Skye Battles
8.5.14
Heidi Dranger
Heidi Dranger had more than an unusual upbringing. Her mother, who legally changed her name to Sunshine when she ran away from home at the age of sixteen, was a “free spirit” and didn’t want to be confined to the rigid ways of suburban life. Sunshine met Heidi’s father at a “love-in” somewhere on the East Coast. She was too high to remember the exact state, or even her suitor’s name. Nine months later, Heidi popped out happy as a clam. Sunshine was irresponsible, but even she knew that life on the road with a bunch of hippies was no place for a developing child.
Sunshine found a quaint little farmhouse for them in Humboldt County, CA. It was on a secluded hill with a vegetable garden and few chickens running around. Heidi, who had a natural love for animals, found comfort in tending to them. One morning when she was outside gathering eggs, her mother called her inside. A naked man was lying on their kitchen floor with his throat slit. Heidi stood there, staring at the pool of blood surrounding his head. Sunshine calmly told her she needed help dismantling the body. Naturally, Heidi was absolutely appalled. Sunshine explained that human meat is a great source of protein. “The beef and pork they sell at the co-op is full of antibiotics. The human mean I choose is specifically healthy considering I only prey on vegans.” Heidi stood there frozen. She didn’t know what to think. Sunshine grew impatient, “I’ve fed you human meat for years now, and finally you are old enough to help me. I’m getting to old for this shit.”
Heidi being only eight years old was naive and eager to please the mother that she adored. She helped her prepare the body and later they devoured their delicious feast. After that, she would help her mother cook human meat many more times until she was old enough to go out and catch a human of her own. Sunshine drew a map of where Heidi could find vegans in the area. Heidi would go to these locations with various schemes in mind. One time she found a somewhat unattractive middle-aged male all alone in the soymilk section of the co-op. Heidi was an attractive teenage girl, so striking up conversations with strangers was never an obstacle. She began by asking him his opinion on a certain soymilk brand as opposed to another.
They hit it off, exactly as she had planned. She soon tempted him with stories of amazing marijuana that she had back home. Being a marijuana enthusiast, he could not resist and followed her home. Once there, he tried to impress Heidi and smoked a little more than he could handle. As he started to doze off, Heidi searched for a knife, while planning which delicacy she could prepare for she and her mother later that night.
The dinner conversations between mother and daughter often consisted of stories about the ignorance of their prey. Heidi would constantly crack her mother up by telling her the petty conversations she had with her victims. Sunshine would say, “You know, you’re funny enough to be a comedian!” Sometimes Heidi would contemplate her own dreams and aspirations, but always quickly remembered that taking care of her mother was her top priority. She loved her mother more than anything because the world she had with her was all she had ever known. She had become comfortable with the simple ways of her routine. She would wake up early in the morning and tend to the chickens and then take a walk among the Redwoods or go read a book in the local coffee shop. She did not want to move to the big city where she would be bogged down with unnecessary outside distractions. Life was fine just where she was.
An alternate ending/Glimpse into the future:
And so it went, day after day, year after year. Heidi grew up and Sunshine grew old. One snowy winter day while Heidi was out gathering firewood, her mother choked on a finger bone and died. Heidi was devastated, but she knew that her mother would’ve wanted her to go on. One day while Heidi was visiting her mother’s grave in the forest, she met a good-looking guy from the Forest Service. They shared a bottle of wine under the stars and laughed all night. Nine months later, a little girl popped out, happy as a clam. Heidi loved her daughter with all her might. She named her Sunshine.