SIN EATER

SIN EATER!   Chapter 1 Fallen Cherub!   Ouch! “Ok,” thought Rats Star, “So that is what ‘solid’ feels like!” This first thought was quickly followed with “So, that is what “Smell” is like. Then came the terrifying train of other thoughts that included, “Why are those sensations new?” “How do I know about them anyway?” And then “Who am I?” The back of his mind then told him, “Your Name is Rats Stars,” But that same silent instinct also told them that this was a very weird name but did not reveal how he knew what his name was. Slowly he got up. Ouch! He touched his face and found it was damp. He looked at his finger and saw blood. Not a large amount, just a scrapes worth. Looking at the small patch of red on his fingers, Rats Stars realised both that he knew full well what blood was AND that he had never ever seen any blood before! Ever! Looking around he noticed he was short. Which logically meant that he was used to being much taller than this. He felt his chin and was surprised to find it smooth. He wondered where his beard was. “Mmmm” He said out loud. In surprise at the sound, he said it again. This time much louder! “Mmmmm!” “Mmmmmmmmmmmm?” “Testing! Testing! One! Two Three!” It would also seem that he no longer had a booming deeply resonant voice! Instead, he had a soft, almost squeaky voice. A mild horror and fascination washed over him. He was now a child! But only recently! He knew, (although he had no memory of being “It”), that until very recently he had been an incredibly old, very tall man, with a large beard! And now he was in a woodland glade. Surrounded by trees…. He quickly berated himself. “Well obviously I am surrounded by trees, It’s a Woodland!” “So, have I fallen out of a tree?” He looked up No, he hadn’t Although in woodland it was a large clearing with no branches directly above him to have fallen from. He looked down. The earth did not have a crater, but it did have an obvious “dent” covered in scorch marks. A “dent” of impacted earth that would have been caused by something considerably heavier than a mere child! A child that seemed to be about ten years old! He was also dressed in scorched burnt rags that might have been, until recently, bright white and of the highest quality linen. Now they were pretty much worthless. Although in burnt rags on a burnt scorched patch of earth. He had no burns on his skin. Only some very minor cuts and bruises from the fall.   So, what else could a previously old man who was now in the body of a ten-year-old child, with no memory of any self-identity possibly do? Rats Stars chose a random direction and started walking.   The day was pleasant Warm and sunny but not too hot.   After about three hours, Rats Stars was getting tired and hungry.   It was then that as he rounded some thick bushes, he saw a brick well and two children, about his physical age, arguing. They both had pale freckled skin and bright shocks of red shoulder-length hair! While their clothing was that of peasants, it was that of peasants who were well-fed and healthy. Perhaps, maybe, a bit too well fed! Whoever ruled this land obviously did it well!   “Hi!” Rats Stars meekly waved! The girl and boy looked at him. Both their eyes narrowed. They were obviously both having some sort of tug of war over a tin bucket near the well! “What do you want! They both snapped simultaneously. They both glared at each other, both indignant the other had dared say the same thing at the same time.  Rats Stars was stunned by their sharpness. Part of him could not help but wonder, ‘Was this the first time anyone had been unpleasant to him too?’   “I’d love a drink of that water if you do not mind…” He asked, “Here!” the girl snapped, passing Rats a tin cup. Rats Stars went to drink deeply. He was so looking forward to that cool refreshing liquid hitting the back of his parched throat. But instead of finding blessed refreshment. He instantly threw up! Desperately thirsty, he tried again. With the same result! He felt tears sting his eyes as he tried once more. Then he fell to his knees, sobbing. Only to find that he could not even dampen his cracking lips with his own salty tears   The two other children saw how distraught Rats was and this made them temporarily forget their argument.   “What's wrong,” the boy asked, “Why can’t you drink?” “It’s probably a witch curse!” exclaimed the girl, “He’ll probably die of thirst in a few days!” The boy nudged her with the sharp edge of his elbow… “Ouch!” moaned the girl, half-heartedly but with no real feeling to it, “I am just saying!”  “Don’t scare him!” Hissed her brother. “Sorry…” His sister replied. “Look” she continued, “We have a few local magic users in the village.” “It is only a small village, but they are very good,” Then the boy interjected, “But they are VERY good!” “Then we can see the kings guard and try and catch the person who cast that curse on you!”   But even as they talked, Rats Stars realised that he suddenly felt much better. He felt less thirsty and less peckish all of a sudden. The two siblings putting their selfish meaningless argument aside to help a stranger had “fed” him! He then instinctively knew something extra about himself. That to survive he needed to solve people’s problems and issues. Like some sort of very strange vampire. But instead of drinking blood to survive, he needed instead to extract pettiness, malice and negativity of some form. Instead of being a vampiric plasmavore, he was instead some weird form of “Sin Eater” But what the “Wipe” could that possibly mean! And why in the ‘Wipe’ was his first instinct to think, “What the Wipe!” instead of “What the Hell!”??