Post by cosmignon on Aug 27, 2017 0:38:00 GMT -6
Gonna do something different and just post something I wrote in a tired haze like 20 minutes ago without letting it stew for 10 months. I mostly wanted to write something weird and dream-like so its short and ends pretty abruptly (a warning for like, a lot of dead birds, jsyk)
---
Dim moonlight filtered into the otherwise pitch dark room that Drop slept. He laid asleep under several blankets, some gifted from friends, and his dreams seemed to wander from moment to moment.
~
He wandered through a bright forest, but unease settled at the pit of his stomach. A bird fell from a branch and stopped moving once it hit the ground. A shame.
He blinked and the scene changed. He was underwater, he wasn’t drowning. Hands reached out from the darkness toward him. They couldn’t reach him, he didn’t to stay to find out what would happen if they could.
He ran through a burning city. There were no screams, which only made him wish he could hear any sign of panic. Know he wasn’t alone.
He blindly stumbled through a forest. He heard a bird crash, and make no more noise. A shame.
He choked on sea water, and he didn’t die. Hands started to pull at his hair as if to drag him further down.
He felt fire licking at his skin as he ran.
He saw a bird die. A shame.
He felt his lungs collapse.
He crashed into someone. Alias yelled. Something changed.
They were standing in the forest. Something felt lighter inside him, as though he could finally breathe. He looked over to Alias, who in turn was looking to him. “Alias, what are you doing here?” the sound of his own voice didn’t come from his mouth, though he knew Alias had heard him when he replied, “Sightseeing.”
The peculiar eladrin smiled and held arm out to Drop, inviting him to do some sightseeing of his own. Drop accepted. They walked deeper into the forest, along a trail that Drop didn’t recognize. They passed trees that stretched far up into the sky. Though the shadow of their leaves mingling with the sunlight was visible, the treetops were not. Alias began to go on about things he had read, pointing out different types of trees, how they matched the descriptions of the prime material plane, and how they didn’t. He marveled at the differences more than the similarities.
It was at one particular tree, its bark knotted up into loops and spirals, where Alias stopped walking, with Drop in tow. His words became fast and jumbled, but Drop could tell he was excited. The excitement seemed to reverberate off the other trees, they shook as though a strong breeze had manifested.
Drop stared at the gnarled tree, then to Alias, then his eyes drifted toward the forest floor. There, just a bit further down the path, a dead bird. A shame.
He felt a tug in his chest. At the same time Alias pulled at his arm to keep walking down the trail. He followed the pull at his arm, and shortly afterwards the both of them stopped again as Alias noticed the dead bird.
“The poor thing.” Alias knelt over it, as if searching for something.
“Can you save it?” Drop had never considered the question before.
“I’m afraid not.” Alias took off his glasses to wipe them clear, “But we might be able to help the next one.” Adjusting his glasses as he put them back on, the eladrin sprang back up to stand up right, and looked far up into the canopy. Drop followed his line of sight and the trees shrank. Or maybe He and Alias had grown. Maybe their feet weren't touching the ground anymore.
The top of the trees were filled with birds’ nests. Maybe there were never any leaves to begin with. The two could see the occasional bird fly between nests, though most of them were obscured.
“If we put something underneath them,” Alias raised his hands to the air, “it will catch their fall, and then they don’t have to die like this.”
“How long would it take to make something that could catch them all?” He asked sincerely, but Drop already knew the answer. Forever.
The treetops suddenly swayed violently, knocking a bird from its nest. It was going to die. Drop held his hand out, and felt something punch his gut as he caught the bird in his hands. He was out of breath again. Was there water surrounding him?
Alias took the bird from his hands, and examined it.
“It’s wing is broken.” The bird tweeted quietly, but it was still alive. The water surrounding Drop streaked down his face. It was rain, not ocean.
They both lied down on the forest floor, Alias cradling the injured bird.
“You shouldn’t feel bad for the ones that already died.”
“I know.”
“It’s not your fault.”
~
Drop opened his eyes and was met with darkness. The confusion and fatigue blanketing him trapped him under his bed-sheets for a few minutes, and he was tempted to go back to sleep. But he didn’t want to lose the dream he’d had. His eyes darted around, knowing he wouldn’t see anything, but he had nothing else to do with them if he wasn’t going to close them again. Eventually, he swung his blankets off of him, and lifted himself onto the floor. He half consciously wiped at the sweat on his body. That dream was all he could think about. He needed to tell someone about it. Maybe someone who would understand what had happened.
---
Dim moonlight filtered into the otherwise pitch dark room that Drop slept. He laid asleep under several blankets, some gifted from friends, and his dreams seemed to wander from moment to moment.
~
He wandered through a bright forest, but unease settled at the pit of his stomach. A bird fell from a branch and stopped moving once it hit the ground. A shame.
He blinked and the scene changed. He was underwater, he wasn’t drowning. Hands reached out from the darkness toward him. They couldn’t reach him, he didn’t to stay to find out what would happen if they could.
He ran through a burning city. There were no screams, which only made him wish he could hear any sign of panic. Know he wasn’t alone.
He blindly stumbled through a forest. He heard a bird crash, and make no more noise. A shame.
He choked on sea water, and he didn’t die. Hands started to pull at his hair as if to drag him further down.
He felt fire licking at his skin as he ran.
He saw a bird die. A shame.
He felt his lungs collapse.
He crashed into someone. Alias yelled. Something changed.
They were standing in the forest. Something felt lighter inside him, as though he could finally breathe. He looked over to Alias, who in turn was looking to him. “Alias, what are you doing here?” the sound of his own voice didn’t come from his mouth, though he knew Alias had heard him when he replied, “Sightseeing.”
The peculiar eladrin smiled and held arm out to Drop, inviting him to do some sightseeing of his own. Drop accepted. They walked deeper into the forest, along a trail that Drop didn’t recognize. They passed trees that stretched far up into the sky. Though the shadow of their leaves mingling with the sunlight was visible, the treetops were not. Alias began to go on about things he had read, pointing out different types of trees, how they matched the descriptions of the prime material plane, and how they didn’t. He marveled at the differences more than the similarities.
It was at one particular tree, its bark knotted up into loops and spirals, where Alias stopped walking, with Drop in tow. His words became fast and jumbled, but Drop could tell he was excited. The excitement seemed to reverberate off the other trees, they shook as though a strong breeze had manifested.
Drop stared at the gnarled tree, then to Alias, then his eyes drifted toward the forest floor. There, just a bit further down the path, a dead bird. A shame.
He felt a tug in his chest. At the same time Alias pulled at his arm to keep walking down the trail. He followed the pull at his arm, and shortly afterwards the both of them stopped again as Alias noticed the dead bird.
“The poor thing.” Alias knelt over it, as if searching for something.
“Can you save it?” Drop had never considered the question before.
“I’m afraid not.” Alias took off his glasses to wipe them clear, “But we might be able to help the next one.” Adjusting his glasses as he put them back on, the eladrin sprang back up to stand up right, and looked far up into the canopy. Drop followed his line of sight and the trees shrank. Or maybe He and Alias had grown. Maybe their feet weren't touching the ground anymore.
The top of the trees were filled with birds’ nests. Maybe there were never any leaves to begin with. The two could see the occasional bird fly between nests, though most of them were obscured.
“If we put something underneath them,” Alias raised his hands to the air, “it will catch their fall, and then they don’t have to die like this.”
“How long would it take to make something that could catch them all?” He asked sincerely, but Drop already knew the answer. Forever.
The treetops suddenly swayed violently, knocking a bird from its nest. It was going to die. Drop held his hand out, and felt something punch his gut as he caught the bird in his hands. He was out of breath again. Was there water surrounding him?
Alias took the bird from his hands, and examined it.
“It’s wing is broken.” The bird tweeted quietly, but it was still alive. The water surrounding Drop streaked down his face. It was rain, not ocean.
They both lied down on the forest floor, Alias cradling the injured bird.
“You shouldn’t feel bad for the ones that already died.”
“I know.”
“It’s not your fault.”
~
Drop opened his eyes and was met with darkness. The confusion and fatigue blanketing him trapped him under his bed-sheets for a few minutes, and he was tempted to go back to sleep. But he didn’t want to lose the dream he’d had. His eyes darted around, knowing he wouldn’t see anything, but he had nothing else to do with them if he wasn’t going to close them again. Eventually, he swung his blankets off of him, and lifted himself onto the floor. He half consciously wiped at the sweat on his body. That dream was all he could think about. He needed to tell someone about it. Maybe someone who would understand what had happened.