Chapter Text
How long has it been? Weeks? Months? Years?
He didn’t know. He’d lost track a long time ago.
A creature sat on his windowsill in an old Queen Anne house in New Orleans, staring at the sunset. There was something about it that he found weirdly beautiful. How the red and orange colors seemed to blend in together with the slow-moving sun. It was one of the few things he enjoyed in life.
But not this time.
The creature was a seventeen-year old Monty, although everyone he knew (which wasn’t much) called him by his full name: Montgomery. An animated, brown, stovepipe hat with a green sash masking his yellow eyes. His body was made entirely of seaweed from the ocean nearby, except for his pink serpentine gemstone nose and two shark teeth sticking out in an underbite. There was only one thing—one person—on his mind: His beloved cousin, Gerald Jr.: a happy, yet nerdy boy with green skin, red hair, square glasses, and large, constant toothy smile. Monty had not seen him in so long. He remembered all of Junior’s secret visits on that very windowsill. His cousin would sneak over to Monty’s house, climb up to his window, and they would play together.
Now he could barely remember what that felt like.
Monty sighed deeply, looking down and staring at nothing.
Another day
Another week
Another month
Another year
Another day
Another night
Until it’s day again
The sun has fled
I go to bed
And scratch a line on the wall
Another day, where nothing changes at all
And everyday shuffles by like the day before
On its way to the blackest of skies
And every day, a little death comes and paces the floor
And a little bit more of me dies
Monty was now inches away from a wall covered in tally marks. He softly ran his hand across the tallies, skimming them as he passed.
Another day
Another week
Another month
Another year
Another night, I spend alone until it’s day again
Monty turned around, looking back up at the sky, tearing up a bit.
Our little star has moved away
And all the world looks so grim
I only see, I am not me
Without him...
Everyday a little death
For everyday, I die
Everyday a little death
And still, I know not why...
“Montgomery!”
Monty immediately perked up at the familiar voice behind him. He turned around to see two people: one a monstrous, Frankenstein’s monster-like creature and the other a human-like muppet wearing a voodoo witch doctor outfit. The monster was an unholy combination of various sea creatures. Its head was of an otter, with cute, black eyes, a button nose, whiskers, and a horn of a narwhal resting on its forehead like a unicorn, as well as dorsal fins of a dolphin, orca, and great white shark. It had the body of a sea turtle, complete with the arms of an otter and a jellyfish and 4 octopus legs. Poking out from behind was the tail of a moray eel. The creature was Monty’s “little” sister, Oceania. The voodoo witch doctor, on the other hand, looked far more intimidating. His outfit was almost all black with a jacket, matching pants, shoes, and a red waistcoat. He wore a belt with several bones (including a human skull in the center), a shrunken head or two, and a small voodoo doll rested at an angle on his hip so it was facing Monty. On his head was a black top hat littered with black feathers, held together by a skull and crossbones pin. Several bone necklaces hung around his neck; one made of sharp animal teeth and others having the bones of real people (Monty never questioned where he got them, as he didn’t want to know). The final touch being a half skull mask planted on his face, so the only features anyone could make out were his lime green eyes and a cold, disapproving frown on his green face. This man called himself Agwe, Monty’s father and the creator of he and his sister.
Oceania smiled sweetly, “Hey bro, what’s up?”
“It’s nothing...” Monty replied.
“What’s wrong? You look upset...”
“I’m not upset. It’s just....” Monty broke eye contact with his sister. “I miss Junior.”
Agwe cocked an eyebrow as if to ask if Monty was serious. Oceania nodded in realization.
“Oh yeah. He hasn’t been here in forever. Haven’t noticed.” she smiled, “Oh well, maybe he’ll come back eventually, right?”
“But it’s been so long...”
“Just be optimistic!” Oceania said, “I don’t know what happened, but hey, it’ll be okay! All you need to do is hope for the best and one day, he’ll be standing right next to you!”
Monty cracked a smile at his sister’s optimism. He then heard his father sigh.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Montgomery.”
Monty looked up at his father. “What is it, dad?”
“I only wanted to protect you.”
Monty raised a brow, “Protect...me?”
Agwe nodded slowly, “From the truth.”
“The....the truth?”
“Yes, your uncle came by a few years ago. I’m afraid it’s not good...”
“What? What did he say? Dad, tell me!”
“Junior has disappeared.”
Oceania gasped. Monty’s face grew worrisome.
“W-what?...”
“He ran away from home, Montgomery.” Agwe explained, “Nobody knows where he is or how he is doing. His parents could not find him anywhere. He’s gone...and he is not coming back.”
Monty’s eyes widened at the news. His mouth hung open. He knew Gerald Jr. had problems at home, but to go so far as to run away? But why? Junior had never mentioned anything about that; only how strict his parents were.
“But...but why? Why would he run away?” was all Monty managed to ask.
“I don’t know, Montgomery.” Agwe answered. “He had all the necessities a child could ever have: Food, water, shelter, parents who looked out for him. What more could he want?”
“There has to be SOME reason he left...I just don’t know what.” Oceania pondered.
Monty looked down at the floor again. “He didn’t even say goodbye...”
Agwe knelt down a bit to pat the top of Monty's hat, a fake sincere expression on his face.
“Oh, there there, Montgomery. I know. It was all so unexpected. But there is nothing we could do. He abandoned us. The bright little boy we all knew turned out to be a selfish brat who thought the world somehow owed him something and left everyone who loved him behind.”
“W-we were so close...” Monty lamented, “I....I thought he cared about me...”
His father scoffed. “Cared about you? Oh please, what makes you think Junior—scratch that— anyone would care about you? Of course not. Junior most likely liked you for your magic powers. I don’t blame him, though. Anyone else would have done the same with a magic hat.”
Monty’s eyes became misty as the witch doctor continued.
“Listen well, Montgomery. The world is a cruel place, filled with people who only want you for your powers. They don’t give a damn about anything else. Look at you, you’re pathetic! No one in their right mind would pay attention to you for any of your other features. I am, and will always be, the only one who will ever care about you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work I need to get back to. You two are going to assist me. Come on, move it.”
Oceania obeyed, walking out the door. Monty stood perfectly still, his eyes making their way back to the floor.
“Montgomery.”
Monty looked up again, put on a brave face, and ignored the sound of his heart violently ripping apart.
“Yes, father....”