Gee

Gee ran his rusted scalple along the snail’s belly, splitting the coagulated mass in two. The body of the mollusk was still fresh enough that it hadn’t completely hardened or dried up yet. Instead, the previously slippery surface was now slightly tacky. Gee took a small paint brush and rubbed it along the newly exposed flesh. He hummed a little tune to himself as he focused.

When the brush had collected enough mucus, Gee walked a few feet over to the table at the other side of the shack. On top of the large platform were two projects he had been working on for some time. First, was a golden helmet made with some cheap metal and spray paint. It was more like a baseball cap without the rim, and it had two large antannae-like strips on top that curved their way a foot into the air above. As an interesting feature, Gee had taken long, black strands of hair, which he had gotten in town from one of the barbers, and attached them around the inside brim. His intention was to hide his face as much as possible when he donned the creation.

The second project, which had taken more time, precision, and care, was much closer to Gee’s heart. Sitting next to the completed helmet was a gigantic, unfinished replica of a snail’s shell. Gee always had a fascination with the little creature’s homes, and one gloomy day a few months prior, he had decided to build one of his own.

To make it as organic as possible, Gee had taken hundreds of snails that he had found in the woods around his house, and with their own slime he had glued crushed pieces of their own shells together. So far it was all holding up really well, even after he sanded the materials into one smooth, brown-speckled surface. All that was left was one final piece.

Gee brushed the slime on the large mouth of the shell, and held the last bit in place. He removed his hand a few seconds later, stepped back, and admired the result of all of his hard efforts. Gee wanted to try out his new creations right away, but practiced some self restraint first as he discarded the remnants of his most recent victim, cleaned the brush, and put away his scalple and other tools.

With nothing holding him back, Gee fastened the helmet onto his head. The hair almost did its job too well. He could barely see anything in front of him. With a little bit of difficulty he wrapped his arms around the shell, about four feet in diameter, and squeezed his way through the shack’s fat door.

It was fall, and the forest where he lived had transformed into a golden wonderland. A canopy made up primarily of yellow leaves spread out above him and enriched the rays of sun shining on those that had already plummeted to the ground below.

“What a beautiful day,” Gee rasped, “A good day.”

Gee undressed himself down to nothing. He put his clothes in a small pile near the shack door, and then squated down near his shell. Much like the helmet, he had tacked on a belt to the inside of the shell so he could fasten it around his body. He buckled the belt around his waist, much like how he did in his truck, and got down on his hands and knees. The shell was a lot lighter on his back than he had originally anticipated.

Naked, Gee massaged the ground with his body, and using his toes he slowly inched forward. The dirt felt very interesting against his torso, and the twigs underneath scraped hard against his body; cutting up his stomach and legs. He smelled the grass. It was a good smell. And, he nibbled on a golden leaf or two.

The experience was so amazing to Gee, that a few tears started to trickle down his cheeck.

When he realized how dirty he was, Gee decided to crawl to the stream nearby. Once there, he washed himself, and his tears combined with the fresh, crisp water. In the middle of his bath as a snail, Gee saw a deer walk into view. He froze, staring at the large four legged animal. For a while, it stared back at him.

'A Snail' created and posted on DeviantArt by maCGot

He became so fascinated with the smooth look of the deer’s skin and started to wonder what kind of new experiences he could have if he had the same material wrapped around his body; hooves in his hands.

Gee started crawling closer to the deer. Slowly but surely, he would do anything to capture one. He wasn’t sure how he would do it with his bare hands, but it was worth trying. He moved a few feet. The deer didn’t budge. He moved a few feet closer, and the deer just stared at him, wondering if he should dash away or not.

For a brief moment Gee thought he would be successful. In a weird, illogical way, he had truly thought that come nightfall he would be wearing a deer skin. And then the deer’s ears perked up, and looked to its right. There was something in the bushes nearby that worried the deer more than Gee did. Gee could see the fear in its eyes, and he knew that at any second some squirrel or other woodland creature would completely ruin his chances. He had to pounce, and he had to do it now.

Gee ran after the deer.

The deer started to gallop away.

There was a gunshot.

Gee’s shell shattered. The snail’s glue no longer held everything together.

For the last few seconds of his life, Gee saw the deer gallop out of sight. He watched as the bushes nearby moved. He saw two hunters take off their own shells; two leafy exteriors. Gee wasn’t sure why he couldn’t move his body anymore, nor why his back hurt so bad. Everything blurred.

As his blood soaked into the earth, a few snails burrowed out from the ground, thinking it had started to rain.

Gee– Inspired by ‘A Snail’, created and posted on DeviantArt by maCGot

~ by Robbie on July 31, 2009.