yyanu
This commit is contained in:
parent
21f34329a3
commit
5127b735f1
|
@ -97,5 +97,91 @@ must be facing me now, looking at me from behind the flame.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
At this point the flame was directly outside the bars of my cell. The vertical
|
At this point the flame was directly outside the bars of my cell. The vertical
|
||||||
bars of the cage, silhouetted against the light cast shadowy stripes sectioning
|
bars of the cage, silhouetted against the light cast shadowy stripes sectioning
|
||||||
my body and face as I stood up. [[47]]
|
my body and face as I stood up [[47]] open mouthed and looking dumbfounded.
|
||||||
|
Finally I could see a hint of the face of the first voice's high bronze brow and
|
||||||
|
a finely sculpted nose. Her eyes were lost in shadow.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"No? Good." She seemed to take my stupefaction as compliance and quite frankly I
|
||||||
|
was at a loss for any idea of what I might do to make things either hard or
|
||||||
|
easy. Escape if you can! I thought to myself. To go where? I asked myself in
|
||||||
|
reply. I felt as though if only I could formulate some destination in mind I
|
||||||
|
might be able to cobble together a plan. I think I had done so in the past. I
|
||||||
|
felt as though I had in fact escaped from captivity more than once in the past,
|
||||||
|
but now things were different. In the past I had places to go, people to see,
|
||||||
|
and a purpose to follow. Now, I had nothing.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Perhaps the situation was not that my memory had been wiped but the whole world
|
||||||
|
as I knew it had been obliterated leaving only me, this cell and this stranger.
|
||||||
|
And possibly the other one she spoke to out of my hearing. I felt this dreadful
|
||||||
|
fear that if I were to kill or overpower her and her colleague and flea from
|
||||||
|
this cell I would discover only emptiness. I would exchange this cold cell for
|
||||||
|
the immaculate void, for an aimless, endless, suffocating abyss. Thinking this
|
||||||
|
thought made me finally feel fear for the first time since waking, since memory
|
||||||
|
started. I shuddered then, suddenly chilled and aware immediately of my exposed
|
||||||
|
nakedness before this stranger. [[49]] I looked up into the flame with a
|
||||||
|
plaintiff expression and covered myself, crossing my arms over my breasts.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Please" I said. "the easy way."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Very good choice exile!" the woman boomed, a slight mocking tone in her praise
|
||||||
|
but without any apparent malice. Her tone lacked the subtle or overt sneering
|
||||||
|
sadism I expected from jailers. For what else could I call her but that? Her
|
||||||
|
voice though held more of a sense of teasing anticipation, as though looking
|
||||||
|
forward to bringing me into an inside joke that only she understood at the
|
||||||
|
moment.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"So listen to me exile. If we're going to do this the easy way it means you will
|
||||||
|
answer my questions quickly and truthfully. When you've answered what I ask, I
|
||||||
|
shall tell you what you need to know to get out of here and begin a productive
|
||||||
|
new life here in Exilium." She smiled. "Oh look, do you see what I did there? I
|
||||||
|
actually gave you some fresh information already. I bet you didn't know that was
|
||||||
|
the name of the world you were in did you? Of course you didn't it's wouldn't be
|
||||||
|
possible for you to know. Not yet. But maybe you'll understand later. Now I've
|
||||||
|
said enough and it's definitely your turn. Here's your first question: What is
|
||||||
|
your name?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"My name?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Yes my sweet, your name."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
This stumped me, obviously. Should I have been surprised. I mean isn't
|
||||||
|
forgetting your own name the most typical part of the old 'amnesia' trope? I
|
||||||
|
almost thought she must be mocking me still.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Why are you asking me?" I snapped. "Why would you be keeping me in this prison
|
||||||
|
if you didn't even know who I was? Shouldn't you know everything you need to
|
||||||
|
know about me already?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Oh no my precious. That is not at all how it works. Right now, you need to say
|
||||||
|
your name. Until you say it, it cannot be known. Go ahead, just say your name.
|
||||||
|
I'll let you know if you say something wrong."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
As odd as she sounded, I felt like something fell into place just then. I wasn't
|
||||||
|
sure what, but I didn't feel so uncertain.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Yyanu!" I blurted out, surprised even at the strength of my own sudden
|
||||||
|
certainty both that this was my name and also that I had never heard such a word
|
||||||
|
before.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Yyanu?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Yyanu. Yyanu Nav" I expanded decisively.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Okay" the jailer finally accepted with equanimity. "That's fine. Now for your
|
||||||
|
next question: Have you revi..."
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
...
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The rest of her second as well as what must have been several more following it
|
||||||
|
seem to have taken place outside of my mind. I know she asked me several more
|
||||||
|
questions and I know that I answered but I do not remember. Upon reflection it
|
||||||
|
feels as though the rest of my interrogation was something that happened to
|
||||||
|
someone else. It is as if I stepped outside myself for a while and certain
|
||||||
|
things were decided and an understanding was reached about me but without me.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
"Well that is just perfect, my child." was the next thing I recall her saying
|
||||||
|
and she said it with unmitigated approval and almost, did I imagine it,
|
||||||
|
affection. "I'm sure you'll fit right in. Let me give you something to wear.
|
||||||
|
It's not much but better than nothing. Take this." [[53]] She reached between
|
||||||
|
the bars, allowing me a glimpse of an exquisitely smooth golden-hued wrist and
|
||||||
|
delicate fingers, and handed me a rough-spun, threadbare shift.
|
||||||
|
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue