Bree Bailey's Creative Writing Competition Entry
'It's no big surprise to me that things have turned out the way that they did,' bellows Keons. Despite his old age, he still knows how to make a guy jump. He should know that I’m sensitive to sound, especially from what I’ve been through. Then again, only Nico and Scarver have an idea, and even they have no clue.
'Clancy,' he continues, 'Recently, you have been found freely roaming past your freedom hours. Is this true?'
Well, what am I supposed to reply to that with? Oh yeah! I've been talking to Nico to see if he will give me the maps and papers to get out of this place. Yeah, Keons will be totally fine with that. To refer to Dema as my home has never been accurate. Dema, to me, has always been the place that I've existed, or the ’slot’ that they've put me in. Hence why I need the maps and papers to escape from here. I’ve heard stories about the idea of 'home', and it’s depiction has always seemed to warm from the storytellers' description. What a life.
'Well, Clancy?' Vetomo cries.
It's unusual for Keons and Vetomo to be in each other's company, since they're leaders of completely different districts. However, they do seem to enjoy each other's company, as any dying man would. It's wistful really. Keons embodied the spirit of his dedication. Of Dema’s nine bishops, Keons was seen as unwavering and forthright, possessing the ability to achieve focus was rare in for most in our region. We all admired him and felt honoured to be inhabitants of his region. Whilst we had heard legends of the ruthlessness of other bishops, Keons possessed a stoic demeanour, unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and we were all proud to serve.
Vetomo and Keons were an unlikely pair. Vetomo had his weak spots, as did his fellow seven bishops, excluding Keons of course. However, they just seemed to connect to each other.
'You sure are a dreamer, Clancy. You must remember that you can answer our questions.' Keons seemed to purposefully stretch out every word. 'You Clancy, are stronger than the others of your cell. Do not waste your chance. Now tell me why you were roaming.'
'I...' what do I reply to that with? 'I was looking for Scarver, sir. She was supposed to be giving me new tools.'
Please understand, Scarver. Please understand that I need your help.
'Very well then. You must send a message through Keons, remember? He is the first of all our bishops,' replies Vetomo.
The joy I felt at that moment could not be written in words. They fell for it. At least, I suspect they fell for it. They must’ve been in a good mood, since they told me to meet on the southern side. The southern side had a park, which only the bishops could visit - but they sometimes meet to bring good news.
'However, we do need to sanction you for trespassing Scarver’s district. It always ends up like this,” sighs Keons, 'you should know this by now, Clancy.'
I sigh. I knew that there would be consequences, but I still needed to do it. Nico said that he would cover everything up for me, but he obviously missed a guard or two. It’s likely that someone would grass me up, as all of Dema's inhabitants want to be in the golden spot with our bishops.
'So, thinking of consequences - we personally agree that you are one of our strongest workers. This means our sanction will be tough, but not enough to kill you. We want to see you bloom, to flourish, unlike our other workers. So, we’re going to be making you work double the hours with less food. We know that you can do it. Don’t see this as a signal of friendship, though; we will be harder on you if we see you again. Nico is not to be trusted, since he is sinful. Goodness knows how he became a bishop - of all roles, a bishop!' Vetomo and Keons chuckle to themselves. Keons continues on behalf of Vetomo.
'We want you to report back to your district, as we have a close eye on you. Remember that Dema loves and cares for you. Goodnight.'
So much for a goodnight. A close eye? They don’t normally keep 'a close eye' on us - they would pass it onto our bishop for our district. And as for me being the strongest! Sure, I can work, but have they seen the state of my brain? All the demons that whisper threatening thoughts to me each night. I like to think of them as one; as a sort of blurry face. A blurry side of me. The negative side. All of my fears, and insecurities, and bad intentions.
*********
'Salutations, Nico,' I sigh, 'have you got them?'
Nico opens his door a crack wider and slowly nods his head; however, his eyes say otherwise.
'Well, it all comes down to how much you wanted of the maps, Clancy.' Nico chuckles to himself.
'You still don’t know my name, do you, Nico? Nico?'
'Sorry, Tyler. I forget that I can be informal sometimes. Being a bishop has destroyed at least half of my happiness. To be fair though, I still have a lot left behind - just not enough.'
We stand together in silence. Oh silence. What an awful word, 'silence'. Just a reminder that there are gaps in our minds and relationships that cannot be filled as simply as we like. Sure, we have silence in ceremonies, but that has a purpose. A purpose to fill our brains with thoughts that scream and shout until you’ve had enough. Funnily enough, though, this place is more commonly known as the 'Towers of Silence'. An awful choice of a name, but it suits the dark and dismal atmosphere. Soon enough, I have to break the silence.
'So about these maps? Where are they? And what kind of state are they in?'
'Ah yes. Your beloved maps. I’m starting to feel as if you’re going to drop down and propose the idea of becoming lovers and running -'. Nico stops his sentence abruptly. Too bad, I was starting to enjoy the idea of a life I’ll never have. Mind you, I have a bigger chance of escaping from here, since I’m just a worker. Nico, however, can’t just walk out. He has duties, and they’ll have him tracked and hung in no time, since the bishops are known far and wide.
Nico passes me the maps. They’re black with white markings on top, which are supposed to represent Dema, my so-called 'home'. The white markings create a big circle, representing our tall tower, with three rows of tiny rectangles on the inside, which also go around in a circle. In the centre, are our districts with our bishops names in the middle.
'The only ways to get out is either going east or west, but the east is up and the west wall is blocked.'
'Clancy,' he continues, 'Recently, you have been found freely roaming past your freedom hours. Is this true?'
Well, what am I supposed to reply to that with? Oh yeah! I've been talking to Nico to see if he will give me the maps and papers to get out of this place. Yeah, Keons will be totally fine with that. To refer to Dema as my home has never been accurate. Dema, to me, has always been the place that I've existed, or the ’slot’ that they've put me in. Hence why I need the maps and papers to escape from here. I’ve heard stories about the idea of 'home', and it’s depiction has always seemed to warm from the storytellers' description. What a life.
'Well, Clancy?' Vetomo cries.
It's unusual for Keons and Vetomo to be in each other's company, since they're leaders of completely different districts. However, they do seem to enjoy each other's company, as any dying man would. It's wistful really. Keons embodied the spirit of his dedication. Of Dema’s nine bishops, Keons was seen as unwavering and forthright, possessing the ability to achieve focus was rare in for most in our region. We all admired him and felt honoured to be inhabitants of his region. Whilst we had heard legends of the ruthlessness of other bishops, Keons possessed a stoic demeanour, unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and we were all proud to serve.
Vetomo and Keons were an unlikely pair. Vetomo had his weak spots, as did his fellow seven bishops, excluding Keons of course. However, they just seemed to connect to each other.
'You sure are a dreamer, Clancy. You must remember that you can answer our questions.' Keons seemed to purposefully stretch out every word. 'You Clancy, are stronger than the others of your cell. Do not waste your chance. Now tell me why you were roaming.'
'I...' what do I reply to that with? 'I was looking for Scarver, sir. She was supposed to be giving me new tools.'
Please understand, Scarver. Please understand that I need your help.
'Very well then. You must send a message through Keons, remember? He is the first of all our bishops,' replies Vetomo.
The joy I felt at that moment could not be written in words. They fell for it. At least, I suspect they fell for it. They must’ve been in a good mood, since they told me to meet on the southern side. The southern side had a park, which only the bishops could visit - but they sometimes meet to bring good news.
'However, we do need to sanction you for trespassing Scarver’s district. It always ends up like this,” sighs Keons, 'you should know this by now, Clancy.'
I sigh. I knew that there would be consequences, but I still needed to do it. Nico said that he would cover everything up for me, but he obviously missed a guard or two. It’s likely that someone would grass me up, as all of Dema's inhabitants want to be in the golden spot with our bishops.
'So, thinking of consequences - we personally agree that you are one of our strongest workers. This means our sanction will be tough, but not enough to kill you. We want to see you bloom, to flourish, unlike our other workers. So, we’re going to be making you work double the hours with less food. We know that you can do it. Don’t see this as a signal of friendship, though; we will be harder on you if we see you again. Nico is not to be trusted, since he is sinful. Goodness knows how he became a bishop - of all roles, a bishop!' Vetomo and Keons chuckle to themselves. Keons continues on behalf of Vetomo.
'We want you to report back to your district, as we have a close eye on you. Remember that Dema loves and cares for you. Goodnight.'
So much for a goodnight. A close eye? They don’t normally keep 'a close eye' on us - they would pass it onto our bishop for our district. And as for me being the strongest! Sure, I can work, but have they seen the state of my brain? All the demons that whisper threatening thoughts to me each night. I like to think of them as one; as a sort of blurry face. A blurry side of me. The negative side. All of my fears, and insecurities, and bad intentions.
*********
'Salutations, Nico,' I sigh, 'have you got them?'
Nico opens his door a crack wider and slowly nods his head; however, his eyes say otherwise.
'Well, it all comes down to how much you wanted of the maps, Clancy.' Nico chuckles to himself.
'You still don’t know my name, do you, Nico? Nico?'
'Sorry, Tyler. I forget that I can be informal sometimes. Being a bishop has destroyed at least half of my happiness. To be fair though, I still have a lot left behind - just not enough.'
We stand together in silence. Oh silence. What an awful word, 'silence'. Just a reminder that there are gaps in our minds and relationships that cannot be filled as simply as we like. Sure, we have silence in ceremonies, but that has a purpose. A purpose to fill our brains with thoughts that scream and shout until you’ve had enough. Funnily enough, though, this place is more commonly known as the 'Towers of Silence'. An awful choice of a name, but it suits the dark and dismal atmosphere. Soon enough, I have to break the silence.
'So about these maps? Where are they? And what kind of state are they in?'
'Ah yes. Your beloved maps. I’m starting to feel as if you’re going to drop down and propose the idea of becoming lovers and running -'. Nico stops his sentence abruptly. Too bad, I was starting to enjoy the idea of a life I’ll never have. Mind you, I have a bigger chance of escaping from here, since I’m just a worker. Nico, however, can’t just walk out. He has duties, and they’ll have him tracked and hung in no time, since the bishops are known far and wide.
Nico passes me the maps. They’re black with white markings on top, which are supposed to represent Dema, my so-called 'home'. The white markings create a big circle, representing our tall tower, with three rows of tiny rectangles on the inside, which also go around in a circle. In the centre, are our districts with our bishops names in the middle.
'The only ways to get out is either going east or west, but the east is up and the west wall is blocked.'