Unsure of what she’d encounter today, Angela slowly turned the knob and stepped inside the small apartment. Her nose crinkled as she deeply inhaled the musty interior. Nothing had disturbed the air since her last visit, except for a slight odor she couldn’t place.
Flipping on a light, she surveyed the new surroundings, anxiety entering her thoughts as she ran her fingertips along the walls. This month the interior was decorated in silver leaf covering almost every surface, and then glazed to create a shiny reflection. As her fingers played against the wall, Angela’s mind worked overtime trying to remember the tactile sensation. What was the odd texture beneath the glistening finish?
“Andrew?” Angela knew he was home, most likely holed up in a place where time ceased to exist. The smell of ozone from his myriad of computers wafted through the oppressively hot apartment, the air stagnant and nauseating to breathe as it burned her nose hair. Walking toward the spare bedroom, she called to him knowing he would be engrossed in a project and oblivious to her arrival. “Andrew?”
A pair of brown eyes matching hers peered over a computer monitor, the corners of his eyes wrinkling when he saw her face.
“Hey, Andrew.”
Easing through the snarl of cords, she viewed the masculine mirror of herself, inwardly gasping as Andrew stood, sporting a chocolaty smile. Dear God, he’d gained at least twenty pounds since last month.
“Hiya, Angie, is it a month already?”
“Yeah, sweetie, time to pay bills.”
Andrew’s smile puckered. “I can pay the bills myself with online banking.”
She stared at the silver laden computers, and then to silver walls. “We’ll work toward that next month, okay?” Angela nodded toward the wall. “Is this a new project?”
Andrew’s smile reappeared. “Yeah, it’s my recycling project. Do you like it?”
“Well, it’s certainly glittery throughout the apartment. What did you use?”
“Want some tea? I know you’d like tea.” Andrew sprinted from the room headed toward the kitchen.
Rubbing her fingers along her temple, to ease the headache forming from the ozone fumes, did little to ease her concern over Andrew’s new development both physically and mentally. She slowly followed him to the kitchen, noting it was equally lustrous. Running her hands along the wall gave Angela an unsettled sensation. The urge to touch what lay below the glistening barrier grew disconcerting as her fingernails scratched against a bump on the wall.
“Andrew, what exactly did you use to make this covering?”
“Wrappers from my new brain food. If you’re nice I’ll share what’s in the cupboard with you.” The squeal of the teakettle matched Andrew’s frenetic movements as he scurried around the kitchen. “There’s milk in the fridge for your tea.”
Angela opened the refrigerator, finding the milk as well as a hundred bags of chocolate kisses. Opening cupboards, she found each one completely stocked with bags of the silvery treats. Pouring milk into her tea, she stared at the coaster beneath the mug, woven from the candy’s paper flags and shellacked to a high waterproof gloss.
Now the weight gain made sense. Andrew had spent the entire month eating the chocolate, and then decoupaged with their aluminum coats. A few months ago he’d starved himself to understand the plight of famine; next month would be a new compulsion taken to even greater heights.
Angela gazed at her twin. Such a beautiful creature of complex simplicity, with a heart of gold and an intellect that surpassed the brilliant… all trapped inside a brain full of odd patterns and compulsions few understood.
“Andrew, after we drink our tea, why don’t we take a long walk. It’s a beautiful day and we could both use the exercise and fresh air.”
“Can’t, I’ve got too much to do.”
“Can’t, or won’t?”
“Don’t bug me, Angie. I’m thirty years old, just like you, and I’m not a baby that needs constant attending.”
Watching Andrew’s obstinate face as he stacked and restacked the sugar cubes on the table made the scream swelling in her head threaten to spill from her mouth. Breathing deeply did little to alleviate the tension as she watched the sugared bricks slowly rise and fall, simply building another wall between them.
Giving him a smile of encouragement, she touched his hand as he counted another cube and piled it on the crystalline border. “Andrew, how long have you been off your meds?”
He jerked his hand from hers. “I haven’t stopped taking my meds. My computer reminds me every day to take them.”
Angela stared at Andrew’s face, watching his expression change from happy, to perplexed, to anguished in rapid-fire succession. She touched the wall desperate to understand, and then ran her fingers along the finely woven coaster trying to find a way to break this current brain compulsion. The madness would never end.
Andrew stared as Angela picked at the wall, her fingernails digging against the burnished barrier until she was able to touch the silver beneath the surface. Her face eased from its anxious expression, relaxing as she stroked the silvery paper, a small satisfied sigh finally escaping her.
He touched her face, turning it toward him, gazing at the shame now filling her chocolate brown eyes. “It’s going to be alright. It’s just another thing we share, Angie.”
“But Andrew–”
He patted her hand to slow the action of her scratching at the coaster. “Maybe one day the doctors will be able to find meds for us that don’t stop working. Until then, we’ll make this work, okay?”
P.A. Matthews resides in California, and writes fiction and poetry in various styles, often crossing genres just to keep life interesting. Several horror pieces can be seen at MicroHorror, and in Farspace Anthology’s spring release. The Riley McCabe series will premier at Mystic Moon Press in March.
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13 Responses to “A SHINY NEW ANDREW • by P.A. Matthews”
Comments
« SILVER SHELLS • by Michael D. Turner | Home | DOING IT WITH A GUN • by Patricia J. Hale »
February 6th, 2008 at 4:28 am
Sharp prose. Subject tugged at the heart strings - without being sentimental. Could see this expanded. Great read, thanks.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:19 am
Yes, I think you have novel here twitching to get out from behind those shiny new facades. At once fascinating and disturbing. I’d like to know all the history and outcome of their strange lives.
February 6th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Yeah, I definately want to know more about those two. I’m assuming this is set in the near future — because I really like the thought that Hershey’s kisses will still be available in the near future.
February 6th, 2008 at 11:25 am
I liked the interaction between the characters. Maybe she’s more dependent on him than he is her? Great story.
February 7th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Thank you for your comments. I appreciate each of you taking the time to share your thoughts on the story.
I like the thoughts that Hershey’s kisses will still be available as well. Unfortunately, sometimes they are an addiction and I’ve found a pile of shiny debris next to my computer, their little flags sending out semaphore signals warning me to stop eating . . . but the message is always too late.
Again, thanks,
P
February 8th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Unusual and quite sad in a way. I too liked the interaction between them, and seeing Andrew’s viewpoint of her at the end with her problem (I assume she was a bit compulsive with the scratching?)
I veyr much liked the line “…simply building another wall between them” with the sugar cubes.
I did have to look up what chocolate kisses were though - do we have these in England? Maybe I’m missing out!
ps your comment above is almost a piece of flash ficrtion in itself!
February 8th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Sorry, mate — Hershey’s Kisses are not available in England…yet.
February 10th, 2008 at 3:53 am
Nice interesting work, Ms Matthews. I too think this short could, and should, be expanded into something larger. I found more development with Andrew than Angie, but that always leaves room for a chapter on HER compulsions.
February 12th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Thank you all for relating that you would like to see more story between the twins, especially since the story is a tad sad with the two of them and their limitless compulsons. I do like the fact they are in the fight together and understand each other. However, if I added to it at this point, I couldn’t place it here since the word count would be prohibitive.
I agree though, I do like the characters and might submit another story as a few have suggested, and delve a bit more into Angela’s compulsions. Yes, she is as compulsive as Andrew in almost every aspect of her life.
For those of you who don’t have the pleasure of Hershey’s kisses melting across your tongue, I am truly sorry. I find the cherry cordial ones rather nice.
Once again, thank you for your input.
P
February 12th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Interesting story, disturbing, moving. Well written. As many others said, this has potential to become a novel/novella. Good luck in your writing, P.
February 27th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I liked the relationship between the twins, and the way you very subtly let us know of Angie’s compulsions also, although, I had a harder time naming hers. Does she compulsively scratch the surface off all things? Is this symbolic as well? The possibility of her being equally dependent on him was very satisfying, their need to support each other, that is. Thanks for a good story.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
[...] A Shiny New Andrew [...]
April 28th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Very good story, it leaves a lot open, and yet, even if it is never expanded upon, its job is still complete; like little Hershey kisses wrappers, the story unfolded rather nicely, and here we are staring at that wall and seeing Andrew and Angie in its reflection.
Personally, I have a deep fear for Andrew’s future. He is indeed a new Andrew, and perhaps this new Andrew might just venture out to unwrap the pleasures of the world… instead of just Hershey’s kisses.