Natural Flavour
Ah yes, pain
Hello all!
I am a self-taught, aspiring writer who never feels more inspired than when I'm writing a story. ^
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Most of my stories are dark and include a lot of suicide and self harm themes, so if you don't appreciate those stories, the exit's that way. |
Why are my writings so dark? Well, I have depression and anxiety, and I feel I can express myself and my feelings through story.
Is everything I write dark? Mostly everything includes that aspect, but mixed in is magic and love and heart-warming friendships. So. Y'know.
I'll post all my short stories here, and when I have a longer one, I will post it in the extra pages XD so.
I would also like to mention.... I would LOVE your feedback and constructive criticism! I am a learner. :3
'Thanks to You' is a short story (about 2000 something words) I wrote for a contest online. (I didn't get eliminated, so i guess it was alright XD) The theme for the contest was 'tense encounters' and you had to write a story about two characters who have a grudge on each other and have to sit beside each other on a plane. It also had to be in the first person. One thing you'll quickly learn about me is that the protagonist is usually me, in various ways and forms.
I based this story on a conflict I had with a friend, (still unresolved) and the feelings it caused. Yes, I am 15 (just turned 16, actually) and the backstory you read about halfway through the story really happened. Unfortunately, the plan ride (which I placed 6 years in the future) didn't. So. Partly truth, partly fiction. Enjoy!
Oh, this was a cute story I wrote for the contest round BEFORE the one above XD this one was themed 'Dystopian future' which I was currently writing a longer story about (a collaborative one with a friend), so I took my OCs and made a new short story. It's really sweet, actually... Baha sorry, I forgot this one existed and I'm happy I found it XD Fun fact: Nutsy was the name of a real hamster; my first hamster, and she was.... quite something XD I loved her, and making her into an OC prevents her from ever being lost in history. (oh shit, no crying!)
These two next ones are of a similar flavour (I dont know why I wrote them, they're kinda dumb. But I rlly like 'Someday, She Said', so I've included them both in the same spoiler. Anyway.
That's all for now. I do have a long one, entitles 'A Messed Up Undertale' but it's shit so I'm not gonna post it here, and soon I will be done 'Satsuke's Friend' the most AMAZING story I've ever written, based on a dream I had, and it WILL be included here. :3
Welp, see ya XD Thanks for coming!
I am a self-taught, aspiring writer who never feels more inspired than when I'm writing a story. ^
|
Most of my stories are dark and include a lot of suicide and self harm themes, so if you don't appreciate those stories, the exit's that way. |
Why are my writings so dark? Well, I have depression and anxiety, and I feel I can express myself and my feelings through story.
Is everything I write dark? Mostly everything includes that aspect, but mixed in is magic and love and heart-warming friendships. So. Y'know.
I'll post all my short stories here, and when I have a longer one, I will post it in the extra pages XD so.
I would also like to mention.... I would LOVE your feedback and constructive criticism! I am a learner. :3
'Thanks to You' is a short story (about 2000 something words) I wrote for a contest online. (I didn't get eliminated, so i guess it was alright XD) The theme for the contest was 'tense encounters' and you had to write a story about two characters who have a grudge on each other and have to sit beside each other on a plane. It also had to be in the first person. One thing you'll quickly learn about me is that the protagonist is usually me, in various ways and forms.
I based this story on a conflict I had with a friend, (still unresolved) and the feelings it caused. Yes, I am 15 (just turned 16, actually) and the backstory you read about halfway through the story really happened. Unfortunately, the plan ride (which I placed 6 years in the future) didn't. So. Partly truth, partly fiction. Enjoy!
Twenty-one. An age seeming to cry out hope, promise, potential. Next year I would graduate theatre school. My lifelong dream. The world seemed okay now. And it hadn't always been.
Not for me, no. Teenagerhood had nearly destroyed me, but I overcame. I was stronger than ever now and I didn’t need anyone. Want? Yes. But need, no. Here I was, almost ready to board this seemingly innocent plane, flying to my fiance’s relatives in Oregon.
Yes! Fiance. It gave me a beautiful feeling of peace that someone wanted me, Emma. Someone wanted me for who I was and didn’t judge one bit. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world, and I had been certain it would never happen to me. Thank God I was wrong.
My thoughts were far away as I stood in line, waiting for my turn to pass through security. I was travelling alone, today. My fiance- Isn’t James just the most romantic name ever?- and his family went to their relatives in Oregon a few days ago to celebrate Thanksgiving. I would’ve come then, but I had two more days of school to finish up.
Now I was going to join them. I hadn’t met James’ extended family before and I was nervous. I had to make a good impression… A concept that made my stomach dance, nervously. I was a little rough around the edges, with teenagerhood to thank for that. James had watched me grow up, being nearly a year older than me, and had seen everything that had hurt me and how I had prevailed. Scarred, yeah, but nonetheless I had overcome. James loved me, but would the rest of his family love me too?
My thoughts were interrupted as it was my turn to go through security. The people checking my bags looked hopelessly bored. Guess they hadn’t had any illegal luggage today. Just when I thought I was clear, one of the men barked at me.
“Is that water unopened?” He asked. I looked around, confused.
“...Me?”
“Yeah, you. Is that water bottle already opened?”
“Yes… it is.” My memory came back to punch me in the face. They didn’t allow pre-opened water bottles on the plane because it might not actually be water. It could be drugged or poisoned or something. I should’ve remembered.
“You can’t have that on the plane, ma’am.” He said, impatiently. I sighed and handed it over.
“Right. I forgot… sorry.” The man waved me on and started talking to the next person.
I sat in the waiting area for awhile, bought a few snacks for the trip, and then the intercom came on.
BOARDING- FLIGHT #2304 BOARDING NOW! Smiling, I quickly boarded the plane. This was my second (third, if you count the return flight) time on a plane, and the first flight alone. As much as I loved people, my introverted side was really looking forward to this. Just me, a lot of strangers, and absolutely no one who knows me. Being ‘just a stranger’ for awhile sounded fun. I bought a window seat and was very happy about it. There was no one in the seat next to me and that was just as well. Talking to strangers was even worse than talking to people I know. I slipped into my seat and after looking out the window for a while, I listened to the preflight safety instructions and stuff. The anticipation of it all was beautiful. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing.
Except for the fact that all at once, it did. I saw someone coming towards me and the empty seat out of the corner of my eye and I just turned away, looking out the window. The best way to say I’m not interested in talking.
“Emma?!” An astonished voice asked. I whipped around, anxiously. Who the heck even knows my- There he was. Not only was it someone I knew, but the WORST person I could possibly run into in my daily life.
“Samuel Ellis...” I whispered, in some sort of mortified shock. After a moment I remembered to be polite and wiped the look of utter horror and disgust off my face as the tall boy, now a man, sat down, and sensing the awkwardness, pulled out his ipad and opened some sort of game on it. How could fate DO this?! Put the agony of my teen years in the seat next to me?! In my head I wondered how I was going to handle four hours of this… let alone two minutes…. I hadn’t seen Samuel in five long years, not since I was Sixteen and he was Eighteen. He had moved to who knows where to become a missionary, and honestly, I was glad.
When I was Fifteen, my depression had gotten out of control and I had nearly given up on life many times. But the worst thing that had happened that year was that my best friend Samuel Ellis decided to give up on me. We were nearly siblings, that’s how close we were. Once when I was feeling depressed and panicked, Samuel stayed up until 2am texting me to calm me down.
But in an instant, it was all over. The freakishly painful memory was still as clear as day in my mind. There we stood in the town where Samuel lived and where my heart and soul resided, even though I didn’t. It was December and we stood outside. It wasn’t actually that cold. I had my coat open and I looked up into the tall boy’s blue eyes. We had fought the week before, and I, being a hothead by nature had blown up at him and said some things I shouldn’t have. I was a people pleaser, too, though, so the next week we planned to work things out. The silence was deafening and I couldn’t wait to get this thing fixed. It could all be as good as new, right?
Wrong. Samuel wasn’t sorry for the things he said. He stood in the exact same place he had before. I had tried to explain everything. I tried so hard to get him to understand. But the boy just wouldn’t.
“Your depression is getting old, Emma.” ‘Old’, he said, as if it was an act I put on. “You’re not healing fast enough for me. You’re making no progress at all.”
“Yes I am!” I said, defensively. “I’m not cutting anymore. At least... I’m doing my best!” Samuel shrugged.
“I saw you with the hot-glue gun last week. That looks like self-harm to me.”
“I’m not perfect, y’know.”
“No, but you’re taking from the group too much.” Our group of friends. The most precious and important thing in my life. “You’re weird.” he said. “You’re making the group awkward, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. You’re a burden to the group, Emma.” That had hurt a lot. In a time where I wasn’t sure if I could belong in the group, and wasn’t even sure if my friends told the truth when they said they wanted me and loved me. What a blow. Were my friends lying to me? I trusted them… I trusted Samuel. But that wasn’t even what hurt me the most.
“I….I….” I squeaked out, on the verge of tears, “I’m trying my h-hardest….” Then the blow that destroyed me. The blow that left me a snivelling, clingy, insecure mess for the next few years.
“I don’t believe you.”
It was just a simple phrase. Just four words. But nothing had ever hurt me more in my life. Despite being a depressive mess, I had never been a liar. I was the most honest in the group and all my friends knew it. Samuel knew it.
“I...” I had whispered, “I feel like there’s a wall between us.” For once, his eyes lit up.
“Yes! There is a wall between us. I put it there, so that you’d climb it. I’m not going to pat you on the back anymore, Emma.” I looked up and down the invisible wall for a moment, panic rising in my throat.
“I… I can’t climb it…. Samuel…” I pleaded, “Samuel I need you…! I’m all alone!” And yet he stood there, staring down at me coldly while I shivered, tears pouring down my face. Watching me as I panicked, sure that everyone I loved would leave me, one by one. And so I left. I left to protect myself. If I left before he could tell me he was leaving me, maybe it wouldn’t hurt as much.
But it did hurt. It hurt a lot. Despite the fact that we never talked again, it didn’t seem to affect him much. He was strong beyond measure, and I was weak and failing. And I could never be good enough. Everytime Samuel entered the same room as me, I nearly had an anxiety attack. My voice was lost in my mind and I declined, slowly. I went to counselling, I got antidepressants… that definitely wasn't all his fault. But it was an extra layer of hurt that made things tough to access. And now he was right here, beside me. I made up my mind not to talk to him for the entire flight, and stared out the window, unable to enjoy the view. Although we were above the clouds now, my head was still lost inside them.
…
She was so different. I was astonished… I mean, her style had changed from hot pink to grey and black long before our friendship ended, but she looked so…. grown up. Still short, but definitely not the little, insecure girl I had left behind. A strange thought, to think her grown up. I shrugged, silently, and observed her. She stared out the window, obviously trying to avoid me. (You can grow up physically, but mentally? Not always. Emma still had some problems, obviously.)
A few things were different from the last time I had seen her five years ago. She wore a black tank top, and on her thin arms were many faded scars. Emma had cut when we were friends, but due to her low pain tolerance and poor circulation, she had never cut deep enough to leave scars. But I guess she had now, since I had left. The old Emma would’ve worn long sleeves to hide those scars. But I guess she just didn’t care anymore.
She also wore an engagement ring. It was simple but extremely pretty, a thin silver band with a diamond in the center. It took me a moment to remember who she was engaged to. Right! My old best friend, James. Although we lived far apart, with James back in town and me travelling here, there and everywhere, we kept in touch over facebook.
I vaguely remembered reading about the engagement a month or two ago. James was a great guy. Emma had scored big, obviously. I thought about that, ruefully, as I remembered leaving Emma’s best friend- and my girlfriend- Kalia back in town to travel the world after our relationship just didn’t quite click. I loved her so much, but she just wasn’t interested anymore. I sighed and attempted to engage Emma in conversation. It would be a long flight, otherwise.
…
“It’s been a long time, hey, Emma?” Before turning around to face him, I tried to figure out the tone in his voice. I couldn’t. It sounded thoughtful anyway. I turned, nervously, beginning to sweat more than was comfortable.
“Yes… it has…” That’s all I said. If he wanted to talk, he’d have to do the talking. And, I thought, rebelliously, if he’s getting on my nerves I’ll just tell security he’s harassing me. Fair, no. But I didn’t always play fair anymore.
“Do you and James have a set date for your big day yet?” He asked, brightly, as if the world was just fine. As if he was just pleased as punch that James was getting hitched with such a great girl. Oh, how I HATE small talk. I suppose it’s better than big talk, however.
“No,” I replied, “but we might be figuring that out when I see him in a few hours.” Samuel nodded. I peered at him. “What are you doing in Oregon, anyway?” I cringed after I asked it. I had sounded more disgusted than I meant to be. Samuel searched my gaze for a moment, trying to read my thoughts. Then he replied.
“Church work. A pastor is away and I’m filling in for him and telling the congregation about my work overseas for a few weeks.” I really hoped he wouldn’t start telling me about his work overseas. Luckily, he didn’t. “What have you been up to?”
“Busy with college, you know. Lots of homework. I’m graduating next year.”
“Going to see James’ family?” He asked, tentatively.
“Yup.”
“Well, I assume you’ve been very well…” He sounded distracted and bored now.
“I have, no thanks to you.” I spat. I can’t believe I just said that. What have I done?! We stared into each other's eyes, searching for a moment, me pretending I really meant to say that, before Samuel dropped his gaze.
“I’m happy for you.”
“No you’re not.” I said that out loud, too, didn’t I. He didn’t look at me. Thank goodness, cause the boy’s eyes could be cold sometimes. “You’re not happy that I’m marrying your best friend because you think I’m a nobody and don’t deserve him. And you’re right, I don’t. But he loved me when you refused to, so… so there.” I turned away. After a moment of silence, Samuel spoke again.
“You’re still really hurt over that, aren’t you.”
“You destroyed me, Samuel.” I responded, quietly, angrily. I took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears back. Even being a grown up hadn’t changed the fact that I was still a crybaby. “You know what….” I wavered, “You know why I never climbed your invisible wall? I... I knew no matter how strong I became, I shouldn’t have to prove anything to you to be your friend. If you were a true friend, you would be there for me. And you know what? I am strong now. But I will never climb your wall.” Samuel was quiet as I wiped at my eyes, and then he sighed.
“You’re right.” he said. I whipped around and searched his big blue eyes, nervously. I waited for the ‘but..’, however, none came. “You were right, even then.” he admitted, slowly. “Now that I’m a missionary, now that you’re not the only broken person in my life, I can see that my ‘tough love’ way of dealing with you was really being a ‘tough, impatient jerk’ when you needed to be understood. I…. I’m sorry.” He turned away, and I wondered if he was going to cry. I had never seen him cry before.
“I…. I forgive you…” I found myself saying, astonished. I blushed. “You…. you did one thing right, Samuel.” He looked at me, curiously. I swallowed. “No one had ever rejected me like that before. No one had ever pushed me away so that I had to look into myself for help. And you know what… thanks to God… I found it. I found that strength.” I looked at myself, at my scars, and I laughed, hard. Maybe even a little sadly. “Now I’m snippy, grumpy, stubborn and rough around the edges, but I’m stronger. So you were right, too. We were both right, essentially.” That’s when the tears fell from Samuel’s eyes.
“I wish…. I wish I could go back and fix things so you didn’t have to deal with all that pain. Kalia told me about a lot of it. She texts me sometimes.”
“You two aren’t together anymore, are you….” I asked gently.
“No… we aren’t…” He looked broken. Even though I had stopped shipping Kamuel a long time ago, I felt bad. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“I think…. I think she’d like the new you a lot better. I know I do.” I said, blushing. Samuel blushed too.
“So I’m softer, you’re harder, and we’re both better, then?”
“I guess..” I replied, lost in thought. “I think James will help me soften up eventually, and then we’ll both be softer and better.”
“Hmm. That will be good.” he said, quietly. No judgement, just something that I could tell genuinely made the guy happy. I reached over and hugged him tight, grinning. A small glimpse of the old Emma.
“Golly, did I ever miss you!” And as Samuel looked down at the small girl, now a woman, hugging him tight, he sighed, peacefully. It had been a long time since he had a hug like that.
“I missed you too.”
Not for me, no. Teenagerhood had nearly destroyed me, but I overcame. I was stronger than ever now and I didn’t need anyone. Want? Yes. But need, no. Here I was, almost ready to board this seemingly innocent plane, flying to my fiance’s relatives in Oregon.
Yes! Fiance. It gave me a beautiful feeling of peace that someone wanted me, Emma. Someone wanted me for who I was and didn’t judge one bit. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world, and I had been certain it would never happen to me. Thank God I was wrong.
My thoughts were far away as I stood in line, waiting for my turn to pass through security. I was travelling alone, today. My fiance- Isn’t James just the most romantic name ever?- and his family went to their relatives in Oregon a few days ago to celebrate Thanksgiving. I would’ve come then, but I had two more days of school to finish up.
Now I was going to join them. I hadn’t met James’ extended family before and I was nervous. I had to make a good impression… A concept that made my stomach dance, nervously. I was a little rough around the edges, with teenagerhood to thank for that. James had watched me grow up, being nearly a year older than me, and had seen everything that had hurt me and how I had prevailed. Scarred, yeah, but nonetheless I had overcome. James loved me, but would the rest of his family love me too?
My thoughts were interrupted as it was my turn to go through security. The people checking my bags looked hopelessly bored. Guess they hadn’t had any illegal luggage today. Just when I thought I was clear, one of the men barked at me.
“Is that water unopened?” He asked. I looked around, confused.
“...Me?”
“Yeah, you. Is that water bottle already opened?”
“Yes… it is.” My memory came back to punch me in the face. They didn’t allow pre-opened water bottles on the plane because it might not actually be water. It could be drugged or poisoned or something. I should’ve remembered.
“You can’t have that on the plane, ma’am.” He said, impatiently. I sighed and handed it over.
“Right. I forgot… sorry.” The man waved me on and started talking to the next person.
I sat in the waiting area for awhile, bought a few snacks for the trip, and then the intercom came on.
BOARDING- FLIGHT #2304 BOARDING NOW! Smiling, I quickly boarded the plane. This was my second (third, if you count the return flight) time on a plane, and the first flight alone. As much as I loved people, my introverted side was really looking forward to this. Just me, a lot of strangers, and absolutely no one who knows me. Being ‘just a stranger’ for awhile sounded fun. I bought a window seat and was very happy about it. There was no one in the seat next to me and that was just as well. Talking to strangers was even worse than talking to people I know. I slipped into my seat and after looking out the window for a while, I listened to the preflight safety instructions and stuff. The anticipation of it all was beautiful. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing.
Except for the fact that all at once, it did. I saw someone coming towards me and the empty seat out of the corner of my eye and I just turned away, looking out the window. The best way to say I’m not interested in talking.
“Emma?!” An astonished voice asked. I whipped around, anxiously. Who the heck even knows my- There he was. Not only was it someone I knew, but the WORST person I could possibly run into in my daily life.
“Samuel Ellis...” I whispered, in some sort of mortified shock. After a moment I remembered to be polite and wiped the look of utter horror and disgust off my face as the tall boy, now a man, sat down, and sensing the awkwardness, pulled out his ipad and opened some sort of game on it. How could fate DO this?! Put the agony of my teen years in the seat next to me?! In my head I wondered how I was going to handle four hours of this… let alone two minutes…. I hadn’t seen Samuel in five long years, not since I was Sixteen and he was Eighteen. He had moved to who knows where to become a missionary, and honestly, I was glad.
When I was Fifteen, my depression had gotten out of control and I had nearly given up on life many times. But the worst thing that had happened that year was that my best friend Samuel Ellis decided to give up on me. We were nearly siblings, that’s how close we were. Once when I was feeling depressed and panicked, Samuel stayed up until 2am texting me to calm me down.
But in an instant, it was all over. The freakishly painful memory was still as clear as day in my mind. There we stood in the town where Samuel lived and where my heart and soul resided, even though I didn’t. It was December and we stood outside. It wasn’t actually that cold. I had my coat open and I looked up into the tall boy’s blue eyes. We had fought the week before, and I, being a hothead by nature had blown up at him and said some things I shouldn’t have. I was a people pleaser, too, though, so the next week we planned to work things out. The silence was deafening and I couldn’t wait to get this thing fixed. It could all be as good as new, right?
Wrong. Samuel wasn’t sorry for the things he said. He stood in the exact same place he had before. I had tried to explain everything. I tried so hard to get him to understand. But the boy just wouldn’t.
“Your depression is getting old, Emma.” ‘Old’, he said, as if it was an act I put on. “You’re not healing fast enough for me. You’re making no progress at all.”
“Yes I am!” I said, defensively. “I’m not cutting anymore. At least... I’m doing my best!” Samuel shrugged.
“I saw you with the hot-glue gun last week. That looks like self-harm to me.”
“I’m not perfect, y’know.”
“No, but you’re taking from the group too much.” Our group of friends. The most precious and important thing in my life. “You’re weird.” he said. “You’re making the group awkward, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. You’re a burden to the group, Emma.” That had hurt a lot. In a time where I wasn’t sure if I could belong in the group, and wasn’t even sure if my friends told the truth when they said they wanted me and loved me. What a blow. Were my friends lying to me? I trusted them… I trusted Samuel. But that wasn’t even what hurt me the most.
“I….I….” I squeaked out, on the verge of tears, “I’m trying my h-hardest….” Then the blow that destroyed me. The blow that left me a snivelling, clingy, insecure mess for the next few years.
“I don’t believe you.”
It was just a simple phrase. Just four words. But nothing had ever hurt me more in my life. Despite being a depressive mess, I had never been a liar. I was the most honest in the group and all my friends knew it. Samuel knew it.
“I...” I had whispered, “I feel like there’s a wall between us.” For once, his eyes lit up.
“Yes! There is a wall between us. I put it there, so that you’d climb it. I’m not going to pat you on the back anymore, Emma.” I looked up and down the invisible wall for a moment, panic rising in my throat.
“I… I can’t climb it…. Samuel…” I pleaded, “Samuel I need you…! I’m all alone!” And yet he stood there, staring down at me coldly while I shivered, tears pouring down my face. Watching me as I panicked, sure that everyone I loved would leave me, one by one. And so I left. I left to protect myself. If I left before he could tell me he was leaving me, maybe it wouldn’t hurt as much.
But it did hurt. It hurt a lot. Despite the fact that we never talked again, it didn’t seem to affect him much. He was strong beyond measure, and I was weak and failing. And I could never be good enough. Everytime Samuel entered the same room as me, I nearly had an anxiety attack. My voice was lost in my mind and I declined, slowly. I went to counselling, I got antidepressants… that definitely wasn't all his fault. But it was an extra layer of hurt that made things tough to access. And now he was right here, beside me. I made up my mind not to talk to him for the entire flight, and stared out the window, unable to enjoy the view. Although we were above the clouds now, my head was still lost inside them.
…
She was so different. I was astonished… I mean, her style had changed from hot pink to grey and black long before our friendship ended, but she looked so…. grown up. Still short, but definitely not the little, insecure girl I had left behind. A strange thought, to think her grown up. I shrugged, silently, and observed her. She stared out the window, obviously trying to avoid me. (You can grow up physically, but mentally? Not always. Emma still had some problems, obviously.)
A few things were different from the last time I had seen her five years ago. She wore a black tank top, and on her thin arms were many faded scars. Emma had cut when we were friends, but due to her low pain tolerance and poor circulation, she had never cut deep enough to leave scars. But I guess she had now, since I had left. The old Emma would’ve worn long sleeves to hide those scars. But I guess she just didn’t care anymore.
She also wore an engagement ring. It was simple but extremely pretty, a thin silver band with a diamond in the center. It took me a moment to remember who she was engaged to. Right! My old best friend, James. Although we lived far apart, with James back in town and me travelling here, there and everywhere, we kept in touch over facebook.
I vaguely remembered reading about the engagement a month or two ago. James was a great guy. Emma had scored big, obviously. I thought about that, ruefully, as I remembered leaving Emma’s best friend- and my girlfriend- Kalia back in town to travel the world after our relationship just didn’t quite click. I loved her so much, but she just wasn’t interested anymore. I sighed and attempted to engage Emma in conversation. It would be a long flight, otherwise.
…
“It’s been a long time, hey, Emma?” Before turning around to face him, I tried to figure out the tone in his voice. I couldn’t. It sounded thoughtful anyway. I turned, nervously, beginning to sweat more than was comfortable.
“Yes… it has…” That’s all I said. If he wanted to talk, he’d have to do the talking. And, I thought, rebelliously, if he’s getting on my nerves I’ll just tell security he’s harassing me. Fair, no. But I didn’t always play fair anymore.
“Do you and James have a set date for your big day yet?” He asked, brightly, as if the world was just fine. As if he was just pleased as punch that James was getting hitched with such a great girl. Oh, how I HATE small talk. I suppose it’s better than big talk, however.
“No,” I replied, “but we might be figuring that out when I see him in a few hours.” Samuel nodded. I peered at him. “What are you doing in Oregon, anyway?” I cringed after I asked it. I had sounded more disgusted than I meant to be. Samuel searched my gaze for a moment, trying to read my thoughts. Then he replied.
“Church work. A pastor is away and I’m filling in for him and telling the congregation about my work overseas for a few weeks.” I really hoped he wouldn’t start telling me about his work overseas. Luckily, he didn’t. “What have you been up to?”
“Busy with college, you know. Lots of homework. I’m graduating next year.”
“Going to see James’ family?” He asked, tentatively.
“Yup.”
“Well, I assume you’ve been very well…” He sounded distracted and bored now.
“I have, no thanks to you.” I spat. I can’t believe I just said that. What have I done?! We stared into each other's eyes, searching for a moment, me pretending I really meant to say that, before Samuel dropped his gaze.
“I’m happy for you.”
“No you’re not.” I said that out loud, too, didn’t I. He didn’t look at me. Thank goodness, cause the boy’s eyes could be cold sometimes. “You’re not happy that I’m marrying your best friend because you think I’m a nobody and don’t deserve him. And you’re right, I don’t. But he loved me when you refused to, so… so there.” I turned away. After a moment of silence, Samuel spoke again.
“You’re still really hurt over that, aren’t you.”
“You destroyed me, Samuel.” I responded, quietly, angrily. I took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears back. Even being a grown up hadn’t changed the fact that I was still a crybaby. “You know what….” I wavered, “You know why I never climbed your invisible wall? I... I knew no matter how strong I became, I shouldn’t have to prove anything to you to be your friend. If you were a true friend, you would be there for me. And you know what? I am strong now. But I will never climb your wall.” Samuel was quiet as I wiped at my eyes, and then he sighed.
“You’re right.” he said. I whipped around and searched his big blue eyes, nervously. I waited for the ‘but..’, however, none came. “You were right, even then.” he admitted, slowly. “Now that I’m a missionary, now that you’re not the only broken person in my life, I can see that my ‘tough love’ way of dealing with you was really being a ‘tough, impatient jerk’ when you needed to be understood. I…. I’m sorry.” He turned away, and I wondered if he was going to cry. I had never seen him cry before.
“I…. I forgive you…” I found myself saying, astonished. I blushed. “You…. you did one thing right, Samuel.” He looked at me, curiously. I swallowed. “No one had ever rejected me like that before. No one had ever pushed me away so that I had to look into myself for help. And you know what… thanks to God… I found it. I found that strength.” I looked at myself, at my scars, and I laughed, hard. Maybe even a little sadly. “Now I’m snippy, grumpy, stubborn and rough around the edges, but I’m stronger. So you were right, too. We were both right, essentially.” That’s when the tears fell from Samuel’s eyes.
“I wish…. I wish I could go back and fix things so you didn’t have to deal with all that pain. Kalia told me about a lot of it. She texts me sometimes.”
“You two aren’t together anymore, are you….” I asked gently.
“No… we aren’t…” He looked broken. Even though I had stopped shipping Kamuel a long time ago, I felt bad. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“I think…. I think she’d like the new you a lot better. I know I do.” I said, blushing. Samuel blushed too.
“So I’m softer, you’re harder, and we’re both better, then?”
“I guess..” I replied, lost in thought. “I think James will help me soften up eventually, and then we’ll both be softer and better.”
“Hmm. That will be good.” he said, quietly. No judgement, just something that I could tell genuinely made the guy happy. I reached over and hugged him tight, grinning. A small glimpse of the old Emma.
“Golly, did I ever miss you!” And as Samuel looked down at the small girl, now a woman, hugging him tight, he sighed, peacefully. It had been a long time since he had a hug like that.
“I missed you too.”
Oh, this was a cute story I wrote for the contest round BEFORE the one above XD this one was themed 'Dystopian future' which I was currently writing a longer story about (a collaborative one with a friend), so I took my OCs and made a new short story. It's really sweet, actually... Baha sorry, I forgot this one existed and I'm happy I found it XD Fun fact: Nutsy was the name of a real hamster; my first hamster, and she was.... quite something XD I loved her, and making her into an OC prevents her from ever being lost in history. (oh shit, no crying!)
‘We’re writing to the future, Amy’
‘The year is 3001. You would think the start of a fresh century would be like liquid hope for the people. What a joke. This world lost hope a long time ago. Even those who firmly believed in a god that would come back to save them…. Well, nobody thinks that now. Despair is in the very air we breathe.’
“Augh!” Amy slammed down the tablet on the rubble beside her. The screen cracked, sparked, and then slowly, haltingly repaired itself. A small creature stood beside it, watching it, it’s eyebrows furrowed. The creature looked like a large hamster, no bigger than a plastic water bottle. It’s fur was a fiery orange. A colour far brighter than the dirty, grey world around it. Standing on two legs, paws on hips, you would wonder if this creature was more than the apparent hamster. As soon as it began to speak, all suspicions were confirmed.
“You should be careful with that..” The high pitched voice said, evenly, quietly. “It’s the last one we have.”
Amy looked up, and then down at the human-hamster hybrid. “Hello, Nutsy.” Nutsy smiled. Her name wasn’t really Nutsy, but Amy had called her that for the past 7 years, due to her quirky and often erratic ways. Nutsy climbed up Amy’s leg and sat on her knee.
“What’s the matter?” Amy sighed.
“What’s the point in writing this?” After a thoughtful moment, Nutsy replied.
“We’re writing to the future, Amy.”
“WHAT future?!” Amy snapped. Nutsy slid off Amy’s knee and began typing on the tablet, which had now fully repaired itself.
‘But we’re going to fix that. The robots who are ruling over us… we’re going to stop them. We’re going to find the source of the robots’ power and destroy it. Then life will begin anew.’
“You’re crazy.” Nutsy grinned.
“We’re crazy.”
…
“What do you MEAN they can’t be stopped!?” Amy slammed her hands down on the desk, angrily. Nutsy, who was standing on the desk, jumped nimbly out of the way so Amy’s hands wouldn’t crush her. She was mostly paying attention, but something, or someone distracted her. A creature very much like Nutsy stood on the other side of the room against the wall, where a robot slave would normally stand. Nutsy tried to make eye contact with him, but he wouldn’t look at her. The CEO of Robotopia™ shrugged in response to Amy’s enragement.
“I can’t kill them. Trust me, I’ve tried. So now,” He petted Nutsy on the head as if she were a cat. “I just have to put on a brave face, and deal with it.. You know?” Amy glared at him in soundless rage. Nutsy tried to get the hybrid servant’s attention, and the boy nearly broke his stone expression, hardly able to hide his smile. Nutsy was sure she could see him blushing under his fur. The CEO continued. “You’re only a child, Amy dear. Did you really think I didn’t try everything?” He snapped his fingers. “EBONY! Show these children to the door.” The servant boy walked towards the door and motioned for them to follow.
“Come with me.” He didn’t look either of them in the eyes. As they made their way down several flights of stairs, Nutsy pestered Ebony with questions.
“....Are you… are you a human-hamster hybrid? Like me? I.. I thought I was the only one!” Finally, Ebony turned to look at her. He was grey, with darker stripes, and had vibrant blue eyes that looked as if they could stare into your very soul. He was just slightly taller than Nutsy.
“Yes…. I am. I thought… I thought I was the only one, too.” His gaze dropped and he was blushing again. Amy was still fuming.
“Ebony, are you that man’s slave?” Ebony looked around nervously and then put his forefinger to his lips.
“Shh, cameras.” He whispered. But he looked up at Amy, his blue eyes flaming, and gave just the slightest of nods. Nutsy clasped her hands in a heartfelt plea.
“Can you help us? Please.” Ebony looked around, warily. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yes.” He said it almost immediately. Then he thought for a moment. “Come around the side of the building at 12:30. I will be there.” Then he resumed in his normal voice.
“Be careful out there. Have a nice day.” Then turned abruptly and walked back to the office.
…
Nutsy paced in circles. Back and forth, back and forth. Amy let out a deep sigh.
“Nutsy, you’re making me anxious.”
“Well this is making me anxious! Ebony could be in big trouble!”
“In trouble? Who… me?” Ebony dropped from a vent on the wall and landed gracefully in front of Amy and Nutsy. He smiled, mischievously. “Let’s get outta here, huh?” Nutsy’s eyes lit up, and she was right beside him as the three began to walk.
“So,” Amy asked, “Is it really impossible to stop the robots?” Ebony shook his head.
“Barry’s a liar. He could stop them if he wanted to. He controls them after all. It’ll be hard, maybe even nearly impossible to get to the overprotected master computer, but I don’t believe it’s impossible.” The girls were speechless. Nutsy gave Ebony a side hug.
“I can’t believe you were Barry’s slave!” Ebony blushed, his eyes aflame with a secret hurt.
“I suppose it makes him look powerful or wealthy if he has a living abomination for his slave instead of a robot.” Nutsy’s warm brown eyes nearly overflowed with empathetic tears… and a shared secret hurt. Ebony continued. “Robotopia™ started out innocent enough. The robots did everything. Hospitals were never short of doctors, factories were never short of workers, taxi services were never short of drivers… you name it, they did it. Everyone wanted one.
But the inevitable wealth Barry received went to his head. He just wanted more and more power.” Ebony looked sad. “It’s not even his fault. That’s just what humans do. They never stop craving power, and as they get more and more of it… the urge grows stronger.” He looked up at Amy, warily. “No offense.” She shrugged.
“None taken.” Ebony continued.
“So Barry programmed the bots to destroy. To destroy anything beautiful, anything powerful, anything with potential. If he couldn’t buy it, if it couldn’t be his, he destroyed it. And then he lied, saying the robots ‘went crazy’. Funny thing is that the robots didn’t destroy anything of his.” Nutsy’s eyes were full of sadness.
“But really, it was Barry who ‘went crazy’...” Nutsy said quietly. Ebony nodded.
“And now the the whole world is in ruins, and he’s so powerful that no one can stop him. That is… if they even knew that he was the bad guy…” Amy frowned.
“So, we can’t stop him?” At this, Ebony’s vibrant blue eyes held a mischievous hue.
“Yes we can… using my knowledge of the place.” He grinned, maliciously. Then he stopped, turning to face Amy. “I have to get back to work now, if I intend to have access to the building. Come around the side of the building again at midnight. I’ll have a plan to get in, and we’ll shut down the master computer.” Amy nodded, and then Ebony winked, scampering away.
…
The last known grandfather clock in the world (which was unsurprisingly in Barry’s lobby) chimed at 5pm. Ebony shifted his feet nervously. The plan was about to commence. Barry sighed and turned to Ebony.
“You are dismissed.”
“Yes, sir.” Barry watched him dryly as he turned to leave the room.
“You’re going the wrong way, rodent.” Ebony licked his lips and tried to look calm.
“Yes, boss. I need to use the washroom before I leave.” Barry sighed again.
“Fine. But the doors will lock automatically in 10 minutes. It’ll be a long night for you if you get locked in.” Then he sniffed. “Although, then you’d be on time for work.” Then he turned and left. Clump… clomp… clump… clomp… clump..
Ebony listened to the footsteps until he couldn’t hear them anymore, and then turned and went into the washroom, closing himself in the stall. It was the only place where cameras couldn’t see. Then he climbed into the ceiling vent above. The space was only big enough for a creature of his kind to fit through.
For once in his life, Ebony was proud of being himself. He had always wanted to be a human. Then others wouldn’t throw insults at him. ‘Rodent.’ ‘Little abomination.’ ‘You belong in a freakshow.’ Ebony gritted his teeth and braced himself against the walls of the vertical pipe. His arms were shaking with the effort it took to climb up.
After what seemed an eternity, the pipe turned, and Ebony was able to sit on the ledge, dangling his feet as he rested for a moment, mentally preparing himself for the next part of the plan. He had time. Oh, yes. He had all the time in the world.
…
Amy stood against the wall of the building, her short, black hair covered by a hood. She checked her watch. 11:58. Nutsy was cold and sat inside the hoodie’s front pocket, along with Amy’s tablet. Her body was warm against Amy’s stomach. The girl’s attention was suddenly shifted as a faint tapping fell upon her ears, and the vent cover above her opened.
“Okay.” Ebony whispered, peeking out from the vent. “Amy, boost Nutsy up to me, and we’ll go turn off the cameras and unlock the door so you can enter.” Amy passed Nutsy up to Ebony, and Nutsy saluted dramatically, and then giggled. Then they were gone.
“So, what do I do?” Nutsy asked, quietly, as they began walking down the dark tunnel. Ebony didn’t turn, his eyes fixed into the dark ahead.
“I need you to help me deactivate the cameras.” Then Ebony stopped. “There’s a drop off here.” He took a deep breath, and then jumped across the gap, landing gracefully on the other side. He smiled back at Nutsy. “Your turn.” Nutsy licked her lips nervously, and jumped. Her jump was too short, but Ebony caught her arm, motioning with his other hand for her to be silent. Nutsy bit her lip as Ebony pulled her up.
“Thanks..” Nutsy said, trembling just a bit. They were suddenly very close, staring deep into each other’s eyes for what seemed a long time, until Ebony pulled away. He licked his lips, and then continued down the tunnel.
“No problem… uh… The vent into the monitor room is coming up soon. We’ll have to be very quiet.” They were silent until the tunnel came to a dead end. Ebony unscrewed the vent cover carefully, and then looked at Nutsy, whispering very quietly. “The camera monitoring this room can’t be turned off. You’ll break the lens, and I’ll turn off the alarm system before it realizes one of the cameras are down. Then all the cameras will be off. Got it?” Nutsy nodded, and Ebony dropped out of the vent, landing soundlessly on the floor, just barely out of the camera’s view. Sometimes being tiny was useful.
He motioned for Nutsy to make her way to the camera. It was right beside the vent, luckily, and Nutsy reached for it, losing her footing. She grabbed onto the cord, biting her tongue so she wouldn’t scream. She dangled from the cord for a moment, before adrenaline allowed her to do a pull up and sit on top of the camera. She could tell Ebony was relieved as he crept along the wall as far as he could go without the camera seeing him. Then he stood up, and counted on his fingers. Three…. Two…. one!
Nutsy leaned over the front of the camera and smashed the lens with her little fist. The room turned red, and Ebony yanked down a lever stopping the alarm from going off before it even happened. They both let out the breath they had been holding and started laughing. Nutsy slid down the cord, and gave Ebony a hug. He pulled out of the hug, and then kissed Nutsy right on the lips. After a moment of surprise, Nutsy embraced it, wholeheartedly.
After a blissful eternity, Nutsy pulled away.
“We need to let Amy in now.” Ebony grinned.
“Oh yeah… Right!” They giggled, and then scampered across the building, unlocking the front door. Amy let out a sigh of relief.
“So everything turned out okay?” Nutsy burst out laughing and Ebony blushed.
“Yeah, yeah. Just fine. Anyway! Now it’s your turn.” Amy shrugged and followed Nutsy and Ebony to the large door in the back of the building. The master computer was in there, and had two cameras of its own that still needed to be turned off.
“Ebony and I will take care of those.” Nutsy explained, confidently. Ebony nodded.
“Amy, you’ll shut down this room’s separate alarm system, just as Nutsy and I smash the cameras.” Amy was skeptical.
“Are you sure it’ll work?” Nutsy nodded, enthusiastically.
“Yup! We’ve done it before.” Amy sighed.
“Okay. I’ll do it.” Ebony nodded, helping Nutsy into the vent above before climbing in himself.
“Just open the door a crack, and wait until you hear the smash. Then run as fast as you can and yank the lever on the other side of the room.” Then Amy was left alone. Ebony came to the end of the vent and slid down the wall, staying close to it as he worked his way to one of the camera’s vertical cords and climbed up. Nutsy copied him, doing the same to the other camera. Ebony counted down again. Three… two… one! SMASH!!! But only one smash was heard. Nutsy leaned over too far, and tumbled over the edge of the camera. Amy came running in, and found the lever. The room went red, and Amy yanked on the lever. But the lever didn’t move. The alarm started screaming.
“It’s STUCK!!” Amy yelled. Ebony rushed to the master computer and frantically tried to sign in. But now that the alarm went off, it required a password. One that Ebony didn’t know. Amy raced to the door and turned the doorknob, but the alarm system had locked it. “We.. we can’t escape!!” Amy yelled, starting to panic.
“I’m sooo sorry..!!” Nutsy sat on the floor, sobbing. Ebony helped Nutsy up and pulled her into a hug.
“Don’t be. I got you both into this.” Nutsy wailed.
“And now we’re going to DIE!!!!!” Amy looked around, frantically.
“No. No you’re not.” She picked up Ebony and Nutsy, and opened the vent cover, placing them inside the vent. “Just because I’m going to die doesn’t mean you are. You two are able to escape…. Don’t stay. Not for me.” Amy turned away, trying to hide the fact that she was shaking and tears threatened to spill over her eyes.
“NO!” Nutsy screamed over the alarm. Ebony tried to hold her back. “You’re my best friend, Amy…!! We’ve always looked out for each other, and I’m NOT stopping now!” She pulled away from Ebony, and they stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” She said, tears soaking her fur. Ebony blinked rapidly, and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.
“I’ll come too.”
“No!” Nutsy yelled again. She jumped out of the vent, and ran to Amy, climbing her leg and tugging on her hoodie pocket. Amy looked down at her, puzzled.
“Nutsy, what are you doing?”
“The tablet!!” She yelled frantically. “We wrote to the future, and the future will never see it unless Ebony takes it to them.”
“What?!” Ebony yelled. With Amy’s help, Nutsy got back into the vent and handed the tablet to Ebony.
“Someday…!” Nutsy was shaking and sobbing hard. “Someday, someone will try to do what we did. Maybe…. Maybe they’ll even succeed!! We need you to help them, Ebony! Please!” She was desperate. Ebony looked down at the tablet, and was about to say something when robots broke into the room. Nutsy slammed the vent cover and jumped onto Amy’s shoulder, her little fists balled, ready to fight. Amy covered her face, waiting for the end. Ebony slammed his fists against the vent cover, but it would not open. He covered his mouth to keep from screaming, tears streaming down his face.
In a matter of seconds, it was over. The robots electrocuted them and that was it. Ebony hoped it wasn’t painful. He sat in the vent, sobbing for the rest of the night.
“Why…. why did I bring them into this? They’re dead, and it’s my fault…. How could I let this happen?!” Later, in the quiet, he was comforted by a quiet thought. You didn’t kill them. Barry did, and that’s all the more reason to stop him. He remembered Nutsy’s plea. ‘Maybe…. Maybe they’ll even succeed!! We need you to help them, Ebony! Please!’
“I promise.” He said quietly. “I will not fail again.”
…
‘The year is 3011. The air is getting harder to breathe. That’s cause there aren’t any trees left. The world lays in ruins. Except for Robotopia ™. I guess the robots don’t want to destroy the thing that created them. I wonder what idiot did that.’
“AUGH!” A preteen boy with big glasses slammed the tablet down. It smashed into a million pieces. The boy gasped. “It didn’t mend itself this time…” He said, quietly.
“That’s okay.” Who said that? The boy looked around, unable to find the source of the voice. “Down here.” A small rodent like creature looked up at him, smiling.
“Oh… hello…” The boy said, shyly.
“I saw that your tablet broke, and I brought you a new one.” The boy looked down at the creature, skeptically.
“Who are you?”
“They call me Ebony. And you?”
“I’m Jason.”
“Nice to meet you, Jason. I have a question for you. Do you want the robots’ to stop destroying everything?”
“Y-yes! I’ve always wanted that.” Ebony smiled.
“Then come with me.”
‘The year is 3001. You would think the start of a fresh century would be like liquid hope for the people. What a joke. This world lost hope a long time ago. Even those who firmly believed in a god that would come back to save them…. Well, nobody thinks that now. Despair is in the very air we breathe.’
“Augh!” Amy slammed down the tablet on the rubble beside her. The screen cracked, sparked, and then slowly, haltingly repaired itself. A small creature stood beside it, watching it, it’s eyebrows furrowed. The creature looked like a large hamster, no bigger than a plastic water bottle. It’s fur was a fiery orange. A colour far brighter than the dirty, grey world around it. Standing on two legs, paws on hips, you would wonder if this creature was more than the apparent hamster. As soon as it began to speak, all suspicions were confirmed.
“You should be careful with that..” The high pitched voice said, evenly, quietly. “It’s the last one we have.”
Amy looked up, and then down at the human-hamster hybrid. “Hello, Nutsy.” Nutsy smiled. Her name wasn’t really Nutsy, but Amy had called her that for the past 7 years, due to her quirky and often erratic ways. Nutsy climbed up Amy’s leg and sat on her knee.
“What’s the matter?” Amy sighed.
“What’s the point in writing this?” After a thoughtful moment, Nutsy replied.
“We’re writing to the future, Amy.”
“WHAT future?!” Amy snapped. Nutsy slid off Amy’s knee and began typing on the tablet, which had now fully repaired itself.
‘But we’re going to fix that. The robots who are ruling over us… we’re going to stop them. We’re going to find the source of the robots’ power and destroy it. Then life will begin anew.’
“You’re crazy.” Nutsy grinned.
“We’re crazy.”
…
“What do you MEAN they can’t be stopped!?” Amy slammed her hands down on the desk, angrily. Nutsy, who was standing on the desk, jumped nimbly out of the way so Amy’s hands wouldn’t crush her. She was mostly paying attention, but something, or someone distracted her. A creature very much like Nutsy stood on the other side of the room against the wall, where a robot slave would normally stand. Nutsy tried to make eye contact with him, but he wouldn’t look at her. The CEO of Robotopia™ shrugged in response to Amy’s enragement.
“I can’t kill them. Trust me, I’ve tried. So now,” He petted Nutsy on the head as if she were a cat. “I just have to put on a brave face, and deal with it.. You know?” Amy glared at him in soundless rage. Nutsy tried to get the hybrid servant’s attention, and the boy nearly broke his stone expression, hardly able to hide his smile. Nutsy was sure she could see him blushing under his fur. The CEO continued. “You’re only a child, Amy dear. Did you really think I didn’t try everything?” He snapped his fingers. “EBONY! Show these children to the door.” The servant boy walked towards the door and motioned for them to follow.
“Come with me.” He didn’t look either of them in the eyes. As they made their way down several flights of stairs, Nutsy pestered Ebony with questions.
“....Are you… are you a human-hamster hybrid? Like me? I.. I thought I was the only one!” Finally, Ebony turned to look at her. He was grey, with darker stripes, and had vibrant blue eyes that looked as if they could stare into your very soul. He was just slightly taller than Nutsy.
“Yes…. I am. I thought… I thought I was the only one, too.” His gaze dropped and he was blushing again. Amy was still fuming.
“Ebony, are you that man’s slave?” Ebony looked around nervously and then put his forefinger to his lips.
“Shh, cameras.” He whispered. But he looked up at Amy, his blue eyes flaming, and gave just the slightest of nods. Nutsy clasped her hands in a heartfelt plea.
“Can you help us? Please.” Ebony looked around, warily. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yes.” He said it almost immediately. Then he thought for a moment. “Come around the side of the building at 12:30. I will be there.” Then he resumed in his normal voice.
“Be careful out there. Have a nice day.” Then turned abruptly and walked back to the office.
…
Nutsy paced in circles. Back and forth, back and forth. Amy let out a deep sigh.
“Nutsy, you’re making me anxious.”
“Well this is making me anxious! Ebony could be in big trouble!”
“In trouble? Who… me?” Ebony dropped from a vent on the wall and landed gracefully in front of Amy and Nutsy. He smiled, mischievously. “Let’s get outta here, huh?” Nutsy’s eyes lit up, and she was right beside him as the three began to walk.
“So,” Amy asked, “Is it really impossible to stop the robots?” Ebony shook his head.
“Barry’s a liar. He could stop them if he wanted to. He controls them after all. It’ll be hard, maybe even nearly impossible to get to the overprotected master computer, but I don’t believe it’s impossible.” The girls were speechless. Nutsy gave Ebony a side hug.
“I can’t believe you were Barry’s slave!” Ebony blushed, his eyes aflame with a secret hurt.
“I suppose it makes him look powerful or wealthy if he has a living abomination for his slave instead of a robot.” Nutsy’s warm brown eyes nearly overflowed with empathetic tears… and a shared secret hurt. Ebony continued. “Robotopia™ started out innocent enough. The robots did everything. Hospitals were never short of doctors, factories were never short of workers, taxi services were never short of drivers… you name it, they did it. Everyone wanted one.
But the inevitable wealth Barry received went to his head. He just wanted more and more power.” Ebony looked sad. “It’s not even his fault. That’s just what humans do. They never stop craving power, and as they get more and more of it… the urge grows stronger.” He looked up at Amy, warily. “No offense.” She shrugged.
“None taken.” Ebony continued.
“So Barry programmed the bots to destroy. To destroy anything beautiful, anything powerful, anything with potential. If he couldn’t buy it, if it couldn’t be his, he destroyed it. And then he lied, saying the robots ‘went crazy’. Funny thing is that the robots didn’t destroy anything of his.” Nutsy’s eyes were full of sadness.
“But really, it was Barry who ‘went crazy’...” Nutsy said quietly. Ebony nodded.
“And now the the whole world is in ruins, and he’s so powerful that no one can stop him. That is… if they even knew that he was the bad guy…” Amy frowned.
“So, we can’t stop him?” At this, Ebony’s vibrant blue eyes held a mischievous hue.
“Yes we can… using my knowledge of the place.” He grinned, maliciously. Then he stopped, turning to face Amy. “I have to get back to work now, if I intend to have access to the building. Come around the side of the building again at midnight. I’ll have a plan to get in, and we’ll shut down the master computer.” Amy nodded, and then Ebony winked, scampering away.
…
The last known grandfather clock in the world (which was unsurprisingly in Barry’s lobby) chimed at 5pm. Ebony shifted his feet nervously. The plan was about to commence. Barry sighed and turned to Ebony.
“You are dismissed.”
“Yes, sir.” Barry watched him dryly as he turned to leave the room.
“You’re going the wrong way, rodent.” Ebony licked his lips and tried to look calm.
“Yes, boss. I need to use the washroom before I leave.” Barry sighed again.
“Fine. But the doors will lock automatically in 10 minutes. It’ll be a long night for you if you get locked in.” Then he sniffed. “Although, then you’d be on time for work.” Then he turned and left. Clump… clomp… clump… clomp… clump..
Ebony listened to the footsteps until he couldn’t hear them anymore, and then turned and went into the washroom, closing himself in the stall. It was the only place where cameras couldn’t see. Then he climbed into the ceiling vent above. The space was only big enough for a creature of his kind to fit through.
For once in his life, Ebony was proud of being himself. He had always wanted to be a human. Then others wouldn’t throw insults at him. ‘Rodent.’ ‘Little abomination.’ ‘You belong in a freakshow.’ Ebony gritted his teeth and braced himself against the walls of the vertical pipe. His arms were shaking with the effort it took to climb up.
After what seemed an eternity, the pipe turned, and Ebony was able to sit on the ledge, dangling his feet as he rested for a moment, mentally preparing himself for the next part of the plan. He had time. Oh, yes. He had all the time in the world.
…
Amy stood against the wall of the building, her short, black hair covered by a hood. She checked her watch. 11:58. Nutsy was cold and sat inside the hoodie’s front pocket, along with Amy’s tablet. Her body was warm against Amy’s stomach. The girl’s attention was suddenly shifted as a faint tapping fell upon her ears, and the vent cover above her opened.
“Okay.” Ebony whispered, peeking out from the vent. “Amy, boost Nutsy up to me, and we’ll go turn off the cameras and unlock the door so you can enter.” Amy passed Nutsy up to Ebony, and Nutsy saluted dramatically, and then giggled. Then they were gone.
“So, what do I do?” Nutsy asked, quietly, as they began walking down the dark tunnel. Ebony didn’t turn, his eyes fixed into the dark ahead.
“I need you to help me deactivate the cameras.” Then Ebony stopped. “There’s a drop off here.” He took a deep breath, and then jumped across the gap, landing gracefully on the other side. He smiled back at Nutsy. “Your turn.” Nutsy licked her lips nervously, and jumped. Her jump was too short, but Ebony caught her arm, motioning with his other hand for her to be silent. Nutsy bit her lip as Ebony pulled her up.
“Thanks..” Nutsy said, trembling just a bit. They were suddenly very close, staring deep into each other’s eyes for what seemed a long time, until Ebony pulled away. He licked his lips, and then continued down the tunnel.
“No problem… uh… The vent into the monitor room is coming up soon. We’ll have to be very quiet.” They were silent until the tunnel came to a dead end. Ebony unscrewed the vent cover carefully, and then looked at Nutsy, whispering very quietly. “The camera monitoring this room can’t be turned off. You’ll break the lens, and I’ll turn off the alarm system before it realizes one of the cameras are down. Then all the cameras will be off. Got it?” Nutsy nodded, and Ebony dropped out of the vent, landing soundlessly on the floor, just barely out of the camera’s view. Sometimes being tiny was useful.
He motioned for Nutsy to make her way to the camera. It was right beside the vent, luckily, and Nutsy reached for it, losing her footing. She grabbed onto the cord, biting her tongue so she wouldn’t scream. She dangled from the cord for a moment, before adrenaline allowed her to do a pull up and sit on top of the camera. She could tell Ebony was relieved as he crept along the wall as far as he could go without the camera seeing him. Then he stood up, and counted on his fingers. Three…. Two…. one!
Nutsy leaned over the front of the camera and smashed the lens with her little fist. The room turned red, and Ebony yanked down a lever stopping the alarm from going off before it even happened. They both let out the breath they had been holding and started laughing. Nutsy slid down the cord, and gave Ebony a hug. He pulled out of the hug, and then kissed Nutsy right on the lips. After a moment of surprise, Nutsy embraced it, wholeheartedly.
After a blissful eternity, Nutsy pulled away.
“We need to let Amy in now.” Ebony grinned.
“Oh yeah… Right!” They giggled, and then scampered across the building, unlocking the front door. Amy let out a sigh of relief.
“So everything turned out okay?” Nutsy burst out laughing and Ebony blushed.
“Yeah, yeah. Just fine. Anyway! Now it’s your turn.” Amy shrugged and followed Nutsy and Ebony to the large door in the back of the building. The master computer was in there, and had two cameras of its own that still needed to be turned off.
“Ebony and I will take care of those.” Nutsy explained, confidently. Ebony nodded.
“Amy, you’ll shut down this room’s separate alarm system, just as Nutsy and I smash the cameras.” Amy was skeptical.
“Are you sure it’ll work?” Nutsy nodded, enthusiastically.
“Yup! We’ve done it before.” Amy sighed.
“Okay. I’ll do it.” Ebony nodded, helping Nutsy into the vent above before climbing in himself.
“Just open the door a crack, and wait until you hear the smash. Then run as fast as you can and yank the lever on the other side of the room.” Then Amy was left alone. Ebony came to the end of the vent and slid down the wall, staying close to it as he worked his way to one of the camera’s vertical cords and climbed up. Nutsy copied him, doing the same to the other camera. Ebony counted down again. Three… two… one! SMASH!!! But only one smash was heard. Nutsy leaned over too far, and tumbled over the edge of the camera. Amy came running in, and found the lever. The room went red, and Amy yanked on the lever. But the lever didn’t move. The alarm started screaming.
“It’s STUCK!!” Amy yelled. Ebony rushed to the master computer and frantically tried to sign in. But now that the alarm went off, it required a password. One that Ebony didn’t know. Amy raced to the door and turned the doorknob, but the alarm system had locked it. “We.. we can’t escape!!” Amy yelled, starting to panic.
“I’m sooo sorry..!!” Nutsy sat on the floor, sobbing. Ebony helped Nutsy up and pulled her into a hug.
“Don’t be. I got you both into this.” Nutsy wailed.
“And now we’re going to DIE!!!!!” Amy looked around, frantically.
“No. No you’re not.” She picked up Ebony and Nutsy, and opened the vent cover, placing them inside the vent. “Just because I’m going to die doesn’t mean you are. You two are able to escape…. Don’t stay. Not for me.” Amy turned away, trying to hide the fact that she was shaking and tears threatened to spill over her eyes.
“NO!” Nutsy screamed over the alarm. Ebony tried to hold her back. “You’re my best friend, Amy…!! We’ve always looked out for each other, and I’m NOT stopping now!” She pulled away from Ebony, and they stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” She said, tears soaking her fur. Ebony blinked rapidly, and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.
“I’ll come too.”
“No!” Nutsy yelled again. She jumped out of the vent, and ran to Amy, climbing her leg and tugging on her hoodie pocket. Amy looked down at her, puzzled.
“Nutsy, what are you doing?”
“The tablet!!” She yelled frantically. “We wrote to the future, and the future will never see it unless Ebony takes it to them.”
“What?!” Ebony yelled. With Amy’s help, Nutsy got back into the vent and handed the tablet to Ebony.
“Someday…!” Nutsy was shaking and sobbing hard. “Someday, someone will try to do what we did. Maybe…. Maybe they’ll even succeed!! We need you to help them, Ebony! Please!” She was desperate. Ebony looked down at the tablet, and was about to say something when robots broke into the room. Nutsy slammed the vent cover and jumped onto Amy’s shoulder, her little fists balled, ready to fight. Amy covered her face, waiting for the end. Ebony slammed his fists against the vent cover, but it would not open. He covered his mouth to keep from screaming, tears streaming down his face.
In a matter of seconds, it was over. The robots electrocuted them and that was it. Ebony hoped it wasn’t painful. He sat in the vent, sobbing for the rest of the night.
“Why…. why did I bring them into this? They’re dead, and it’s my fault…. How could I let this happen?!” Later, in the quiet, he was comforted by a quiet thought. You didn’t kill them. Barry did, and that’s all the more reason to stop him. He remembered Nutsy’s plea. ‘Maybe…. Maybe they’ll even succeed!! We need you to help them, Ebony! Please!’
“I promise.” He said quietly. “I will not fail again.”
…
‘The year is 3011. The air is getting harder to breathe. That’s cause there aren’t any trees left. The world lays in ruins. Except for Robotopia ™. I guess the robots don’t want to destroy the thing that created them. I wonder what idiot did that.’
“AUGH!” A preteen boy with big glasses slammed the tablet down. It smashed into a million pieces. The boy gasped. “It didn’t mend itself this time…” He said, quietly.
“That’s okay.” Who said that? The boy looked around, unable to find the source of the voice. “Down here.” A small rodent like creature looked up at him, smiling.
“Oh… hello…” The boy said, shyly.
“I saw that your tablet broke, and I brought you a new one.” The boy looked down at the creature, skeptically.
“Who are you?”
“They call me Ebony. And you?”
“I’m Jason.”
“Nice to meet you, Jason. I have a question for you. Do you want the robots’ to stop destroying everything?”
“Y-yes! I’ve always wanted that.” Ebony smiled.
“Then come with me.”
These two next ones are of a similar flavour (I dont know why I wrote them, they're kinda dumb. But I rlly like 'Someday, She Said', so I've included them both in the same spoiler. Anyway.
Her failed suicide attempt had come with huge consequences. I know what you’re thinking. They all do. But these consequences were more than words can express. And I say that because for Lexi and Freya, they were.
...
People were everywhere. Friends, people she knew, all looking for her. And they’d found her. Here she was in the middle of the city, standing on a highway overpass. Cars raced past her, and beneath her, too.
“Lexi, don’t do it. Please!” Freya cried, desperately.
“I’LL DO WHAT I WANT!” The angry girl screamed, her voice cracking. A bystander threatened her.
“Take your hand off that rail and step away from the edge or we’ll have to force you.” Lexi glared defiantly in their direction, and then jumped.
Lexi hadn’t realized until she was falling how scary it was. Or maybe she had forced herself to forget. The ground approached faster than she had hoped, and she screamed, not ready to feel the impact. She hit the pavement, face first. Blood. Everywhere. Lexi touched her forehead and her hand was covered in blood. Before she could think anything else, an orange truck honked, frantically, and then ran over her, unable to stop in time.
Freya and many others came running down the hill, rushing to the scene. The orange truck had stopped. It’s driver, a middle aged man, knelt beside Lexi.
“I’m so sorry! I killed her… I KILLED HER!” Tears poured down Freya’s face, and she shook her head.
“No…. she killed herself….” She sobbed, shakily. Suddenly, the man’s eyes widened.
“She…. she’s still alive!!” He exclaimed. He gathered a bunch of the bystanders and carefully put Lexi in the back of his truck. Freya sat with her and called 911 as they drove.
...
Miraculously, Lexi lived, but she wasn’t the same. Her multiple head injuries had resulted in the destruction of the two areas of her brain responsible for understanding language and speech production, leaving her like a mute person in a foreign country, unable to understand what anyone said, and honestly, never being able to learn.
She was terrified at first, screaming and crying whenever anyone came near, but eventually, it just seemed like she didn’t care anymore. Eventually she was sent home, her prognosis bleak. She would never recover. She couldn’t.
Freya took her home anyway, even though the doctors thought it would be best to give her up to a mental hospice. Freya knew that even though Lexi couldn’t communicate or understand her, she was still there, and there had to be some way to reach her. Freya knew she’d take care of her and love her, even if she never got better.
People didn’t talk to Lexi anymore, knowing she couldn’t understand, but Freya did. Lexi seemed to understand things by the tone of voice they were spoken in. She responded more positively if Freya talked to her in a happy voice, and she didn’t like people who sounded loud or grumpy. Lexi ‘talked’ in her own way. Even though she didn’t use words, her tone of voice indicated how she felt. She cried and screamed when she was upset. Much like a baby, honestly.
“What do you want for lunch, Lexi?” Freya asked, one day. Unsurprisingly, Lexi didn’t say anything, just staring at her, blankly. “I want noodles.” Freya continued. “Do you want noodles?” She picked up the bag and pointed. Lexi nodded.
Freya tried to get Lexi to remember words, like she could re teach her, maybe, but it never worked. Simple things, like ketchup, for example. Lexi knew what it was. She liked it on her grilled cheese sandwiches. So Freya held up the bottle of ketchup and told her what it was.
“Ketchup.” Then later that day, or the next day, Freya would say ketchup. But Lexi never had any idea what she meant, even when she put ketchup and mustard in front of her, and tried to get Lexi to choose. Lexi just couldn’t remember.
Lexi had panic attacks every once in awhile, and it was hard to calm someone down when they couldn’t understand you. Oftentimes she would cry at night. She’d just wake up and start sobbing, hard. Freya would come and hold her while she cried, and then lay beside her until she fell asleep. It seemed like Lexi appreciated it.
Things continued like that for awhile, until it seemed like Lexi didn’t care anymore. She wouldn’t respond to Freya’s voice anymore. She was quiet as a mouse. Quieter, even. She seemed emotionless. She didn’t cry at night anymore, and eventually, she refused to eat.
One night, Freya woke up, hearing what had now become an unfamiliar sound. Lexi was crying. Freya came and sat beside her.
“Hey..” she said, softly. Lexi turned away. Freya tried to hug her, and she pulled away. It had been two days since Lexi had eaten anything. “I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you.” Freya knew she was gonna have to be firm with her now. Especially since she wasn’t eating. She needed to eat.
Freya grabbed Lexi’s hand and pulled her to her feet. Lexi resisted, but Freya was stronger. Lexi whined, protesting in her own way, and refused to go any farther. Freya put her hands on her hips. “Fine then. I’ll bring the food to you.” She brought two bowls of soup and sat, just her and Lexi, on the living room floor. Lexi gave her a dirty look, and folded her arms.
Freya sighed. “Look, you. I believe in you. The REAL you. Not this.” She looked into Lexi’s eyes. “I know you’re in there, Lexi.” In a sudden move, Lexi threw her bowl of soup across the room, letting out an angry scream. The bowl hit the wall and smashed. Then Lexi started punching Freya. And you know what? Freya let her. And she cried. She sobbed, loud.
And that’s when Lexi stopped. She just stared at her for a long time, feeling something odd. Seeing something familiar. Something she could relate to. Freya’s eyes, sad and broken. Her eyes, deep pools of mystical, light green. They were hurt. And they stared straight into Lexi’s own, confused gaze, still full of undying love.
Lexi crawled forward and wrapped her arms around Freya’s neck. They both just sat there, sobbing for a long, long time. They cried. They screamed. They let it all out. Everything. And eventually, they both fell asleep, right there on the living room floor, two souls as one, understanding the other.
Lexi woke up the next morning, unsure of her surroundings. She was on the living room floor, a pillow under her head and a blanket draped over her. The soup was gone, and so was the smashed bowl. She got up, silently, and walked into the kitchen, where she heard Freya. Freya stared at her, carefully, and then smiled, shyly.
“Hey, bean.” Lexi was distracted. She went to the fridge, and opened it, retrieving a bottle of ketchup. She sat it on the table, and sat across from it, concentrating, hard. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She shook her head, cleared her throat, and then tried again.
“K-k-k…” She stuttered. Freya stared in astonishment.
“Lexi?! Are you…?!” Lexi grinned, something Freya hadn’t seen in a long time.
“K-k-ke…ke...ch..” Freya laughed. A laugh of pure joy. She enveloped Lexi in a hug, and Lexi hugged back, laughing.
Eventually, Lexi relearned how to understand speech. Not from the same part of her brain, but from memories of things before, as she would later explain. She remembered that the ketchup was ketchup, and eventually, she re learned to talk. She had a stutter for the rest of her life, and because she had to use a memory to put things into words, it took her a little longer to understand things. But she did. Freya had been right. Lexi had been in there somewhere, and even when words couldn’t help her, Freya’s eyes spoke louder than words.
'Someday, She Said'
The old woman sat, dejectedly, in the old brown rocking chair by the window. It was cold in here, but warm compared to the frozen emptiness inside. She held a bottle up to the light, examining it, as if trying to find some purpose in the bottom of the empty glass.
“Someday…” she mumbled, hoarsely. “I leave you with one word, to be interpreted as you choose. ‘Someday’, she said. Hmmph.” She mumbled other things, unintelligibly, but kept coming back to that one. “‘Someday’ she said. Someday. Huh.” She rocked back and forth, anxiously. She stopped and adjusted the bright red scarf around her neck.
Well, it used to be bright red. It was more mahogany, now. It used to be warmer, too, and not so threadbare. That was a long time ago. When the mystery that had plagued her all her life was first uttered. “Someday.” And the little girl that said it. She was only 15. And, to the old woman’s amusement, she remembered that she herself had only been 18 at the time.
The mirror across from the rocking chair caught her eye. Her hair, white as the snow blowing outside. It had been black, then. When she was 18, I mean. Her light green eyes were still the same, if not a little dimmer now.
It had been this time of year, too, hadn’t it? February, goddammit. The girl had almost been 16. The old woman dropped the empty bottle, angrily. It rolled across the floor, agonizingly slow, until it ran into the wall and stopped, pathetically. The old woman’s thoughts were miles away. Many miles and 71 years. That’s right, she had kept track, not caring whether it did her any good or not.
The air had been frigid. The tension in the house was frigid, too. It was Sunday. Her parents’ house. Board games had been the afternoon’s plan. But no, it turned out very differently. That girl, her best friend. Her real name was Emma. She was standing there, fists shaking and eyes blazing.
“You don’t believe me, do you?! You never have!”
“I’ve done so much for you, Emma!” Came the exasperated voice. Samuel, the old woman’s- Lily was her name- best friend, and previous love interest.
“All you’ve done is hurt me, Samuel!” Came Emma’s angry reply. Their friend, Cyra, interjected.
“That’s not true and you know it! He’s been such a good friend to you!”
“Not anymore!”
“That’s cause you’re not trying anymore!” shouted Samuel.
“Yes I am! I’m trying my very hardest!” Emma turned to her friend, James. “Right, James? Tell him!” James looked around nervously, but said nothing. “James, you told me you believed me!” She turned to Cyra. “Cyra?” Cyra shrugged.
“You’re not trying hard enough to get better. You just want our attention.” Emma’s eyes searched everyone’s in the room, but nobody defended her. Panic rose in her throat, and she raced out of the room. Lily followed.
“Emma…” She called. The girl whipped around, her eyes wild with fear and anger.
“I… I told you! They don’t want me! They don’t believe me! Do… do you believe me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then why didn’t you say something!?”
“I’m sorry, Emma, everything happened so fast.” Emma was crying, panic in her every action. Lily pulled her close, but she pulled away. Emma had never pulled away before.
“It’s obvious! Everyone’s better without me! I’m the only one here with problems I can’t control. I’m a burden. I’m a problem.”
“No you’re not! Breathe.”
“NO! STOP LYING TO ME, LILY!” Lily backed right off. Emma had scared her, honestly. Her voice cracked with pain. “I’M A BURDEN! I’M A PROBLEM! I’M IN THE WAY AND EVERYONE’S BETTER WITHOUT ME!” She grabbed her coat.
“Emma, stop! You’re not thinking clearly!” Lily grabbed her friend’s arm, and even though Lily was stronger than Emma, the younger girl pulled away.
“YES I AM! I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS FOR MONTHS! YOU CAN’T LIE TO ME ANYMORE!” She grabbed her scarf and barely had her boots on and one arm in her coat before she stepped out into the snow.
Lily stood there in shock for a moment, and then went into the other room, where the others sat, astonished. Lily yelled at them. None of them had ever seen her angry before. Lily was as patient as they come. But not now.
“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER!?” She screamed. “SHE’S BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH, AND THE FACT THAT SHE’S EVEN ALIVE SAYS SHE’S DOING HER BEST! NOW IF I DON’T STOP HER, SHE WON’T BE HERE ANYMORE! DO YOU WANT THAT?! DO YOU?!”
Then Lily left. She threw her coat on and grabbed the keys to the van and ran outside. The snow was falling thick. She had a few ideas of where Emma would go. She knew Emma well. After the girl had watched her parents turn to ash in an explosion, she had moved in with Lily’s parents. Emma was basically Lily’s sister. And now she needed help.
Emma wasn’t in the first three places Lily looked. With panic rising in her own throat, she had one idea left, and if Emma was where Lily though she was, she would be in big trouble if Lily didn’t hurry.
Lily parked the van on the side of the road and scoured the ground for footprints. Sure enough, Emma’s too big, pink snow boots had been here. Leaving the van running, Lily raced down the abandoned train tracks, unsure whether to call for Emma or to keep quiet. She rounded the bend, and there was Emma, just as Lily had feared. She stood on the train bridge, her red scarf longer than she was tall, blowing in the wind. She looking over the edge into the river far below. With the snow falling in oversized, fluffy snowflakes, it felt eerily like ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. She watched her for a moment, and when Emma put one boot up on the railing, Lily knew she had to call out now.
“Emma!” She called. Emma put her boot back down and looked at her, her eyes devoid of anything bright. Lily started to approach, arms out, and Emma put her boot back up on the railing, defensively.
“YOU CAN’T STOP ME!” She yelled over the snow, her voice raw and cracked from screaming. Tears started to pour down Lily’s face now, a rare sight, her voice rising in pitch, panickedly.
“Emma….! Don’t do this, please!” Emma started to cry, louder, and lifted her other foot onto the railing. Lily started to run towards her.
“IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER, I’LL JUMP RIGHT NOW!” Emma screamed. Lily halted, unsure what to do. She wished Samuel were here, or her mom or dad. They’d know what to do. Finally, she decided to act calm. If she was calm, she wouldn’t be adding any more stress to Emma’s panic.
“Emma…. can you breathe for me? Please?”
“NO!!” Emma refused.
“I love you, Emma! Isn’t that enough?” Emma didn’t respond. She was breathing in short, ragged gasps of air, glaring down into the swift flowing river below. It would be cold down there. Lily quieted her voice even more. Just loud enough to carry through the snow. “I’m going to take care of you… I’m going to help you, and I’m never going to let you go… you are safe…”
“No I’m not!” Her cry was a little quieter, more timid. Maybe she was starting to give in, slowly. “I’m never safe from myself, Lily.”
“You will be, Emma. Someday, we will get you there.” Lily assured, gently. Emma smiled, still staring down into the abyss. It was a strange smile.
“Someday. That’s… that’s a nice thought.” Lily was winning now. She nodded and continued talking to her friend, softly.
“It’s cold out here, isn’t it. I bet the river down there is even colder. You don’t want to feel that pain.” Emma stared straight into Lily’s eyes, and suddenly all of Lily’s new found courage was gone.
“It’s cold in here, too.” She said, brokenly, her hand on her chest. “And I don’t want to feel that pain anymore, either. If there was a good reason for me to stay, I’d stay. But there just isn’t, Lily. Everyone will be better off without me.”
“Emma….” but Lily couldn’t find her words. Emma turned to face Lily now, both feet on the ledge. She stood tall. Shaky, a little. But tall. Her red scarf blowing valiantly in the wind. She sighed.
“If it ever came to this…. I wanted to say something beautiful. Something quote worthy. But there’s nothing beautiful left in me.” She turned, and Lily struggled desperately to say something. Anything. But she couldn’t. Then Emma turned back once again. “Wait…. maybe… maybe there is.” She looked into Lily’s eyes. “Change the world, Lily. I know you can. You have that power. It’s in your eyes. Your beautiful, powerful eyes. Change the world.” She turned towards the rail again, and Lily took a step forward, but Emma stopped one last time. She had a mysterious look in her eyes. “A word. I leave you with one word, to interpret however you choose.” She fingered the red scarf, thoughtfully. Then she looked back up again. A freakishly calm look in her eyes, and a quiet, but hurting smile. A smile Lily would never quite get over. “Someday.” the girl said. She chuckled, brokenly, and then before Lily could stop her, she jumped. Lily screamed, racing to the edge of the train bridge and collapsing to her knees.
“EMMA…….!!! EMMA NO!! NOOOO!!” The thudding of her heart ringing in her ears, and the louder thud of Emma, far below. Lily screamed and screamed, clutching the one thing she had left to hold onto. Emma’s scarf, which caught on the railing as she fell. She sobbed into the scarf, wishing that it was Emma, receiving and realizing all the love Lily had to give. But Emma had made up her mind, and Lily had been unable to find the words to stop her. So Lily screamed now, but it was too late.
Eventually, people came, hearing Lily’s screams across the valley. Lily wasn’t able to tell them what had happened, but they could see. They knew.
Lily rocked back and forth in the old, brown rocking chair by the window, tears pouring down her face. Her old, wrinkled face. She had spent her life trying to change the world. Trying to change what couldn’t be changed. She never went anywhere without that red scarf, the years darkening it to an unattractive, dull mahogany. ‘Someday.’ She would say. ‘Someday, everything will be as it should be. That is my belief.’
“But it’s not true….” She croaked, her old, dimmed eyes brimming with tears. Nothing could ever be changed to how it should be, and now she was all alone in a senior’s home, and nobody knew her anymore. No one remembered her, or her hopes and dreams for some wonderful someday. Emma was still dead. Lily could hear her voice, haunting her dreams. She always had, all her life. “It’s cold, Lily. It’s cold down here, 6 feet under. I wish… I wish I had my scarf… I wish… I wish somebody was here to love me. Someday…. someday… maybe….”
“What’s not true, Mrs. Limmons?” The voice broke through Lily’s thoughts. She hadn’t realized someone else was here. The new intern. What was her name again? “What’s not true, Mrs. Limmons?” She repeated.
“Someday.”
“What?” The intern stared at her, quizzically. Lily closed her eyes. Her shoulders slumped.
“Someday doesn’t exist.”
“What do you mean, Mrs Limmons?”
But the old woman was dead.
...
People were everywhere. Friends, people she knew, all looking for her. And they’d found her. Here she was in the middle of the city, standing on a highway overpass. Cars raced past her, and beneath her, too.
“Lexi, don’t do it. Please!” Freya cried, desperately.
“I’LL DO WHAT I WANT!” The angry girl screamed, her voice cracking. A bystander threatened her.
“Take your hand off that rail and step away from the edge or we’ll have to force you.” Lexi glared defiantly in their direction, and then jumped.
Lexi hadn’t realized until she was falling how scary it was. Or maybe she had forced herself to forget. The ground approached faster than she had hoped, and she screamed, not ready to feel the impact. She hit the pavement, face first. Blood. Everywhere. Lexi touched her forehead and her hand was covered in blood. Before she could think anything else, an orange truck honked, frantically, and then ran over her, unable to stop in time.
Freya and many others came running down the hill, rushing to the scene. The orange truck had stopped. It’s driver, a middle aged man, knelt beside Lexi.
“I’m so sorry! I killed her… I KILLED HER!” Tears poured down Freya’s face, and she shook her head.
“No…. she killed herself….” She sobbed, shakily. Suddenly, the man’s eyes widened.
“She…. she’s still alive!!” He exclaimed. He gathered a bunch of the bystanders and carefully put Lexi in the back of his truck. Freya sat with her and called 911 as they drove.
...
Miraculously, Lexi lived, but she wasn’t the same. Her multiple head injuries had resulted in the destruction of the two areas of her brain responsible for understanding language and speech production, leaving her like a mute person in a foreign country, unable to understand what anyone said, and honestly, never being able to learn.
She was terrified at first, screaming and crying whenever anyone came near, but eventually, it just seemed like she didn’t care anymore. Eventually she was sent home, her prognosis bleak. She would never recover. She couldn’t.
Freya took her home anyway, even though the doctors thought it would be best to give her up to a mental hospice. Freya knew that even though Lexi couldn’t communicate or understand her, she was still there, and there had to be some way to reach her. Freya knew she’d take care of her and love her, even if she never got better.
People didn’t talk to Lexi anymore, knowing she couldn’t understand, but Freya did. Lexi seemed to understand things by the tone of voice they were spoken in. She responded more positively if Freya talked to her in a happy voice, and she didn’t like people who sounded loud or grumpy. Lexi ‘talked’ in her own way. Even though she didn’t use words, her tone of voice indicated how she felt. She cried and screamed when she was upset. Much like a baby, honestly.
“What do you want for lunch, Lexi?” Freya asked, one day. Unsurprisingly, Lexi didn’t say anything, just staring at her, blankly. “I want noodles.” Freya continued. “Do you want noodles?” She picked up the bag and pointed. Lexi nodded.
Freya tried to get Lexi to remember words, like she could re teach her, maybe, but it never worked. Simple things, like ketchup, for example. Lexi knew what it was. She liked it on her grilled cheese sandwiches. So Freya held up the bottle of ketchup and told her what it was.
“Ketchup.” Then later that day, or the next day, Freya would say ketchup. But Lexi never had any idea what she meant, even when she put ketchup and mustard in front of her, and tried to get Lexi to choose. Lexi just couldn’t remember.
Lexi had panic attacks every once in awhile, and it was hard to calm someone down when they couldn’t understand you. Oftentimes she would cry at night. She’d just wake up and start sobbing, hard. Freya would come and hold her while she cried, and then lay beside her until she fell asleep. It seemed like Lexi appreciated it.
Things continued like that for awhile, until it seemed like Lexi didn’t care anymore. She wouldn’t respond to Freya’s voice anymore. She was quiet as a mouse. Quieter, even. She seemed emotionless. She didn’t cry at night anymore, and eventually, she refused to eat.
One night, Freya woke up, hearing what had now become an unfamiliar sound. Lexi was crying. Freya came and sat beside her.
“Hey..” she said, softly. Lexi turned away. Freya tried to hug her, and she pulled away. It had been two days since Lexi had eaten anything. “I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you.” Freya knew she was gonna have to be firm with her now. Especially since she wasn’t eating. She needed to eat.
Freya grabbed Lexi’s hand and pulled her to her feet. Lexi resisted, but Freya was stronger. Lexi whined, protesting in her own way, and refused to go any farther. Freya put her hands on her hips. “Fine then. I’ll bring the food to you.” She brought two bowls of soup and sat, just her and Lexi, on the living room floor. Lexi gave her a dirty look, and folded her arms.
Freya sighed. “Look, you. I believe in you. The REAL you. Not this.” She looked into Lexi’s eyes. “I know you’re in there, Lexi.” In a sudden move, Lexi threw her bowl of soup across the room, letting out an angry scream. The bowl hit the wall and smashed. Then Lexi started punching Freya. And you know what? Freya let her. And she cried. She sobbed, loud.
And that’s when Lexi stopped. She just stared at her for a long time, feeling something odd. Seeing something familiar. Something she could relate to. Freya’s eyes, sad and broken. Her eyes, deep pools of mystical, light green. They were hurt. And they stared straight into Lexi’s own, confused gaze, still full of undying love.
Lexi crawled forward and wrapped her arms around Freya’s neck. They both just sat there, sobbing for a long, long time. They cried. They screamed. They let it all out. Everything. And eventually, they both fell asleep, right there on the living room floor, two souls as one, understanding the other.
Lexi woke up the next morning, unsure of her surroundings. She was on the living room floor, a pillow under her head and a blanket draped over her. The soup was gone, and so was the smashed bowl. She got up, silently, and walked into the kitchen, where she heard Freya. Freya stared at her, carefully, and then smiled, shyly.
“Hey, bean.” Lexi was distracted. She went to the fridge, and opened it, retrieving a bottle of ketchup. She sat it on the table, and sat across from it, concentrating, hard. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She shook her head, cleared her throat, and then tried again.
“K-k-k…” She stuttered. Freya stared in astonishment.
“Lexi?! Are you…?!” Lexi grinned, something Freya hadn’t seen in a long time.
“K-k-ke…ke...ch..” Freya laughed. A laugh of pure joy. She enveloped Lexi in a hug, and Lexi hugged back, laughing.
Eventually, Lexi relearned how to understand speech. Not from the same part of her brain, but from memories of things before, as she would later explain. She remembered that the ketchup was ketchup, and eventually, she re learned to talk. She had a stutter for the rest of her life, and because she had to use a memory to put things into words, it took her a little longer to understand things. But she did. Freya had been right. Lexi had been in there somewhere, and even when words couldn’t help her, Freya’s eyes spoke louder than words.
'Someday, She Said'
The old woman sat, dejectedly, in the old brown rocking chair by the window. It was cold in here, but warm compared to the frozen emptiness inside. She held a bottle up to the light, examining it, as if trying to find some purpose in the bottom of the empty glass.
“Someday…” she mumbled, hoarsely. “I leave you with one word, to be interpreted as you choose. ‘Someday’, she said. Hmmph.” She mumbled other things, unintelligibly, but kept coming back to that one. “‘Someday’ she said. Someday. Huh.” She rocked back and forth, anxiously. She stopped and adjusted the bright red scarf around her neck.
Well, it used to be bright red. It was more mahogany, now. It used to be warmer, too, and not so threadbare. That was a long time ago. When the mystery that had plagued her all her life was first uttered. “Someday.” And the little girl that said it. She was only 15. And, to the old woman’s amusement, she remembered that she herself had only been 18 at the time.
The mirror across from the rocking chair caught her eye. Her hair, white as the snow blowing outside. It had been black, then. When she was 18, I mean. Her light green eyes were still the same, if not a little dimmer now.
It had been this time of year, too, hadn’t it? February, goddammit. The girl had almost been 16. The old woman dropped the empty bottle, angrily. It rolled across the floor, agonizingly slow, until it ran into the wall and stopped, pathetically. The old woman’s thoughts were miles away. Many miles and 71 years. That’s right, she had kept track, not caring whether it did her any good or not.
The air had been frigid. The tension in the house was frigid, too. It was Sunday. Her parents’ house. Board games had been the afternoon’s plan. But no, it turned out very differently. That girl, her best friend. Her real name was Emma. She was standing there, fists shaking and eyes blazing.
“You don’t believe me, do you?! You never have!”
“I’ve done so much for you, Emma!” Came the exasperated voice. Samuel, the old woman’s- Lily was her name- best friend, and previous love interest.
“All you’ve done is hurt me, Samuel!” Came Emma’s angry reply. Their friend, Cyra, interjected.
“That’s not true and you know it! He’s been such a good friend to you!”
“Not anymore!”
“That’s cause you’re not trying anymore!” shouted Samuel.
“Yes I am! I’m trying my very hardest!” Emma turned to her friend, James. “Right, James? Tell him!” James looked around nervously, but said nothing. “James, you told me you believed me!” She turned to Cyra. “Cyra?” Cyra shrugged.
“You’re not trying hard enough to get better. You just want our attention.” Emma’s eyes searched everyone’s in the room, but nobody defended her. Panic rose in her throat, and she raced out of the room. Lily followed.
“Emma…” She called. The girl whipped around, her eyes wild with fear and anger.
“I… I told you! They don’t want me! They don’t believe me! Do… do you believe me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then why didn’t you say something!?”
“I’m sorry, Emma, everything happened so fast.” Emma was crying, panic in her every action. Lily pulled her close, but she pulled away. Emma had never pulled away before.
“It’s obvious! Everyone’s better without me! I’m the only one here with problems I can’t control. I’m a burden. I’m a problem.”
“No you’re not! Breathe.”
“NO! STOP LYING TO ME, LILY!” Lily backed right off. Emma had scared her, honestly. Her voice cracked with pain. “I’M A BURDEN! I’M A PROBLEM! I’M IN THE WAY AND EVERYONE’S BETTER WITHOUT ME!” She grabbed her coat.
“Emma, stop! You’re not thinking clearly!” Lily grabbed her friend’s arm, and even though Lily was stronger than Emma, the younger girl pulled away.
“YES I AM! I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS FOR MONTHS! YOU CAN’T LIE TO ME ANYMORE!” She grabbed her scarf and barely had her boots on and one arm in her coat before she stepped out into the snow.
Lily stood there in shock for a moment, and then went into the other room, where the others sat, astonished. Lily yelled at them. None of them had ever seen her angry before. Lily was as patient as they come. But not now.
“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER!?” She screamed. “SHE’S BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH, AND THE FACT THAT SHE’S EVEN ALIVE SAYS SHE’S DOING HER BEST! NOW IF I DON’T STOP HER, SHE WON’T BE HERE ANYMORE! DO YOU WANT THAT?! DO YOU?!”
Then Lily left. She threw her coat on and grabbed the keys to the van and ran outside. The snow was falling thick. She had a few ideas of where Emma would go. She knew Emma well. After the girl had watched her parents turn to ash in an explosion, she had moved in with Lily’s parents. Emma was basically Lily’s sister. And now she needed help.
Emma wasn’t in the first three places Lily looked. With panic rising in her own throat, she had one idea left, and if Emma was where Lily though she was, she would be in big trouble if Lily didn’t hurry.
Lily parked the van on the side of the road and scoured the ground for footprints. Sure enough, Emma’s too big, pink snow boots had been here. Leaving the van running, Lily raced down the abandoned train tracks, unsure whether to call for Emma or to keep quiet. She rounded the bend, and there was Emma, just as Lily had feared. She stood on the train bridge, her red scarf longer than she was tall, blowing in the wind. She looking over the edge into the river far below. With the snow falling in oversized, fluffy snowflakes, it felt eerily like ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. She watched her for a moment, and when Emma put one boot up on the railing, Lily knew she had to call out now.
“Emma!” She called. Emma put her boot back down and looked at her, her eyes devoid of anything bright. Lily started to approach, arms out, and Emma put her boot back up on the railing, defensively.
“YOU CAN’T STOP ME!” She yelled over the snow, her voice raw and cracked from screaming. Tears started to pour down Lily’s face now, a rare sight, her voice rising in pitch, panickedly.
“Emma….! Don’t do this, please!” Emma started to cry, louder, and lifted her other foot onto the railing. Lily started to run towards her.
“IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER, I’LL JUMP RIGHT NOW!” Emma screamed. Lily halted, unsure what to do. She wished Samuel were here, or her mom or dad. They’d know what to do. Finally, she decided to act calm. If she was calm, she wouldn’t be adding any more stress to Emma’s panic.
“Emma…. can you breathe for me? Please?”
“NO!!” Emma refused.
“I love you, Emma! Isn’t that enough?” Emma didn’t respond. She was breathing in short, ragged gasps of air, glaring down into the swift flowing river below. It would be cold down there. Lily quieted her voice even more. Just loud enough to carry through the snow. “I’m going to take care of you… I’m going to help you, and I’m never going to let you go… you are safe…”
“No I’m not!” Her cry was a little quieter, more timid. Maybe she was starting to give in, slowly. “I’m never safe from myself, Lily.”
“You will be, Emma. Someday, we will get you there.” Lily assured, gently. Emma smiled, still staring down into the abyss. It was a strange smile.
“Someday. That’s… that’s a nice thought.” Lily was winning now. She nodded and continued talking to her friend, softly.
“It’s cold out here, isn’t it. I bet the river down there is even colder. You don’t want to feel that pain.” Emma stared straight into Lily’s eyes, and suddenly all of Lily’s new found courage was gone.
“It’s cold in here, too.” She said, brokenly, her hand on her chest. “And I don’t want to feel that pain anymore, either. If there was a good reason for me to stay, I’d stay. But there just isn’t, Lily. Everyone will be better off without me.”
“Emma….” but Lily couldn’t find her words. Emma turned to face Lily now, both feet on the ledge. She stood tall. Shaky, a little. But tall. Her red scarf blowing valiantly in the wind. She sighed.
“If it ever came to this…. I wanted to say something beautiful. Something quote worthy. But there’s nothing beautiful left in me.” She turned, and Lily struggled desperately to say something. Anything. But she couldn’t. Then Emma turned back once again. “Wait…. maybe… maybe there is.” She looked into Lily’s eyes. “Change the world, Lily. I know you can. You have that power. It’s in your eyes. Your beautiful, powerful eyes. Change the world.” She turned towards the rail again, and Lily took a step forward, but Emma stopped one last time. She had a mysterious look in her eyes. “A word. I leave you with one word, to interpret however you choose.” She fingered the red scarf, thoughtfully. Then she looked back up again. A freakishly calm look in her eyes, and a quiet, but hurting smile. A smile Lily would never quite get over. “Someday.” the girl said. She chuckled, brokenly, and then before Lily could stop her, she jumped. Lily screamed, racing to the edge of the train bridge and collapsing to her knees.
“EMMA…….!!! EMMA NO!! NOOOO!!” The thudding of her heart ringing in her ears, and the louder thud of Emma, far below. Lily screamed and screamed, clutching the one thing she had left to hold onto. Emma’s scarf, which caught on the railing as she fell. She sobbed into the scarf, wishing that it was Emma, receiving and realizing all the love Lily had to give. But Emma had made up her mind, and Lily had been unable to find the words to stop her. So Lily screamed now, but it was too late.
Eventually, people came, hearing Lily’s screams across the valley. Lily wasn’t able to tell them what had happened, but they could see. They knew.
Lily rocked back and forth in the old, brown rocking chair by the window, tears pouring down her face. Her old, wrinkled face. She had spent her life trying to change the world. Trying to change what couldn’t be changed. She never went anywhere without that red scarf, the years darkening it to an unattractive, dull mahogany. ‘Someday.’ She would say. ‘Someday, everything will be as it should be. That is my belief.’
“But it’s not true….” She croaked, her old, dimmed eyes brimming with tears. Nothing could ever be changed to how it should be, and now she was all alone in a senior’s home, and nobody knew her anymore. No one remembered her, or her hopes and dreams for some wonderful someday. Emma was still dead. Lily could hear her voice, haunting her dreams. She always had, all her life. “It’s cold, Lily. It’s cold down here, 6 feet under. I wish… I wish I had my scarf… I wish… I wish somebody was here to love me. Someday…. someday… maybe….”
“What’s not true, Mrs. Limmons?” The voice broke through Lily’s thoughts. She hadn’t realized someone else was here. The new intern. What was her name again? “What’s not true, Mrs. Limmons?” She repeated.
“Someday.”
“What?” The intern stared at her, quizzically. Lily closed her eyes. Her shoulders slumped.
“Someday doesn’t exist.”
“What do you mean, Mrs Limmons?”
But the old woman was dead.
That's all for now. I do have a long one, entitles 'A Messed Up Undertale' but it's shit so I'm not gonna post it here, and soon I will be done 'Satsuke's Friend' the most AMAZING story I've ever written, based on a dream I had, and it WILL be included here. :3
Welp, see ya XD Thanks for coming!
