The Gift

It is his birthday.

What shall he say?

That big wall far behind, there is the chaos, crowds, noise, parades, glare, and blinding lights. They have forgotten why. Ma and him will remind them. They will remember.

Here, the night is heavy with storm clouds. Overgrown graves stretch to all sides disappearing into the blackness between twisted shapes of trees and thick shrubs. Whisps of mist curl among dirt-blackened crosses.

In the pause between two rainfalls, the birch under which he stands is dripping. Before him is a mound overgrown with bur and witch grass. He stares and waits for Mom. Misshapen wooden cross glittering with drops leans into a dead bush whose knobby branches push it away in terror.

It is his birthday. He awaits midnight for his Mom to give him a gift.

He is alone. For a long time, now. Before, more poor ones like him used to come, but not any more. As if they are afraid, although he had never hurt any of them. Maybe they are afraid of his injuries, or of his torn and blackened clothes, his gashed muddy boots, or his belt on which for a long time no laser and no proton punchers had hung.

They are right to fear. His mother had taught him well.

Pa and Ma had a farm, far out of the city, far from imperial palaces, far from flashing rich people’s castles and towers, ships and police. The masters ruled the world, armies and spaceships, lights and energy, life and death, the free and the slaves. Especially the slaves, so Ma and Pa had said. Hidden from the anthill-world, they had their love and their only child, him.

They also had a goat, mother’s pet. Then masters’ thugs took the goat away, saying that only state farms could raise animals, for health reasons.

Father went to ask it back, and they killed him. Afterwards they said that he had been armed and that he had killed somebody, they lied. And even if he did, good, why had they taken their goat. He was a good man, except when someone angers him, then he would get very angry. But it was not his fault, they had started first. Ma and Pa were very in love and did not hurt anyone first. Ma also hadn’t. And the bad men had started first.

They shouldn’t have touched this family, they shouldn’t have. Now they have to pay, be burned.

And now they have forgotten. They think that they can.

Mother had been banished by everyone, before, and she found a shelter at his father’s, who loved and protected her. They were peaceful and happy. And then they killed him. And she lost her protector. They shouldn’t have done that. They shouldn’t have.

Mother is special, she would have given everything for Pa, and for him. She was so unhappy and angry and she taught him everything, how to punish the bad people. That was the old knowledge, it was, since before the space age. Mother used to say that many times those like her had been killed, but father hid her. He loved her so much.

See, there is the false name on the grave. Because the bad people are looking for it.

But they will not find it. ’Cause he is mighty now. Ma thought him everything, and a good pupil he was, too. He has grown up and remained a child, and that is good, she says. She says that in the old times he would have been a master of a witch coven, an Arch even maybe. Even the ghosts are afraid of him, she taught him many power things, some he does stronger than she, and she is very powerful. That is why she had to run and hide, and Pa took her and hid her.

At midnight, Ma will give him a final gift.

And the disaster was his own fault. Mother had warned him that they are preparing a trap. She had said: „Son, you killed many and they are now afraid. They are waiting for us to fall in a trap.“ So wise. And stupid him. He fell in as if he was stupid. But he had made them pay. They say that it was terrible. And he was just avenging his Pa. Mother says so also. She has forgiven him. And he will go back again. They will remember.

Now, there will be a war until the end. He had waited long enough. When midnight comes Ma will say that she loves him and say a happy birthday and give him a gift. After that, he will go to visit them. And say: „Hallo, you have killed my father!“ And then, then they will not be untouchable any more.

Or maybe he should say: „Hallo, you have killed me. And you are celebrating. Now I am back.“

Maybe not, he is not important. He is not doing this for himself, but for Pa. Look, someone is walking this way, among the graves over there. It is midnight and it is Ma! He would scream with joy, but nobody hears when ghosts scream.

She is spreading the ritual rug and other stuff on his grave. 

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They both cry and he tries to hug her, but now she is a ghost and he has the body and again they can’t touch. Through the fading spell he asks her if she is in pain and she says: „No, silly! I am fine. I will wait here at the grave and you take care of that body of mine, you hear! I love you! Go and avenge your father and you! And me. I ...“ The voice fades away, but he reads her lips.

After such a long time he feels cold wind on his skin and smells the damp earth. Even the darkness is different color of dark. For experiment, he sends a spell at a distant garbage container and it explodes knocking down two nearest grave monuments and setting ablaze surrounding patch of grass. Mother’s spirit claps her hands with joy. He sends her many kisses and she signals him to go.

He does so. While he walks away, he feels his energy filling the muscles of the old body.

They shouldn’t have hurt his Pa. Now he will end the world.

It is his birthday.