Momento Mori

Printer-friendly version
allhallowsevesignxlg.gif

Tomas remembers the blue dress that had enraptured him one Halloween and how magical it had made him feel.

Momento Mori
by poetheather

Copyright © 2010 by poetheather
All Rights Reserved.

 
How he looked in a dress was certainly an odd thing to be thinking about right now, Tomas mused distantly. The barrel of his M4 was still drooling bluish smoke and an eerie silence filled everything save for the ringing in his ears from the sound of his weapon. There was a burning on his side and leg, as if a hot poker had been jabbed inside him and left there. The wet stickiness of blood flowed down his leg, soaking his battle dress uniform, making the tan colors turn dark and reddish. He collapsed onto his rear and then to his back, graying out slightly and becoming light headed.

It had been a beautiful dress, made of a bright royal blue satin and had made his nearly white blue eyes pop almost magically. It was a full length gown with a V-neck that hinted at cleavage but showed nothing, simple, elegant, and full of slink. A flash of smooth, muscular leg showed as he walked. When he first put it on it felt like water sliding over his skin. He remembered that he had shivered slightly at the sensation.

There were voices shouting around him, some of them familiar but Tomas found it difficult to concentrate on them, as they seemed slippery, just like that material. They had to mean something but nothing registered. He laid there, in the settling dust, eyes watching the cloudless, washed out blue sky above. It seemed to stretch out into forever.

Eliana had talked him into the outfit, saying that it would look great and that she could make him look good and not like some sort of joke. After a few days of badgering him about the issue, Tomas had agreed, mostly to shut her up. They were going to some sort of Halloween party in town and she wanted to really go all out. It was one of their last hurrahs before his deployment and he was looking forward to it as well. Eliana had wanted it to be a special night for both of them.

A dirt and blood smeared face hovered over him, blocking the endless sky. There were questions asked and his mouth moved in answer but Tomas was at a loss as to what he had actually replied. The world was moving funny with dark shapes and figures dancing across the blue, the blue that drew him towards it.

When he had seen the blue dress, he had been at a loss for what to say as well. He was sure that the whole outfit would look stupid but he followed her orders to the letter like a good soldier. Nair had removed his body hair in a tangled swath of dark and he had shaved extra close, to ensure that his face was smooth enough for her. She had gotten some padding for his chest and hips that would add curves to his lean frame, helping to create the illusion. The blue lingerie felt… different from what he had known yet compelling, holding him in snugly and betraying nothing. He felt the fool wearing them.

A distant thrumming growing closer shook the air but the sky did not waver. Shadows hung over him, attentive to him and he was not sure why this was all happening. There was still a distant burning in his side and leg that kept him from drifting off into the beckoning blue that wavered slightly above him but he had no idea why that burning was there. There were too many questions and no answers save the welcoming sky.

The long black wig had framed his face and changed how he looked dramatically, the long hair actually softening the planes of his face. He looked less like himself with that on and somehow that pleased him, made him feel warm inside. She had turned him away from the mirror and finished him up, finally sliding the blue dress over him like a curtain of dry water against his hairless skin. When he had finally seen himself, he had been stunned by how unlike himself he had looked, as if the dress had magically transformed the infantry grunt into a fairy princess. The tiara had sparkled in his now longer hair, twisted into an elegant updo. The warm feeling inside had consumed him whole.

The sensation of lifting brought him back some to where he was and he was rushed off, things bouncing slightly, the world moving as a series of blurs. The blue sky was lost to the dark color that was all around him and the air shook, tight with power. His head lolled to the side and he could see the tan and blue again, the color broken by moving figures and plumes of oily smoke gyrating to the sky, and then with a stomach dropping lurch, it was just blue.

The Halloween party had been a tremendous success, with his Prom Princess outfit a complete hit with everyone. All through the night he had kept running a hand down his dress, loving the feel of the fabric against his skin. It was electrifying, like a drug. The lipstick had felt strange, as did the various things on his face, but their effect could not be denied. His dark eyelashes made his eyes look alluring and the eye shadow only magnified the end result. There was practically no trace of Tomas left in how he looked, just the girl they had named Estrella, for that was how he felt, like a star. People had treated him different that night, as if he were not just a stupid grunt, as if he were something different, something of value. He drank it in and it warmed his soul.

Eliana had kissed him while they stood on the patio, looking out at the stars. Her lips had been soft and it had felt different, the feel of their lipsticks making the whole sensation brand new, like a new first kiss. It had been a magical night and one he would not easily forget. How could he forget that night, that kiss, that magical dress that haunted his skin?

His thoughts drifted around how he had felt, how he had looked, how he so much wanted to wear that blue dress again and how much he wanted to feel that alive. The loud thrumming shook his body and his eyes fluttered between the dark and the endless blue that stretched before him. He was so very tired and he felt his energy draining from him. With a last look at the blue that called him, he closed his eyes to find a rest.

up
144 users have voted.
If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos! Click the "Thumbs Up!" button above to leave a Kudos

Comments

Blue....

Andrea Lena's picture

...can be a joyful color?

People had treated him different that night, as if he were not just a stupid grunt, as if he were something different, something of value. He drank it in and it warmed his soul....can be a joyful color, yes?

and still it evokes the sadness of what was lost but may yet be found again. This moved me to tears and I thank you.



Dio vi benedica tutti
Con grande amore e di affetto
Andrea Lena

  

To be alive is to be vulnerable. Madeleine L'Engle
Love, Andrea Lena

You know...

...this story also made me weep some. There is something powerful and magical that is evoked in this and it amazes me. I wrote this?

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Rest vs. Death

littlerocksilver's picture

I always believed that Aida and Radames were rescued at the last moment. I couldn't do anything about Mimi, though, because she died on stage. While there is life, there is hope.

Portia

Portia

In cases like this story I

In cases like this story I like the uncertainty of the ending. It allows the reader to finish it for themselves in whatever manner pleases them. In effect the character's future is up to the reader.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Remember -- You Must Die

This story is very much like the short story by Ambrose Bierce "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge".

Very well done. At the time I gave it a "good story" it had received 243 hits and 10 kudos, which makes me wonder about those other 233 readers. What were they reading?

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

I am honored to be compared

I am honored to be compared favorably to Ambrose Bierce. Thanks.

Yeah, sometimes I wonder if people even see that button, though it is as plain as day.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Momento Mori

Seems as if he had found the woman within which gave him comfort and possibly a new life.

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Wonderful Thoughts

When my time comes, I can only wish for similar wonderful peaceful thoughts instead of remembering all the dreadful thing that happened.

Well done Heather.

Linda Jeffries
Too soon old, too late smart.

Linda Jeffries
Too soon old, too late smart.
Profile.jpg

Thank you. What's funny is

Thank you.

What's funny is that I had the title for the story 3 days before the story ever showed. It arrived today at Mach speed. Yeah, the thoughts are peaceful but the pace it was written at was frenetic.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Wonderfully moving Heather

I loved the entire thing but that final scene I could just almost see the image of her in a dress mirroring him, beside him staring just as wistfully and while she's the feelings, the image she's the one that seems real.

Bailey Summers

That is a good way to

That is a good way to visualize that moment. I meant for it to have a poignancy to it and for it to balance things out well. I am happy that this story did that.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Sorry Heather -

But I like Happy endings!

It was well written thankyou!

LoL

Rita

Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)

LoL
Rita

How do you know it's not a

How do you know it's not a happy ending? Do I explicitly state that he is dead? The ending is yours to write. :)

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Thanks. Everyone has to have

Thanks. Everyone has to have a hobby.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

When the Devil is too busy...

And Death a bit too much,
They call on Heather by name, you see,
for her special touch.

(Based on Voltaire's "When you're evil". Not that Heather is, she simply has a hobby. ;) )

Faraway


On rights of free advertisement:
Big Closet Top Shelf

Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!

Faraway


On rights of free advertisement:
Big Closet Top Shelf

Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!

You know...

I but live to serve.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Sad, but so nice!

I kept hoping he would be saved, even as I knew he wouldn't be. This is a very powerful story. Beautiful.

Wren

Thank you very much. The

Thank you very much.

The shorter stories I have done are very poetic and crafted a bit differently from my usual stuff. It makes me happy to know that the work is appreciated.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

'A rest'. Evil ;-)

Zoe Taylor's picture

This is a fantastic piece. The shifting between the present and a happier memory was brilliantly done, and I adored your use of wordplay at the end.

Personally I'm casting my vote that he's going to be okay. He just has to pull through, darn it :-D

Well done!
~Zoe

PS: I love your image choice. It fits the writing so perfectly :-D

* * *

"Zoe, you are definitely the Queen of Sweetness with these Robin stories!"
~ Tychonaut

~* Queen of Sweetness *~

~* Queen of Sweetness *~

Become a Patron for early access ♥

Thanks. Yeah, the image was

Thanks.

Yeah, the image was a fun search and that helped with the story. The fun wordplay was interesting as well.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

It's the small things...

Andrea Lena's picture

...magic comes in so many forms...so many sizes...shapes...and colors...the color blue...

Her lips had been soft and it had felt different, the feel of their lipsticks making the whole sensation brand new, like a new first kiss. It had been a magical night and one he would not easily forget.

I don't expect I'm the only one who longs for this? Something so simple; seemingly small perhaps to those who already have felt this way or don't really care. But the sensation of lipstick on lipstick sounds so appealing and in a way, feels so sad as I fear I may never have that feeling, so I treasure it in my dreams and hopes. One of my favorites. Thank you again.


Dio vi benedica tutti
Con grande amore e di affetto
Andrea Lena

  

To be alive is to be vulnerable. Madeleine L'Engle
Love, Andrea Lena

Thank you. It was a fun

Thank you.

It was a fun story to write. The imagery was very powerful.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

Great story... kind of sad,

Great story... kind of sad, how he remembers that one great day in his moment of death.
I guess he could be saved, if he's lucky...

thank you for writing,
Beyogi

Thank you for reading. I

Thank you for reading.

I left things kind of vague so that the reader could supply whatever ending they wanted, though there is a very strong implication of death. That vagary is one of the things I like about the ending.

Thanks again.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.

I have just read this, so long after it was first posted!

following my comment. a short time ago, to your posting on today's (11 Jan 2022) BCTS blog list. I was attracted while scanning your back catalogue, by the title which is commonly a misprint for "memento mori" (note the "e" after the initial "m").
After I had read the very brief story AND the comments, I concluded that your spelling is correct though whether or it was deliberate or a fortunate mistake, only you know. For those who are uncertain of the outcome you planned -- "memento" (with the "e") would mean memory, and "momento" would mean time (of) so whether these are the thoughts of a dying grunt. or the memories of a survivor, remains exquisitely open for the reader to ponder.
Clever stuff!
Dave

Thanks.

Thanks.

Yeah, it was meant to be snapshots of time and not just the memory. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I had fun writing it.

Heather

We are the change that will save the world.