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Lydia, The Vulture, and The Ram

Zee Miller

    “It’s time for you to choose child.” dual voices woke her. One was crystal clear and soft, reminding her of birdsong. The other voice was rough and low, sending a chill up her spine.
    Lydia opened her eyes quickly scanning for the voices. Two, animal-headed beings stood in front of her; An elegant-faced vulture and a saintly-looking goat, their bodies parallel to one another.
    There was nothing around her, only the inky black void. She walked forward, suddenly compelled without reason. Each step took an eternity and less than a second. While she continued forward she examined each entity.
    The Vulture’s head was turned towards her, the hook of her dark beak pointed down. On top of her head, the Vulture’s white feathers shined like a beacon, carefully moving in tandem. They paired perfectly with the blood-red feathers partially hidden behind her beak. The dark markings on her face almost looked like trees as they gracefully curved up towards her brow. The Vulture’s red eyes should have unsettled Lydia but they didn’t, they felt absolute and just.
    Lydia turned towards the other being. The goat’s pure white fur now felt like the opposite of his counterpart; it felt dangerous and cold. Horns curved from his skull threatening to pierce his crystal-like eye. She could see each breath he took, short bursts of fleeting, misty clouds.
    His face was turned away as he faced the Vulture, only looking at Lydia through a side-eyed glare.
    “It’s time for you to choose now Lydia, no more wasting time.” His rough voice resonated as he turned his head toward her, full face now on display. The previously hidden side was rotted off, the bone looking unnervingly similar to his fur. She gasped, falling backward. She screamed.
    “No, no no stay away.”
    She woke suddenly, in a panic. She was out of breath as she clutched the front of her shirt.
    Lydia As she examined her surroundings she calmed. No longer in the void, she realized she was sitting in a hospital room. Her head felt heavy and her thickly bandaged arms stung. Tears rushed down her face, exhausted, as the event faded from her mind.
    “A fine choice” twin voices sounded in her head as she dozed back to sleep.

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