Jesus4Lyf
Good Idea™
- Reaction score
- 397
I wanted to write something, and this hit me. Eager to hear some feedback, for some reason. It's a bit of a strange piece.
A certain joy hung over the pub. It was a pleasant Thursday afternoon, and the warm summer breeze was just beginning to chill as the night began to fall across the land. I loved the night. She was everywhere and I could tell her anything. The night always listened.
If I could have been the night, I suppose I would have been. I’d hear everything that went unspoken, the mutters one makes under their breath, the whispers and secrets… The thought of filling every gap that made silence possible amused me.
It caught me in my mind. I teethed at the idea, nipping its sides. I licked my lips in ambition and strolled into the pub. The soldiers were in from the western front. They sat about with a certain disunity to their uniform. Each of them sat by their mate with a beer in their hand (or two as I observed) and drank and recounted stories, silently baring the fact that tomorrow they’d die. The creature they’d been sent to patrol for had still not been found, and certainly still had not been tamed. She could silently appear and scrape half an army off the face of the earth, and then just as quickly be gone.
What is one to do against that? You’re a soldier, you take orders. When your garrison is commanded to watch the western front and defend against some terrible evil, they call it an “honour”. You, of all people, get to die a brave man in the face of utmost horror. What do you do about the night?
“Give us a ration!” I shouted at no one in particular, hoping to share in what the soldiers were eating. Two soldiers looked up at me for a moment with a confused expression, and then glanced back down to their meal and pint.
“Give us a ration!” I ordered again, slightly more nervous inside. I felt hungry and was hoping to ride on the jovial nature of the moment. This time a soldier shouted back.
“Give us a song!”
A song? Well, I can sing. I guess. Maybe it was the night settling down around me, slowly filling me up, but suddenly I felt compelled to give him exactly what he demanded of me. A song. Yes, I could do that…
Just to work the crowd up a little more (as one knows, suspense makes a moment) I glanced over at the piano against the wall and shouted out again. “Give us a ration!”
This time I got a few soldiers shouting back from their drunken revelry. “Give us a song!” They laughed and nudged each other in anticipation, exchanging grins. I smiled, quietly.
“A song?” I slid myself over the piano stool and rested my fingers on the keys gingerly. My eyes darted back and forth, familiarising myself with my surroundings. I pushed back my hunger.
And she whispered in my ear. I giggled quietly to myself. The night filled my head with ideas and thoughts, and with measures of pain beyond belief. I loved it. Through my head ideas and images flowed, surrounding every piece of me, taking over my mind slowly in a way I desired so much. I knew that I wasn’t my own. So? What’s there to hate about it? My mind freely flowed with the knowledge of a thousand men, and the pain was only… for THEM!
I lowered my head for a moment and turned my face away from them. Night time was here. Night was here…
My fingers drew music from the keyboard. The soldiers cheered.
“Upon a starry night one day,
Drew many men of might.
Upon a sunny day, they came,
To swallow up the night.
And arm in arm they banded tight,
Of families rich and poor.
They marched as two, they marched as one,
To slay what they abhor.
And hand in hand, and mind in mind,
They pressed into the dark.
And of the fear deep inside…
…them no one did remark.
For rise or fall! They’d stand it all,
And no one could contend.
For such an army had no lack,
Just power to distend.
And hand in hand, they killed and burned,
Killed all they could afford.
But in the end, they tore their souls,
And burned what they adored.”
Until the last line they’d been cheering and listening intently, but at that they fell silent. A couple of seconds later a roaring cheer rose up, my audience impressed with my talent. I didn’t figure they’d care for the meaning. Arrogant idiots. I stood up, turned to face them, smiled politely and bowed with perfect poise. The soldiers stood and cheered, banging on their tables in appreciation. Portray to them an irrelevant reality, that'll do it. The night was listened. It was so nice.
-----
It was my utmost joy to perform for them. The thoughts and feelings flowing through my mind were beautiful. I could feel the thoughts of the soldiers, too. I knew what made them tick, what flowed through their head… I sat down and kept eating my ration, enjoying the shouts and cheers of the brothers-in-arms which filled the tavern.
As I finished my ration, a lone soldier approached me at my table. I looked into his eyes, and he looked back at me. He smiled as he opened his mouth.
“Hey, I liked your song. What did you speak of?”
I sat back, satisfied, and engaged his glance. I drew breath to speak. The night filled my mind.
“Intense…”
“What?”
“My song was the reality that will echo in your head forever. When you realise you never had a chance.” I brought my face in front of his and glared into his eyes. A growl entered my voice as I spoke. “You think you can kill the night? Is bravery what you need? Skill? Speed? What’s going to save you when the night tears you apart, tomorrow? When fear is all that’s inside you, and I appear to RIP YOUR SOUL…”
And I turned into the night before his very eyes. I didn’t need to kill him. Not yet. I was only there to amuse myself. I fed on their fear. I gave them a song, they gave me a ration. But they would NEVER admit it.
The soldiers eyes widened and his face turned pale. I’d disappeared into the night. I’d kill him tomorrow. I’d kill them all tomorrow. I went back to filling every gap in silence.
“Are you ok?” another soldier shouted to him.
“Umm. Yeah.”
“Come back over!”
You know what’s really stupid? Watching a man tied up in fear search for wisdom.
He can’t find it.
Night
A certain joy hung over the pub. It was a pleasant Thursday afternoon, and the warm summer breeze was just beginning to chill as the night began to fall across the land. I loved the night. She was everywhere and I could tell her anything. The night always listened.
If I could have been the night, I suppose I would have been. I’d hear everything that went unspoken, the mutters one makes under their breath, the whispers and secrets… The thought of filling every gap that made silence possible amused me.
It caught me in my mind. I teethed at the idea, nipping its sides. I licked my lips in ambition and strolled into the pub. The soldiers were in from the western front. They sat about with a certain disunity to their uniform. Each of them sat by their mate with a beer in their hand (or two as I observed) and drank and recounted stories, silently baring the fact that tomorrow they’d die. The creature they’d been sent to patrol for had still not been found, and certainly still had not been tamed. She could silently appear and scrape half an army off the face of the earth, and then just as quickly be gone.
What is one to do against that? You’re a soldier, you take orders. When your garrison is commanded to watch the western front and defend against some terrible evil, they call it an “honour”. You, of all people, get to die a brave man in the face of utmost horror. What do you do about the night?
“Give us a ration!” I shouted at no one in particular, hoping to share in what the soldiers were eating. Two soldiers looked up at me for a moment with a confused expression, and then glanced back down to their meal and pint.
“Give us a ration!” I ordered again, slightly more nervous inside. I felt hungry and was hoping to ride on the jovial nature of the moment. This time a soldier shouted back.
“Give us a song!”
A song? Well, I can sing. I guess. Maybe it was the night settling down around me, slowly filling me up, but suddenly I felt compelled to give him exactly what he demanded of me. A song. Yes, I could do that…
Just to work the crowd up a little more (as one knows, suspense makes a moment) I glanced over at the piano against the wall and shouted out again. “Give us a ration!”
This time I got a few soldiers shouting back from their drunken revelry. “Give us a song!” They laughed and nudged each other in anticipation, exchanging grins. I smiled, quietly.
“A song?” I slid myself over the piano stool and rested my fingers on the keys gingerly. My eyes darted back and forth, familiarising myself with my surroundings. I pushed back my hunger.
And she whispered in my ear. I giggled quietly to myself. The night filled my head with ideas and thoughts, and with measures of pain beyond belief. I loved it. Through my head ideas and images flowed, surrounding every piece of me, taking over my mind slowly in a way I desired so much. I knew that I wasn’t my own. So? What’s there to hate about it? My mind freely flowed with the knowledge of a thousand men, and the pain was only… for THEM!
I lowered my head for a moment and turned my face away from them. Night time was here. Night was here…
My fingers drew music from the keyboard. The soldiers cheered.
“Upon a starry night one day,
Drew many men of might.
Upon a sunny day, they came,
To swallow up the night.
And arm in arm they banded tight,
Of families rich and poor.
They marched as two, they marched as one,
To slay what they abhor.
And hand in hand, and mind in mind,
They pressed into the dark.
And of the fear deep inside…
…them no one did remark.
For rise or fall! They’d stand it all,
And no one could contend.
For such an army had no lack,
Just power to distend.
And hand in hand, they killed and burned,
Killed all they could afford.
But in the end, they tore their souls,
And burned what they adored.”
Until the last line they’d been cheering and listening intently, but at that they fell silent. A couple of seconds later a roaring cheer rose up, my audience impressed with my talent. I didn’t figure they’d care for the meaning. Arrogant idiots. I stood up, turned to face them, smiled politely and bowed with perfect poise. The soldiers stood and cheered, banging on their tables in appreciation. Portray to them an irrelevant reality, that'll do it. The night was listened. It was so nice.
-----
It was my utmost joy to perform for them. The thoughts and feelings flowing through my mind were beautiful. I could feel the thoughts of the soldiers, too. I knew what made them tick, what flowed through their head… I sat down and kept eating my ration, enjoying the shouts and cheers of the brothers-in-arms which filled the tavern.
As I finished my ration, a lone soldier approached me at my table. I looked into his eyes, and he looked back at me. He smiled as he opened his mouth.
“Hey, I liked your song. What did you speak of?”
I sat back, satisfied, and engaged his glance. I drew breath to speak. The night filled my mind.
“Intense…”
“What?”
“My song was the reality that will echo in your head forever. When you realise you never had a chance.” I brought my face in front of his and glared into his eyes. A growl entered my voice as I spoke. “You think you can kill the night? Is bravery what you need? Skill? Speed? What’s going to save you when the night tears you apart, tomorrow? When fear is all that’s inside you, and I appear to RIP YOUR SOUL…”
And I turned into the night before his very eyes. I didn’t need to kill him. Not yet. I was only there to amuse myself. I fed on their fear. I gave them a song, they gave me a ration. But they would NEVER admit it.
The soldiers eyes widened and his face turned pale. I’d disappeared into the night. I’d kill him tomorrow. I’d kill them all tomorrow. I went back to filling every gap in silence.
“Are you ok?” another soldier shouted to him.
“Umm. Yeah.”
“Come back over!”
You know what’s really stupid? Watching a man tied up in fear search for wisdom.
He can’t find it.
