Come on, don't let this be the only one. A deadline's a deadline folks. Ooh, does this mean I'm the first Quintessence writer?
"Hi, this is a message from Quinn. Listen, I'm having that problem again. I'm only getting one person at a time and it's all short-term stuff. You've got to come and help me."
As I say where I am there's a knock on the door of the phone box.
A man outside scowls at me through the glass, wanting to use the phone. He looks like a real bruiser, tough and ready to punch me out for being in the booth ahead of him. There's probably a knife in his pocket, he might even stab me. I leave the phone hanging and run for it.
Other than the streetlamps, the nearest light is coming from a minicab office and I sprint towards it.
But when I get there, going in doesn't seem like a good idea. The man by the booth had only wanted to use the phone and didn't chase me so I'm no longer afraid. I duck into an alley. The friend that I called will be able to find me here. I just have to wait and stay clear of people.
"Hey, are you a cab driver?" A young man has just put his head round the corner.
"Yes." I am now
"Can you take me to the Red Bar? I know it's not far."
"No problem."
"Great. In the office they said I’d have to wait fifteen minutes."
The man doesn't speak in the car, my car, and I think it'll be OK but then his mobile rings and I get a sinking feeling.
"Hi, I'll be there in two minutes. You're still at home? ... Yeah ... Yeah ... What do I want? I don't know. ... Yeah ... OK. Alright. Whatever. I'll see you round. Or not." He puts his phone away and says "shit."
For the next two minutes the young man stares out of the passenger window, then we arrive. He pays and gets out.
As he walks across in front of the car I feel the seat growing behind me. By the time he has reached the pavement my feet don't reach the pedals. I check my hair in the rear view and get out of the car.
The young man now looks taller and vaguely familiar.
"Hey!"
He turns. "Oh Hi."
"It is you. I thought it was."
I met him at a party, I think. Or was it at work? Actually, I'm not sure we've ever spoken but I've definitely seen him before, and more than once.
"So, are you headed somewhere?" he asks.
"Not really."
"You want to get a drink?"
"Sure."
We go into the Red Bar. It's my kind of place: cool music, lots of different types of people, plenty of buzz.
We sit at the bar and he buys the drinks. We start chatting straight away. He's very easy to talk to and he makes me laugh: he's fun to be with. Also he has a nice body, not fat, but not too muscly. I'm becoming attracted to him.
I buy the next round. As he drinks I feel my thighs toning and my boobs lifting just a little.
"I never noticed your eyes before," he says as he nears the end of his drink. "They're not the same colour."
"Can you see what colours they are?"
He leans in close, looking into my eyes. I look back into his deep brown irises. The warmth there draws me in. Before I know what's happening we're kissing.
"Do you want to ..."
"Just let me go powder my nose," I say.
As I sit in a cubicle in the ladies, the young man's appeal wanes. Maybe this is a good spot to balance out. It's not near to where I made that phone call, but perhaps my friend will be able to track me here? I took a vehicle from the minicab place; it'll still be outside the bar. She might find that. So I just have to stay here on the lavatory. It is the best place to be solitary.
In a minute I’m ready to go. Then at the cubicle door, I hear voices. Two women have just come in to reapply.
“Have you got any lip-liner?”
“In my handbag.”
“I can’t see –“ there was a gasp. “Since when did you carry a blade?”
“Since I split up with that cheating bastard Neil.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“Him threaten me? No, I’m threatening him. I’m going to cut his dick off. And if I find out who he put it in, I’ll stab her right in the eye.”
“You never found out then?”
“Never say never; I don’t. I say not yet I haven’t found out, not yet. It’s a matter of time.”
“Forget about Neil, sweetheart. Move on.”
“I can’t move on. Not till I cut off that big unfaithful cock of his.”
“You wouldn’t really do that.”
“I would, believe me. I wish he was here right now so I could show you. I’d slice Neil off like salami for a sandwich.”
“Somebody say my name?” I say, walking out of the cubicle.
“Neil? What are you doing here? How did you get in?” the woman without the knife says. “This is the ladies.”
“Well, I do love the ladies.”
“Did you hear us talking?” the other woman asks.
“Yes I did and it certainly raised a smile.”
“You won’t be smiling in a minute.” The woman snatches the knife out of her handbag.
“Why’s that?”
“Because I’m going to cut your dick off.” She takes a step towards me, holding the knife in front of her. Her friend freezes.
“My dick?” I say as I unbutton the bulging crotch of my jeans. “You’re going to cut this off?” I get my penis out. The women naturally look at it hanging there in its hefty majesty. I sense that both of them have seen it before.
The woman with the knife dashes forwards. Seems like she’s forgotten a few things about her Neil. Time to remind her.
I easily catch her right wrist in my left hand. First I hold it up high and squeeze so that I can feel the bones moving. I smile into her stretched-out face, enjoying her pain. Desperately, she reaches round to try and get the knife with her other hand. That’s when I slam her right hand into the edge of a sink. I feel a bone crack at least. The knife flies from her grasp, pings off the mirror then skitters across the tiles behind me.
I fling her wrist away, turning her to set her up for the punch. I’m good with my right. It’s controlled. My fist kisses her cheek just hard enough for a bad bruise and maybe some loose teeth, not a broken jaw. She staggers and falls.
As I stand over her she’s willing herself not to cry, but she can’t hide the terror in her eyes.
“Neil … don’t … don’t do anything … please.”
She really means it: I can feel her need for Neil not to attack her. The problem is that she made me Neil. Now, the real Neil might have done nothing to her, but I am his quintessence, the part that she called forth with her hatred. I can’t tell exactly what I’m going to do, Neil is not that articulate, but the feelings that stir in my loins as I look down at the helpless woman shock me. Will I be able to live with myself afterwards?
“Neil, you’d better just go.” The voice is behind me. I turn to find that the other woman has picked up the knife. Our eyes meet and I remember something about her.
“Seems like everybody wants to cut my dick off today. Did you like it so much you want to take it home and keep it?”
“I’m warning you. Just leave me and my friend alone.”
“You’re her friend?” I turn and look at the woman on the floor. “You know she’s the one I – unh.” There’s a sudden sharp pain in my side and I have the familiar feeling of the other woman close to me. She had moved in and stabbed me while I looked away. She takes the knife out and my knees give way.
The last thing I see before my vision darkens is the women leaving. One is helping the other to walk. Well, at least Neil didn’t do anything worse to that woman. He did something to me though: trapped in his body I’m going to bleed to death on the floor of the ladies.
The next thing I see is my friend’s face, frowning. I’m confused. She sighs and her shoulders unbunch and relax. Then I notice she’s holding my hand. I can feel my body healing.
“I’m healing.”
“Yes, I need you to do that.”
I feel her need, and only hers. The string of petty desires that led me here is gone and forgotten. This is how she fixes the problem of the short-term one-at-a-time needs; by needing me to be myself again.
“How did you find me?”
“You’re not difficult to follow. The minicab office knew where that young man wanted to go. When I got here he was looking for a lady to come in here to see if you were alright. Even so, I only just got here in time. You lost a lot of blood.”
She right: it’s all around me on the floor of the ladies.
“It’s Neil’s blood.”
“Who’s Neil?”
“Doesn’t matter. Somebody wanted me to be him and I was. I didn’t like it.”
“Interesting. I hope you’ll like who I want you to be.”
Even before she says it, I see what she wants as a dazzling vision.
“Be the Quintessence. Be everything we need for ever, not just what we want now.” |
