Merry Go Round

The Animals

Timmy, his Turnip and his Cat were walking through the forest dark. Their prospects seemed very stark. For things had gone awry, when the Apothecary a former ally, had betrayed Timmy. Stealing his cloud and his corpse brother Jimmy. Now the chase had begun, Timmy set off before the morning sun, to track down and confront the Apothecary for all that he'd done. Of mercy to that traitor he would show none.

 As they walked through the forest Timmy said, "It's quite surprising we're not yet dead. Since we've met the Faeries which many dread. Although I can feel the beetle crawling in my head, and all of last night my eyes bled. But at least by forest animals and fruits are we well fed."

 "That's all very well, we're not yet in hell and we have a tall tale to tell. But I'd have preferred it had our night been uneventful and dull, had we of danger seen utterly null, had we drifted to sleep by fatigue's gentle lull. But instead you now have an insect in your skull." Remarked the cat.

But suddenly the Turnip, carried as ever in Timmy's arms, rasped, " Look ahead! Look where you tread!". At this Timmy looked down and stopped just in time. The shrubbery and the tall grass had concealed a sudden dip in the land. It was at the edge of a cliff that they stood, Timmy and his merry band. But what had made Timmy pause was not just the absence of ground, for below them spread a city with cobbled streets and houses, hidden from the rest of the world by the forest surrounding it.

 Timmy and his friends made their way down the steep slope and into the town. But when they entered the town was completely silent, noone was walking on the cobbled streets, the shops appeared deserted and not a sound could be heard. "Perhaps its because its still early in the morning" said the cat uncertainly as they walked down the streets. Then through the silence they heard a dull creaking noise, amplified by the silence. The creaks continued, not louder or quieter, like an oar of a rowing boat trapped in a vast silent ocean. Curious, Timmy and his companions began to make their way in the direction of the noise. They had walked no more than twenty paces when they came to a butchers, which unlike the other shops, was open.

 Through the large glass window Timmy could see the Butcher's gory products on display, one skinned corpse of some animal, Timmy could not say what, was still bleeding and gently turning on its metal hook which creaked as its load swayed. Satisified they had found the source of the sound, they entered the shop. There was a fat bald man behind the counter, his back turned to them. Timmy began to walk up to the counter. 

 The cat looked uneasily at the bleeding carcass turning on the hook, the blood dripped at a regular pace like some red liquid metronome. Blood which had been pumped and had flowed only a few minutes previously, guessed the cat. The Cat wondered what poor animal this was, but he couldn't tell for the skin had been removed exposing the raw red muscle beneath. The blood dripped and the carcass swayed and gently turned on the hook.

There was a small rusted silver chime on the counter, Timmy gingerly tapped it, curious as to whether it still worked below the layers of rust. It did and the clear pure note of the bell echoed in the shop but the man behind the counter, his back turned, merely grunted as if to acknowledge Timmy's existence.

The cat watched as the caracass swayed and turned a half turn, then a draft blew in through the open door, causing the carcass to turn another half rotation on the meat hook from which it hung, allowing the Cat to see its mutilated face. The Cat's eyes widened, his black pupils thinned to two thin blades, his hair stood on end.

"Excuse me," said Timmy with strained politeness, at this the man snorted in surprise and swivelled around. His small black, hungry eyes focused on Timmy's shocked face. The Butcher flapped his ears then let out one long piercing squeal, The Butcher was a pig.