by Madeleine Swann
I can hear Simon breathing behind me. His black body is as comforting as it always is and his shadow joins the others in the dark early morning room, a contrast to my pale flesh and long blonde hair. His warmth reaches me from his side of the bed. I decide to stay awake otherwise I’ll be groggy when I get up. I blink.
When I open my eyes again I see I’ve not managed this simple task. In the distance is a marzipan kingdom with a marzipan castle, and the sugary ground stretches out as far as the eye can see in white, baby pink, and soft blue. A flesh and blood terrier yaps at my feet and I know he’s mine, even though I don’t own a dog in real life. I lean down to pet him and he licks my face. When I straighten up he’s standing in front of me, the Marzipan King.
“Yum, sweetmeats, thanks!” he says as he picks up the dog, swallowing it in one mouthful. I feel annoyed as I’d started to get attached to him.
“That’s fine,” I say, hoping he notices the sarcasm in my voice.
“Want to come to my magic kingdom?” he says with a leer and a wink. I realise he’s kind of a dick.
“Not really,” I say.
“Oh.” He looks disappointed and folds his arms. “Well, I thought you were ugly anyway.”
I want to hit him but I’m too shocked to move. “I think I’d like to wake up now,” I say eventually.
“Fine, whatevs,” he says dismissively. As I feel myself fading his Marzipan hand shoots out. “Poob,” he says in a high pitched voice as he grabs my breast and squeezes. I simply stand there and let him as this isn’t the kind of thing that’s supposed to happen. When I open my eyes I’m back in bed. I’m relieved and turn to Simon, snuggling into him. I’m a bit troubled when I smell sugar in his hair.
Madeleine Swann’s first book The Filing Cabinet of Doom is available now from Burning Bulb Publishing. The Marzipan King is Dick is an excerpt of this book.
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