Alyd in Tantra's Fairy Tales by ADALBERTO ATONDO SAINZ - HTML preview

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Suddenly, a big snake appeared before me with my face formed on its head. I even had a snake tongue coming out of his mouth! Cards cheered even more when it charged towards me.

“How do I fight?” I asked the floating cat.

“With the heart” He answered.

I stood blankly as he gave me the least expected answer. Cat sighed in deception and said:

“Just imagine a sword or a machine gun! Anything girl! Your heart wil make it true!”

I tried hard to imagine something to kil my version of a big snake in Hel , then a snowbal appeared in my hand

“What is this?” I was surprised.

“Aw, you don’t want to kil it,” Said Cat.

As I tried to figure out what to do I looked up to see my own face charging towards me, opening my own mouth and eating myself to find out I appeared again in the arena.

“One life less for Alyd !” Announced the cat. Decks cheered again.

“Let me help you,” Said, snapped his fingers. I was shrouded into a white cloud of smoke.

Suddenly I found myself mounting a two headed lion and a machine gun in my hands with a label that said: The snowbal mean machine gun. But too late again as the snake ate me again.

“Two lives lost! next one is for real!” Said the cat.

“For real?” I asked, afraid.

“Wel , you would wake up in the submarine as this never happened” He said.

Snake charged towards me again, this time I aimed to the (my own) head and took a shot. Lots of snowbal s hit the face and body. The snake stopped. Lifted into the air, I guess to show some dominance over me, but started crying to my surprise. Al of the deck cards booed the poor snake. It kept crying, cal ed me a monster and ran away. It climbed into the stadium stands and jumped onto the other side, kil ing some of the deck cards in the way. No one seemed to worry about it.

“Oh, it seems Alyd broke the snake’s heart … We have a winner!” Confetti dropped from the air, since there was no roof above us and music played.

“You have something to say to our beloved public, Alyd ?”

“I need to wash my teeth, i did not liked my own breathe when i ate myself”

The stadium exploded in cheers and they al sang my name.

“Yes, Alyd , you see? They love you! whatever you say! Whatever you do!” Then he came closer to my ear and whispered. “Let’s get out of here, fol ow me”

I fol owed him into the doors that appeared some meters from us and then we were in a smal room. He told me I would sleep here tonight to be ready for tomorrow’s game. I argued against it 90

since my team would be waiting for me back in the sub. He told me not to worry since a few minutes have passed in the real world, so I slept like a baby.

“Good Alyd ! you were on time, honey!” I heard the voice in my dream.

That night my sleep was repairing. Sleeping in Hel is very comfortable. My body is cold but the air around me is warm and it feels dreamy and cozy.

“Now we play hide and seek,” said the cat inside my dream.

“I don’t want to wake up, Devil, leave me alone” I said.

“NOW WE PLAY HIDE AND SEEK!” He said so stressed and neurotic. The earth and air around me trembled.

“Alright, alright” I said.”Let’s play”

Breakfast manifested in my night table. Pancakes and eggs with maple syrup. Delicious! I don’t mind staying here forever. The submarine was cold and boring. Here at least some deck cards love me even if I die. After finishing breakfast the cat knocked on the door and asked me to fol ow.

He took me into the start of a big labyrinth along with some of the deck cards. Cards asked for my autograph and took pictures with me.

We made a stop for Cat to announce the game rules.

“Each and every single one of you wil have their own entrance inside the labyrinth, you need to search for the tea stand to win. Please take ten steps away from anyone and make a single line”

We did and some labyrinth entrance made out of green leaves appeared in front of every one of us.

I looked up to discover the games were being transmitted to the rest of the deck cards around us in some sort of stadium but a lot bigger. The horn announced the beginning of the game and I rushed inside looking for the tea stand.

As I rushed into the bushes I went left, right, left again, right again. Kind of getting lost in purpose, kind of wanting to stumble upon the tea table. Every now and then, in some corner, some deck cards were fighting to the death, ripping each other's paper selves. I saw an ace ripping an 8 in two. I saw a 2 tearing off a 7’s arms and a 9 getting a 4 on fire. It was funny actual y, a bunch of trippy cards kil ing each other. Then an Ace of hearts appeared in the top of the bushes

“Hey, that's cheating!” I accused him. I could easily climb on top of the bushes to find my way.

But then he revealed in his hand some little but sharp knife. He mumbled something I could not understand but I started running the other way. I could see he was throwing some of them at me. I turned around and out of nowhere he had more knives. One of them reached my leg and I 91

was hurt. another one my back and my legs. Real blood started to come off me. They were knives the size of a nail but they hurted anyway. Then I kicked something in the ground as I ran.

There was the tea table which now was on its side. It was the size of a pumpkin. I took it with my hands and threw it to the deck card. Deck card was hit and fel down so I grabbed it and ripped it off in the most pieces I could.

“We have a winner,” Announced Cat.

I could hear the cheering and applause of the spectators. Cat and more deck cards, this time with long swords, appeared in the corner escorting a bigger card. I realized it was a female card since she had big red lips, some cat glasses and, when they came closer to me I could see she was a Queen card. They al came to me. We were in a particularly open part of the labyrinth.

Queen and cat came in front of me and the rest of the deck cards, which seemed to be her royal guard, made out of only Aces, stood behind them. From that moment I realized the card hierarchy of Hel . only cards from 2 to 10 were among the public. Aces were guarding the only Queen. Haven’t seen any Jacks nor kings though.

“Hel o my dear, i am the Queen of Hearts” Said the female Card, indeed, she was a queen of hearts. She had a shiny pink scepter and red lipstick. “Now, my dear, you wil have a tea with me”

Deck cards arranged the table where I was invited by the guarding cards to sit on my knees, Queen of Hearts sat down in her pink chair and Cat was floating by her side. Guards arranged themselves around us.

“What brings you here my dear?” Asked the queen, zipping her tea.

“I'm not sure,” I said. “I was in my submarine, with my team, searching for a big leviathan but we lost it.”

“Cat!” She screamed. Deck cards suddenly looked up, stood even more firmly and hit the ground with their words. Queen’s face was in distress. “What is a leviathan?”

“A leviathan is a mythical creature My Lady, they are from the human world up there”

“Oh, I see,” She said, placing her cup on the table. “Can I have one?”

“I’m afraid it would be very hard as they are very big creatures, but maybe i can cast a little one for you” Answered Cat.

“Maybe we can go and help Alyd look for it,” Said Queen.

“I’m afraid you can die, My Lady, if you leave Hel ” Cat said back.

“What is hel ?” she asked.

“Hel is this place, this dimension you live in”

“Oh, I see,” she said.