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See You Later, Alligator  
by Kendra Smart  

A dream shattered, mutates, morphs. For an act as cruel, as soulless as hurting someone this way… the adaptation had to be just as sudden, just as heartless. And in Darryl Comay’s case, it would be merciless.

He had spent decades being told who he was meant to be, who he lacked in being. What his lot in this life would amount to and what it wouldn’t. His Mother wanted him humiliated, she had been a debutante whose rebellious ways led to poor decisions she consistently reminded Darryl that she regretted.

She had saved her kind words for moments of manipulation, for a quick game of backhand.

His Father thought himself a rambling man and had held no inclination to being tied down in any manner, in his mind and from his mouth.

“A man is meant to spread his seed like a woman spreads her legs.”

Darryl learned quickly that his father had no inclination that reached further than useless words dripping from his foul mouth towards the definition of fatherhood. Nothing mattered more to the man than the continuous spilling of his seed.

The man was a fountain, not a father.

Darryl had spent his young life wishing for the comforts he saw his classmates receiving. But while innocent, children can also be cruel without mercy.

Julian Aris had been at the head of those with casual barbs aimed at him. That was how it had started, but Julien had not been content with tears. He had wanted screams not silent sobs. Julien had left his mark upon Darryl’s skin solely because none had stepped forward and Darryl had never been cruel at heart, he never had it in his heart to hurt anyone.

But how time and circumstance can change a predestined path.

At every turn his life told him lessons of how inhumane humans could be, but then he went to therapy and suddenly an understanding clicked. When they talked of his dissociation, Sylvia  told him this was just another means of avoidance, that he needed to face his demons head on and fight back knowing Darryl was worth the battle.

“The past isn’t going to go away, it already happened so now that is part of you. What you do with that is yours to decide, no longer are you the little boy who had no choice or voice. You have already broken free of those bonds by making your way out of those hells. But you still have their ghosts haunting your minds’ halls and the scars mar your walls. It is time to clean up the house.”

That line had stuck with him, and joined the ghosts within his head. An idea sparked and he decided to feed it.  It was definitely time to burn away the past and come through the embers and ash into a new life. One that was his.

He made his decisions cautiously, cleanly. The spot was secluded and there was never any foot traffic, he would have the grace of time.  Materials bought weren’t that great a cost, most of the supplies he was able to allocate from his job sites, but to be honest it would be the environment that supplied his greatest need. The land was jagged and rough, even experienced climbers would have their mettle tested. 

The day arrived where everything fell into place, he didn’t even feel a hint of a second guess nagging at his mind. He was resolute. Darryl stood facing the three forms before him, tied at the hands and feet, able to get up and onto their knees and nothing else.  Behind and below them, the water lapped at the rock borders.

“There are many myths about surviving an alligator attack, they say that if you are unfortunate to get attacked, that if you play dead during the ragdoll and keep your calm…you can survive.  It is also estimated that if you are quiet and move slowly, a human has the capability of making it across even a 200 yard expanse safely. Let us see if that is the case for you three. If you manage to survive, your life is your own and I will face the consequences for my actions. However, if you don’t I am afraid in your minds you already know what the outcome is.”

Darryl looked into the faces of his parents and tormentor, Julian.  Their ragged breathes and fear hit his senses, and he knew their eyes were searching but his next motions were so quick, there was never a more cathartic band-aid rip. Darryl drew out his knife and cut the bindings on legs and feet before one by one kicking them off the cliff down to the water below. Julian was the first to fall, after that was his Mother who only got out a hollow “NO!”, before she went over and splashed, joining Julian.

His Father he saved for last, the man who had spent his whole life coasting on his charm suddenly was a sputtering mess at a loss for words. The sounds were barely syllables, and Darryl finally had enough giving him the mercy of a quick boot off.

Drawing a breath, he stood over the side and watched to see his fate, lighting a cigar and throwing his legs over the cliff face to sit, enjoying his front row seat.

The alligators were hungry tonight.

Fiction © Copyright Kendra Smart
Image © Copyright Alex Grehy

More from author Kendra Smart:

Just Emotions:
A Gothic Bite Magazine Anthology

A collection of poetry.

‘Just Emotions‘ is exactly as it states, a group of writers who had feelings they wanted to express in poem form. Inside, there are a range of emotions to explore. Each writer has given a bit of themselves to you, each in their own way.

We hope that you enjoy these writings and that among the poems you may find some thing you can identify with or relate to. Thank you for giving us this chance to open the catacombs and share with you.

Available on Amazon!