The Moon is reading the Communist Manifesto in a labyrinth
Welcome to the second edition of Flash Fiction from Frostyshadows. I’ve been using Magic Realism Bot as a source for flash fiction writing prompts. The source for today's story is here.
The Moon was reading the Communist Manifesto in a labyrinth.
The last maiden sacrificed here had raised tearful eyes and a plea at just the right time, when a single sliver of moonlight could slip over the tall walls. The Moon heard her pleas and thought, “Why not?”
So now the Moon wandered the branching passages. So far, she’d heard the Minotaur’s grunts echoing on the stone walls, but hadn’t seen the creature. He knew she was there. He liked to play with his food, running along a parallel corridor, letting his shadow fall across their vision, barking out a laugh if he heard them whimper or flee. But he hadn’t tried pursuing her yet; he was still satiated from his last meal, the one who’d called down the Moon.
The Moon could wait. She had all the time in the world and had brought her Kindle. She spent the days getting her thousand steps in and making a dent in her to-read list. By the time the Minotaur felt the stirrings of his hunger again, she’d finished The Handmaid’s Tale, The Tempest, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Little Fires Everywhere. Sometimes, she thought she heard another set of feet. One of the sacrifices lingering as a ghost? Maybe one that had managed to evade their fate so far? Or just her imagination getting the best of her?
She reluctantly tucked the Kindle into her tote bag when she heard him sniff for her scent, then lope through the twists and turns. She’d picked a bend in the labyrinth with a mossy boulder perfect for sitting on as her reading nook, and decided to stay put as his galloping footsteps grew closer. A few minutes later and she could smell him, all unwashed fur and crusty blood. He appeared around the corner, his muscled legs tapering into hooves moving impossibly fast, his horns curving nearly as long as the humans he’d eaten and their tips stained with their blood. “Watch out!” She heard a voice cry out from behind her. She turned to see a dark-haired young man running up with a sword.
“No, you watch out.” The Moon grew to her full, brilliant size and easily crushed the Minotaur. Then she gingerly plucked off bits of his carcass from her surface. This was going to leave a crater.
“What’s your name?” The Moon turned back to the man.
“Theseus, son of Aegeus.”
“Well, thank you for your attempted chivalry, Theseus. You can take credit for this if you’d like.” She gestured at the pile of blood, bones, and fur a few feet away, then rose up to the sky. She only wished she’d had time to finish House of Leaves.
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