Itzpapalotl

George delicately opened the package, trembling in anticipation of what awaited inside; a chance encounter with a shop owner in Oaxaca led him to this remarkable item.

The rain poured and thunder and lightning rolled through the night sky as George opened the box. Carefully, almost reverently, he extracted a stone statuette. It stood no more than eight inches tall, and yet was carved with an unparalleled intricacy George had never seen before. The likeness of Aztec goddess Itzpapalotl was remarkable; a shapely naked woman with clawed hands and bat-like wings, patches of skin worn away, revealing her skeleton underneath. Every physical detail had been immortalized, lending and eerie, otherworldly beauty to this stone idol.

Entirely pleased with his purchase, George placed the statuette in the display case that contained his other carved figurines.

After his TV dinner, George went through his usual routine. He cleaned his already clean house and locked his already locked doors.

George crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep a content man.


But George's dreams disturbed him. Flashes of blood-spattered altars... tortured people, writhing and moaning... the eclipse of a blood-red moon. George thrashed in bed.

And then the images suddenly stopped and Itzpapalotl revealed herself to him. George stared, transfixed as the radiant goddess stood before him.

"George..." she teased.

Her seductive voice alone was enough to cause a stirring in his loins.

"What do you desire most?"

He began to sweat, his entire body tense and aching.

"Is it the touch of another?"

Itzpapalotl knelt in front of George, sliding her clawed hands delicately up his thighs. He sucked in a breath as he felt the first touch of a woman in years. When she moved up to run her hands over his chest, he moaned in response.

And then she stopped, causing George to whimper.

"Sacrifice, George. What will you sacrifice for me?"

"Anything!" George cried. He would do anything.

"You must give yourself to me completely... mind and body."

"Yes, I will." George panted. "Tell me what you want me to do."

Itzpapalotl smiled at him, leaning in and tempting him with her hot, sensual breath in his ear.

"I want you to purge this world of its sin, George. Start with your neighbors and their impure lives."


George's eyes fluttered open, his body still vibrating from the touch of Itzpapalotl. He rose up and went to the kitchen, taking out the cleaver he had never used.

George stepped outside, the freezing rain soaking him to the bone. He paid no mind to the cold, or the thunder and lighting overhead as he approached his neighbors' house, passing the minivan in the driveway with stickers on the back window depicting a happy mom, dad, two kids and a dog. He was solely focused on the affections promised to him by his goddess.

Those were the thoughts that encouraged him as he retrieved the key from under his neighbor's front mat and let himself inside.


(494 words)