Merlin

Flashbacks came and went as I looked out of my window at the bleak day. I could hear my name being called from downstairs but I pretended not to hear... it would take him a while to get up the stairs anyway.

I remembered the first day I met Merlin;

The morning started with the usual begging for food, but this morning I went hungry. I felt my stomach growl as I returned to my usual alley. The streets were busy at this time of day, the women all shopping for vegetables and bread... and not a single one could spare a chunk of bread for a poor child. I saw a group of cats slinking along the wall and eating garbage.

I felt my poor insides to turn circles at the sight of the fresh meat. I couldn’t eat a cat, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it must taste. Without warning my legs carried me over to the trash can. The hungry cats didn’t even hear me coming, their horrible heads shoved in the trash, blocking out the world.

I reached down and grabbed one of the cats. There was a horrible screech as the cat struggled against my grip. Without a second thought I pulled out my knife and slashed the poor animal’s throat. I went back to my step and laid the cat on the pavement.

I sat and looked at the cat’s stony dead body for hours. My whole figure shaking, I didn’t know what to do. The instinct had taken me over before I had the chance to think; now the instinct had deserted me... I was lost in my own actions.

My jaw tingled and I felt my teeth on the edge of my gums just wanting to eat. I watched as the cat’s blood trickled down the little hill and I couldn’t help but feel it was food wasted. I put my hand at the base of the stream and caught a small pool of blood in the palm of my hand; I lifted it to my mouth and felt the warm, creamy substance trickle down my throat.

The taste was just so good and I felt the instinct take over once again, the blood thirsty killer instinct. I leapt forward and I started to tear bits of flesh, but only sucked the blood and threw the dry flesh off to the side only to continue tearing the cat to pieces. I could feel my hunger being slowly satisfied but the cat wasn’t enough.

I ran out onto the street and looked along the road. I saw a lady who had denied me a piece of bread and I followed her. My bare feet not making a sound on the pavement, the lady was so blissfully oblivious. Instinct took over as I touched her back she spun around and burst into flames. That was the first time I saw his face, he looked on in fascinated amazement as the woman collapsed screaming and people fled.

I leant down and cupped my hands full of her warm blood, I drank... unaware that Merlin was watching me intently.

“Come with me girl.” I looked up and felt as my jaws tingled again. I was almost horrified to find a long set of fangs protruding from my jaws. I tried to stop myself from talking; I looked in horror at the body on the ground in front of me.

The authorities would soon arrive and take me away but this man... he was offering me an escape. He was not scared.

“Who are you?” I stammered as he looked at me with what might have almost seemed like love, that is, if it wasn’t projected towards a small fanged girl with blood running down her chin.

“I can help you, you have a gift.” He said holding out a hand and beckoning me closer,

“I’m just hungry.” I said, but before he could react the police were running around the corner. They stopped dead at the sight of the woman still flaming like a log in the fireplace. One of them looked at me with disbelief in his eyes before screaming at the top of his lungs,

“Witch!” I kept my mouth closed but with no avail, one of them saw a glimpse of one of my elongated canines.

“She’s a monster.” He ran toward me but before he could reach me I felt myself plummet into darkness. I landed back first onto a stone floor, the old man looking down at me.

“You have a gift child, I can help you but you must obey my every order.” I nodded, slightly winded from my fall. He showed me a tower, high above the ground,

“You may not leave this tower, you may not feed on people, these are my two biggest rules. If you break one of these rules then I will have to hand you in and they will kill you... understand?” I nodded again and sat up,

I did obey Merlin’s rules and he taught me how to control my instinct. Though it was hard, I found that every day I wanted nothing more than to leap out the window and take a few birds... or a rabbit. I was like an angry dog in a cage, it would never cease and I would always be hungry.

As I learned I decided that I needed to get out, I wanted to live among people, I hated the tower. Every time I asked Merlin when I would be ready he would say that I just needed a little longer.

So now I stand at the window of my tower, Merlin calling me from the spiralled stair case. I have an escape planned; don’t get me wrong... I love Merlin, he is the closest thing I have ever had to a parent but I want to live like person. I don’t want to be kept up in this tower, like Rapunzel only with no prince to save me.

“Can you hear me or not?” Merlin said as he finally came through my door, panting slightly.

“I’m sorry. I was just thinking...”

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