Too Many Cavities

The residents of a large neighborhood could only stare at the portly man as he paced back-and-forth in front of their houses. Wearing a black trench coat, dark sunglasses and sporting awful sideburns he continued his trek up and down the street. Pulling at what little hair he had, muttering the same things over and over, “not enough time” and “too many.” The man’s presence had been accompanied by an odor, acrid and familiar.

The residents began to gather and speak amongst themselves. “Who is he?” “Why is he here?” “Someone call the police.” The stranger winced and continued to do what he had done for hours. His pace would vary; he would walk fast, then slow, speed up and then stop before looking around at the vast community and restarting his movements.

When the police cruiser arrived the stranger’s mood became more erratic.

“Why are you here?” He screamed as he approached the cruiser. “It’s too big already, you’ll only add to the workload.”

Both officers opened their doors, used them as cover, pulled their guns and pointed them at the stranger. The older of the two began to give orders, “stop right there,” but stranger kept advancing.

“Budget cuts.” The stranger took off his sunglasses to reveal two eyes; one blue, one brown. “Too many souls, not enough time. I won’t get them all before they are lost.”

The younger officer grew curious about the stranger’s diatribe. “What do you mean?”

The stranger stopped, twirled in place and stopped again. “This job is too big, too many souls, I can’t gather them all in sixty seconds.” The stranger sighed.

“What happens if you don’t gather all the souls in sixty seconds?” The young officer asked.

“They will be lost to the void, leaving only empty cavities. A cavity needs a soul or it will become a monster.” The stranger looked at the sky before turning back to the officers. He shook his head violently. “You must leave, this isn’t your time.”

The stranger became furious; with both fists clinched he began his approach, raising the level of anxiety in both officers.

“You must go now,” he screamed before both men fired their guns; the stranger fell to the ground.

As both officers approached the dead stranger they noticed a strong odor, acrid and familiar. The young officer turned his head towards his more-seasoned partner, “do you smell gas?”