Mia Arias
A butterfly.
A symbol of change.
The same butterfly that flew across my face. That night.
This town was once filled with striving people. The streets and sidewalks were always filled with people. Elders, adults, children. Going to school. Going to work. We all had the same routine. Elders stayed at home with their pets to keep them company. During the holidays they’ll go see other relatives or vise-versa. The adults would go to work. Working in buildings, in an office, or free to roam place while they get paid. Once they get home, they’ll sigh and drop all their things at the door and go upstairs to shower or nap. Both take about an hour to do. The kids after school would run out even if some had to stay for aftercare. It would be a thunderstorm of laughter once the doors opened to let those little monsters out.
It’s weird to think that we--that I-- would change. I was the town leader's daughter. I heard the rumors. I knew what was to come. Dainza was gonna end the world this year, they moved their left foot. It was the beginning of the dance of destruction. The air quality had dropped--thousands of people were dying due to the incident. I knew the ritual. I was the first born. I had to be sacrificed to keep the years coming.
It was midnight. I awoke to a butterfly near my face. It was big. Big and blue with a black outline around the wings. Every time the wings flapped, a blue line of sparkly, shiny particles followed. I followed the butterfly to the window and watched it phase right through under the moonlight. Right through the window as if the glass was never there.
That night, I heard the voices. My own parents talking about my ritual. I remember my anger. That anger screamed for change. Why should people give up other people to keep on living? Living for a year. One single year, just to do the same thing. The poor people in this town having to remember every move. Every dance. A spin for creation, a left foot up for destruction. They fear Dainza’s right foot for it had never moved.
The butterfly was calling me. I opened the window. The moonlight was on me. Unmoving. I heard footsteps coming near my door. I didn’t even look back; I went out the window. Out there, I saw the butterfly hovering over bushes that stand near the opening of the cemetery. I also heard my parents calling me home, to come back. But I followed the butterfly further.
The cemetery was old but forever growing. The fence around it was taken down due to the fact that more bodies kept dying over the years. The soil was dry. Not even nature took over this part of the town. The tombs were cracked and dirty. No one paid respects here.
As I went further down with the fluttering butterfly, I reached the tombstones that belonged to the other sacrifices. I was the only one that got away.
Poor Vera. Her tomb, too, was cracked and dirty. Her last name was cut off. I wanted to know because it was so close to mine.
At that cemetery is where I met her. Sad eyes and short, dark brown curly hair that was up in a bun with the front hair being out like bangs. She wasn’t human. She told me she was reincarnated as a demon. She wasn’t like a stereotypical demon, like the ones I’ve seen. I’ve seen big ones ruining buildings, ones with wings hiding behind cars and coming out to flex their large wings to scare people away, and ones that just lie around thinking they live here. She looked normal except for the fact she had blue neon lines going down her eyes. Just like that butterfly, it glowed in the moonlight. It had shiny stars follow her cheeks when she moved her face to the side. She wanted change, just like me.
“I don’t know anything about magic..” I said to her.
“I can teach you.”
We, together, became one. One big supernatural being with the same anger demanding answers. Change. No more sacrifices we thought together, in the same brain, the same mind. We now have the same body, the same short curly dark brown hair up in two tight buns, the same sad sulky eyes that shine in the moonlight. We are neither human nor demon, but rather like a God.
Now I stand here. For finishing my goal. For ending the suffering of the ones who were sacrificed. Standing before me is the Great Dainza. They have lavender skin so smooth you can see it with naked eyes. They are slim with a tall body that can bend in any direction as if they have no bones. Their wavy hair is white and long, standing upright as if they were underwater. It flows like the wind. A big ribbon is wrapped around their naked body. It can sometimes be green for creation and red for destruction. Lord and behold, it was a deep red. They have black tattooed music notes on their palms, their arms hold thousands upon thousands of shiny bracelets- their neck too holds many golden necklaces that are worn like scarfs.
“Your journey must’ve been tedious, little one.” The Great God spoke, “I wonder what door you’ll open with that key.”
The illusions of doors spread around the both of us, me and the Great Dainza. They all had different colors, even if some had similar shades. In this space, it held many stars above us. Occasionally, a shooting star will fly by and return as if it was playing on loop. The platform we are standing on is formed in a circle. The outer edges are a dirty gold with tall lit candles flaring. The middle ground is like soil but no matter where I put my feet, I never touch rocks.
“I know what you are here for,” The Great Dainza spun, their ribbon turning green for a second. Two other demons showed up as reinforcements. The Great Dainza chuckled, lifting their left foot to strike a pose, “Let’s see if you are really worthy of beating me like He thinks. Care to dance?”
“I’m ready,” I spoke, but inside I wasn’t just talking to Vera. It was also aimed at myself.
“Charge up your main attack. It’ll weaken them and hit them hard,” Vera spoke to me.
I looked at the two demons, “What do I do about them?”
“They are ice types. That little one there,” Vera pointed out the small demon on the left side of The Great Dainza. It wore big navy blue shoes with a hat matching its color. It looked like a snowman with a smile. “It will do little damage, just be wary of its fast attacks. I would just say to just dodge. For the other, keep an eye on it.”
The world’s future rested on my shoulders.
After the finishing blow, I got knocked back. My knees scraped against the surface floor as I held on tight to my arm. It stopped bleeding but I still felt the sting and sizzle of the punches.
“Well, very well. The best dance I had in years.” The Great Dainza laughed. Their hair slumped down. The candles that were around us died off. No more flaring lights. The jewelry lost its shine. The big ribbon around their body was tainted black. Pitch black. The stars in the sky above disappeared. The loop had ended. It’s now eerie. It’s too silent. “Those who create the world by their own conscience will bring nothing but chaos.” The Great Dainza breathed out, “Do you wish for that?”
I couldn’t say anything. I could only hold myself together, not even that was enough. I felt the curse get worse as The Great Dainza began to fade away.
“Very well..” Was the last thing I heard before the Great Dainza lifted their right foot and disappeared. I saw something unseeable.
“Are you okay?” Vera called out, as I hunched over the floor. I forced out a response which was just a pathetic groan. With the little strength I had, I looked up. I was still met with nothingness. After one full breath, I fell over. My arm over my forehead. Resting.
“It seems like Nova beat us to the punch.” A voice said. I looked to the side. It wasn’t Vera. There was a small black cat with green eyes next to a man. He had a purple cape and black shoes. He was wearing all black with white straps around his waist and upper body. His black hat had a silver moon with three lines on the left side, it was covering his eyes, making it hard to see his face. How did they know my name?
The cat had spoken, “This case has been taken care of.”