The Aka-name or "Filth Licker"

"My Grandfather left me this place. I never much liked the idea of running a restaurant so I closed it. It's been sitting for a few years."
The man fumbled with the keys to the front door, and finally found the one that unlocked it.
Dust covered every surface and all the cobwebs collected tiny mountain ranges of dust. The counters still held old metal napkin holders and bottles of ketchup. The windows were boarded up and the only light came from the cracks between the boards.
"Don't have most of the equipment anymore. Some kids broke in a few months back and trashed a few things, so I sold the rest of it, you wont have to worry about cleaning anything like that. Now I's got a business man interested in  buying the place, So I need it cleaned up a little, mostly getting rid of the dust and wiping everything down."
The woman set down her cleaning supply box and looked around.
"It's just this main room and the kitchen?" she asked.
"And the bathrooms and there's an office area behind the kitchen." He tilted his head and looked at her name plate.
"Mary, I'll be back by 6 to lock up and pay ya. You have my number if you need me."
The man turned and briskly shuffled out the door.
Mary grabbed a few more things from the car and went to work

*****

Mary was sticky with sweat, her clothes were dusted with dirt and grime. She took a long drink from a water bottle as she sat on the clean bar stool. The cobwebs had left the ceiling and corners of the room and now clung to her hair, clothes and broom end. The counters and floors shined with a dingy yellow of there age. She glanced at the clock and sighed, an hour until 6. She set the water bottle down and grabbed her tote of cleaning supplies, the broom and walked towards the bathrooms. She entered the door to her left, the men's room and set her tote down.  While the floors did not shine, the bathroom was not plagued with dust and dirt, a filmy haze covered the walls, floor, and mirror, as if someone cleaned them with a dirty cloth. She grabbed a spray can from her tote and  covered the urinals with  the can's thick blue foam.  She walked towards the only toilet stall when she heard a wet dragging noise and a small splash. She tentatively pushed open the door and saw a small figure with long grey-green hair, sitting on the edge of the seat, with it's feet dipped into the toilet basin. Her spray can fell to the floor as she watched the creature, it slowly turned it's head to face her, it's grey eyes staring through clumps of it's grey-green hair. It's skin was pale with a greenish tinge, a small dirty loincloth covered it's lower half, its chest bare with small breast partially covered by it's unruly  and matted hair. It's tongue snaked out of his mouth quickly become the length of it's body and  flicked towards her, snapping the door closed. Mary screamed and ran, tripping over her tote of supplies, and stumbling forward out to the door. A dry cackle followed her out the door, then a splash and silence.

The building owner walked towards Mary's car with her supply tote and broom in hand.
"I didn't see nobody in there Mrs. Like I says you probably scared them as bad as they scared you, you sure you wont go in and finish?"
Mary nodded her head and he put the things in her car and pulled out his wallet, counting out his bills, then handed her the money.
"It's $10 less then I promised because you didn't finish, I think that's fair."
Mary took the money and rolled up her window, made the sign of the cross, and drove her car out of the parking lot.
"Crazy woman." The man said as he turned back to the restaurant to close up.



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A friend of mine showed me the obakemono project and the Aka-name was one of the first monster I had read about, it caught my interest, I can see these creatures being master spies if they really wanted to, at the very least I could see them overhearing some juicy secrets. I'm sure I'll use them again, probably in a novel, I just find them really odd and mysterious.

This story felt like a nice intro into October :) it's just the beginning.

Resolution

The room is black, save for a dim glow of a red light in the corner. There is a shift and the red light informs us it is now 5:30 am and promptly begins to sing. A groan comes out of  the dark, a shuffle of fabric and a hand emerges to stifle the noise. It flops around until the singing is silenced  The hand  grabs at something square next to the clock and there is white light. Eye's glare at the new light, interrupting the darkness, squinting to adjust. It too says that it is 5:30 am. The hand squeezes and the bright light is gone, the hand falls limp. All is still.
"I can do this." whispers a voice and the covers fling back.
Joints crack as the form slowly stands, gingerly stretching it's limbs and walking to a dresser. The mirror reflects a woman's figure as clothes are stripped and replaced. The process is slow and quiet as the woman layers herself in fabric. The bright light is illuminated again as she looks for something in the dresser. There is a rustles from the bed as fabric shifts. The woman turns out the light and looks longingly at the empty side of the bed. She grabs the rest of her things and silently slips out of the bedroom.

The woman laces her shoes and zips her jacket as high as it will go, its fabric brushing her chin. She reaches out and opens the front door. The air is cold and still as she walks, her arms pumping to and fro as she propels herself forward. Street lamps cast a damp yellow light as she walks below them, like checkpoints in the dark morning. Her breath creating puffs of fog as she continues. She comes to an intersection and pauses while she puts her ear-buds in and turns on her music. The light turns in her favor and she jogs across the street, her path well lit for her. Her pace alters in accordance to the music as she snakes around the sidewalks.

The sky has not yet lightened when she breaks back down to a walk. Her music playing a soft tune as she slows. Steam rises from her as she rounds the corner back to her front door. She walks inside, removes her shoes, jacket and ear-buds. Returning  them to there proper place in the closet.  She catches a glimpse of herself in the hallway mirror, beads of sweat are built up on her forehead and she brushes them aside with her shirt sleeve. She stairs intently for a few moments, her eyes linger before moving to the next part of her.
"New year. New me." She says as she turns away and walks into the bathroom.


*****

This POV was an experiment. I like the mystery of it at the beginning but I don't think I could tolerate a full novel written this way. I also think it is very easy to over embellish this writing style and over describe things. Though some might say I didn't embellish enough but I like leaving enough of a description gap for you to use your imagination. What does the woman look like to you? I have only described her as a woman, one that is going for an early morning jog. What color are her shoes? They are only described as having laces. Your imagination filled in the gaps didn't it?