Ricci Schwarzler - Degree

It was one of those days in August in the southern hemisphere, at about 32 degrees latitude, where it was on the cusp of winter and spring. When the wind wasn’t blowing it was hot in the sun, but as the wind circled around, you could feel that slight bitterness of winter. She knew there was someone who needed her help. She felt it. She could feel it in her mind and wisping around her body like the breeze. She didn’t know who it was at this point. All she could do was stand on the deck and try to absorb the need, that overwhelming need of somebody for help, for justice, for vengeance. 

She started to feel the pain and turned to the direction she could feel it coming from. The feeling grew and with it came fear and panic. Further inside her, grew the feeling for vengeance.

She didn’t know what she would walk into, but she knew it was bad and she had to go there and then. She bent her knees and sprang upwards, and with this wings grew from her back and a spear arrived in her hand.

Her name was Nemesis.

She flew above the trees, above the roads, above the houses, until the feeling was truly overwhelming. She knew exactly where she had to go. She could see the house and she knew exactly which room her prey was in. She was the predator. She would not be stopped. As she flew through the wall and landed softly on her feet with wings spread to slow her arrival, the six faces looked up at her in horror. Normally she was small and slight with cherubic features. As nemesis, although they could see she was small, she seemed large and powerful and frightening, very frightening.

The three children were huddled in the corner holding each other, with tears streaming down their faces and petrified looks in their eyes.

Their mother was lying on the floor with her face beaten and bloodied and the grandmother sitting next to her with a knife to her neck. The father was standing over the mother with his foot on her chest. Nemesis knew without being told, that they had been demanding the children to go with them. She knew and by feeling alone, that her prey were not interested in the children but the money they could get from the government to “look” after them.

The children too were bruised, with red marks on their faces and hair dishevelled, and clumps of hair on the ground.

The grandmother stood and handed the knife to her son. He took the knife and held it in front of him towards Nemesis.

She stood behind the children with her wings enveloping them so that they could not see what was about to happen.

She said nothing, but everybody knew what she was thinking. The father knew that she was danger for him, and he knew why. He knew what he was doing was not right, and everything he had always done to his wife and his children was never right, and he could hear nemesis saying to him that it was time to pay, even though she didn’t speak. He had to pay and the only way she would allow him to pay would be with his life. He started to walk towards her and she could see the panic in his eyes. But unlike most humans she had no degree of sympathy or empathy for her prey.  

Her job was to deliver punishment and she did. Time stood still for her prey and those around him as he rushed towards her with the knife but in slow motion she pointed her spear directly at him and he ran straight into it. Piercing not his heart because that would be much too fast, but both of his lungs. He fell to the floor and gasping for breath he stared at her in amazement and bewilderment. She looked down at him and smiled.

Her head raised and she looked at the grandmother. The grandmother in astonishment stood up and went to run for the door. Nemesis in slow motion dispersed justice in the form of her spear, into the back of the old woman. Again not to kill her immediately because there would be no punishment or emotional justice for her prey if they died too fast. The old woman fell to the floor and lay dying. Nemesis unfolded who wings from the children so that they could see the dying prey. So they would know their actions were unforgivable.

The children ran to their mother and Nemesis reached out a hand to raise her to her feet. The mother looked at the prey with a little sympathy and then gathered her children around her and waited to see what would happen next. Should she ring for the police?  If she didn’t how would she get rid of the bodies? With these thoughts Nemesis spread her wings and flew above the floor, and with her floated the now dead bodies of the father and grandmother. In an instant Nemesis and the bodies were gone leaving the children and mother safe.

Nemesis flew above the house and with an upward swish of her wings the dead bodies flew higher and evaporated, no more to cause pain to anyone.

Nemesis landed back on her deck. The feeling of pain now gone and only justice pervading throughout her body and mind.

Her wings disappeared and she walked back into her house. She made a nice cup of tea and snuggled down on the lounge to watch a movie. Another job well done she thought to herself as one of her wing tips came out of her shoulder blade and circled her head to wipe a wisp of hair from her face.

There no degrees of justice and vengeance, there was just pure justice and vengeance for Nemesis.