Nugomi

I think I pissed my pants. My body downright ignores the desperate pleas for help as an ordinary man standing right in front of me transforms into a monster. A mangled creature that oozes tar-like substances from every orifice from its body, all the while it twisted and contorted its limbs unnatural angles and shapes. The sound of cracking bones and flesh tearing almost made me gag. The disgustingly disfigured body lurches closer. One big red eye sizing me up like a piece of cooked meat. "Is this the end of me? How did everything turn sour so fast ?" These questions floated in my head as the legendary monster, nugomi, wraps his tar-like hands around my neck and yanks me up. His cold and sticky hands encrusted with teeth begin to increase the pressure around my Throat, squeezing every molecule of oxygen out of my body. That red eye observing as the life in my body drained. Bit by bit, my consciousness dissipates, leaving behind only fragments of the events that had led up to this moment flashing in my head. "She's perfect," I mumbled as I observed a woman sitting by herself in one of the chairs across the room. I zipped open my bag and methodically placed the contents on top of my table while I profiled my target. The woman looked to be in her sixties, wore a flowered-pattern dress, and sat absently staring at the chair which stood opposite of hers. My eyes wander to the objective, clinging desperately to the edge of her table: A wallet. "It looks like she's packing a lot," I whispered to myself. It was practically begging for me to take it as the afternoon sun showered the uneven bulging wallet through the food court windows. The sight of it shining on top of the table made my heart race, and my mind conjures up the kinds of treasures hiding within its leather interior. "This one is going to be big. I can feel it," I said to myself as I finished unpacking. I organized the items-- my tools of the trade -- into groups. An assortment of pamphlets, charms, and books ranging from alternative medicine to "five easy steps to grow your company from scratch" were all sitting neatly on my table, all for one thing: deceiving. "Health insurance?" I muttered to myself. " No, she's probablybeing sucked dry by the confederation's care plan. Religious propaganda?Maybe... people her age tend to be more susceptible to spiritual mumbojumbo. No, at this stage of her life, she's Most likely head deep in Some cult. " As my eyes quietly inspected the old lady, A blue necklace hanging around her neck caught my attention. A three-headed dog etched on its surface. "Omli's sect? They're as stubborn as it gets and extremely radical, but I think I got a few cheap charms from that god of theirs somewhere." I said while grabbing the group of religious paraphernalia and inspecting each of them. I casually looked over the table next to where I was sitting while comparing the different types of talismans and mystical stones. A newspaper with all of its pages ripped piqued my interest. The only legible part was the headline. The big, bold red title read, "A disturbing increase in nûgomi attacks in downtown Mogliu!" " Mogliu? My hometown is having a bit of a disappearance spree again, and the mythical nugomi is getting all the credit..." a flash of inspiration hits me. "Bingo." I reach for a black book on the far side of the desk with the cover "nûgomi." It's an old, beat-up wad of papers wrapped in leather that I picked up years ago in a yard sale. I was attracted to this piece of junk because of the title; bright red lettering smacked right in the center with the same name as the mythical creature. Out of mere curiosity, I bought the book, thinking it would give me more insight into the elusive creatures that plague our Island of Duermos. Unfortunately, I discovered why it was in a yard sale and not one of the town's best-sellers; it's unreadable. All but the cover was written in strange symbols from front to back. I'll admit, I wanted to bash that seller's head in for selling me an over-glorified paperweight. However, after a while, It joined my tools of the trade and became one of my most used ones. It's incredible the amount of garbage you can come up with this. Predicting the future, aliens, all-healing herbs, spells to get rich, you name it, The idiots would eat all up. "It's time to shine, little buddy," I said to the book. Holding the old tome under my arm and grabbing a couple of charms off the desk, I carefully weaved between chairs; ducked under desks in the way, and "Politely" pushed people standing in lines until I was only a few feet away from the lady. I raise my lips to put on the fake smile that I have spent years perfecting: not too gummy; slightly parted eyes and let those white pearls shine. "Hello, there miss, lovely weather, isn't it? " I introduced myself to the senior as I gracefully approached her with a straight back and arms interlocked. With a half-absently and a half-confused gaze, she answered, " I-i guess it is. and who might you be?" she inquired and began sharply peek at the empty chair opposite to hers. On closer inspection, she appears to be in her mid-70s, and her age seemed to be accented by her faded flower pattern-blouse and her long, Patched skirt. Her eyes were hidden underneath layers of flabby skin, allowing only a speck of brown to peek through. Her back arched and created a perfect C that a masterful calligrapher would be proud to call his art. "I'm just a traveling priest, and I perchance saw one of Omli's children sitting by herself. We are living in troubled times, and Lord Omli is worried that you are here alone, exposing yourself to mighty dark forces, " I lower my eyebrows and frown the corners of my lips. "Oh dear, that doesn't sound good. However..." She points towards the other chair with a wrinkled finger" As you can see, I'm with my husband, and I reckon no Evil forces are no match against him," she said with a pure smile. It goes without saying that there was no one sitting in the space where she was pointing; only a discolored plastic stool stood silently. She is demented. Jackpot. "Oh! I meant no offense to your husband, Mrs.?" I trail off. . "Abigail and that handsome gentleman over there is my husband, Tom" She points to the empty chair and giggles to herself. "Well, it sure is a mighty pleasure to meet both of you." With an identical widened smile, I pretend to handshake her imagined specter."Abigail, I do not doubt that this man here is capable of giving even the devil himself a run for his money. However, the evil forces I'm talking about are these." I grabbed the book from my underarm and brought it close enough to the demented lady so that she could see the title. "I'm sure both of you have heard about the recent nugomi attacks ." As she began to open her mouth to respond, I flipped the book to a random page and read. "The nugomi are horrific beings of unknown shape and an equally enigmatic origin. They hide in plain, disguising themselves to look just like you and me. But! one thing is certain," I forcefully close the book in one swift motion and gently lay it on top of her wallet. "Their lust for human flesh is so powerful that they only leave behind the stains of what could only possibly be guessed as the remains of men, women, and children. A bloodbath that could feed an entire village, If you pardon the expression. They say if you get attacked by one of these creatures, they have to send in a wrapped bag. I mean, what can you do with just a mass shredded flesh ?" I said to her while eying her countenance. She began to tremble and shift in her seat as she listened to my tall-tale, her tiny pupils shivering and staring at the space where her specter resides. Her mouth tried to articulate words, but it seemed her voice failed, and only a light gasp escaped from her dried lips. "Are you certain that your husband can go against something like that?" I deepened my voice and sternly gazed into her eyes. "I-I d-don't know. Honey, what do you think? " She asks the empty chair. "I think it'll be fine if I stick together with my Tommy. He is super strong," she whispered. This type of behavior is common around these parts; rejecting reality and choosing to live in a fantasy world. The island of Duermos is not a place where a high quality of life is the norm; I'd say most people here survive off scraps and shady businesses. Only a handful of people get to boast about a marginally better life. Even then, all of them can go off for days without eating or drinking water because everything here is rationed off "To those that need it more." So for that reason, many people, including this lady, prefer the blissful peace of an illusion to the cold truth; I envy them. To me, this reality is the only thing I got. "So It seems this phantom is her coping mechanism. If I don't get rid of it, I won't be getting anywhere." I thought to myself. The only way through her is to try to destroy this poor woman's little delusion. So I sit down on the chair opposite hers. Hoping to dispel her illusion, "Wait- my husband's sitting there," she almost yelped. "Mr. Tom? He left just a moment ago, don't you remember? He went to the restroom for a bit and told me to get a seat and discuss the ways I can fend off against the dark forces, " I lied. For a moment, there was a look of uncertainty on her face. Her eyes darted side to side, trying to make sense of the contradiction that had presented to her. Her sweet phantom had mysteriously vanished in thin air. "How would her brain deal with this paradox," After mumbling and sometimes standing up to look around the increasingly empty food court, she resigned herself to what I believe is the beautiful creation of false memory. "Yeah... yeah, you're right. I'm sorry for that ugly display of behavior," She said with downcast eyes. "Worry not, child of Omli. Everyone's on edge due to the invisible threat that is the nugomi. " I fish out a pair of charms from my pockets and place them in the middle of the table. "One for you; the other for your husband," I say while looking straight into her eyes. As she inspected the charms, I slowly grabbed the old book, along with the surprisingly heavy wallet, and inched them towards me. "All you got to do is place the charm in a place with lots of light so that Lord Omli's energy can fill that holy amulet. When the time comes, it will protect you from anything; Including the nugomi " A wide smile grew on the woman's face. "Oh, how can I ever repay-- " I quickly stand up, grabbing both the book and wallet and say : "This is a gift from lord Omli. The only payment he needs is unwavering faith and continual worship. With this, my job has finished. I bid you a good afternoon." Before she can reply, I swiftly step through the now-empty food court, grab my things and make my way to the exits. I give a glance back to the scene of the crime only to find the cast shadow of a lonely figure swaying from side to side. As I make my way out through the exit, I can faintly hear, "... am I? Tommy?"