The Goat Man
“You must be proud of yourself, master! You succeeded!”
The ghost’s face was elated. His clear eyes were wide open, and the grin stretched unnaturally across his translucent lips.
But I was not feeling that.
I was content with my powers and that I had her name on the contract.
What I did not like was how she felt. Seeing her crammed in the dirt, with her legs to her chest and her lean body trembling, made me sick to my stomach. It gave me a bitter taste in my mouth.
How would this affect her pure mind and soul?
Would she turn to the devil? Or would she stay with the angels?
The garments I brought for her were tousled, muddy and dirty, in contrast with her purity. Her frail features were twisted from the pain that my own mind inflicted.
The little voice in my head, which kept some sense of morality, told me to get to my knees and apologise for inflicting pain. To beg.
Thus, the Goat Man never stays on his knees. Only for his master, who soon would not be served anymore.
The ghost wandered around my chamber, cleaning my skull, and taking far too long.
I clenched my fists on the small table. The food the boy had brought lay untouched, the pilaf with chicken kidneys getting cold.
“Take it and be gone! The echo of your steps poisons my thoughts.” My shout rang off the rock wall, the candles flickering from my anger. The servant rolled his eyes in his head, as he did each time he got chastised.
Snapping my fingers at him, his gaze fixed on me. He apologised and scurried away, carrying my goat skull with him, the ivory bone glistening in the candlelight.
My naked body strutted to the Souls’ Mirror, the red-yellow flames from the candles reflecting on the glossy surface. I tapped once with my finger, the nail scratching the glass.
The same image of the woman, with midnight hair, pure eyes and long and pointy horns, stood before me. In a second, the image changed, my own body joining. My head was tilted to her, something akin to admiration, filling my blue swirls.
My body was circled by the souls I took, their red ink staining my pale skin.
I turned my back from the mirror, my blood pulsing in my ears, ignoring the odd sensation the image gave to my body. Any feelings of pity I might have for the human, I had to put aside. I had to succeed in getting out of this world.
I longed for the sun and the moon to love me, to embrace me as their long-lost son. To see people smiling at me, to have terror replaced by joy. I yearn to touch a body without making it bleed.
Taking the contract she signed, I skimmed her name with my finger.
As soon as she gets on with ripping souls, the sooner I will get out of this inferno I was placed in.
For a week, I was gone, in search of my next lair.
After I had asked my master’s permission to get out of the grotto, I looked for my next home. Once I would be human, that is.
The air between the stone walls was getting thicker with the woman there. I tried to avoid her as much as I could. Her questions were infuriating.
Alas, she shall receive her answers soon.
That wretched boy did not finish cleaning my skull. I urged him to move faster, but how can one harm a soul that floats beyond flesh? Anything I might hit him with would pass right through his body.
Whenever I put my skull on my head, the fur and hooves will replace smooth skin and my limbs.
This part would be hurtful for the woman, too, as she needs to pass through a baptism.
When it was my time, I loathed it with every fibre.
I sighed and took the darkest, longest cloak I could find, as black as this cave I was forced to live in.
My feet carried me to her chamber, as if drawn by the flowery scent.
Careful not to show my face, I dragged the hood over it and hid my hands in the pockets.
“Get up, woman! We have work to do!”
Her body jolted as my voice boomed in the cave. I didn’t wait for her reply, and I marched to the entrance of the cave.
The forest air didn’t even faze me as I whistled for my horse. The faithful stallion galloped to me, his snot touching my face. It sniffed me, snorting once.
“My loyal friend, you never disappoint me,” I said, petting his long mane. “The only thing I will regret in my next life is not being able to take you with me.”
The horse snorted, not content.
“Does it understand you?”
Her voice sent me on a spiral of different sensations through my body. Hot, cold and most surprisingly, curiosity.
The tears that drenched her attire, the sobs that deafened the forest, were sealed in my mind for good. And then, she signed the papers, wiped the salty water from her cheeks and walked on, as if nothing could touch her.
Women, peculiar creatures. Incredible, but peculiar.
The saddle placed itself on the horse, the dozen thick buckles that covered its mane closing themselves.
My horse knelt so that the woman and I could mount.
“Treat her nice,” I whispered in its keen ears. A snort came in response, the human jumping with a yelp at the sound. “She is the one who will unchain me.”
I turned to her, my eyes fixing on her long hair. “We do not have time for you to be a scared little girl,” I urged.
Her cheeks reddened, a curious hue. Her eyebrows joined in the middle, creating a small line between them. She held her skirts with her hands, her skin shining in the late afternoon sun.
I grabbed the reins a little too aggressively for my horse’s liking, its neighing causing me to wince.
The human climbed in front of me, the curve of her back touching what had not been touched for an extremely long time.
Ignoring every possible new and old sensation, although mostly odd, I led my horse out of the forest. The smell of blooms was intoxicating.
She kept quiet, her back touching my chest from time to time. And right then, my horse decided to trot instead of walk, making the whole atmosphere unsurpassable.
The sun cast shadows through the firs’ needles, making me squint my eyes. My horse did not need my guidance as it knew well the way to my purpose.
The woman’s long hair was braided and draped over her shoulder, leaving me to stare at the nape of her neck. The sound of her rapid heartbeat pounded in my ears, making me squirm inside.
“Can you calm down? Your breathing irks me!”
She took one loud breath, and her heart rate gradually slowed. One corner of my mouth raised, enjoying the power I had over her.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice small.
She kept her face forward. Her shoulders were strained, as if she would move one muscle, the horse would throttle her.
“You’ll see. No need to share details ahead.” I stopped all the unnecessary conversations.
The noise of my stallion’s trot was the greatest sound on Earth.
I could finally hear my thoughts. This way, I could daydream about my life, once the tenth soul would be collected.
The greenest grass between my toes, the warmest fire heating my skin in the winter, the coldest river refreshing my body after a hot day…
“How would I know which soul to take?”
The rustle of the leaves and her voice broke the line of my thoughts.
“What did I say earlier?” I retorted, refraining from sighing.
She huffed, her back's muscles contracting. If not for the radiance of her soul, which must replace mine, I’d have hurled her from the saddle and let the wolves teach her obedience.
The sun was closing its time for the day, hiding behind the hills of the countryside. The villagers here would have to yell at their neighbours over the field in order for them to communicate.
Orchards filled with ripe fruit stretched to our left, some people already picking them for different beverages or to store them over winter.
I tasted before the compote that the ghost made.
The sugary syrup in which the fruit was sunk was pleasant to my taste buds. Although I never said that out loud.
Cows were scattered here and there eating grass, their bells ringing in my ear; horses neighing in the distance, with a plough attached to their waists. But, as we deepened in the forest, the howling of the wolves replaced the trill of the birds.
I steered my stallion to the left, climbing a steep hill to the top.
There was a ritual for the woman to get the same powers as me. For a short time, she would be my equal.
A ritual I would have to explain to her. She was currently sniffing in her sleeve. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes as another wave of tears touched her hands.
Her purity would be my downfall.
I tried to take my mind off the woman and her muted sobs. I thought back to the ceremony when I chose my goat skull.
I didn’t have any recollection of how I got to be the Goat Man.
My baptism, how the Elk called this ceremony, happened centuries ago. I was surrounded by dozens of masks, while Elk pushed my whole body underwater. When I emerged to the surface, my master placed the Goat Skull on my head, and instead of pristine skin, I had fur.
It took me a while to get used to what I could do. My powers stretched from the moon to the stars, from the stars to the sun and back. They, like me, were endless.
The scythe became my companion in my endeavours. Its bloody blade aged me with every soul I took.
“Are we there yet?” the human asked, her chin supported on her shoulder. Her blue eye dug into my soul, which I didn’t like at all.
I tsked, rolling my eyes. Luckily, they were concealed by the hood. Maybe if I kept quiet, she would stop her rambling questions. She was still looking at me, expecting something that would not come until we reached the Souls’ Pool.
“Can you at least tell me if I would ever see my family?”
Air filled my cheeks, stopping me from laughing. I am not sure why she would not understand that she was mine to wield.
As a weapon.
“There will be no contact outside the world you will step in,” I said, my voice low. “Unless it is to take the ten souls you owe me.”
She swallowed, and the sound invaded my ears.
“Can I at least go to church?”
This time, I couldn’t contain my laughter anymore. And it was enough of an answer for her. The silence took a few blessed minutes.
“But why not? I can still practice my beliefs, and neither you nor anyone from this world can stop me!” Her usual sweet voice grew darker.
“Oh, please! Do you really think that your fictional god will forgive you if you kill ten people?”
Her retort came quickly. “My God is more understanding than humans. He would see the sacrifice I made for my family.”
I arched a brow because I couldn’t convince her that there was no one up there to stand as judge.
Unfortunately, she would not get to see this, since she was going to be immortal soon. Chuckling, I steered my stallion to the left, making her jump. Her head hit my chin lightly, the contact making my fingers twitch on the reins.
“Keep still, human,” I warned.
Then I realised her will would be stronger than eternity.