Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
Home. It'd been 10 long years. As David stated out the thin plate glass separating himself from the world within the small cabin of a single propeller airplane, he couldn't help but ponder his life. From that night so many years ago, his parents screaming, him falling from his bedroom window to the garden bed below, keeping low as he snuck out of town and crawled within a roadside ditch for miles till the break of dawn where, filthy, freezing cold and starving he was picked up by a long haul trucker going south. A day later he was stepping out into a truck stop just north of L.A. with just a bag with a few changes of clothes and a couple hundred dollars to his name. He begged and scrounged, doing odd jobs and looking for courses to give himself a career. After taking out a loan from a loan shark who was thankfully raided by the cops for God knows how many crimes, thus relieving him of debt and $5000 up, he took a course in camera and audio work, got an apprenticeship at a local T.V studio and the rest was history... till he came home one day to find his apartment broken into and a series of things left out for him to find. A note, a ticket and $10,000 in cold hard cash. His mother wanted to see him, she was dying, apparently. He was spooked by the breaking and entering of his home, but this was a loose end that he NEEDED to tie up. There were so many questions from his youth left unanswered, so many wounds that needed to start healing... maybe this was his chance for it. Also the offer of an additional $100,000 helped sway his opinion. Given that they left him $10,000 just lying on his coffee table indicated they might be good for it.
The bright red and yellow plane began it's descent, he watched the town below as it did. From the air it looked almost identical to before, the crescent shaped township surrounding the bay area, the old church and lighthouse, even his old family home... as he saw it his heart felt like it stopped, his stomach dropped like a stone, his head snapped to a forward possition as a cold sweat consumed him ".. this was a mistake" he muttered to himself, the prospect of owning up face to face to his family now really setting in. Over the radio in his bulky earphones he heard the pilot "we'll be touchin down in 'bout three minutes!" He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He just focused on his breathing, trying to get his mind focused on something, anything else, if just to pass the time.
__________________________
Down on the edge of the landing strip a small welcoming committee had formed, one was an older man. Old Terry, a round 78 year old man, dressed in overalls, a thick wool coat, stained white undershirt and a tan worn down duckbill hat. One was a younger woman (YC) and one older, skinny and tall with a long veiny neck, sharp, gaunt features and clearly dyed blonde hair typed up in a bun, wearing a skinny long blue dress that hugged her legs as it ended just below her knees, with a big string of Pearl's around her neck and several gold rings adorning her nearly unnaturally long bony fingers. "I-i-i-i tells ya Mavis, that boy - nothing but trouble! We shouldn't be lettin him back, what? He can just-just-just leave us like that and we'll let him come back!? So sire, no! I don like it!" The woman sighed, raising a finger slightly "he's not just coming back Terry... he's been invited back, by the Elder" Terry blew a raspberry "Elder!? Bah, Elder my old ass! I'm older than her, hell, I was there when she did her first ritual!" The older woman raised an eyebrow "but men are FORBIDDEN at the rituals" old Terry just scoffed, shrugging "oh don't give me that... I was young once you know! I know how it goes, the boys all go off to stay at "a friend's house" for the evening, the young ladies slip away during the down time between ceremonies for a tumble with the boyfriend in the bushes, fins flying everywhere" he started giggling, remembering the old times till the woman pursed her lips, almost striking him when the plane taxied right close to them "... get the car you damned fool, and not a word from you for the whole drive, Elder's orders" with a sigh and a grumble old Terry waddled off to get the car. The older woman straightened herself up, beginning to walk towards the plane "come along dear... now, I know you like showing your fangs, but you have orders, just as I do, maintain your "cover", do not break it unless absolutely nessecary, and do try to keep a lid on that temper of yours, last thing we need is another biting incident, especially with the elder's son"
At the plane, David was busy collecting his things. A single heavy suitcase and a sports bag on his back "David Weatherly! It's been too long my dear boy!" David saw her and took a step back, taking a defensive stance, his eyes focused and glaring at her. She had her arms up, as if ready to give him a hug but she paused "... oh you aren't still angry about all that nasty business are you?! It was so long ago!" His eyes narrowed, they darted between the older woman and the younger. He gave them a nod "so... you're here to pick me up?" The older woman lowered her arms and again clasped her hands together "well, yes. Your mother has risen in the ranks of the order and has asked us to escort you to her when you arrived" she looked to the younger one "oh do help him with those bags you silly girl!" David held them closer "no no, no need for... wait" he paused when he looked at the girl. Her face was so familiar, but it was so long ago, he couldn't be entirely sure "... are you...?"
The bright red and yellow plane began it's descent, he watched the town below as it did. From the air it looked almost identical to before, the crescent shaped township surrounding the bay area, the old church and lighthouse, even his old family home... as he saw it his heart felt like it stopped, his stomach dropped like a stone, his head snapped to a forward possition as a cold sweat consumed him ".. this was a mistake" he muttered to himself, the prospect of owning up face to face to his family now really setting in. Over the radio in his bulky earphones he heard the pilot "we'll be touchin down in 'bout three minutes!" He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He just focused on his breathing, trying to get his mind focused on something, anything else, if just to pass the time.
__________________________
Down on the edge of the landing strip a small welcoming committee had formed, one was an older man. Old Terry, a round 78 year old man, dressed in overalls, a thick wool coat, stained white undershirt and a tan worn down duckbill hat. One was a younger woman (YC) and one older, skinny and tall with a long veiny neck, sharp, gaunt features and clearly dyed blonde hair typed up in a bun, wearing a skinny long blue dress that hugged her legs as it ended just below her knees, with a big string of Pearl's around her neck and several gold rings adorning her nearly unnaturally long bony fingers. "I-i-i-i tells ya Mavis, that boy - nothing but trouble! We shouldn't be lettin him back, what? He can just-just-just leave us like that and we'll let him come back!? So sire, no! I don like it!" The woman sighed, raising a finger slightly "he's not just coming back Terry... he's been invited back, by the Elder" Terry blew a raspberry "Elder!? Bah, Elder my old ass! I'm older than her, hell, I was there when she did her first ritual!" The older woman raised an eyebrow "but men are FORBIDDEN at the rituals" old Terry just scoffed, shrugging "oh don't give me that... I was young once you know! I know how it goes, the boys all go off to stay at "a friend's house" for the evening, the young ladies slip away during the down time between ceremonies for a tumble with the boyfriend in the bushes, fins flying everywhere" he started giggling, remembering the old times till the woman pursed her lips, almost striking him when the plane taxied right close to them "... get the car you damned fool, and not a word from you for the whole drive, Elder's orders" with a sigh and a grumble old Terry waddled off to get the car. The older woman straightened herself up, beginning to walk towards the plane "come along dear... now, I know you like showing your fangs, but you have orders, just as I do, maintain your "cover", do not break it unless absolutely nessecary, and do try to keep a lid on that temper of yours, last thing we need is another biting incident, especially with the elder's son"
At the plane, David was busy collecting his things. A single heavy suitcase and a sports bag on his back "David Weatherly! It's been too long my dear boy!" David saw her and took a step back, taking a defensive stance, his eyes focused and glaring at her. She had her arms up, as if ready to give him a hug but she paused "... oh you aren't still angry about all that nasty business are you?! It was so long ago!" His eyes narrowed, they darted between the older woman and the younger. He gave them a nod "so... you're here to pick me up?" The older woman lowered her arms and again clasped her hands together "well, yes. Your mother has risen in the ranks of the order and has asked us to escort you to her when you arrived" she looked to the younger one "oh do help him with those bags you silly girl!" David held them closer "no no, no need for... wait" he paused when he looked at the girl. Her face was so familiar, but it was so long ago, he couldn't be entirely sure "... are you...?"