something I'm working on...hoping it'll be the piece that i'll actually finish. Short summary I've developed so far is basically two people traveling together. i know, cliche, but i'm trying to work up a new angle to it. it's also an experiment in my writing style.
anyways, here's the first bit. while at first, it sounds really really cliched, i tried to even it out later on.
_______
"Did you know...?"
"About what?"
"That the world doesn't exist?"
"What the hell! You said "it's the only thing that exists" YESTERDAY!"
"Did I?"
"MORON!"
"I'm sorry."
___
Chapter 1
"Did you know...?"
"About what?" mumbled Memi. She was a bit annoyed in fact. Robert had been spouting this question all day. It was his new favorite phrase. She turned onto her side and tried to not listen as he began to spout another "observation" he had made of the "world".
"Did you know that happiness is only where tragedy is?"
Memi squeezed her eyes as tightly as she could and pressed her makeshift pillow over her ears. Damn him! Damn the bugger and his damn questions. She had not ran away from home to listen to more lectures.
"Memi?"
"Uh."
"Did you know?"
"Uh," she grunted, trying to act like she was falling asleep. Robert grew quiet then, no doubt thinking up another question. Memi relaxed and felt her muscles spasm randomly, as if they were trying to make sure that she wasn't actually dead. There was no noise in the woods. Not even the sound of the wind. The dark closed around her, lullabying her to sleep, but still...still she could not. Could not fall into that split second moment where her mind was clear and sharp and gone and away from everything here and in its own little world, where no one could ever invade.
Suddenly, Memi felt a slight pang in her chest. The atmosphere was strange.
She had expected the quiet and silence to give her a moment of peace, a moment of calm and dreams, but instead, it was sharpening, sharpening under her skin, rising...something rising out. And she felt her breathing slow as she struggled to concentrate on what this feeling was, this strange feeling that felt so familiar...so strange...yet so...what was the word for it? Pleasurable. Addictive.
Her breath caught then, as she realized the feeling. It was guilt. It was regret. Oh god, it was discomfort. Why did it feel so horrible now? Memi bit her lip as the feeling rushed through her body, like she was being drenched in an ice-cold liquid that spread and spread, then started to vanish and dry. Her body shivered involuntarily, as if the cold was clenching her muscles and forcing them to pulse. It was a warm night. Why was she shivering? Why was she shaking? Why was she feeling like this?
"Memi."
She did not answer.
"Memi."
"What."
"Did you know...?"
"About what," she mumbled once more, although this time, it was because her mouth felt sluggish and unreal. Felt shut and closed, a sloth that pressed against her throat. She felt stupid. Wasting energy to say two words. Wasting this precious energy to lift the sloth away. Stupid stupid stupid.
Memi heard no answer from Robert. Her limbs rustled inside the sleeping bag and she blinked with great effort. Curiosity was bubbling inside her, fueling her actions. The girl twisted her body onto her other side and tried to pierce her stare through the heavy darkness. She could make out the outline of the boy, unmoving, unfeeling. Not like her. There was no shiver. There was no straining. She only saw what she had expected from herself; a state of peace.
"Robert?" she whispered, her throat still being pressed. The boy did not answer. Memi moved slightly towards him and whispered again. He still did not answer. Just as she was about to reach over and touch him, sound came rushing into her ears, as if there had been plugs that had been removed. She heard light breathing, his breathing, proceeding in an orderly and constant fashion. He was asleep.
"Stupid Robert," Memi muttered to herself, settling back into the sleeping bag. Worrying me over nothing. Moron. Memi tried to relax again, but her body was listening. Listening to everything now, as if it wanted to make up for the lost time, as if it could replace what she had not felt or heard or tasted or smelled before. She closed her eyes and saw flashes of red and dark blue rumble and flicker, tempered by a dark cloud. Her ears picked up on the light breathing of Robert and her own breath started to match his. Slowly...and gently...Memi too fell asleep.
______
"What is this constant stream of questions?"
"I don't know. Perhaps he is attempting to correct himself by checking with another of the validity of the observation."
"Or, he could actually be observing correctly."
"There is also the possibility of him simply enjoying the phrase and experimenting with the question."
"Is there any harm in him asking the damn questions?"
"I don't see how there could be. They're simply statements. He has no proof, no evidence."
"No one would care. All he's doing is voicing his opinion."
"Those who voice their opinions at the wrong time or in the wrong light are almost always condemned."
"The girl will prevent that from occuring. She herself seems to be getting tired of his words too."
"We can't know for sure."
"The only thing that's sure is that we can't do anything right now. We are forced to allow him free rein. The only other option is..."
Silence.
"I don't think it'll come to any harm. Surely there's no reason to be as drastic as that."
"Of course not. There are years and years gone up in flames if we do it. Nothing he says can possibly compare to the importance of this situation."
"Words are not only soothers. They are weapons. He may inflict damage at some time that we would not only be held responsible for, but that we would not be able to repair."
"Yes, but what are the chances?"
"Fairly high, I think. As noted before, he is already straining the girl."
"Straining, not damaging."
"Why are you people arguing? He's asleep. There's no point in doing anything now except to watch his behaviour at night. The worst he can do RIGHT now is sleep-talk and there's no one around to hear anything he says."
Another silence.
"Get some rest gentlemen...there's no use in wasting our energy right now when we may need it in a more dire situation tomorrow."
"Absolutely right."
"I concede."
"It would be best to have a small break."
"JUST GO TO SLEEP! God help your soul if I hear a single word FROM ANY OF YOU AFTER I'M DONE SPEAKING!"
Silence. The creaking of a door.
"What the devil are you idiots doing?"
This has quite some potential.