Prose

Uracil Dreams - Reptilian

written by: Chrome

He was lying on a sofa with a newspaper open at his side- the front page read: "Dinosaur DNA extracted". He was keen to learn more, but found himself falling asleep, as if the story was so engrossing he could better learn it in REM.

---

A boiler room boys and a knife pushing him in locking him in

cutting jealous angry frustrated hate their parents resent what he has WHAT DOES HE HAVE? what's wrong with him? why is he so chubby and beedy-eyed?

what does he KNOW? is he lazy? what could he know, anyway. he's an idiot, holding something over them that they can't see, keeping something from them.

little pig is going to die

so they cut his shirt open and put the knife to his bare skin

not many words are exchanged between the taller boys, looking down at the paler one

he still knows something they don't. he always will. unless he's dead.

the broader-faced boy with the high grin cuts a loop of skin on the boy's shoulder... but the skin peels off with the blade

and underneath are scales. the smaller boy looks up, scared. but his eyes are black pools- no way to know what exactly he's afraid of.

and soon a piece of skin falls away

and he's got scales... some kind of reptilian armour. he was never human to begin with.

and he crumples to the ground, new energy in him on all fours, and crawls away. not whimpering but clawing side to side like a

like


like a crocodile.



...At this point Henry wakes up from his afternoon nap, head blank, but for a bittersweet feeling. A coppery taste in his mouth of a memory that's slipped away somewhere.


---


You're all worried I'll figure out how you got to be what you are before you do. That's why you want me to rush around and slave for you. That's your hurry.

Because if I take my time and figure it all out, I'll become like you- and you're not sure if that's good. You don't want to share. You don't know if I've suffered enough. You don't know where you're going next. Maybe I'll tip the balance in the wrong direction.

And change is always a bit tricky.