The Mechanical Beast

Brian A. Wright – Guest Contributor

While she is washing the dishes, arms up to elbows in soapy water, she hears it. The Mechanical Beast.

At the exact time every day, it comes. Its noise, growing louder and louder as it draws closer. It is always frightening to her. Not necessarily The Beast itself, but what it is capable of. If someone controlling The Beast is not paying attention, disaster can strike. She knew this huge, terrifying horror would come. It has a schedule. The same time, day after week after month. But she's also on a schedule and sticking to it makes her feel a little more normal, so even though she is frightened she must continue washing dishes at the same time the beast appears. She knew people would taunt and jeer at her if they ever found out she was terrified of such a thing. So, she keeps quiet, stays to her routine, and never leaves her property. She stays hidden from the world. She feels slightly better when she stays focused on her routine, she feels it keeps her sane.

She knows she could leave the house and go into town but fearing the jeers and taunts will start about her keeps her hidden away from the world.

She sucks in a breath as the water starts to splash in the sink, slowly at first, then growing. It isn't the shaking that frightens her, she can handle that. It's the noise, that's the worst. The Beast's noise starts slowly and gets more intense. There is something about it that is horrible in the worst ways. It starts far away, quieter than a mouse, then quickly grows as the Beast comes closer, then a horn louder than any elephant suddenly makes an appearance. It sounds again and again. After a long and slow period of rumbling and blasting of the horn, the beast's noise reaches its peak. She takes a hold of the counter. Coming down slowly as it came. Getting quieter and quieter until eventually fading away. She sighed, surviving another day.

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