Parables of Clippety (14) - The Bends

 

Marni locked her lips on him. First of all she sucked on his flesh, as hard as possible as if giving a love bite, then slowly she sunk her teeth in, her two canines pierced his flesh like needles. Just a little to begin with; dark red liquid touching her lips, making them crimson. She pulled away and looked back at Clare who gasped. Then she returned to his neck quickly and just went for it, clamping down on him and sucking as hard as she could but within seconds his blood developed a watery consistency, it tasted strangely sweet for somebody who abstained from eating sugar. However it flowed fast into her mouth. 

 

She hadn’t realised how thirsty she was and now she drank ravenously. But gradually, something in the atmosphere was changing.

 

The more Marni drank, the more light streamed into the room until it was so blinding that she had to lift her hand to cover her eyes. For a second, she thought that perhaps she was really a vampire and the sunlight was literally killing her. ‘Clare!’ she called out, ‘Clare, shut the curtains. I’m dying!’

 

Now she opened her eyes properly and slowly it dawned on her that she was actually in bed, next to Clare who was sleeping, snoring loudly. Her hand was clutching a carton of Ribena which had spilled, causing a purple blotch on the white pillowcase. She sat up quickly and looked around, panting in a half-panic. Some of the crystals which had been under her pillow had fallen on the floor and the dreamcatcher was halfway down the bed, feathers tickling her thigh.

 

Clare groaned, turned over and blinked. ‘God. What….the hell happened?’ she said weakly.

 

‘I…I don’t know Clare.’ Marni rubbed her eyes. ‘Where have we been?’ she said.

 

‘My mouth is so dry, my head feels funny, really thick and strange.’

 

‘I was drinking the rest of my Ribena but I was in a dream, a dream about him. Look, we're still in our dresses Clare!’

 

‘I feel as if I’ve been bandaged all over. This dress is so tight. I’m so thirsty. Give me some of that Ribena!’

 

 

‘I can’t, it’s all gone now…….. You know Clare, when Christopher and I were on our honeymoon in Norfolk. We visited the blackcurrant farm in Sandringham estate.'

 

‘Not funny Marni, I’m not in the mood to hear about your ex-husband. Where’s my phone? Crikey, what’s the time?’

 

‘Mine says half eleven.’

 

‘In the morning? So late!’

 

‘Oh my god, I have actually got a text from Christopher…’

 

‘No! Are we in a parallel universe?’

 

‘Oh no,’ Marni’s pale face dropped and a little tear formed in the corner of her eye. ‘He says Minke has died, he called the vet out after he had a seizure and he was..’ her voice cracked, ‘put to sleep.’

 

‘I’m so sorry Marni.’ Clare reached across and squeezed Marni's hand. ‘I’ll get you a tissue,’ she said and reached into her bag. ‘Christ! I don’t have the car keys!’ She said, searching frantically, ‘They’re not here!’

 

‘Are you sure?’

 

‘No, I can’t find them. Maybe I left them in the car. Did I drink drive? I couldn’t have done, no, I wouldn’t do that but I don’t feel right and look,’ she held up their tickets to the football match, ‘the tickets! We never went Marni, we never went to the fucking match!’

 

‘I remember the goals though, I remember flying and falling and I remember a demon.’ Marni was sitting up in bed staring ahead with tears in her eyes.

 

‘It was him,’ said Clare quietly. ‘We should get up. I think we need to be out of the room by midday.’

 

‘I feel so sad. Do you know, I think it was the stuff Clare, we inhaled the stuff, right here in this room.’

 

Clare nodded. ‘Yes, that’s it, the special stuff, the Angel’s Breath, we breathed it, and the Devil’s Trumpet, we heard it play. That was a terrible, terrible idea. Maybe it’s still in here, floating about. Open the windows Marni!’

 

Marni got up and pushed open the window but it would only part a few inches. Fresh air breezed into the room. ‘You mean the Devil’s Breath,’ she said, ‘and the Angel’s Trumpets. It wasn’t my idea though, don’t go blaming me for this.’

 

‘It was your idea Marni!’

 

‘No! It was your idea, you said, we’ll get him by any means so I got the special stuff but if I remember correctly, it was you who got me to dust some more Love Hearts in this room, you said they looked dodgy as hell and that I was to cut some more and that was our fatal mistake.’

 

‘It’s us who are dodgy as hell, we brought this on ourselves Marni.’ 

 

Marni shrugged. ‘Maybe. Hey, look, I’ve got a plaster on my head, it’s hanging,’ she ripped it off quickly. ‘Look there,’ she said, peering into the mirror, ‘I’ve a wee cut on my forehead.’

 

‘Now that is strange. I didn’t bring plasters.’

 

Marni put her head next to the window and breathed in the fresh air. ‘The car’s still in the car park Clare, I can see it parked in that same space.’

 

‘Thank god for that.’

 

They each showered, slowly and carefully, occasionally clutching their sore heads and steadying themselves as dizziness overcame them. They dressed, packed up their things in silence, occasionally sighing, shaking their heads in confusion and dismay. 

 

Marni clutched her stomach, ‘I’m so hungry now. Have we missed breakfast?’

 

‘Yes I think so,’ sighed Clare. ‘We need to check out and I need to call the car hire place about the keys.’

 

‘Maybe I should check my bag too,’ said Marni and she had a poke around in all the pockets of her handbag. ‘I can’t find them,’ she said, ‘but, do you know what?’

 

‘What?’

 

‘The special sweets aren’t here.’

 

The maid was waiting outside their room with her trolley of cleaning products. Feeling slightly cautious and embarrassed, the two ladies made their way to the hotel reception.

 

‘Oh it’s you two,’ said the receptionist, ‘we were just about to come and check that you were okay.’

 

‘We’re fine, just overslept,’ said Clare, ‘I think we’re fully paid, here’s the key card back.’ With shaky hands, she slid the card across the desk.

 

‘I’ll just fetch Richard, the duty manager. We need to speak to you about your car keys.’

 

‘Oh have you found them?’

 

‘Erm…just wait here a moment please.’