Howl Your Appellations

A Dozen Night Waltzes

Lissana Mons

    She didn't come. I wonder if I was being too assertive. But she gave me permission. Sigh, now I feel even shittier. Well at least I can tell that she's still here. She'll probably come when she feels like she needs to or when she can. I don’t know what girls from the city like to do but she probably has a job or something to support herself, she is a human. So I don’t need to sweat, I don’t need to worry. It’s okay. It’s only a matter of time.

    This girl from the city, she mesmerizes me. Whenever I try to follow her, she always disappears before I could get close. I know I'm not the only one who noticed this, a lot of us aren't immune to an unexampled. She must have something the forest wants, or maybe she has something the forest fears. Thankfully, I got to her before the others have. Imus would be furious at me if he found out, but I'm the boss of me so he can find something else to gag on.

    Welp, since she didn't show up I guess I'll have to go to the ocean again. Probably drop by the old man's shop and ask for some...paste bread? Pasta pie? Whatever he calls it. It would be nice to see his honest face, something to cheer me up at least. But before that, I better figure out where my jacket is before the forest freezes me to death. Walking from the forest to the beach with only a thin sweater definitely won’t be a warm stroll at 8 PM. I bet Neptune's heaps of a lot kinder than you, Abalone!

    Now let's see, this morning, I was sleeping on the door tree. I was wearing my jacket then. Then I went to the shack to... do things. Goddamit I don't f*****g remember...think! Think!

Ah, wait. I took my music chimer from my thin coat and heard a lot of bickering. I couldn't care less so I f****d around the spring bath. No one was there, surprisingly, so I decided to take a little dip. I think I left my jacket there?? Since I went to the tree straight after. Please, Luna, let it be there or I will die cold and pissed tonight.

    Ah. It's here. Thank you, Luna. The view of you from the spring water is beautiful. All these bushes and flowers and reeds deserve to be your background, even if you're smaller than I'd like you to be tonight. But man, this place looks so fantastic even at night. Your moonlight hitting the waters and the fog adds this amazing reflected color with the stars. And whoever built this stone rim around the waters really knows something about art. And speaking of art, Luna, wait for me by the sea, wink. I’ll meet you there.

"So I heard you got a taste of the new outsider."

    Just great. Why does he keep creeping up on me? And how the f**k do I never hear him lurking? However he does it he’s not gonna get any intel from me. I basically know nothing so far anyway. 

"Yeah, I did. So you better back off, Krolo."

"She might be more problematic to you than cathartic, Bone and Fang. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I don't care. If you want to talk, go talk to Imus. I don't have time for you. I'm going to the beach."

“Hmm. Suit yourself. We both know you don’t know what you’re doing.”

    Stupid old geezer, trying to plant stupid mirror words inside my head. I can handle what that girl throws at me. Bring it on, girlie. I bet she sucks at arm wrestling.

    The breeze is surprisingly warm tonight. But these railings are really f*****g cold, Oof. Why did there have to be a river between the damn forest and the ocean? It takes up so much of... the way to get to the ocean. Well at least I get to see all the pretty city lights. Not as pretty as the ocean though. The artificial lights are only pretty from the outside.

    Fog. Cold. Lights. The stars. Some lamppost poster of an egghead. The dragon gondolas arriving. The stars. I'm cold. Dammit.

"Hey! Muscle girl! I see you!"

Old man street vendor. Finally!

"Old man! Great to see the restaurant-s***h-convenience store's still here!! Also dude you look cold, are you okay?"

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!! You know what they say, you gotta tow your own weight!! And your convenience restaurant!! BAHHAHAHA!! "

    I've never heard that saying come out of another person's mouth other than his. Maybe he is the "they" he's referring to. The old man doesn’t even notice how red his cheeks are. I bet if I touched them, my fingers would freeze. Or maybe burn?

"What'll you have muscles?"

"Dude you know I don't have money. But if you make me one of your famous mushroom soups. I'll give you my jacket. Sound fair?"

"I'll throw in a paste bread and a little pasta pie and you've got yourself a deal!"

    Ah so both was right... paste bread and pasta pie. I thought my brain just made them up. This guy’s too generous for his own good. He’ll never stay in business at this rate. I’ll have to cherish this mushroom soup like it’s the last bowl of soup in the world.

"Soup makes me warmer than any old worn down jacket."

"Thanks, muscles."

“As long as you know I’m serious.”

“Plainly. So listen to this…”

    Ah so he’s starting. I might as well stick around and listen to his normal human stories. About his past loves, about his famous band kids and about the history of the shop. I like to imagine that I lived his life or at least have had a significant part of it. But I’ve only known this man for three years and we’re nothing more than passing friends. It’s not like I want to form a closer relationship with him. I’m more than satisfied with what we have now. He’s never identified himself as anyone other than “Old man” and he never felt comfortable calling me by my own name. Maybe he thinks simple labels for each other are enough. But someday, when I have the chance, I’ll surprise him by calling out his name.

                                                                                    ⁂

    The beach is so serene. Only fancy words can describe her. If she wasn't Luna's lover I would have proposed to her with a big coral ring. And all kinds of fish would live there. It would be our kingdom come. Sigh, but who can compete with Luna? She’s the one who made me like this, the one who made everyone the way they are. No one can compare to her. If it ever comes to pass, she'd watch the forests and cities crumble, if it meant saving her beloved ocean. Isn’t it scary to love like that? 

    You're so tiny right now, it feels like I could grab and punch you out of the sky. But that's not what I want. Even if you just watched when my mom suffered; she wouldn't want that; Nike wouldn't want that. But I'll manage to get back at you. So right now you're my only company, until I manage to feel less shitty.

    You know I don’t usually bring this with me, mom’s music chimer. Imus insists I call it a “music box”. First of all, music is already in the name and second, the casing is not a lame box, it’s sea glass shaped into a heart, but music heart sounds too cheesy to me so…music chimer. Hmm, I’m always super conscious about it when I bring it along with me. I might get into a fight or a stupid scrimmage. But tonight is an exemption. No one’s out here but me and your waves.

Wisps in the meadow, sirens of the sea.

The moon plays a melody for three.

The promise of sweet everlastings,

Expand our golden halos outwards

The dance of a dozen, the waltz of

Our hearts.

    The chimer’s still as resonant as I remember. But I can’t say the same for me. It’s been ages since I danced the waltz. I can’t believe I got this sloppy and awkward. Sigh. The sand’s so soft. I don’t know what I’m doing or gonna do. I guess I’ll sleep. Maybe she’ll be there tomorrow. Then I’ll figure out what I need to do.