Facial Read Free Page A

ended up here. I am quite unhappy about it.”
    “So…is your whole body stuck in there? Or just your face?”
    “It is a complex issue.”
    “Is there anyone I can call for you?”
    “No.”
    “Do you want me to wipe off some of that blood?”
    A slimy white tongue protruded from the mouth and licked the blood off its lips. “That would be much appreciated.”
    I removed the towel from around his face and patted at the blood, making sure not to get my fingers too close to its mouth in case it was a biter. I didn’t do a very good job, but it wasn’t as if the face could see itself.
    Or could it? How had it seen me from underneath the lion?
    “How did you see me from underneath the lion?” I asked, thinking that it was a question that should have occurred to me sooner.
    “I see all.”
    “No, you don’t.”
    “I see much. These eyes are blind, but I see.”
    “Okay. Well, I’ll be honest with you. I feel like I should call the police.”
    “Do not do that.”
    “Wouldn’t you, if you were me?”
    “I would not. Great power awaits you. What is your name?”
    “Carlton. Yours?”
    “You have no need to address me by a name. I am unlikely to be confused with others you know.”
    “All right.”
    “Carlton, is it fair to say that your perception of the world has changed?”
    “Very fair.”
    “I have brought a lion into your realm. I can bring other things. Women, riches…”
    “Wouldn’t the women freak out?”
    “Perhaps. You would have to restrain them.”
    “I’m not doing any rape stuff. That’s totally off the table. Also, no dead women. You know what, let’s not bring ladies into this at all. There are just too many ways that can go wrong.”
    “Riches, then?”
    “What kind of riches?”
    “Gold.”
    “Seriously?”
    “Yes. All the gold you can imagine.”
    “I think you’re just telling me what I want to hear.”
    “Not at all.”
    “C’mon, I can imagine eighty thousand trillion billion pounds of gold. You won’t be able to make that happen for me.”
    “Then perhaps something more reasonable? A solid gold coin in exchange for a favor.”
    “I just did you a favor by dragging the lion off you. Where’s my gold coin?”
    “First, I must restore my power.”
    “What do you need to do that?” I asked.
    “Flesh, blood, and bone.”
    “Lion flesh, blood, and bone?”
    “No.”
    “Fish?”
    “Human.”
    “Mine?”
    “No. I would not waste you, Carlton. You are the one who will bring them to me, so I can regain my ability to reward you.”
    “So, if I’m understanding you correctly, and let me know if I’m not, you’re saying that you want me to bring people down here so you can devour their flesh, blood, and bone. Is that the basic gist of it?”
    “Yes.”
    “Okay, well, fuck that.”
    “Take some time to think about it.”
    “Nah, I’m comfortable with my gut reaction.”
    “Think about it.”
    Despite the chemical imbalance in my brain that I don’t like to tell people about, I am a firm believer in taking responsibility for my own actions. The fact that I lived in filth was nobody’s fault but mine. I make my own choices.
    That said, when I told the face that I would take some time to think about it, it didn’t quite feel as if I was the one saying the words. It wasn’t like I was hypnotized, necessarily, but more something along the lines of a Jedi mind trick. Not that I know what a Jedi mind trick feels like; I am, of course, aware that the Star Wars movies take place in a fictional universe. And that’s not even a good comparison, because the Stormtrooper who said that those weren’t the droids they were looking for was unaware that he’d been bamboozled, whereas I had this distinct feeling of Wow, it’s really weird that I’m not rushing to call the cops on this face that wants me to bring it prey to devour.
    Subconsciously, I suppose I could have been worried that if I brought the authorities downstairs to investigate, the face would be