The doll was beautiful. This I must
confess. Kyra and Mika made her to star in one of their films,
and I must admit. I never look forward to watching them. They
are extremely upsetting to me. They are nightmare visions that
never seem to resolve any kind of plot, if there is any in their
films. The boys are quite talented.
I met the twins at art school eons ago.
They’ve always been a little odd, but Mika and Kyra never worried
about popular vote when it came to them. They are both dark haired,
ponytailed, odd angular faces. The only way to tell the boys apart
was a mole on Mika’s left cheek.
Every time they complete a new short
film, the boys invite me for a sneak preview. Judging by my cringing
or how many times I look away, they are pleased with their efforts.
“Derek,” Mika said.
“Old friend,” Kyra shook my hand.
“We are so glad you could make it,”
They both finished.
“Well, you know I wouldn’t miss one
of your films,” I told them as I came in through the front door of
their studio.
“Come now,” Mika grinned.
“We use you as a guinea pig,” Kyra
laughed. They showed me to my usual chair by the window overlooking
the city below.
“Am I the only one here? Where’s
Saul, you guy’s producer?”
At that moment, Ophelia appeared.
Now let me go on record….I always
thought the boys were gay. I didn’t even know they had an interest
in women. Even if they were gay, it wouldn’t have changed our
relationships. Even in art school they didn’t show interest
when the random girl showed interest…and that was not often.
Everyone, even their parents, thought the boys were just a little
creepy.
Ophelia was tall, leggy blond. She had
large pouty, red lips. She seemed to wisp, not walk. That night
she wore a white dress…she smelled
like raspberries.
Yes, I had a thing for her. Well, more
than a thing. I fell hard for her. I wanted Ophelia bad.
“Hi,” She said. “I’m actually
their new producer. Saul….we don’t exactly know what
happened…..but, he’s no longer in the picture.”
I didn’t know what to say. Saul
had given the boys money since their last year at art school. Even
helped they buy the studio they live and work in. And being so
sudden, I was in shock. I rather enjoyed conversations with the old
coot. He was a producer for the BBC. Then he became independent.
“What about Channel four?” I asked.
Simultaneously, they said, “What about
Channel Four?”
I blinked, smiled. They looked at each
other.
“We still have our commitments,”
Kyra said.
“But,” Mika took Ophelia by the hand
and brought her into the circle. “Ophelia has gotten us a three
picture deal with Channel Four backing. Something Saul could never
achieve.”
“Well, let’s get the film going,”
I took a seat. “I have an early morning.”
The light went down. The film started.
It was their usual blend of fantastic animation, live action,
wonderful eastern bloc composer, whom I’m not sure, wrote the
music. The film, of course, was quite upsetting to me.
The female doll was blond, no facial
expression, as a matter of fact, her face was blank. She was
controlled by a hand moving her about like a marionette. She would
rise from her bed, open the door of her bedroom, and walk into a
white void. Suddenly find her back in bed. This would repeat several
times. Later she noticed a hole in the wall of her bedroom. She went
to it, looked inside. She saw a large rat making a meal of a man. The
camera would move in and reveal the doll’s face a striking
resemblance to Saul, their old producer. At the end the camera pulled
away to show a faceless man stab the female doll repeatedly as she
slept, in the same scene pencils danced around them.
I was not handling the film well. When
the lights came up, I was in tears. I stood, rushed to the front
door. “Thank you, boys,” I barely managed to call out as I ran
out.
Out in the streets, I watched the
traffic race by. A light drizzle dampened my face to cover my tears.
I hailed a taxi and told the turban man to take me to my apartment on
the west side. He must have thought I was mad. I wept the entire
trip.
All night my sleep was undeniably
rampant with horrible images. Bloodied hands opening me up and sowing
me back up with needle and thread. I kept hearing voices. That
strange violin riff danced through my head the entire distraught
slumber. Spiritual pencils sang their praises to the wrong
Lord, intestine crucifixes.
I awoke with a pounding headache.
I received a phone call from Ophelia. I
rolled out of bed to answer my phone that was under my clothes. I
felt like I’d had a night out on the town. Truth better to tell I
had not drunk at all in six months and I am reluctant recovered
alcoholic. I had lost my business, a small one I had built for five
years working in the commercial advertising industry. I even lost the
wife of two years. Very dire situations.
“Hello,” My voice cracked when I
spoke into the phone.
“Derek,” Ophelia said. She sounded
hurried.
“Yes? Who is this?”
“Ophelia, of course. Who else could it
be?”
“Maybe a client? A job for me? What do
you want?”
“You.” She said, cleared her voice.
“I must see you.”
“I really need to get out there, hit
the pavement as they say, and find employment.” I told her.
“I need you,” Ophelia nearly burst
into tears.
“For what?”
“Oh my God,” She said. “Do I
really have to spell it for you?”
“Well….” I thought a second.
“Yes,” I laughed. “You should.”
“This is pathetic! Fine. Come over at
once! Sex! I want sex!” And she hung up.
I had no choice, you understand.
She needed me. The boys were not giving
her all she wanted. Of course. I ran ten blocks. I was almost
there, dodging traffic as I crossed streets. I noticed a homeless man
walking in circles behind a dumpster in front of a coffee shop.
“Saul!” I screamed. “Saul!” I
avoided a collision with a dry cleaners van. The driver cursed me as
he swerved, almost hitting a man walking his dog. An argument ensued.
“Saul!” I called out to him again.
He didn’t hear me, or was just
ignoring me. I really couldn’t tell. So went over to him, grabbed
him by the shoulders.
“Saul? Hey, it’s me. Derek.”
He just looked at me…or rather right
through me. His eyes….there were nothing behind them. No life at
all. Two dark holes in his face.
I let go of him. He continued his
journey, walking in circles. It was sad. I walked away from him,
shaking my head. It was only two weeks ago I saw the man, all was
well.
I walked past the driver and the man
with the dog having a fist fight. As they were trading blows, the
dog, a Rottweiler had bitten the owner on the leg and wouldn’t let
go. This was very humorous. But I couldn’t stay to watch.
One more street corner and I would be at
Mika and Kyra’s studio. I would have Ophelia to myself….at least
this one time.
Ophelia met me at the door. She took
hold of my tie and pulled me in. she slammed the door shut. We stared
at each other for a half second before she pulled my face closer to
hers for a passionate kiss. We broke for away for a few. She took me
by the hand and led me to the bedroom she shared with the twins.
My head was swirling. She undressed me,
laid me on the bed. I looked around, saw all the dolls the twins used
in there movies. They were sitting on several shelves across the
bedroom. Some dolls missing certain limbs, some with parts that
don’t match, some with blank faces, some with animal parts. Some
with faces painted like clowns.
I felt her lips softly move down from my chest towards my
midsection, and her hands were wandering…searching.
I felt strange. I felt short of breath.
The dolls were moving. Laughing, waving, heads spinning around.
They slid down the shelves and began to crawl across the
carpeted floor, hissing, laughing, and crying out. It was shear
chaos.
I became short of breath. My vision was blurred.
I felt Ophelia straddle me. She was riding me hard and I
could feel myself slip away into the void. The dolls by now had
joined us in the bed. A doll with rubber arms stretched out and had
wrapped them around Ophelia’s breasts, caressing the nipples.
I came. Then everything went black.
There were voices. Voices overlapping each other, and talking very
fast.
I felt hands on my limp body. A knife split me open from chest to
abdomen. Fingers were inside me, filling me with liquid. Suddenly, I
was stiff.
“Oh, he is going to be beautiful,” I heard Ophelia say.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a miniature bedroom
decorated with a canopy bed and a vanity. I stood there, holding a
bloody knife in my hands and a doll with a blank face lying on the
bed in a pool of blood…..
