That familiar rascal sat staring at him from across the workshop. Sending quiet dares through the silent machines. Begging for his attention. Jay's fingers began to twitch and tap against his thigh, keeping time to a hidden, nervous drum. He cursed himself for not noticing that that stinking, mangy monster had come in.
The beast wasn't entirely unwelcome. Jay had embraced his lost twin long ago. The lout wasn't cruel by nature, more than anything the terror wanted attention, it craved play. There was no sense in ignoring it, that'd only bring out the worst, and there was no need for that. It was possible to leverage its energy, and havoc. To channel it to a shared joy. The question was always how. Jay's eyes circled and scaled about the room. What could they do, what could they do? There was something here, something they could twist.
Jay got up and sat beside the mirror, letting his blue eyes set into the blacks. With their eyes locked, the two made mental whispers, and plotted a little disruption, a little fun. Listing those near that might benefit, whether they wanted to or not, from a little chaos. Names fluttered like bird feathers, though not one landed. Jay yawned and the beast huffed. How, could he craft a situation where everyone won a little laughter?
There was still time before the monster tired and took the reins. Jay knew he needn't worry, he'd been through a lot with the old boy, he knew him well. He'd tended to the savage's needs and cultivated its trust. Still, its arrival came with a boon. A twisted karmic tax.
The beast stood, stretched, and began pacing around the space. Inspecting exposed screws, and posts, searching for something to fiddle with. It's anxiety laced boredom contagious in the space. The more it searched for entertainment the more Jay knew he had to focus. That he’d have to give it the patience that he himself needed.
While Jay couldn't put a definitive finger on exactly when its claws would come knocking there were some clues. A few feelings that seemed to summon the brute. As if it was privy to thoughts Jay himself hadn't quite worked out, or even had in full. Overwhelming barriers of worry swept away in the corners of Jay's mind where he’d rather not look. The blocks made sense. Friction at work. Frustration's that his voice wasn't heard. And worse, a fury that a few of his ideas had been utilized without credit or gratitude. The ruffian began to emit low whines, rumbling growls. Like Jay, he'd begun to feel unappreciated, overlooked. The menace's mitts pawed at Jay's shoulders, and the light slipped, reddening its eyes.
It took the rushing air from a quick inhale to drop Jay back to his centre. The familiar odours of motor-oils, and tires soothed his racing thoughts. Calmer, he watched the burdensome trickster he'd so often tried to hyde. But its agitation was too infectious to keep him seated long. Jay sprang to his feet and joined in the pacing. There had to be something they could do.
The monster's stink leeched to Jay, and drained at his will. Maybe fun for all wasn't the right idea. Perhaps, the pot needed a stir in another direction. The thought caught the creature's attention, and its manic rumblings halted. Its nostrils pulsated at the whiff of action and began to follow Jay's frantic footsteps in tow.
How quick their smiles would fall if Jay pulled the lynch pins of his aid and good nature. How fast their days would sour when the tide of his efforts rolled back to the sea. To what avail was his kindness going unrecognised? Why not relax, remind himself that life was for enjoying, and that sometimes, he quite enjoyed a dash of mischief?
The beast licked its chops, things were moving in a good direction, and its mood lifted in anticipation and excitement. The simple withdrawal of Jay's extra efforts would cause more than enough of a disruption. But it wouldn't be as satisfying or fun. Their collected imaginations began to bubble. The beast cooed in delight as the immersive plays of possible disruptive futures began to unravel. Acts of accident, and ignorance. Mistakes of embellished innocence. They'd be so effortless, almost too easy. A prank however, could be the move.
Jay watched the dastardly scoundrel tremble with enthusiasm, and paused. He knew this path, he'd been down it many times before. It only served to feed the beast, and no one else. The delights temporary, the change indifferent. There was another way, a way to exploit surprise, and remedy the pains that had summoned the horror.
Another breath, and with it, another thought.
Rather than subtracting his efforts to get the attention and chaos he craved, Jay could disrupt things with additional efforts. He had more to give, he always did. He was the monster as much as the monster was him. The brutish force was his to yield and with it the strength to push a little further. The choice was his. To surprise everyone with happy additions, extra unasked levity, wouldn't be as difficult as swallowing the hurt. Perhaps a little misdirection, maybe a fib to entice a little panic, a little mayhem, a little unnecessary scare all with the safety net of his good deed would satisfy. The best of both worlds. The yang within the yin.
A glance illuminated the neglected corners of the shop where a little cleaning would make a considerable difference for the ambience of the space. It would take nothing to file the few supply orders management had forgotten. The shelves and lockers screamed for organization, begging for an increase in flow and efficiency. A dash of elbow grease here, a speck of sweat there, would brighten the place up tremendously, and bring a tangible ease to everyone’s workdays.
Subsided with sweetness, Jay's mind calmed, and thoughts unclouded. He rose unthorned, unburdened and his monster abided. They stood in unison and picked up the broom. Oh there were things they could do. Perhaps the enormous would highlight the minute details, perhaps not. Maybe it would garnish a little gratitude and if not, well, there were other pranks to play. For now the irritant would be showing others how much more they should be expecting from themselves.
Thanks for reading!
-Mr. Write
PS: Be sure to check out Exaggerated Shadow’s new release for Gem of a Guy on all your favourite streaming platforms!