Three heads gazed around their surroundings. They proved a menacing sight, guarding the house of their master. Their orange skin glowed in the sun while their black bands looked like chains holding them in place. Two of the heads seemed to be arguing with the third. There was hissing and spitting evident from a mile away.
The tile underneath me is hot and sticky. I can feel my scales glued to the surface. They are arguing again, I’ll stay out of it. Don’t bite me! No, I…My vision is blurring. The blue sky is caving into the green bushes. The tiles underneath me shift to dirt.
I open my mouth wide, my teeth are as sharp as daggers. The mouse is skittering around, but there is no where for it to hide. I close my jaw to skewer the mouse on my fangs. The mouse falters and my jaw clamps on air. I try again, I am waiting for that warm rush of blood in my mouth, the taste of hair and meat on my tongue.
The largest and fiercest looking head had a mouth that was spitting and frothing. It whipped around, snarling. Another head was trying to pull away from the main body of the runespoor. It was writhing, desperate to go somewhere, anywhere but here. The third head however, swayed merrily by itself. It opened its mouth wide and clamped its jaw on pure air.
It was hot once again, but not painfully hot as it had been before. The heat bakes my skin and I lay on a smooth rock. My eyes start to close, there is no need to stay alert here. I hear a thump of the waves against the shore. Sand flies up but does not reach me.
The most intelligent looking head, the one attempting to pull away from the others, started to strike the ground with its teeth. It seemed to be trying to lodge its teeth in the space between tiles. The mean head jeered at it with a skeptical look on its face. The spacey head merely rested itself on the floor and closed its eyes.
There is master. He is cooing over us in his private study. He strokes our backs but then becomes stern with us. He wants us to be fierce and ferocious. He wants us to scare and to anguish. I want to make master proud. I open my mouth and hiss in his face. He bares his teeth back, he is pleased.
The dreamy head bared its teeth and snapped its jaw. The other heads looked affronted. They hissed back, though not daring to come close enough to be severed by its teeth. The knowledgeable looking head had eyes that glinted in the sun. It strained to leave the rigid porch and venture into the garden beyond.
She flung out her tongue. I felt wetness splatter my face. It burned my eyes yet my stomach yearned for more. She snapped her teeth at me, three times, a mating call. I moved closer flicking out my own tongue. Her eyes were wide and they glowed yellow in the darkness.
Two heads seemed to be having an argument. There was a slit in the large vicious looking head's neck. Blood dripped down its neck. The other head leaned in to lap it up. The dreamy head was once again oblivious, a tongue flicked out of its askew mouth. The dreamy head looked fierce though slightly dazed. It's forehead was furrowed and its eyes remained closed.
It was silent. Pure bliss. No hissing or spitting. No teeth marks or loud fights. I was alone at last. I lay by myself in a foggy cloud. There was my body. There were no teeth marks or blood, but I was most definitely alone. I dared not open my mouth for one sound might ruin this heaven.
For a moment the dreamy head seemed to have died. It stayed stock still closing its eyes and mouth. The other heads seemed to realize its lack in movement for they paused as well. It was a moment of peace in the runespoor's life.
I flicked out my tongue. It felt as though a tooth had come loose and I needed to dislodge it from my mouth. As my tongue retracted from my mouth I saw that there was a small pale orange sphere on my tongue. I dropped it onto the ground quite unceremoniously. It cracked open and I watched three small mouths yawn and six little eyes blink to life.
The runespoor got up and moved haphazardly off the tiled porch. It seemed that two of the heads were pulling the third with them. The tiled steps scratched their back yet the dirt and grass seemed to calm them. Despite all the jostling the dreamy head never once awoke.
I fell into a mossy hole. I could see light far above my head. The hole was just snug enough to fit my full body comfortably. I curled up and rested my head on my tail. I could feel my eyes start to droop. I could feel heat resonating off my body.
I opened my eyes just a slit to allow the darkness to seep through my head. Not a tongue's length away were large yellow eyes. They glared at me through the darkness. I jumped and felt two weights attached to my neck. My heart sank. I looked around. There was the critic glaring and spitting my way. The planner was attempting to pull us up through the opening.
The runespoor reached up to the clouds. It was an odd sight. Two heads reached up towards the heavens while the tail rose with them. They arched in the sky like an upside down bow. One head hung limply by their side, a dead weight keeping them on the ground. The limp head snarled and jostled to one side and another. It twitched and sputtered emitting spouts of fury through the air.
The human descended towards us with a stick in its hand. Its eyes seemed to shoot fire in all directions. Its hand shook as it leaned closer to us. We had done something to offend him, but I couldn’t think what it was. I could almost hear the planner’s escape ideas rush through its head. The critic bared its fangs defending himself. I could feel that man’s hurt, his dreams that had perished. I could see the picture of a young boy rising to the surface of his mind. The boy’s features had blurred as though it was hard to remember. The man raised his hand and shouted indistinguishable words.
The dreamer seemed to be seizing up. It rocked this way and that, whimpering and gasping for breath. It froze in mid breath. It shook and then dove to the left. It opened its mouth and sank its fangs into the nearest bush.
His skin felt rough and course next to my teeth. I had subdued him, but not for long. He shook me off. I gaze up into the angry face and saw that it was master. I did not understand. He bellowed at me. He spat in my face and attempted to wrap his hands around me. He gesticulated and pointed towards his bloody leg, my vicious attempt to suppress him.
The runespoor moved away from the bush. The dreamy head looked afraid and the critic looked cynical. The planner continued to gaze off into the distance towards the places to which they might travel. In the setting sun their skin looked oddly green and eerie.
This was it, the end. I could no longer draw breath and I could feel water fill my mouth. My tongue floated upwards yet my body was falling down. Darkness was creeping up around the edges of my vision and pale blue light cascaded down from far above. My head started to spin and I felt as though someone was repeatedly beating my head. My body started to collapse into itself…
The dreamy head shook and then collapsed onto the pavement. The other heads looked slightly startled. The fall must have awakened the dreamy head for one after another its eyes opened and gazed around. It took in the sky which had turned black and the ground which had turned to dirt. It closed its eyes trying to escape back to the land of dreams, the only land where a solo head could have a personality of its own, aspirations of its own, a life of its own.
I felt a sharp pain somewhere around my midriff. I looked around confusedly. There was the planner and the critic once again attached to my neck. They were arguing. The critic seemed to have lodged itself into our joint body and did not seem to want to let go. I was back on solid, green earth. The sun had set and the stars twinkled and winked at me.
I closed my eyes, hoping to escape once again.
Why live one life when you can dream up two?