It wasn't a person anymore, it was a //thing,// a thing from the kind
of dreams that made Usagi awaken screaming, dreams she hadn't had since
she was eight.  Ten arms reached forwards, dripping with black ooze,
four eyes glowed red, and the jaw hung open, displaying rows of
needle-sharp teeth.  Usagi felt something wet run down her leg. 
Realizing it was urine, she felt shame, even through the fear.

	"Say your words, Sailor Moon!" shouted Luna. "Use your tiara!"

	Usagi moved her mouth, but no words came out.  She stood and trembled
as the //thing// approached. It lowered its head and hissed at her.  Its
breath stank of rotting meat.  Usagi turned and ran away screaming.

	//Oh god oh no its going to catch me and kill me and eat me all up I
don't want to die I don't want to be eaten by a thing I don't want to be
Sailor Moon anymore.// Luna ran after her shouting something Usagi
couldn't hear over the wind in her ears and her own screaming.

	She turned the corner and ran into a drunken //sarariman//, falling and
scraping her bare knees on the pavement.  She climbed to her feet and
kept running.  There was a crunch and a tearing sound from behind her,
and then the sarariman's head came hurtling over her shoulder.

	She turned another corner and found herself in a dead end.  The monster
turned the corner and stopped to regard Usagi.  Its eyes lit up with an
unholy glee as it began to move forward again.

	A rose fell on the ground in front of the monster and began to grow,
tangling the creatures feet and tearing its thick flesh with its
thorns.  A voice came down from the rooftops.

	"Say your words, Sailor Moon!" said the voice.  "Kill it."

	"Curse you girl!" screamed Luna.  "If you don't kill it, it'll eat you,
and then it'll eat everyone else it meets!  It'll go on eating and
eating and it'll NEVER STOP!  SAY YOUR WORDS!  KILL IT!!!"

	//Say your words.  Kill it.//

	 Usagi removed her tiara and held it out in front of her.  It twinkled
at her reassuringly.  //Say your words,// it seemed to say.  //Say your
words, and I'll kill this fucker for you, and you can go home and be
safe.//

	The monster finally broke free of the thorns and moved towards her
again.

	Usagi said her words.

	The tiara shone with a blindingly pure light and pulled Usagi's arm out
straight.  The monster faltered, and stumbled back, throwing up its
hands to block the light.  Usagi's grip faltered, and the tiara pulled
free, driving straight at the unholy thing.  The monster swatted at the
tiara, which flashed as the thing touched it.  The monster's arm tore
itself apart, splattering itself against the wall, but the tiara had
been deflected, and flew past.

	Usagi moaned and slumped to the ground.  The monster came towards her
again.  She closed her eyes and waited to die.

	But the tiara came around in a tight circle and struck the thing from
behind.  The creature exploded like a pinched spider, coating Usagi and
the wall behind her with evil-smelling goo.  The tiara floated towards
Usagi and clamped itself gently to her forehead.  She opened her eyes.  

	"You've won," said Luna.  "I told you you could.  Let's go home."

	Usagi rubbed at her mouth.  The goo tasted like a mixture of ash and
shit.  "I have to throw up first," she said.  And she did.



		An excerpt from 
		STEPHEN KING'S SAILOR MOON.	


-- David