The Answering Machine
by Hyel

Hey... Eve? It's me, hi. I didn't really have any specific reason to call you... Is this the new answering machine? ... We bought this for you together, remember that? I was looking for something for Mikey, but you dragged me into that electronics store... Fuck, Eve, y'know I hate that kinda stuff. I mean, c'mon, talking to some fucking machine...

Mark had an answering machine back home, too. He's got one out here, too, and it's always on in case his wife calls... We're at his cabin, you know. We've been here all weekend... Shit Eve, you're gonna be green with envy when I tell you about all this... A whole weekend for just the two of us in the middle of a forest, and with our own shore and everything... We haven't even seen any of those damn motor-boats or any other vroom-addicts on the lake... It's kinda like being all alone in the world. All alone, with no-one else in a hundred mile radius...

... I... I'm a little weak though... but it's nothing, I'll survive. And it's so wonderful here! Mark's been a little tired... He's been staying in bed... But I've gone swimming. The water's freezing, but I stayed in anyway until I was all numb and my fingers had gone blue, and then I stayed a little while longer, until it stopped hurting... and then I came back in. I almost didn't make it at first, since I was so frozen up, but I used my elbows and dragged myself to shore by the dock... My elbows got a little scratched up, but it didn't hurt. They've been stinging a little later, but it doesn't really matter...

I've been eating way too much again, I'm probably gonna put on some weight again. I've just been hungry all the time, y'know... Maybe it's the fresh air or something.

...I have to confess, though... I was really scared out there in the water. Really. I stayed there as long as I had decided to, but I really felt like chickening out in one point... but I stayed in. I called out for Mark to come help me out... but I guess he was too tired, he was still sleeping... I've been trying to get him to wake up, but he's just snoozing so stubbornly.

I just wish he'd eat, at least... I cooked him a great dinner, all the best I could find. And I fried him some sausages over the fire, and made some spaghetti, that's his favourite... But he just wouldn't come to the table. So I took him some food to bed. It took some goading, but I did finally manage to get him to swallow some... and then we made love. He's so awfully gentle, and he lets me do whatever I want... He's divine. Hey Eve, I told you... I love him.

We figured we'd stay here a couple of more weeks. I think he's going to propose to me... I'd be content to just stay here for the rest of our lives... but I guess he has his work, so he can't just disappear forever. Well, I'll tell you more later. Seeya.

Hey... Eve? I was thinking... maybe he's dead. I feel like maybe he was already dead when I got here last Friday. I dunno. It's just that he well, stinks, y'know, like corpses do... hihihi... Don't tell him I said that... He's always so careful about the way he looks and smells and all, you know.

But he did so refuse to eat, and didn't wanna come out of the bed... I mean... I cooked him such magnificent meals. I made him breakfast with, y'know, a face made out of food... He always laughs at that kinda stuff... I made eyes from a split egg, a nose out of a potato, and a mouth of pickles... I didn't really find anything for ears, so I cut off my own with his razor... I don't really nead them, anyway... but it did hurt more than I'd expected. But the breakfast looked great... and he still wouldn't get up.

Well, I probably gotta go now. I'll have another dip in the water before I start cooking again. I probably shouldn't be goin' swimming all the time, these bandages keep falling off... although that doesn't really matter... Maybe I'll just take them off anyway. I can't bleed like this forever, after all.

Well, bye.

-end-