Tales of Horror Excerpt: Becoming the Dragon

Hey, everyone.

Continuing with the idea of posting excerpts from my book Tales of Horror: Macabre Monsters of Michigan, here's another one, this time from Becoming the Dragon. It's still only $.99 for Kindle and $4.99 for the paperback. Get it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07435BPQR.

And if you want to make sure you don't miss any excerpts or updates on my books, subscribe to my Books and Other Writings mailing list: http://eepurl.com/c0sMdb. And if you're into cryptozoology and the paranormal, why not subscribe to that mailing list so I can keep you apprised of the world of weird: http://eepurl.com/c0sNW5.

Alright, here's the excerpt. It's from my short story Becoming the Dragon. This one is about Elliot Fraser who goes to see a card reader on his birthday. And while she tells him he's destined for greatness, it's not in the way he wants.

“Ariola?! What is it?”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. “Look, I have to be honest with you. The Black Tarot has another name. It’s called… Tarot Draconis, Filius Satanae. It’s Latin for ‘The Tarot of the Dragon.’” Ariola looked at Elliot. “‘The Son of Satan.’”

Elliot was silent for a few seconds. He tried to make words, but his mouth wouldn’t move. Finally, he said, “What? What are you talking about?”

“This tarot was made for the explicit purpose of predicting the coming of the Dragon, the Son of Satan, and to be used by him… during his reign of terror.”

Elliot’s eyes darted back and forth. His mouth was agape. But after a tense ten seconds, he laughed.

Ariola stared at him.

 “Whoo! What a story! I’ve got to tell you, Ariola—er, I mean, Madam Mystique,” he said dramatically again. “This has been quite a night. You really went all out. If my mother was here, she’d say, ‘See, Elliot?! I told you all fortune tellers are evil!’ Then she’d slap me upside the head!” He laughed again. Then rubbed the back of his head and cringed.

“This isn’t a joke! Look!” Ariola stood. “Look at the cards! Do you see what shape they make?”

“Yeah. I saw. It’s a star.”

“You fool! From your perspective that’s what it is, but when you’re where I was sitting, it makes an inverted pentagram!”

“So?”

“It’s the Satanic Star! This is the only spread that can be used with this tarot. I tried using a different spread, but the tarot forced me to use this one!”

Elliot gave her a pitying look. Then he smiled. “You really don’t have to carry on like this. I’m amused. Really, I am.”

“You idiot! Look. Look! The first position, the past, the Fool, carefree ignorance. Describes you perfectly! The second position, the present, the Servant, one who doesn’t know his own will. The third position, the immediate future, the Tower, tragedy. The fifth position, hidden influences, Lucifer! Lucifer! Enlightenment and unholy benediction.”

“How can benediction be unholy?”

“And the final position, the future on the current path, the Dragon! The Dragon! The Son of Satan!”

“And what about the fourth card?”

“Possible future on an opposing path, Death. Either as in change or an actual death.”

Elliot regarded the cards. Eventually, he said, “Okay… so what does it mean?”

Ariola sighed and collapsed into her chair. “It should be pretty obvious.”

Elliot’s eyebrows rose. “You’re saying… I’m the Dragon? I’m the Son of the Devil?!”

“Seems so…”

“Can’t be.”

Ariola shook her head. “What?”

“I’m not a fool and I’m not a servant. I know exactly who I am, what I’m doing, and where I’m going!”

Ariola shook. “Do you?!”

“Yes! I am Elliot Fraser. Thirty-four. Six-foot-three, white male. I’m a computer programmer for Vitech where I just got a promotion because of all the hard work I do, and I live in Clinton Township.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I am the result of all my own choices. They were good choices. The right choices. No one’s controlling me.”

“Really? Tell me: what are your dreams?”

“My dreams?”

“Yes. What’s something you’ve always wanted or wanted to do?”

Elliot thought for a minute. “I’d always wanted my fortune told.”

“That’s pathetic.”

“You talk that way about your own business?”

“You don’t dream of getting a card reading. You get one to make sure you’re on the right path, and if not, then how to change your path. No one aspires to one day sit in the chair opposite me. There must be something else. Anything else.”

Elliot sat down; he was quiet for a while.

“Really?! Nothing?! There’s not anything else in the whole world you want?"

Elliot mumbled a response.

Ariola cocked her head. “Say that again.”

Elliot mumbled louder.

“Did you say, ‘friends?’”

Elliot looked down. “Nobody likes me. And I don’t know why. I’ve tried all my life to be friendly and sociable, but people either ignore me or make fun of me behind my back. They have no respect for me and even make fun of me to my face.”

Elliot put his head on his hand. “In truth though…” he began, “I want it all,” he said with a hungry voice. “Friends, money, power, women… I want everything.”

“What’s stopping you?”

Elliot gave a hopeless shrug. “I’m Elliot Fraser. I’m a thirty-four year old computer programmer for the crummiest company in the industry. I only took the job so that I could be close to my mother so I could take of her. Which I only did because she guilted me into it. Said she would die if I moved out. Add to that, my hobbies are boring, I never do anything I actually enjoy. Women cringe at the sight of me, my bosses think I’m incompetent and a pushover.”

“But you said you got a promotion.”

“Yeah, because I’ve been putting in a lot of work because I haven’t had a weekend off in six months. They thought that since I was there all the time that I could do more work. They gave me a special computer that can access the most important systems and programs, but it’s dull work. Dull, dull, dull!

“My life…” Elliot stopped, but he looked like he was trying to say a word.

Ariola thought it may have started with an “S.” She ventured, “Sucks?”

“Yes! Geez. I’m too scared to even curse.” Elliot rubbed the back of his head again.

“I see,” said Ariola.

Elliot sighed. “This is the first decent conversation I’ve had with a person since… I can’t even remember when.”

Elliot was quiet for a while. He then leaned over the table. He picked up the Fool. “The Fool, huh? Yeah, that sounds like me. I try my damnedest to stay in the dark about how my life actually is because the more I look at it, the less I like it.” He put the Fool down. Then he spun the Dragon around with his finger. “What is the Dragon?”

“He’s the Son of Satan.”

“But what does that mean?”

“The Dragon is pure evil and brings great suffering with him wherever he goes. He makes Hell on Earth.”

“Okay, but what does that actually mean? What evil does he cause?”

Ariola shrugged. “All of it? Rape, murder, theft, human sacrifice. Blasphemy? I don’t know. He’s the ultimate villain.”

“I see.”

Elliot swiveled the card back and forth a little. It made Ariola’s skin crawl.

“Is there any way of confirming that I’m the Dragon?”

“What do you mean? That’s what the tarot was made for. It was made to predict the advent of the Dragon and to be used by him during his conquest.”

“Is that truly what the cards are saying though?”

Ariola looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re a card reader. Is there any way to see further into the future? Or to confirm this?”

“I can draw another card and see if it offers any hints…” Ariola did so and she dropped it next to the Dragon. The image was of a woman in shackles wearing black robes that barely draped around her body leaving her bust exposed. “Huh. The Oracle.”

“What does it mean?”

“It just means ‘future events.’ It’s one of those cards that doesn’t make sense by itself. But, I have no idea what it could mean.” Ariola looked up at Elliot, and the second their eyes met, a shiver went down her spine.

Elliot looked down at the spread, but after a beat, he stood up. “Well, I think I should be going. Mom has to take her pills before she goes to bed, and she’ll beat my ass if I don’t remind her. Good night.” Elliot grabbed his umbrella and disappeared into the storm.

Ariola was alone. She was very confused. It wasn’t every day someone hears that he’s the Devil’s progeny and then just walks off as if they had just been wished a good morning. Elliot had seemed worried and disgusted before, but now, he didn’t seem to care. Why? What made him change his mind so suddenly?

Ariola stared at the Oracle. She really didn’t like it. Somewhere in her mind, she heard glass shattering and a woman screaming. She felt as if something had “arms” around her—they were cold. She felt trapped, abused, and scared. She felt violated, but couldn’t figure out why or in what way.