like mine was, almost instinctively. I want her as mine.”

          “And she will be,” said Khied Falkurk.

          The car with the red and blue flashing lights arrived a few minutes later. It rolled down the street, and pulled into the drive, as if it owned the place. “Who’s that,” Khied Faenie asked.

          “Trouble,” Khied Falkurk replied.

          They heard the foot steps on the stairs of the back porch before they saw the two humans. They wore matching blue uniforms with strange caps on them. A brass symbol of some kind had been affixed to their breast. The two humans talked, and Khied said at the time he couldn’t understand them. Not like now, where translating human speech is almost second nature.

          He did recognize the name Ms. Smythe. He recognized “the others.” Which is what they called their special division in that community apparently. The ones whose job it is to police and maintain the community lines of those non-human entities like us lawn gnomes. They had both frozen in place, with Khied Faenie giving him a kiss on the cheek.

          The one human walked towards her, then shined his light down upon her. He muttered one word which Khied later learned was “weird,” then began searching the house.

          As they walked through, calling Ms. Smythe’s name, Khied Faenie began to follow the tall one. She stalked behind the human, her steps going slow. As he moved, she moved, making three steps for every one he made. Khied Falkurk followed behind, fascinated, watching them.

          Suddenly, a shout came from behind Khied Falkurk. Khied Faenie Leaped when the human turned, attacking his leg at the knee. The human shouted and kicked. Khied Faenie flew across the room, smashing against the wall. A large crack ran down her head.

          The world went red for Khied Falkurk. He didn’t know he summoned energy until the moment he felt it leave him and enter the human that had hit Khied Faenie. The human screeched in pain. It twisted and became a short yelp as he began to shrink. His flesh morphed and twisted, becoming hard, more ceramic. Khied Falkurk concentrated harder this time, willing the flesh to morph. Not blindly pushing power, but altering its flow when necessary. Soon, the tall human was no taller than Khied Falkurk. He had no beard, darker skin, but was a lawn gnome now, just the same.

          Khied Falkurk heard a thump from behind him. He turned, before he huffed. The world faded in and out. It fuzzed for a moment, but he concentrated just enough to see the human turning to flee the house. “They’ll be back,” Khied Faenie whispered.

          Khied Falkurk fled to her side on watery legs. “Oh no, oh Faenie,” he whispered. “Give me a moment. I can,” he huffed. His words chocking in his throat.

          “Give me your hand, Khied,” she said. “They’ll be here for their friend.”

          “Oh Faenie, I can fix this give me a moment,” he said, drawing power to himself. He looked at the former human, who stared at him dumbfounded now. Staring at his hands, then back at the two lawn gnomes. “Come here,” Khied Falkurk snarled. “You’re going to help fix this!”

          He shook his head faster, but took a step anyway on shaky legs. As if he couldn’t stop himself from moving towards his new master. “P-please d-don’t make me,” the former human whimpered.

          Khied Falkurk waved his hand over to the human, and was about to grab him, to transfer his ceramic over to Faenie, when Faenie huffed, “do you trust me, Khied?”

          He looked down at her. A single tear rolled down his cheek again. He nodded. She grabbed his leg, then whispered a single word that meant “unite”.

          Power flowed into Khied Falkurk from Khied Faenie. As it did, her body began to dry up from her feet. He felt a surge of power, control and knowledge enter him. “Please no,” whispered Khied Falkurk. “No.”

          She touched him one last time on the leg and smiled. “It’ll be alright,” she said. “Now we’re together. Forever.”

          Her waist and chest dried up, followed by her arms, and her head. It shriveled into a fine powdery dust that was grabbed by the wind. A single flower was left behind. The blue violet that he had given her earlier. Khied picked it up, his eyes now glaring. He stuffed the flower into his hat then turned to the human, glaring at him.

          The former human waved his hands proctectively, stepping backwards. “L-listen, we had no idea what we were walking into,” he started.

          “Come here,” Khied Falkurk snarled.

          On shakey legs, the former human walked forward. “P-please,” he muttered. “I have a family.”

          Khied Falkurk reached for his front pocket, grabbing the pair of shades he saw there. “Yes, you do,” he snarled. “I’m your family.” A single tear rolled down his cheek one last time. “We will honor her memory,” he said. “Both of theirs.”

          “W-who are you?”

          He looked at the scared former human.

          “W-what are you?”

          “Me?” the lawn gnome thought for a moment. “They call me Khied,” he said. “And we’re going to make them regret it.”