So I went out to the Desert in search of the Fugitive Gods. After many weeks, I found the traces.
Coming out of the Dark Woods, I came upon a Wasted Land. It looked as if a fire had recently come through and burned most of the trees.
Black smouldering stumps in a world of grey white ash.
And there, directly ahead of me, were the traces of the God Ox.
I stepped out the Dark Woods and into the Waste Land.
I followed the traces up to a small cave where they disappeared into the pitch black of the interior.
I hesitated going in.
So I waited. Wanting with each passing instant to enter but knowing that I should wait. For what I didn’t know.
But then, the night came and with it, the Moon. The soft blue light entered into the cave, illuminating the interior.
Slowly, I entered.
The first thing I saw was a strange pair of wooden stilt-like shoes. At the end of the stilts were carved ox hooves.
These were the traces that I had been following. I realized that some devil had lured me up here. Suddenly scared, I backed out of the cave.
However, I stumbled and fell into a pile of burning white bones. A beautiful skull tumbled into my lap and sent waves of ecstasy through my spine.
I lifted the skull up and looked into those dark eyeholes and instantly fell into an abyss of love.
Ah, Skeleton Baby! I whispered. I have searched for you for so long. And now, I have finally found you. Ah, Skeleton Baby!
In the cool light of the Desert Moon, I collected all of Skeleton Baby’s bones and laid them out on the floor of the cave.
I lay on top of her, shivering in wave after wave of joy. But I needed more.
And with my sharp blade, I cut myself out of my skin, laughing as I slipped Skeleton Baby’s bones into it.
But this still wasn’t enough.
And so I cut off all of my flesh and stuffed it around the bones inside the bag of skin. I tore out my tongue and put it in her mouth. My eyes in her eye-holes. My face on her skull.
Now just a skeleton myself, I lay down again on top of Skeleton Baby.
Ah, Skeleton Baby, please, please, come back to me, baby.
And sure enough, I felt her drinking in my soul, slowly, slowly, and her lips moving against the white teeth of my skull.
And then Skeleton Baby wrapped her legs around me and broke me into a pile of scattered bones. Ah, God, pure bliss!
She laughed and picked up my skull and threw it far into the darkness of the cave. Then, dancing in circles, she scat-
tered all of my bones.
Then she strapped on the fake God Ox shoes and ran screaming out of the cave.
And I still remain, lost and scattered, a skull burning with the blue flames of love for my Skeleton Baby, my Sweet Sweet Skeleton Baby.
“If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your
closet, you’d best teach it to dance.”
- George Bernard Shaw
