The Slagorez

Another week, another fiction. This time Max takes on the Slagorez . . . kinda. My goal was to do this one in 500 words. I hit 512 (if I can count). Getting closer. Enjoy!

Max nearly spilled his bucket of Jebalix when he came through Ms. Price’s door. A chalk outline traced the floor in the center of her living room. Cameras flashed but nobody appeared to be operating them.

“What is that?” he thought, as his eyes fell across the chalk. Certainly it wasn’t human. There were too many arms . . . or maybe it was too many legs?

Whatever it was, he’d already done enough to please Ms. Price for one day. He’d brought the Jebalix here, afterall. He should leave. Now.

But then there was a buzzing sound from inside his pocket. An email from Ms. Price. Max opened the message but would not admit that his interest was piqued.

Hello darling,

Please excuse me for not being home when you arrived; I just needed to get out of the house. Anyway, I assume you’ve got the Jebalix? Please pour them into the hole in the center of the outline. I’m using them to bait a Slagorez. Hopefully one of the cameras I’ve rigged to take pictures at random intervals will catch a picture of it in the house and we can get Monster Control to come and dispose of it.

Don’t wait for me, you’ll want to be gone when the Slagorez arrives.

Cynthia

What the hell was a Slagorez? He took up his bucket again, walked over to the hole, and began pouring in the chomping Jebalix.

There was a sharp sound that came from the window and Max caught the slightest glance of something slide across it.  Just a hint of white powder, swirling in the air, was all the trace it left behind.

On instinct Max ducked behind the sofa. Everything became quiet, and Max noticed he no longer heard the flash of Ms. Pine’s cameras.

When Max finally chanced a peak, what he saw resembled a starfish covered in confection sugar. It lay flat against the hole and a slurping noise came from within. Max stood for a moment, awed by the way its many arms and legs fit so perfectly into the outline.

There was a gurgling sound and Max found two powdered eyes staring his direction. He turned to leave but then remembered the cameras. The automatic wind had been switched off and some of the tape had come loose. Despite himself, Max climbed upon the sofa as the Slagorez began to spasm, attempting to lift itself from the floor.

Max cranked the wind as the Slagorez got to its many hideous feet. Max nearly shouted with joy when he heard a click signaling the tape was wound.

But nothing happened . . .

Finally, the flash went off! There was another loud bang and the Slagorez was gone.

Max’s heart still pounded his entire walk home. This was certainly the last job he ever took from Ms. Pine. But then a week later, a letter came with a simple message in her quick but elegant script.

I saw the picture. You were amazing! My hero.

Max hoped she’d have another job for him soon.