Eden and Guy by Rhobin
L. Courtright
Eden was pruning her roses when she
spied a curled up snake. Grabbing the snake directly behind its head, Eden
tugged it from the tangle of shrubbery.
“Gotcha. Damn snake. Don’t care if
you are good for the garden. I don’t want you in mine.” Its length coiled
around her arm. She put her garden pruners to the serpent’s head.
“Don’t kill me.”
Eden jumped, gasped, and a
middle-aged bladder leaked. Death-grip fingers grasping the snake released as
she tried to fling the thing away. The serpent’s coils clung to her arm. Her
voice clogged in her tight throat. “You spoke!” She stretched her arm out as
far as she could to get the serpent away from her.
“Yes. I’m an explorer from the
galaxy Peareedeeessiss.”
Her mind flooded with movie images
of alien invasions. “You'll destroy my world!” She clicked the pruner blades
open.
“No! Wait! Just sightseeing. Don't
hurt, please?” Pleading tones turned supplicant. “I can change into any shape
that pleases you.”
She looked into the alien’s beady
eyes and angular face. Was changing shapes any stranger than a talking
snake?
“Change like a werewolf, or a
vampire?” Curiosity tickled her imagination. “Anything?”
“Even a human.” The alien’s coiled body
slithered over her forearm in a sensual touch.
Eden hesitated as the sensation
brought romantic reminiscence of her husband Guy trailing arousing fingers in
such a way. Not that for one instant did she believe Guy’s love had faded, but
mutual interests had long ago changed to singular pursuits.
An explorer… a stranger in an
unknown place; perhaps he desired companionship as much as she did?
“Change into anything?”
“Yessss.”
She took him inside. What was she to
do with him? Let him slither around the house? Get away? No. She popped him in
the empty cookie jar. Always empty now as the kids were gone and she didn’t
need the extra calories. The alien’s coiled up body just fit.
Guy came home from work. “Hi,
sweetie.” He gave Eden a perfunctory kiss and then found the TV remote. “Big
game tonight. Mind if I have dinner in here?” He sank into the couch.
“Sure, honey. You can watch the game
over dinner. You mind if I go out?”
“Not at all. You have plans with
your girlfriends?”
“No, but while you watch the game, I
might as well visit the library, or maybe the museum.”
“Great.”
Guy’s supper served, Eden changed to
dressier clothes. Guy didn’t notice when she walked through the living room
with his suit draped over her arm. Already the announcer’s voice boomed game
statistics and predictions over rousing music.
In the kitchen she pulled the snake
from the cookie jar. It wrapped around her arm. “Be Guy.”
The snake fell from her arm and
morphed into Guy. She handed him the suit. “Let me take you out to dinner,” Eden
said as he dressed. “Afterward, I can show you my world.” Exciting
opportunities opened her mind and Eden smiled. She brushed some scales off the
shoulders of the suit as the serpent pulled on the jacket.
As she opened the door to the
garage, Eden heard Guy shout from the living room, “Bye. Have a good time.”
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