February 3rd

February 3rd

“Something is wrong here.”

Rhea crushed her squirming puppy, Cerberus, deeper into the cross-legged lap of her tattered dress. All three of his heads whipped about, trying to escape. From her place on the stone floor, she watched her master, the wizard, Balzer with concern.

Was she in trouble again? If she failed to sweep, cook, or empty chamber pots to his satisfaction—and when had that ever happened?—then he'd fuss about it. If he didn't, then he'd fuss about her wiggling three-headed canine gift from Zeus. Softly so he wouldn't hear, she huffed.

"I heard that!"

Balzer tilted his astrological notebook to catch the lantern light.

She waited in silence and noticed he should comb his own tangled brown mop instead of grumbling at her appearance.

"Yes, see here. I have no record of February 3rd. I never miss a day of recording the stars and planets." He turned on his lab stool and stared at her.

"What? You think I erased the ink off your pages? How could I do that?"

He said, "You are doing something. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sure it is you causing this darkness in the world."

Ridiculous. She had given no clue.

"I see the delight in your eyes, witch. No babies have ever been born on February 3rd. No scholars of the arcane knew why. Then you were born on that very date. The first time. And since then, only monsters have been born on that day."

"Great Lord of Hades," Rhea said. "You figured it out again this year, too." She gave Cerberus a gentle push off her skirt and stood. Balzer's eyes widened, his mouth opened, and he pushed backwards off his stool.

Rhea continued. It's quite a chore, you know, and you haven't noticed." She stepped toward the wizard. "There aren't any monsters born now. Those you remember destroying were from years ago. When I was too young to do anything about them. Now? Well, now," she took another step, "I move the universe back one day in time. Ta-da! And poof, February 3rd never happened. No monster babies. No astrological observations." She giggled. "You should see your face!" She took her last step. Her arm could reach out and touch him. "And you know what I do to time after that?

Balzer swept the scalpel off his lab table and drove it deep into her heart.

"I guess we'll never know."

WC: 412