MTU: Hard To Look At - Chapter 19 (Patreon)

Elliot and I were in the audience of the school’s graduation ceremony. Marie was graduating. Marie had made sure two of her allotment of four tickets were for us. The ceremony was as boring as most graduations are. Marie’s mother, Ellen, was seated next to me. One of Marie’s cousins sat next to Ellen.

After the ceremony we all went to a restaurant together where I met a few more of Marie’s cousins, aunts, and uncles. Some of her friends from school were there with their own families. I only knew the graduating seniors as faces I’d seen at school.

“I heard you’re deferring a year before college,” her cousin Abigail said. “Are you going to travel the world?”

“I can’t afford to do that. I’m hoping to spend time in a local art gallery.”

“You won’t make a lot of money in an art gallery,” her cousin Randall said.

“Probably not. But it’ll be an experience of a lifetime.”

* * *

A week later, Elliot and his family went on a vacation. I had been invited to prior vacations but this year they were going on a driving tour of the southwest, hitting places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park, and others. Given these places weren’t safe for the obviously Twisted like myself, my parents convinced me I shouldn’t go. Two weeks without Elliot would have been unthinkable a year ago.

The afternoon after they left, Marie visited me in my garage. “Can I come in?”

“You’re always welcome, Marie,” I told her.

“Where’s Ross?”

“He works for his father during the summer. I’ll only get to see him on weekends.”

She sat down on the chair Elliot usually sat on. “I miss Elliot already.”

“It’s only been like six hours,” I said. We sat in silence for a few moments. “I miss him, too.”

“You and I talked about something a couple days ago and you said you’d think about it. That you didn’t just say, ‘No,’ was more than I’d hope for.”

“I did think about it.”

Marie wanted me to test petrifying her for the whole two weeks Elliot would be away.

“You realize, it’s dangerous?”

“You didn’t say too dangerous. Are you trying to get my hopes up?”

“I’ve been convinced I can’t be afraid of my own abilities. So, if you’re still interested I will petrify you.”

“Oh, thank you, Em.” Her whole body twitched as if she were going to fling herself at me for a hug. But her eyes were looking at my snakes.

I took hold of her and she held me so tight. She was dabbing her eyes as we separated.

“That’s a lot of happy tears.”

“I know, right?” She said. “I don’t want to do it here.”

“Oh?”

“As much as I love spending time with you here in this lovely garage, I’m hoping to be stuck in one place for two weeks somewhere with a better view.”

“That’s fair,” I said. “I also have one condition.”

She visibly deflated. “Okay. What?”

“It’ll only be for eleven days. I need to bum a ride from you on the twenty-ninth. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Eleven days is good, too. You had me worried for a minute. Why can’t Ross give you a lift?”

“Work.”

“Where do you need a ride to?”

“Dr. Hauser’s clinic.”

* * *

Her mother thought Marie was crazy. When we arrived an hour later at her home. Marie conscripted me to help rearrange the living room furniture. The result was probably the room’s Christmas tree configuration except in this case, Marie would be the tree. She wanted to freshen up before being petrified, leaving me alone with Ellen.

“A couple months ago, your mother seemed very worried about what happened to Marie. Now, you want to do it on purpose,” Her mother said as soon as Marie was out of earshot. “Is doing this safe?”

“Mostly. And it’s not what I want to do. It’s what Marie wants me to do.”

“’Mostly’ isn’t very reassuring.”

“I know. Did Marie tell you about what happened to Jenny Wu?”

“Recently?”

“When I petrified her a couple months ago.”

“Oh, that. Did she really die?”

“Yes.”

“And you revived her somehow?”

“Yes. Basically by doing the opposite of what I’m about to do to Marie. So, it’s reversible.”

“Well, if my Marie trusts you, I trust you. Can I hug you?”

“Of course.” Marie returned to the room wearing nothing but an opaque bathrobe as her mother and I finished our hug.

“I’m glad you two are bonding,” she said.

“I will need to come back a couple times to make sure you don’t recover faster than expected.”

“Marie mentioned that,” her mother said. She looked at the robe. “Honey, I wish you weren’t doing this in the nude.”

“Statues don’t wear clothes.”

“Statues of people in clothes are a thing.”

“Unfortunately, my power doesn’t affect clothes. It really is weird to see a statue wearing actual clothes.”

“I suppose. I guess I should leave now. Have fun. Is that what one says to someone about to become a statue?”

“It’s what you say to me when I’m about to become a statue.”

Her mother kissed her on the cheek and left the room. Marie didn’t see her shaking her head as she left. When I turned to look back at her, she had draped the robe over the end of the sofa and was posed for me to zap her.

“How’s this look?” She asked. She had one hand on her hip, the other bent to the side with her palm pointed upward at about eye level. Her feet were near one another but one leg was straight and the other was bent at the knee so only the toes touched the ground. She was facing the street through the window.

“Looks good. You are aware you’re currently flashing the neighborhood, right?”

“I’ll be flashing the neighborhood for eleven days.”

“Flashing with flesh tits is different than flashing with stone tits.”

“Tomayto, tomahto. Hit me.”

“I’ll count down so you can be sure your face is how you want it. Three.

“Two.

“One.” My inner eyelid opened and the color drained out of her body. The lines and swirls within looked as they always did. I probably could identify her and Elliot by just those swirls now.

I reached out and took a few sips. I was aiming for the first duration to be about seven days. I would take additional sips when I came back over the next few days. When I was done, I wondered how accurate my aim for seven days was. I made a mental note of how diminished her colors were.

I went into the kitchen where her mother was looking at her phone.

“Is it done?” She asked.

“Yeah. It should last seven days. I’ll know for sure when I return tomorrow or the next day to see how she’s progressing toward restoration.”

“Could you have just done it all at once?”

“Maybe. Doing it this way makes it nigh impossible for me to have overshot the target end date.”

“Sensible. I have a request.”

I don’t think I rolled my eyes.

“I’d like to experience what she doing for the normal one hour duration, if you don’t mind.”

“I would have been surprised if you weren’t curious.”

“I’m sure afterward I will only be more perplexed as to what she finds so fascinating about being a statue.”

“Where would you like to do it?”

“Can I stand behind her in the living room? Or will that affect her timer?”

“No, it won’t affect her at all. You just can’t be touching her.”

We went into the living room and Ellen stood half a room away from her daughter. For some reason, I suspected that she didn’t want Marie to know what was happening. So when she looked like she was posed how she wanted to stand, I tilted my head in question. Ellen nodded. And I zapped her. I took a few pics of Ellen and then of Marie.

“Marie? I’m leaving. Have fun.”

I locked the door behind me as I left. I walked over the lawn and took a few more pics of Marie through the window.

Marie spent the next eleven days as a statue looking out the window. Ellen enjoyed seeing the pics of herself. But her prediction came true. Being petrified wasn’t anything she needed to experience again. Marie’s first duration was probably a little less than seven full days. No big deal. Each time I visited, Ellen and I would chat for an hour or two. One evening she insisted I stay for dinner.

When I arrived on the twenty-ninth, Marie was already out of the window. Ellen hugged me as soon as she opened the door. The living room furniture was already back where it belonged. Marie came downstairs and said, “I was going to go pick you up.”

“I’ve gotten use to walking to your house.”

* * *

Marie gave me a ride to Dr. Hauser’s office. I was there to make an animal statue. I had done two animal statues since Duke and while it wasn’t emotionally easy, it didn’t destroy me like Duke had. I think knowing I could reverse it if I absolutely had too mitigated the darkness of the moment.

We walked in the back door and waited in his office. When Douglas returned, he smiled. “Medusa, so nice to see you again. Betty said to say hello.”

“Thanks. Say hello back for me. This is my friend Marie.” After exchanging pleasantries, Douglas got serious. “Are you ready to meet Catmando?”

“Is that really the cat’s name?” Marie said.

“Unfortunately. Crazy pet names is one of the hazards of being a veterinarian.”

We went into another room. It was basically a supply room with an infrequently used examination table. An older tabby was resting in a pet carrier on the table. As soon as we entered the cat stood up and hissed at us. “He’s a little feisty.  Let me take him from the carrier so he can get to know you.”

The cat would calm down for the doctor, but as soon as he put the cat down it would scamper away from Medusa. “I suspect he knows I’m a better predator than he is.”

“It would appear that way.”

“Can I hold him?” Marie said.

Douglas shrugged and passed the cat to her. He sat in her arms calmly.

“Zap us both. If I’m not touching the cat, you can separate us and do what you need to do,” Marie said.

Douglas took the cat back and handed Marie exam gloves.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Em, you know I love to get stoned.”

“What?” Douglas said.

“She means petrified, not high.” I said. “Everyone thinks saying I get them stoned makes them a comedian.”

A few minutes later, Marie and the cat were statues. It took some effort to make sure the cat wasn’t being squeezed before I zapped them. I took the cat from Marie’s hands and put it on the exam table. Once I was sure the pose was fine, I drained the poor cat dry. As usual it tasted so good, but a bit off. When I was done, I took the cat to Douglas’ office.

“So quick?”

“Sadly, it doesn’t really take any time.”

“I guess you’re going to be here for another hour.”

“Need any help with the other animals.”

“No, I had a surprise for you but she’s running late.”

“She?”

“Gillian O’Malley will be here in a few minutes. She was hoping to see the cat before and after. But I didn’t see any reason to make you wait.”

“She really wants me to make an exhibit?”

“Well, yes. She was hoping you could zap her, today. She seems a bit like your friend.”

“You didn’t enjoy being a statue?”

“Enjoy is a strong word. It’s not like it was a bucket list item for me to cross off. I’m guessing Marie has been a statue more than once.”

“More than I can count.”

The phone on his desk rang. The receptionist informed Dr. Hauser of an arriving appointment. “Duty calls. You can wait here or with your friend.”

“I’ll wait here.”

I heard the sound of the back door opening and a woman poked her head into the office. “Medusa. I’m glad I caught you,” Gillian O’Malley said.

“Do I call you Miss O’Malley?”

“Oh, please don’t. I’m Gillian to everyone I like. Oh, I missed the cat?”

“Sorry. Douglas didn’t tell me he was expecting you until after we did it,” I said. “Follow me. My friend wants to meet you.”

“Friend?” She said as we moved to the store room. “Oh, your friend held the cat I’m guessing.”

“Yes. She’ll be stuck for another thirty or forty minutes.”

“That gives me time to convince you to do a show at my gallery.”

I laughed. “I would love to do a show. I have a dozen pieces that I plan to make. But only about half of them have been fired.”

“That’s a lot more progress than I expected. At the prom I wasn’t sure you were enthusiastic about a show.”

“What kind of artist doesn’t want a show in a prestigious art gallery?”

“That’s kind of you to say about the gallery.”

“I’m curious though. Marie here would love to spend a week as a statue in an art gallery. Do you think we could make that happen?”

“Sans clothes, I hope. As it doesn’t appear that you turn fabrics to stone.”

“No, I don’t.” I took out my phone. “Here, look at this.”

“She’s naked in front of her living room window? When was this?”

“Actually she was there for eleven days. Just turned back to normal earlier today.”

She flipped between the various pictures I had of Marie, and Ellen, and Elliot for several minutes in silence. She looked embarrassed when she realized how long she’d been looking at the images. “I’m sorry. I’d be happy to have Marie spend any amount of time in my gallery. You need to get those other pieces finished.”

“She’s probably thrilled.”

“She’s aware?”

“Oh, yeah. People say it feels like only five minutes go by unless there’s something to pay attention to. For example, the two of us having a lengthy conversation in front of her. She’ll have been aware of the whole time we’ve spent talking in front of her.”

“How was she a statue for a week if it only lasts an hour?”

“Part of my trick.”

“Oh,” Gillian said. “And how the cat is a statue for good?”

“Same trick.”

“So, you could do that to a person?”

“Make a permanent statue? No, I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.”

“I didn’t say you would. But it’s possible?”

“Why are you asking?”

Douglas chose that moment to enter the room. “You made it.”

“I made it.” They air-kissed.

“Did you ask Medusa to petrify you?”

“I was getting to it when you interrupted.”

“You want to be a statue?”

“I studied ancient roman art in college. I love everything about statues. And given the chance, I’d love to be one.”

“Here?”

“Anywhere,” she said. “Do you mind Douglas? If I am petrified I require that a lot of pictures be taken.”

“I will photograph you if that’s what you want. And you can stand here in this room for an hour if you like.”

“Please?”

“If it’s what you want. Don’t stand near Marie.”

“I’ll see you in my office, Medusa,” Douglas said as he left.

Gillian put her bag down, took off her shoes, and jacket. “Do you mind if I take my clothes off?”

“The number of women who’ve disrobed in front of me is far greater than a younger me could ever have guessed.”

“That’s a story I’d love to hear someday.”

“Maybe. I’ll step out into the hallway. Call me when you’re ready.”

It didn’t take long for her to call me back in. She was standing in a classical statue pose. “How does this pose look?”

“Classic. Ready?”

“Any chance you can make it last two hours.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Okay, never mind. I’m ready.”

I zapped her. Once she was stone, I examined the flow of colors within her. I was saddened by what I saw.

“Douglas,” I said as I entered his office. “She’s ready.”

“I’ll take the pics after you and Marie leave.”

“Makes sense. Do you know?”

“Know what?”

“I’m no expert. But I’m guessing she has cancer.”

“Cancer?”

“The glands here and here.”

“The lymph nodes.”

“That’s the word. I should study anatomy.” I said. “I guess you didn’t know?”

“She never said anything about cancer to me.”

“She was asking me about my trick and she start drilling down on whether I could do to her what I did to the cat.”

“What?”

“The patterns in her statue were similar to that dog I did a few weeks ago that you said had cancer. I haven’t seen a lot of sick people or animals with my weird statue vision. Or many healthy people for that matter. But this was the exact same condition.”

“I thought she was interested in you for the art. And I still think that interest is genuine. But could she have been thinking about what you did to Duke? Doing it to her? I can’t tell you what to do. But that is… I’m going to call my lawyer and see if he would look out for your interests.”

“I don’t think I’m going to do anything.”

“Just in case. You should tell your parents what you told me.”

“Okay.”