A Tale of the Weorbyn Pt. 2

The weorbyn is a fuzzy creature with black fur and yellow button eyes. Its round stature stands five inches above the ground, and its floating demeanor of movement allows it to be mistaken for a ball of dust. The weorbyn is a rare creature, found within the thicket of bushes. Many have forgotten the legend of this small, yet malicious animal. Do not be fooled by its honey-like voice infiltrating your ears and slow blinking, reminiscent of puppy eyes. While a Kraken or Griffin is rightfully feared for their strength and horrific presence, a weorbyn might entice laughter for its small presence and inability to inflict apparent harm; however, those who cross paths with a weorbyn face deadly repercussions.

Guide to the Lost Creatures of Deception

Laughter erupted in the tunneled halls of the Embankment Station. A cat, a dead bride, and vague, bloodied creatures filtered onto the platform. I stared at them, each one with shoulders rolled behind their ears and chests pumped out. Their laughter filled the silent air, unencumbered by the solace-seeking passengers among them in office suits and blistering leather shoes. I stared at the ostentatious group enjoying the gory holiday season.

While the cackles faded away from the platform, slight chatter and the smell of alcohol breath filtered my way. I huddled by the poster of Cabaret, hoping its vibrant colours would divert attention from my meager presence. My thick fringe hovered above my eyes, and I fiddled with the buttons of my beige cardigan to pass the time before the train came hurtling down the snake-like tunnel. The board revealed five minutes. It felt like an eternity. I yanked my phone from my skirt pocket and stared at my calendar absent-mindedly. It was a custom to stay occupied on the tube; to avert your gaze from anyone—even cats and dead brides. I clicked on tomorrow’s date to read the haunting event. Office Party. My eyes darted between each word. Each one frothed loathing in my stomach. Office reminded me of Suki Green. Her beguiling, cartoonish name hid her monstrous nature. The other day, Suki arranged a meeting to discuss my absences from office parties, many of which happened to end with mean, drunk managers who couldn’t be contradicted. Wasting precious time in the office with vampires such as Suki was enough for me; I didn’t want to waste my evening as well. Suki, however, batting her eyelashes and turning her voice to a sickly sweet sound, said not attending wasn’t an option. A Halloween party wasn’t my choice, but tomorrow I had to put on a mask and turn up either cheery or macabre. I was leaning towards the latter.

The silence on the platform left a ringing in my ears. Even the winds had stopped howling down each turn and step of the station. The quiet was cut with a blade when the familiar yellow lights of the tube came hurtling down, the wheels grinding against the metal tracks.

The doors slid open and I stepped onto the musty-scented Bakerloo Line. My nose curled up at the amalgam of scents. It was the sweat of many bodies combined with just as much perfume. The result was a stale smell, one evoking sorrow and indefinite loneliness. I placed myself on the edge of a chair riddled with dust and allowed my dark locks to slide over my cheeks. The rows of seats were entirely empty until a woman jumped through just as the beeping sound filled the tube. Her disheveled mane of hair was a mere centimeter away from the sliding doors that shut with a distinct clatter. I watched the woman fall into a seat, a heap of bags scattered around her feet.

She didn’t notice me, perched and hunched on the far end of the carriage. As the train began to rumble down the tracks, I heard her muffled sobs. She held a damp tissue to her eyes, patting away the salty tears grazing her cheek. The London tube was a theatrical show with boisterous people, large families hollering, and stray cups or rotten apples displayed on the floor. For all the journeys on the tube, I had never seen someone shed a tear. I had never seen sorrow in a city that was imbued with it. Her cries were like yawns as a few salty drops fell from my eyelids and hung onto the strands of my inky black hair.

It didn’t take long for the tube to exhale a puff of steam at the last stop. Elephant & Castle wasn’t a place I wished to call home, but the rent of the apartment I shared with Eliza Caravan was a stone's throw away from the tube station, and the rent barely tickled my tight pockets.

The chipped wooden door of my humble abode soon stood in front of me. It wasn’t inviting, but the gush of violent wind made any space indoors seem safe. I trudged up the steps, kicking away dead autumn leaves to the side. Dust particles latched onto my irises; I rubbed fingers across my eyelids to remove the dust, grinding the surface of my now glassy eyes. I made it up the final step and brought myself into the stillness of my home. The hallway was dimly lit and cobwebs adorned every corner. Neither Eliza nor I found solace in cleaning. We stewed in the filth of this house; I had grown used to the musty smell of the rooms and the mold-ridden bathtub.

I made my way up the stairs, fatigue settling on my limbs as the looming office party scathed my mind once more. I couldn’t bear the thought of fake laughter—listening to Suki Green indulge in her life stories while I sipped on red wine, although I loathed the taste. I especially despised the burning sensation that trickled down my throat with each sip.

When I flicked the light switch in my room, I didn’t notice it at first, but there was a black fuzzy ball of dust lying at the foot of my bed. I went to swipe the dust from my freshly cleaned duvet, but I noticed that the fuzzy ball was not mere dust to be cleaned; it had yellow button-like eyes. When the creature blinked, I tumbled backwards. It barely reacted to my dramatic fall. Instead, it continued to blink. I crawled up to the foot of the bed, my breath shuddering as I crouched a few inches away from the fuzzy ball.

“What are you?” I whispered in awe.

“I’m a weorbyn.”

“Ahh,” I gasped and crawled back a few spaces. A mellow voice filled my head, but the room was filled with a deafening silence. I peered at the creature with horror-struck eyes.

“Did you speak…inside my head?” I asked.

“Yes, yes, I did.” The creature was a statue, its eyelids moving up and down with a dreamy effect.

“How are you doing that?”

“This is how we, weorbyn communicate.” The voice was mellow, a matter-of-fact, within my head.

“And what is a weorbyn?” I began to pull at the dry flakes of skin protruding from my lips. The howling winds outside thrashed against my window. My stomach lurched up my chest at the violent noise filling the lonely room.

“We are shapeshifters.”

“What can you shapeshift into?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

“Whoever is in front of me.” The voice took on a musical note, and the fuzzy creature began to vibrate on my duvet. It expanded, its yellow eyes squeezed shut in grave concentration. I saw limbs sprouting from the body, and inky black hair falling out of its head. Toes, fingers, nails, and voluminous eyelashes erupted from the human form lying curled up on my duvet. When she looked up, I saw my reflection in a mirror.

She looked up from the ground, her shoulders rolled back. Her unclothed state didn’t dampen the confidence exuding from her skin. Her curves and flesh were identical to mine at every spot. When she pushed herself off the duvet, I shuffled back, afraid of this creature before me. A smirk crossed her face, and she made her way to my wardrobe to pick out a dress.

“What would you like me to do for you?” She spoke with my voice and my gestures.

Stumped, I stood with my mouth agape, unsure of how to begin. “I…I don’t know.”

“Strange, most are very eager to leave their lives. Even if it is for just one day.” The creature fiddled with her jagged nails.

“Well,” I started, unsure if my request would be fulfilled, “there is this office party tomorrow—”

“Would you like me to go in your place?” She asked, her eyes sparkling in a way mine never had before.

“Yes…if that is in accordance with the woerbyn rules?” I decided to tread lightly around this mystical creature.

“Yes, yes, it is. Don’t fret, I will be you tomorrow, and you are free to do as you wish.”

***

I woke up to a ray of sunlight trickling into my eyes. I pulled my duvet off my chest to find it damp with sweat. The air was warm, and the room was lit with an orange glow. When I picked up my buzzing phone from the side table, I widened my eyes at the time displayed on my screen. It was past one in the afternoon. I pushed myself off the bed to find my phone empty of any hounding messages from Suki.

The weorbyn was in my place.

I huffed out a short, pitiful laugh, thrilled for the day ahead. This was better than a holiday. While holidays were filled with constant preoccupation about work and messages trickling in from Suki every day, today I was totally free—the weorbyn was at work for me.

I threw on a black coat over my pajamas and bounded out the front door to be greeted with a sunny day in October. I smiled at each person down the street; most of them were lost in their phones or drowning in their own sorrows. The people of London were ghosts walking down the narrow streets—forever sad and forever longing for a life that never was. For the first time, I was far away from the pain and suffering, far away from my own existence.

I sipped on cups of pumpkin spice lattes, ate warm waffles, and sugar-coated nuts that wafted the sweetest aroma by the Thames. I blended with the crowd, yet my widening grin stuck out among the sea of faces. I skipped down empty streets, and as darkness enveloped the sky, I drank steaming mulled wine. Warmth spread through my body as I watched the glistening river under the moon. I breathed in the spices wafting from the drink under my nose. After the last drops of my drink were sipped, I meandered back home in the darkness.

When I reached the front door, I stepped inside my house to find all the lights switched on. The normally dim house was lit with a warm glow.

“Eliza?” I questioned as I made myself into the living room. On the grand mahogany chair, the weorbyn was sitting cross-legged. She had cat ears and whiskers drawn on her pointed nose. I looked at my phone to see the time, but my eyes fell onto the stream of messages from Suki and other colleagues from work. They seemed to have enjoyed my company tonight at the party.

“I take it the party went well?” I asked the weorbyn with a glimmer in my eyes.

“Yes, it did. I take it you had a nice day?” The weorbyn eyed my windswept air and heated cheeks from the mulled wine.

“Yes, it did.” I grinned. “Could you…I suppose, be me for a little longer?”

“I could, but then what will you do?” She pushed herself off the chair and glided towards me in menacing black stilettos.

“Oh, I don’t know, I’ll just…enjoy my life for a while. It’ll only be temporary.”

The weorbyn released an eerie cackle. She took a few steps forward, and I smelled salted chips and beer on her breath. “If I’m going to be you, then you’ll have to be nobody.” She hissed like a snake.

My heart thundered in my chest, and soon, I could hear heavy rain fall from the sky. It pattered against the stained windows of my home, and an unsettling feeling filtered into my stomach. I swallowed with a dry throat and mustered up a few words. “Just forget what I said, you may go now. Thank you for the help tonight.” I gestured with my hand towards the front door, hoping to get rid of the creature, but the weorbyn grasped my wrist with white knuckles. Her jagged nails bore deep into my skin, and drops of blood began to surface.

“What are you doing?” I howled with pain.

I pulled my arm away, but the weorbyn’s eyes narrowed and she pulled me forward. Sudden pain erupted in my stomach. My body shattered to the ground. Through blurry vision, I saw a pool of blood lying before me. With trembling hands, I felt my stomach to find a thin blade plunged deep into my flesh. I wept on the ground, consciousness slowly evicting my body. I crumbled further into my own pool of blood and watched the black stiletto heels click off into the distance, leaving nothing but silence and darkness.