PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

20

“Good evenin’ Dark and Handsome.”

  I turn to speak to a dark haired, dark clothed young lady, but am greeted by a fire-haired, freckle faced woman in a green and white corset dress, with a black trail. I bow. “Forgive me Miss. I believed you to be an acquaintance of mine.”

  “Dark and Handsome! It is me!” She steps back and twirls around. “So what do you think of my new look?”

  I stand there baffled. “Miss Remembrance?” I laugh. “What witch or wizard did you come across that was willing to do this?”

  “I actually met a couple wizards willing to do quite a few things to me. I just told them that I wanted to look like this.” She twirls once more. “So what do you think?”

  She looks exactly as Melarvious does today, same hair, eyes, skin complexion, face, even her clothes were the same as hers. Why was she dressed this way? Why had she chosen to look exactly like my overvescent friend? Oh no, what should I say? I take a deep breathe and smile. “I think that you suit this time period perfectly.” 

  She grins and her cheeks begin to turn slightly scarlet. “You really think so? Do think I look good? As good as your friend?”

  I look into her hope filled eyes wholly confused as to why Miss Remembrance is pressing on if she looks as well as Melarvious always does. “You look,” I hesitate, “as wonderful as you always do Miss Remembrance.”

  “So I do look better than your friend?” She squints at me. “I do, don’t I?”

  Why is she so bent on knowing if I believe she is more comely than Melarvious? I ponder, than smile. “Miss Remembrance does it really matter whether you look better than one girl or many? You are beautiful all in you own. You are not beauty in comparison. You are beauty in all its uniqueness.”

  She smiles turning her face a tad darker of scarlet. “I guess your right.” She curtseys. “And thank you for such a kind compliment.”

  I smile as I bow. “It is my pleasure Miss Remembrance. Now, what is your hearts desire for this night?”

  She ponders for a moment then grins. “I want to go back to that pub and see Perky, Shamus, and them. I want to see if they have anything else to tell about you and your son.”

  I raise my eyebrow. “I you sure that do not wish to go or do something else Miss Remembrance?”

  “I am Dark and Handsome. Now may we go er ’r ye gunna stand here and try to convince meh other wise?”

  I smile as her accent to go along with her appearance finally sets in. “I suppose no.” I turn and lead her back to the bums literal home and stop once we are outside of the swinging doors. “I warn you now Melar- Miss Remembrance, these bums are not going to be the same as you saw them a months worth of nights ago. They will be their true selves. DO you understand?”

  She looks up at me and places her hands on her hips. Sighs. She even has Melarvious’s infamous stance down packed. “Aye, I understand. But now do ye understand that meh patience is wearin’ thin Dark and Handsome?”

  I sigh aloud and step to the side allowing her to enter in first.

  She marches in with so much grace and pride that, for a moment, I actually believed her to be Melarvious. I look around at the pub not, in the slightest, amazed at its drastic change from only a months worth of nights ago. Men are laughing and toppling over, touching women in obscene places and them attempting to get away, and the four lowliest bums doing and saying every obscene and vulgar things both imaginable and unimaginable to any and every person to step within their proximity. “Miss Remembrance!” I call after her.

  She turns to look back at me.

  “Are you sure you wish to do this?”

  She only nods and continues to the table consisting of the rudest creatures known to immortal, seemingly immortal, and mortal.

  I sigh and follow close behind her.

  The bums look towards us and give us a drunken cheer. “Well if it isnae the two lovebirds Melarvy and Dark One. What brings you two back our humble abode?” Perky grins.

  “Actually, she is not-”

  Miss Remembrance holds up her hand silencing me and says, “I came back to see how ye lazy gewd fer nothin’ drunkards are doin’.” She walks over to Shamus and wraps her arm around his shoulder. “Especially since Shamus here became a man a few weeks nights ago.”

  Shamus blushes. “W-well, a-actually I-”

  “Shamus!”

  I look over to Perky as Shamus shrinks into himself.

  Perky only smiles. “Now is that all ye came here fer Melarvy?”

  “Well, I-”

  “She is not Melarvious.” I interject. “She is my acquaintance Miss Remembrance. She met a wizard willing enough to change her looks.”

  “That is nae true!”

  “Yes, it is Miss Remembrance.”

  “Prove it!”

  I point my thumb behind me. “The true Melarvious Myth has just entered.”

  They all lean around me to see Melarvious and her two men enter the pub. I turn to face them as I hear Melarvious say, “Tis bout time that I found ye Sucky-Ducky. I was beginnin’ te think that ye were avoidin’ meh.”

  I smile. “Melarvious, why would I ever wish to avoid you?”

  She smiles. “Ye have a very gewd point there Sucky-Ducky. Well, I only stopped in fer a bit of a drink before enjoyin’ a bit of the festivities goin’ on around town.”

  I nod and turn back to the bums and the Melarvious imposter.

  Miss Remembrance only smiles. “I’ve been curious about this ever since the funeral. Why does she call ye Sucky-Ducky?”

  “Do not change the subject Miss Remembrance. Why were you-”

  “Ye know what,” Gregory chimes. “I have been wonderin’ the same thin fer centuries. Why does Melarvy call ye Sucky-Ducky?”

  “It is a long story that I do not wish to tell. Now back to the matter at hand-”

  “Why won’t ye tell us Dark and Handsome?”

  I sigh for that is truly the one memory I absolutely despise, and because it is horrible in anyway but embarrassing. I do not want to speak of the reason behind the pseudonym that Melarvious had bestowed upon me a millennium ago. “I do not wish to tell, because I am not under obligation to tell.-”

  “Melarvious!” Miss Remembrance shouts and Melarvious turns. “Tell us about how Dark and Handsome got his nick name frem ye.”

  Melarvious grins, runs, and steps onto one of the tables. “Does everyone want to know how Sucky-Ducky got his name?”

  Everyone cheers.

  “’R ye sure?!”

  They all cheer again.

  I only brace myself for the worst and am prepared to pull up my shield if I so need to.

  “Alright!” She grins wildly and winks over towards me. I still find it uncanny to how her and Miss Remembrance look identical. “The reason fer Sucky-Ducky’s name goes back to when he and I were nuttin’ but wee laddies and lassies, back when he was mortal.” She grins. “The Ducky part of his name refers back to what his parents did fer a livin.” She pauses for effect. “They studied ducks.”

  The pub laughs.

  “I know. I know. I found it funny as well and still do.” She looks at me once more before continuing on. “But the reason fer the first part of his name is from one particular time when I had come over fer a wee visit…”

“Ducky!” She yells as she comes upon the house. She sticks her head through the door. “Ducky, I know you are in here. Don’t make me scream!” She squeals as her friend comes up behind her, picks her up, and twirls her in the air. “Ducky, put me down.”

  He sets her down. “Fine Melarvious.” He ruffles her hair. “Now how are you here? I believe that your parents said that you were not aloud to come over tonight.  My parents are doing research tonight and need not be disturbed.”

  “Oh please let me stay Ducky. Please?” She begged.

  He sighs. “Let me ask Mother and Father.” He leaves and returns after several moments. “You may come in Melarvious, but you must be on your best behavior and be patient whenever my mother and father need my assistance. Are we understood?”

  “Yes Ducky!” She squeals as she runs into the middle of the front room. “Dance with me Ducky!”

  He shakes his head. “No Melarvious, you know that I do not ever wish to dance.”

  “B-but you do it so well,” she pouts.

  He signs. “Very well, Melarvious, but only this once.”

  Melarvious squeals, runs over to him, ad pulls him into the middle of the front room. There were several rooms to the house, because his parents research, but the front one was only as far as company had ever gotten. The boy began to dance with his friend twirling her and spinning her in circles, until she had to relieve herself.

  “I’ll be right back Ducky!”

  “Do not go too far out into the woods Melarvious!”

  She does not respond but only continues until she is both a good distance away from the torch lights and a safe enough distance into the woods. Once she was finished, she scurried back to her friends house and stopped outside the doorway as she heard her friend and his father arguing.

  “But Father-”

  “No buts, now I need you to do this son. It is important you do this. Your mother and I are too old. You are the perfect age for this. I want to see if the sounds of the duck are able to-”

  “I know Father.” He sighs. “Sadly, I shall do it.”

  “That is my son. Now go into the next room and do as your told. I shall return after I have emptied myself.”

  Melarvious waits for Ducky’s father to exit the home before she enters and walks towards the door leading to the next room. “Ducky?” She whispers as she hears what sounds like a choking duck. “Ducky? Are you okay?” The noises continue. She opens the door. “Ducky are you-” She stops once she sees her friend has almost swallowed the entire bill of a frantic yellow, flapping, web footed foul. “Ducky?”

  Her friend whips his head around in time to see his five-year-old friend covering her mouth shaking. He immediately pulls the ducks bill from his mouth. “Melarvious, I…uh…I can explain. My father…he…he…”

  Melarvious removes her hands from her mouth to reveal a quivering smile.

  “Melarvious? Are you alight?”

  She instantly grips her sides and falls to the ground laughing.

  “Melarvious this is not funny! What my mother and father do are important research!”

  She only laughs harder and breathes. “Sucky-Ducky!” She laughs and crumples more onto the floor.

  All the blood in his body rushes up to his face. “This is not funny Melarvious.”

  She laughs, “I-I-Is s-s-so S-S-Sucky-D-D-Ducky!”

  “Quack! Quack!” He drops the foul and smacks his hands against his mouth.

  Melarvious stops laughing and stares at her friend. She falls back and continues to laugh even harder.

The entire pub is in an uproar of laughter.

  “Quack! Quack!” Several tables yell before falling off their stools.

  I sigh. “I despise my father for making me do that.”