*After Cares of a Family Man
While there are many inexplicable things out there in the world, it’s important to know that not everything that’s unexplainable has to be frightening. The Samaritan mentioned a strange creature known as an Odradek, and while the Girl has passing knowledge of it, it’s not very well-known.
I wish I had a story to go with the Odradek, a kind of social companionship that could better help define it, but it is at once, both remarkable and unremarkable in itself. This account from an ‘owner’ should help. Or not.
“What are you?”, we asked, and it replied ‘Odradek’, a word of unknown origin. Some say it comes from one language, others say it’s influenced by another predated language, though none will admit to owning it. Odradek is a thing of few words with great meaning behind it, and the name stuck.
“Where do you live?”
‘Anywhere.’
And then it laughs with childish joy. But it is a dry crinkling kind of laugh, for there is no air in its lungs. As far as anyone knows, it’s the only one of its kind. It would hardly be suitable to call it the Singular ONE or the One ONE. Though if one were to describe it, a proper moniker would be the Tangled ONE.
It is a small thing made of multiple tightly bound threads of various colours in the shape of a star, sometimes with five points, sometimes six, depending on the angle. It can stand upright on two of the points, all of the limbs acting in equal tandem. It could rotate through all of them, and no one would ever know the difference.
Because of its dimensions, it can be hard to tell its back from its front. If you look closely, the sixth side (when visible) shows torn-off segments, as if it once was part of something bigger. But it operates so well on its own it’s hard to imagine it being an organism for something else.
More often than not, it can be seen lurking at the corner of your eye, at the top of the stairs or at the end of the hall, always from a distance, waiting patiently. You have to look quickly, for the Odradek is very fast, and doesn’t let itself get caught, unless it wants to. After which, it’ll disappear from your lap, only to show up months later without a care.
I can’t think of a time when it wasn’t around. It’s been in the family for as far back as I can remember. My grandfather’s grandfather had memories of growing up with it as a child. And even now, it has hardly changed at all.
For all intents and purposes, it is utterly harmless.
And all everyone wants is to kill the thing.
They come after it in teeming mobs, burning the figure in effigies, calling it derogatory terms such as ‘Odd dreck’.
It serves no purpose other than wanting to amuse people. It is seen as a waste if it isn’t being useful to society. They can’t stand the idea that this irresponsible thing could outlast their lives, and seek ways to destroy it. So far, none have succeeded.
I wouldn’t mind the Odradek so much if it would just leave the screaming crowds at home.
But I wonder if they’d be so eager to gang up on the little thing if they had any idea of where it came from. Anything that’s survived this long just by acting cute must have something sinister behind it.
Just saying.
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