(no subject)
Well, this past week has been rather uneventful. The usual school stuff.
Anyways, I was hoping that I could get some feeback on a short story that I wrote for my creative writing class. It is due tomorrow, and I just finished it a little while ago, so I think it is definetly going to need some editing. If any of you guys have some suggestions, feel free to voice them. If you have any opinions of this stories quality, don't hold back. I want to make sure that my story does not suck to much. This is the first writing of it and I have not done any editing outside of running spell and grammar check. I plan to work on editing it later, I just thought I would see what some people thought of it first before I did so.
and so, here it is,
A man was sleeping on the dirt near a slow moving creek. His body lied as though it was getting ready to be placed in a casket, his pale arms and legs pulled parallel to his body. The rhythm of his breathing mimicked that of the meandering creek, just fast and hard enough to be audible. Then, stirring out of his position, the man broke his sleep. His eyes shone red around the rims from excessive sleep, and the spec of a pupil in the middle of the brown iris was constricted by the light. He raised his hand to shield his glazed eyes and slowly stood upright. After he had done this, he searched his immediate surroundings with childlike curiosity.
He walked down to the creek shore and crouched down, looking inquisitively at the water as though he had never seen such a thing before. After several minutes of ponderous stares at the glassy water, he knelt lower and dipped his hands into it. The water had a bitter cold bite to the skin, and the man quickly released his hands, hollowing the profanity “dammit”. The man suddenly became shocked and his body went from pale to ghastly. He peered over the creek again, and noticed his reflection. His mind started to turn, he felt as though something had suddenly returned to him with no notice of it ever departing. Continuing to stare into the creek, the man realized that he was naked.
“Huh, what it that? What is naked?” he asked himself.
Once again, the man was taken aback by his own actions. He wondered what he was doing, these audible noises from himself. The initial shock was staring to lessen as he realized that these noises were speech, and that because he was human speech was possible. The man thought about this aspect of himself for a minute, words raced about his mind faster than he could grasp. Anxious confusion had set in and the man sat back down on a flat slab of granite near the creek bed. He rested, waiting for his maelstrom to subside. Gradually, the thoughts were becoming more understood to the man as he realized that these sounds helped him to think. He looked around once more at his surroundings, and began to note his surroundings according to his sounds.
“This place, it’s a forest.” He said to himself and extended his index finger to point, “There are so many cedars and pines, as far as I can see. I wonder where this forest ends.”
The man started again, arose from the slab and took a few steps around the area where he had awakened. Finding a large fallen limb still covered in green needles, he jammed it into the creek bed, hoping its size would be a guide back to here. With that, he left to go searching this peculiar forest he was in. He soon discovered that there were no clear paths to follow; this wooded area was entirely natural, with its trees randomly dispersed throughout. He walked. Several hours passed as he made his trek, learning along the way that the sky offered no waypoints for him to follow. Just straight blue, cloudless sky for miles was all that could be seen. The earth where he had been walking was starting a steep downhill gradient now, so much so that he slipped several times on the sheerest parts. He adjusted to crawling backwards on all fours, hoping that this may keep his balance. However, the grade became steeper still, and a false step had him rolling down the hill uncontrollably. With a crash into some blackberry bushes and the unforgiving thud against a granite boulder set within the ground inside it, the man groaned gripping the abrasion now bleeding on his left shoulder. He was cut all over from the blackberry bush, but nothing particularly serious. He struggled out of the bush and into the grassy valley where he had plummeted. An old scent, another renewal in the man, raised his nostrils.
Taking a deep breath, the man simply stated, “Wildflowers.” This field was covered in them, and a curious grass which had an almost turquoise color to it. Remembering his hunger, the man turned back around to the blackberry bush and ate. The sweetness of the berries turned his stomach at first, but his hunger would not be denied. Purple stains covered his mouth and teeth, his hands as well were not free from the staining due to his almost frantic grasping of entire braches at a time, simply running his oblong hands from base to end, grasping many berries at once. This hunger seemed almost unreal to the man’s thoughts, he tried to recollect the last time he had eaten. His mind was now fully cognitive, he finally remembered that those sounds he had made were words and that all of those words in his head were finally making sense to him. Yet, he still wondered why. How peculiar, he thought, that I have no knowledge of why he was this creature who spoke and if there are others like him. On this thought his attention was distracted by a moving figure.
He squinted his eyes as to improve his sight of this figure, and then the image cleared. Another was walking across the field and just crossed over the man’s visual center. The man filled with excitement and darted off into the field, striding through the tall wild grasses and flowers. The human in the distance was beginning to show detail of feature, lengths of goldenrod hairs wisped through the calm breeze. The body was now clearly naked as his, with a softness of form around the human edges. Hearing a repetition of crunching grass and heavy breaths, the figure turned about and looked upon the man. It was a woman, marked definite by the hills of her center stature, perfectly raised. She released a gasp and dropped to her knees, shivering with fear. The man stopped. It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts on this discovery. Another human was here, and this thought made him wonder if there were more still more yet.
Slowly opening his mouth, the man said, “Hello. Do you know why we are here, or how I am, or what this place is…?”
“I have no such answers! I have not the foggiest idea of why I am here. Do you not have any of the answers?” The woman replied.
“I was sleeping, and then I woke up and found myself in this place, this forest of which I have no previous knowledge. I don’t remember what came before my sleep, only that I must have come from somewhere else. This place feels so foreign.”
The woman starred at the man for a moment, and then said, “It’s the same for me, too. You woke in the forest, right?”
“Yes,” said the man as he started to point to the way he came, “from off yonder I came. Near a running creek I awoke. This seems somewhat new to me, I speak of it as though I understand, but these urges inside of me compelled me to search. I wanted to east so badly, and I happened upon a blackberry bush.”
“You mean the blackberry bush at the edge of the hill? I had just finished eating there a little while ago.” The woman said turning her head at the direction of the bush, “oh my, what happened to it?”
The man flushed when he realized the extent of the damage his fall had caused the bush. The woman took a long look at the man and noticed his several cuts and the large abrasion on his left shoulder which was now black with dirt.
“You destroyed my bush!” the woman screamed, charging at the man with her arms flailing, “it is the only food I’ve found around here. Damn you!”
“No, wait!” the man protested as he held up his arms to deflect her attacks, “that bush broke my fall and saved my life. I’m sure we can find more food if we search long enough. Just trust me.”
The woman stopped her assault and took a step back. She continued to eye the man with a noticeable distrust. Many minutes passed as the two human starred at one another, the man baffled by the woman’s brash irrationality. Yet, he could not deny that he desired to protect her, and at least make things right with the woman. He had after all been the cause of her current grievance.
The silence was broken when the woman spoke, “Still, even if we do find food, is there a point to continuing here. What is our purpose, and why I am even compelled to consider this idea.”
“I have the same questions running within my mind, but I must first tend to our survival.” The man said.
“Grrr, this is so confusing. I feel as if I have years of life I have lived and yet known nothing about. I couldn’t just pop into existence like this, it seems like it wouldn’t be so.”
“Quite down please. I said we can talk about that later, but first we need food. Water would be good to. And that other necessity that protects us from the elements…”
“A shelter, that’s what else we need.” The woman replied.
“Right, come on, let’s go. Follow me.” The man said.
Off towards the direction whence he came, the man and the woman began to walk back into the forest.
* * *
Night had replaced day in almost an instant. The blue had given way to the soft luminescence of the several small dots of lights. The man remembered the name for this, yet these starts lacked the luster he felt they ought to have. Day had returned just as quickly as night began, and in a few seconds the blackish sky brightened the brilliant azure as before. The man and woman had returned to the spot where he had awakened, the waypoint he had laid out still present in the cold creek. Before the sudden darkness, the man and woman had worked for hours breaking low lying limbs off of the cedars and pines. They had constructed a simple structure, using the edge of a granite boulder that looked like a miniature cliff as it stuck at a diagonal towards the sky, to rest the limbs against. Its appearance was that of half a pup tent. Wet silt and clay from the ground had been applied to help hold the many limbs together. When the two lost humans awoke, they found their structure to have proven its utility.
The man exited the shelter first and walked over to the creek. Cupping his hands, he scooped to frigid water up and splashed it on his face, the icy water feeling as an elixir for his sleep crusted eyes. The woman joined him in this washing. While the two of them bathed, the man noticed that the sky had a difference today. Far off in the distance, the flickering of a sharp light was pulsating. The man thought it a curious sight.
“Look there,” the man said, “it appears to be a daytime star. That wasn’t there yesterday.”
The woman looked at it, “a daytime star, I wonder if it has a name.”
“A name, well, since this entire land seems a mystery to us and nobody else is here but us. The star’s name is unknown. I think a more important question is what our names are?” the man said.
The woman looked perplexed, “I don’t know if I ever had a name. As I was saying yesterday when we first met, I do not remember anything past yesterday or before I woke up. I am surprised in my existence.”
“I too do not know my name, but we can make new ones for ourselves. I’m sure we can come up with something.” The man said.
“Names…I heard a few called up in my dreams lasts last night.” The woman said.
The man focused his attention, “what dreams?”
“Last night, I dreamt of a place now that I vaguely remember, but this place had the appearance of a large room of some sort with multiple steel surfaces on the walls, floors, doors,” the woman started.
“But were there any people in your dream?” the man interrupted.
“Yeah, but the seemed to be leading me into one of the rooms marked with a large blue symbol. As for the meaning of the symbol I haven’t a clue, but I was looked inside this room, and then I woke up.” The woman said.
“What did the symbol look like?” the man asked, “Did you at least get a good image of it in your head.”
“A large circle with three progressively larger ovals from the top to the middle of the large circle, and three lines with perpendicular lines through them, there was more too but I can’t remember. I was so intricate.”
The man thought of the circle for a minute, but quickly let it pass. “Hmm, I don’t know anything of it. You should draw it later, but let’s try to name ourselves now.”
“But I know of no names,” the woman responded.
“Well,” the man said while gathering his thoughts. He noticed that she was still starring at the daylight star, and her hair caught his attention, shinning glorious against the strange light of day. “Glory, that's what I shall call you.”
“Glory, yes, that’s nice,” the woman said, “and I shall call you Newman, is that okay? I mean, well both of us have no knowledge of why we are here, we are both new to existence.”
“Yes, that suits. I guess that I am a new man, and your hair catches the glory of day, it’s quite beautiful,” the man said.
The woman simply blushed. The feeling to her seemed faint and distant, but still elusive; what was this feeling of awkwardness. Both of them felt it, alone in the middle of an unknown land, no other humans seemed to live here, just the birds drifting overhead, the periodic rustle of brush of in the distance in all directions sent the message that other creature roamed this land. It seemed to speak to them, and told them that the creatures of this land perpetuated themselves. A rush in the creek water had caught the attention of Glory and Newman; a school of tadpoles were rushing downstream. Life gave birth to life; Newman found this an odd thought at first. His gut was still telling him something was off about this place of light with no source. His gut proved it can only be a skeptic, but offered no answers.
The bright distant star abruptly moved towards Glory and Newman, the sight brought both of them to their feet. The light had begun to take form. It looked like a bird of metal, with triangular protrusions sticking from its sides. This thing picked up speed and created a deafening buzz as it approached. Glory became frightened and dropped to her knees, grasping Newman’s leg. Newman watched in curiosity as this metallic bird gradually slowed to a hover above their heads. What had created the bright light off in the sky was apparent now; a large glass lens attached to a black tube extended and focused on the two humans. Glory continued to shiver in fear, Newman started to become apprehensive. The machine floated over to their shelter and around it, coming back to them. Then Glory noticed something marked on the belly of the machine.
“New-man, look,” she said pointing at the flat underside, “the symbol.”
Decaled upon its underside, the large circle, as Glory had said, possessed three oblong ovals from top to the middle, and three straight lines which ran from the top to the bottom. From the base of the larger oblong oval to the bottom of the main circle short lines were bisecting the straight lines. Newman gazed upon it; something not far oft seemed to return to his mind. The metallic bird hovered and continued to make small adjustments to its eye, occasionally moving a little of to the sides. This had been going for a few minutes, and Glory’s initial fear subsided. She leaped up and walked towards the metallic bird, which in kind moved slightly upward.
“What do you suppose it is?” Glory said, “That symbol I dreamt is on its belly, it’s curious.”
“Yes, but I still, is that thing alive? It doesn’t seem like any animal.” Newman said.
“No, its body, I believe the word to describe it is steel. It looks like a machine, some artificial creation, but never have I seen such a thing.”
“Why do you suppose it is interested in us? Is this someone’s?” The man asked.
“Maybe, we should go exploring again Newman, and see if we can find anyone else.” Glory said.
“Okay, but we should stick together.” Newman said.
“No, we will make more progress if we search different areas.” Glory replied.
“Fine, but this thing is giving me an eerie feeling.” Newman said.
“Let’s just go.” And with that, Glory skipped off into the woods, saying nothing more.
The metallic bird followed her path, and Newman was relieved that at least this strange creature was not starring him down anymore. With that, Newman started to walk in a direction that he had yet to explore.
* * *
Newman’s walk found nothing new except more of the same forest foliage. He did discover another open field much like the one where he had found Glory, but after what seemed like several hours of aimless searching, no other humans were in sight. Newman decided to rest, and sat upon a massive granite boulder in the valley he happened to find. Resting his head in his hands, he drifted in and out of thought. His eyes were half closed and starring off towards the next rising slope at the edge of the forest. His eyes scanned the inclines, wondering which hill would be easiest to tackle. It was then that his eye caught an odd sight. He rose up to get a better look; it was a metal pole sticking straight out of the ground. Hoping off the boulder and running up the hill, Newman’s mind thought of how to objects of metal had been placed here, there still was no sight of any humans. Slowing down as he approached the pole, he noticed the same symbol that was on the metallic bird, although it was proportionally smaller to fit on the pole. This pole stood higher than Newman, and tapered off to a point near its final inches. Newman stepped towards the pole cautiously, not sure what to make off it. He then reached out his hand and touched it; a warm pulse crept through his body. Newman released his hand and stepped back.
“That’s weird. I’ve never felt such a thing before”
We walked towards the pole, but as he was half way around it, a large bolt of power suddenly sparked coming from away and arching on the poles top end. The sure of electricity rendered Newman unconscious. He slept.
“Newman, what are you doing near the edge of the world? Come now, let’s prepare you for reentry. No, we cannot remove your restraints, remember what happened before. We need to make sure that we are protected from your brutishness. Now then, raise your foot. Come on, do it or we shall do for you. Okay, grab his foot and mark it. There, that’s not so bad. Bring him forth, we need to find a suitable place for him, and make sure to find another. These beasts do not fare well solitarily. Oh, and make to go through the entire integration process. This beast will turn on else otherwise…”
With a jolt, Newman awakened. His breathing was erratic and his brain was still fresh with the voice of the man. Newman was fearful. His eyes darted around, seeing if there was anyone near who could have been talking to him. His eyes met back with the pole which had shocked him. He thought about the purpose of this pole being here, it still seemed strange.
“It would require somebody with intelligence to make this.” Newman thought to himself, “The symbol, the same person must have built this as the metallic bird. There must be humans here, but where.”
Newman walked along the front of the electricity’s arc, which had left a black meandering pathway way off into the distance. After walking a while, he found another metal pole, identical to the last one. The same symbol was marked on it. Newman thought about this finding for a moment, and then picked up a rock and threw it through past the pole on the other side of where the black trail ended. Another arc rushed through and closed its circuit on the symbol. Yet again, a black path was leading off deeper into the forest. Newman was perplexed. He didn’t know what to think of this. The whole situation seemed unreal. It was almost as if something had created a barrier to keep him within. There was no way to prove it though, but this anxiety would not leave him.
“No, this can’t be. It makes no sense. I cannot explain this, I can only infer. I cannot prove there is something else here because I cannot see it. I am here though, there must be a reason. I must’ve come to being here, all my memories are of this place. But the dream, where did that come from? Did that happen before, or was it simply my brain passing time.” Newman said to himself.
His anxiety brewed within him, and with a shot, he raced off back to the shelter at the creek. He thought that maybe she had found something equally as disturbing.
* * *
When Newman arrived back at the camp he noticed that Glory had not yet returned. His heart was racing from the running he had been doing as well as his continued anxiety. The thought that something was containing him frightened him to the core. Newman entered the shelter and knelt down ripping some flesh off of the deer he had brought down the previous day. Taking a bit of the warm and bloody uncooked meat, Newman tried to focus his mind elsewhere. He thought of Glory, and her shiny hair. She was quite lovely he thought, and with that he gradually became calmer.
Glory returned to find Newman still eating. She greeted him with a hello, knelt down to rip herself some meat, and sat next to Newman. The sound of raw meat being chewed filled the shelter, an almost crunchy sound. Glory starred at Newman for a minute, her eyes gently moving around his features. Newman saw this.
“What’s wrong” Newman asked.
“Nothing really” Glory responded, dropping her sight towards the ground, “Today, I found something strange in the forest.”
Newman tensed slightly, and then said, “What did you find? Did that metallic bird follow you?”
“Yes,” she said, “It stayed overhead for hours, following me. I found this pole, off over there,” she said point in that direction, “with a mark on it, just like God.”
“God?” Newman questioned.
“Yes, the metallic bird that hovered to us earlier, he spoke to me. Oh, he is quite nice. He told me that he brought us here so that we may be happy. He gave us each other so as to prevent us from being lonely.” She said.
“But wait,” Newman interrupted, “how did we come to be here? Did the metallic bird explain that? And why do those poles prevent me from crossing?”
“Oh, my love, God says you mustn’t cross the edge of our world. He says that those poles protect us from evil. He says we can stay here in him guardianship forever, isn’t that great? Oh love, I am so happy to finally understand why I am.” Glory said, “We can live here and have children, God says. In fact, he encouraged us to do so. He will keep us safe, Newman; we needn’t worry about our fates anymore.”
Newman just sat there and took in what she was saying. He had an uneasiness rising within him again. He felt something still didn’t seem right.
“How do you know he’s God? I mean, how does something like that hovering thing ever talk?” Newman questioned.
“Don’t question him Newman. He doesn’t take like to be questioned. I know he is God because of his power. I questioned and he set me right. In order to be safe, the poles are necessary. He says we would perish in the land that lies beyond.” Glory said.
The though occurred to Newman that life here with Glory may not be so bad. He had a definite affection for her; it seemed almost natural for him to feel so, but his thoughts grinded at the thought of this prohibition that had been laid out for them, and he thought of why it had to be this way.
“I don’t think I trust this God, his demands seem unorthodox. What lies in the other land that he doesn’t want us to see?” Newman said.
“You must obey his commands, Newman, or else he will punish you as he did me. Trust me, he is God, is power is amazing” Glory said.
“I’m unable to believe it, Glory. Those poles are meant to keep us in; I have a feeling of it.”
Glory starred at Newman in disbelief. She raised her hand and rested it on head as though to relieve a mental strain. Once again, night came and shrouded the forest in darkness once more, obscuring their vision. Glory tossed her meat back at the carcass and lied down. She was soon fast asleep, and Newman continued to gnaw at the piece of ligament that remained of his food. Throwing it aside, Newman went out of the shelter to take a drink from the creek. While knelt at the creek bed, Newman heard the whirl of metal. As he looked up, he saw the metallic bird hovering above him.
“Why do you question your maker, the man who was named Newman?” the metallic bird resonated, possessing a buzz for an accent.
Newman fixed his sight on the metal creature above him. He then spoke, “How did you make me, my supposed maker? Why is the land beyond the poles forbidden?”
The eye of the creature extended out and focused on Newman. Clanks, whirls, metal clicking into metal were the sounds coming from the metallic bird. Once more, the one who claimed to be God spoke, “Newman, you mustn’t question my wisdom. I gave you this land out of my kindness, and you repay me though doubt. Just be. There is plenty of land for you and Glory to live and perpetuate your species. Is that not the primary concern of any creature? Obey.”
Newman’s anxiety returned in full force, his breathing hastened. He thought to himself that he shouldn’t obey this thing and that this metallic bird was trying to use him for some unknown purpose. The voice of his dream came back to him, its haunting message clear resonated his brain, “Mark his foot…” Grasping his ankle, he pulled his foot up to see his sole. Marked on it were what appeared to be characters of some language he had never seen before?
“What are these marking on my foot? How did they get there? What is this place anyways and why do I feel like life’s memories are too short” Newman protested.
“VVFFGHCLICK, your questions are unacceptable. Stay still and prepare for your re-installment.”
Off in the distant sky Newman saw a series of bright lights approaching. His fear peaked, and he started to run. The metallic bird pursued, overtaking him with ease.
“Stop now. You must receive your re-installment.” The metallic bird buzzed.
“Never!” Newman said, picking up a large fallen limb near his feet.
The metallic bird now hovered upwards, moving out of Newman’s range. Newman stood there, his being focused on his adversary. The lights were getting closer. Newman turned and continued to run. The metallic bird kept up the chase. The ground foliage cracked underneath Newman’s feet. More buzz came from the sky. Newman ran faster. Suddenly, out of the trees came an opening, and off to Newman’s left another metal pole, the edge of their allowed world. His didn’t notice it in time, and again the arc shot through his body. Newman fell.
* * *
Newman woke up to find himself within a cage of bars. He stirred up and stood, looking around this prison. The space was barely big enough for him. Off in the distance, he heard some talking.
“I understand, but this is a business. And besides, first days make or break these exhibits. He is a liability.” The voice of a man said.
“True, sometimes these beasts have the strangest need to control their environment. Usually, though, they will obey power. Oh well, there are plenty were he came from. You should have another shipment in a few days. By the way, what should I do with that beast?” another male voice said.
“Terminate him. He is of no use for he does not obey.” The first voice said.
The sounds of footsteps approached from around the corner. Newman’s thoughts turned to his questions from earlier. The poles which kept him within; the symbol on the metallic which was also on the poles; the way the bird and these men called him a beast. His mind hit its limit, and he broke into tears.
“What am I to these people?”
The steps came closer and a figure of a creature formed in Newman’s sight. Its appearance was only somewhat human as his exposed skin of his face had an albino quality to it. It stopped before Newman’s cage, knelt down and looked at him. Newman was now visibly shaking.
Newman spoke, “Where am I, and why am I here?”
The nearly transparent creature laughed, and then said, “Well, you are quite far from where you originally came from, and why you are here is no longer important.”
“But why?” Newman pleaded, “I want to know.”
“There is no need anymore. Goodbye, beast named Newman” and with that, the creature drew a long blade from the inside of his jacket and thrust it into Newman’s chest. The force of the impact created the sound of cracking bone throughout the room. Pulling his blade back, the creature sheathed it and then walked away. Newman died.
yeah, I haven't titled it, but I will think of something...
Anyways, I was hoping that I could get some feeback on a short story that I wrote for my creative writing class. It is due tomorrow, and I just finished it a little while ago, so I think it is definetly going to need some editing. If any of you guys have some suggestions, feel free to voice them. If you have any opinions of this stories quality, don't hold back. I want to make sure that my story does not suck to much. This is the first writing of it and I have not done any editing outside of running spell and grammar check. I plan to work on editing it later, I just thought I would see what some people thought of it first before I did so.
and so, here it is,
A man was sleeping on the dirt near a slow moving creek. His body lied as though it was getting ready to be placed in a casket, his pale arms and legs pulled parallel to his body. The rhythm of his breathing mimicked that of the meandering creek, just fast and hard enough to be audible. Then, stirring out of his position, the man broke his sleep. His eyes shone red around the rims from excessive sleep, and the spec of a pupil in the middle of the brown iris was constricted by the light. He raised his hand to shield his glazed eyes and slowly stood upright. After he had done this, he searched his immediate surroundings with childlike curiosity.
He walked down to the creek shore and crouched down, looking inquisitively at the water as though he had never seen such a thing before. After several minutes of ponderous stares at the glassy water, he knelt lower and dipped his hands into it. The water had a bitter cold bite to the skin, and the man quickly released his hands, hollowing the profanity “dammit”. The man suddenly became shocked and his body went from pale to ghastly. He peered over the creek again, and noticed his reflection. His mind started to turn, he felt as though something had suddenly returned to him with no notice of it ever departing. Continuing to stare into the creek, the man realized that he was naked.
“Huh, what it that? What is naked?” he asked himself.
Once again, the man was taken aback by his own actions. He wondered what he was doing, these audible noises from himself. The initial shock was staring to lessen as he realized that these noises were speech, and that because he was human speech was possible. The man thought about this aspect of himself for a minute, words raced about his mind faster than he could grasp. Anxious confusion had set in and the man sat back down on a flat slab of granite near the creek bed. He rested, waiting for his maelstrom to subside. Gradually, the thoughts were becoming more understood to the man as he realized that these sounds helped him to think. He looked around once more at his surroundings, and began to note his surroundings according to his sounds.
“This place, it’s a forest.” He said to himself and extended his index finger to point, “There are so many cedars and pines, as far as I can see. I wonder where this forest ends.”
The man started again, arose from the slab and took a few steps around the area where he had awakened. Finding a large fallen limb still covered in green needles, he jammed it into the creek bed, hoping its size would be a guide back to here. With that, he left to go searching this peculiar forest he was in. He soon discovered that there were no clear paths to follow; this wooded area was entirely natural, with its trees randomly dispersed throughout. He walked. Several hours passed as he made his trek, learning along the way that the sky offered no waypoints for him to follow. Just straight blue, cloudless sky for miles was all that could be seen. The earth where he had been walking was starting a steep downhill gradient now, so much so that he slipped several times on the sheerest parts. He adjusted to crawling backwards on all fours, hoping that this may keep his balance. However, the grade became steeper still, and a false step had him rolling down the hill uncontrollably. With a crash into some blackberry bushes and the unforgiving thud against a granite boulder set within the ground inside it, the man groaned gripping the abrasion now bleeding on his left shoulder. He was cut all over from the blackberry bush, but nothing particularly serious. He struggled out of the bush and into the grassy valley where he had plummeted. An old scent, another renewal in the man, raised his nostrils.
Taking a deep breath, the man simply stated, “Wildflowers.” This field was covered in them, and a curious grass which had an almost turquoise color to it. Remembering his hunger, the man turned back around to the blackberry bush and ate. The sweetness of the berries turned his stomach at first, but his hunger would not be denied. Purple stains covered his mouth and teeth, his hands as well were not free from the staining due to his almost frantic grasping of entire braches at a time, simply running his oblong hands from base to end, grasping many berries at once. This hunger seemed almost unreal to the man’s thoughts, he tried to recollect the last time he had eaten. His mind was now fully cognitive, he finally remembered that those sounds he had made were words and that all of those words in his head were finally making sense to him. Yet, he still wondered why. How peculiar, he thought, that I have no knowledge of why he was this creature who spoke and if there are others like him. On this thought his attention was distracted by a moving figure.
He squinted his eyes as to improve his sight of this figure, and then the image cleared. Another was walking across the field and just crossed over the man’s visual center. The man filled with excitement and darted off into the field, striding through the tall wild grasses and flowers. The human in the distance was beginning to show detail of feature, lengths of goldenrod hairs wisped through the calm breeze. The body was now clearly naked as his, with a softness of form around the human edges. Hearing a repetition of crunching grass and heavy breaths, the figure turned about and looked upon the man. It was a woman, marked definite by the hills of her center stature, perfectly raised. She released a gasp and dropped to her knees, shivering with fear. The man stopped. It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts on this discovery. Another human was here, and this thought made him wonder if there were more still more yet.
Slowly opening his mouth, the man said, “Hello. Do you know why we are here, or how I am, or what this place is…?”
“I have no such answers! I have not the foggiest idea of why I am here. Do you not have any of the answers?” The woman replied.
“I was sleeping, and then I woke up and found myself in this place, this forest of which I have no previous knowledge. I don’t remember what came before my sleep, only that I must have come from somewhere else. This place feels so foreign.”
The woman starred at the man for a moment, and then said, “It’s the same for me, too. You woke in the forest, right?”
“Yes,” said the man as he started to point to the way he came, “from off yonder I came. Near a running creek I awoke. This seems somewhat new to me, I speak of it as though I understand, but these urges inside of me compelled me to search. I wanted to east so badly, and I happened upon a blackberry bush.”
“You mean the blackberry bush at the edge of the hill? I had just finished eating there a little while ago.” The woman said turning her head at the direction of the bush, “oh my, what happened to it?”
The man flushed when he realized the extent of the damage his fall had caused the bush. The woman took a long look at the man and noticed his several cuts and the large abrasion on his left shoulder which was now black with dirt.
“You destroyed my bush!” the woman screamed, charging at the man with her arms flailing, “it is the only food I’ve found around here. Damn you!”
“No, wait!” the man protested as he held up his arms to deflect her attacks, “that bush broke my fall and saved my life. I’m sure we can find more food if we search long enough. Just trust me.”
The woman stopped her assault and took a step back. She continued to eye the man with a noticeable distrust. Many minutes passed as the two human starred at one another, the man baffled by the woman’s brash irrationality. Yet, he could not deny that he desired to protect her, and at least make things right with the woman. He had after all been the cause of her current grievance.
The silence was broken when the woman spoke, “Still, even if we do find food, is there a point to continuing here. What is our purpose, and why I am even compelled to consider this idea.”
“I have the same questions running within my mind, but I must first tend to our survival.” The man said.
“Grrr, this is so confusing. I feel as if I have years of life I have lived and yet known nothing about. I couldn’t just pop into existence like this, it seems like it wouldn’t be so.”
“Quite down please. I said we can talk about that later, but first we need food. Water would be good to. And that other necessity that protects us from the elements…”
“A shelter, that’s what else we need.” The woman replied.
“Right, come on, let’s go. Follow me.” The man said.
Off towards the direction whence he came, the man and the woman began to walk back into the forest.
* * *
Night had replaced day in almost an instant. The blue had given way to the soft luminescence of the several small dots of lights. The man remembered the name for this, yet these starts lacked the luster he felt they ought to have. Day had returned just as quickly as night began, and in a few seconds the blackish sky brightened the brilliant azure as before. The man and woman had returned to the spot where he had awakened, the waypoint he had laid out still present in the cold creek. Before the sudden darkness, the man and woman had worked for hours breaking low lying limbs off of the cedars and pines. They had constructed a simple structure, using the edge of a granite boulder that looked like a miniature cliff as it stuck at a diagonal towards the sky, to rest the limbs against. Its appearance was that of half a pup tent. Wet silt and clay from the ground had been applied to help hold the many limbs together. When the two lost humans awoke, they found their structure to have proven its utility.
The man exited the shelter first and walked over to the creek. Cupping his hands, he scooped to frigid water up and splashed it on his face, the icy water feeling as an elixir for his sleep crusted eyes. The woman joined him in this washing. While the two of them bathed, the man noticed that the sky had a difference today. Far off in the distance, the flickering of a sharp light was pulsating. The man thought it a curious sight.
“Look there,” the man said, “it appears to be a daytime star. That wasn’t there yesterday.”
The woman looked at it, “a daytime star, I wonder if it has a name.”
“A name, well, since this entire land seems a mystery to us and nobody else is here but us. The star’s name is unknown. I think a more important question is what our names are?” the man said.
The woman looked perplexed, “I don’t know if I ever had a name. As I was saying yesterday when we first met, I do not remember anything past yesterday or before I woke up. I am surprised in my existence.”
“I too do not know my name, but we can make new ones for ourselves. I’m sure we can come up with something.” The man said.
“Names…I heard a few called up in my dreams lasts last night.” The woman said.
The man focused his attention, “what dreams?”
“Last night, I dreamt of a place now that I vaguely remember, but this place had the appearance of a large room of some sort with multiple steel surfaces on the walls, floors, doors,” the woman started.
“But were there any people in your dream?” the man interrupted.
“Yeah, but the seemed to be leading me into one of the rooms marked with a large blue symbol. As for the meaning of the symbol I haven’t a clue, but I was looked inside this room, and then I woke up.” The woman said.
“What did the symbol look like?” the man asked, “Did you at least get a good image of it in your head.”
“A large circle with three progressively larger ovals from the top to the middle of the large circle, and three lines with perpendicular lines through them, there was more too but I can’t remember. I was so intricate.”
The man thought of the circle for a minute, but quickly let it pass. “Hmm, I don’t know anything of it. You should draw it later, but let’s try to name ourselves now.”
“But I know of no names,” the woman responded.
“Well,” the man said while gathering his thoughts. He noticed that she was still starring at the daylight star, and her hair caught his attention, shinning glorious against the strange light of day. “Glory, that's what I shall call you.”
“Glory, yes, that’s nice,” the woman said, “and I shall call you Newman, is that okay? I mean, well both of us have no knowledge of why we are here, we are both new to existence.”
“Yes, that suits. I guess that I am a new man, and your hair catches the glory of day, it’s quite beautiful,” the man said.
The woman simply blushed. The feeling to her seemed faint and distant, but still elusive; what was this feeling of awkwardness. Both of them felt it, alone in the middle of an unknown land, no other humans seemed to live here, just the birds drifting overhead, the periodic rustle of brush of in the distance in all directions sent the message that other creature roamed this land. It seemed to speak to them, and told them that the creatures of this land perpetuated themselves. A rush in the creek water had caught the attention of Glory and Newman; a school of tadpoles were rushing downstream. Life gave birth to life; Newman found this an odd thought at first. His gut was still telling him something was off about this place of light with no source. His gut proved it can only be a skeptic, but offered no answers.
The bright distant star abruptly moved towards Glory and Newman, the sight brought both of them to their feet. The light had begun to take form. It looked like a bird of metal, with triangular protrusions sticking from its sides. This thing picked up speed and created a deafening buzz as it approached. Glory became frightened and dropped to her knees, grasping Newman’s leg. Newman watched in curiosity as this metallic bird gradually slowed to a hover above their heads. What had created the bright light off in the sky was apparent now; a large glass lens attached to a black tube extended and focused on the two humans. Glory continued to shiver in fear, Newman started to become apprehensive. The machine floated over to their shelter and around it, coming back to them. Then Glory noticed something marked on the belly of the machine.
“New-man, look,” she said pointing at the flat underside, “the symbol.”
Decaled upon its underside, the large circle, as Glory had said, possessed three oblong ovals from top to the middle, and three straight lines which ran from the top to the bottom. From the base of the larger oblong oval to the bottom of the main circle short lines were bisecting the straight lines. Newman gazed upon it; something not far oft seemed to return to his mind. The metallic bird hovered and continued to make small adjustments to its eye, occasionally moving a little of to the sides. This had been going for a few minutes, and Glory’s initial fear subsided. She leaped up and walked towards the metallic bird, which in kind moved slightly upward.
“What do you suppose it is?” Glory said, “That symbol I dreamt is on its belly, it’s curious.”
“Yes, but I still, is that thing alive? It doesn’t seem like any animal.” Newman said.
“No, its body, I believe the word to describe it is steel. It looks like a machine, some artificial creation, but never have I seen such a thing.”
“Why do you suppose it is interested in us? Is this someone’s?” The man asked.
“Maybe, we should go exploring again Newman, and see if we can find anyone else.” Glory said.
“Okay, but we should stick together.” Newman said.
“No, we will make more progress if we search different areas.” Glory replied.
“Fine, but this thing is giving me an eerie feeling.” Newman said.
“Let’s just go.” And with that, Glory skipped off into the woods, saying nothing more.
The metallic bird followed her path, and Newman was relieved that at least this strange creature was not starring him down anymore. With that, Newman started to walk in a direction that he had yet to explore.
* * *
Newman’s walk found nothing new except more of the same forest foliage. He did discover another open field much like the one where he had found Glory, but after what seemed like several hours of aimless searching, no other humans were in sight. Newman decided to rest, and sat upon a massive granite boulder in the valley he happened to find. Resting his head in his hands, he drifted in and out of thought. His eyes were half closed and starring off towards the next rising slope at the edge of the forest. His eyes scanned the inclines, wondering which hill would be easiest to tackle. It was then that his eye caught an odd sight. He rose up to get a better look; it was a metal pole sticking straight out of the ground. Hoping off the boulder and running up the hill, Newman’s mind thought of how to objects of metal had been placed here, there still was no sight of any humans. Slowing down as he approached the pole, he noticed the same symbol that was on the metallic bird, although it was proportionally smaller to fit on the pole. This pole stood higher than Newman, and tapered off to a point near its final inches. Newman stepped towards the pole cautiously, not sure what to make off it. He then reached out his hand and touched it; a warm pulse crept through his body. Newman released his hand and stepped back.
“That’s weird. I’ve never felt such a thing before”
We walked towards the pole, but as he was half way around it, a large bolt of power suddenly sparked coming from away and arching on the poles top end. The sure of electricity rendered Newman unconscious. He slept.
“Newman, what are you doing near the edge of the world? Come now, let’s prepare you for reentry. No, we cannot remove your restraints, remember what happened before. We need to make sure that we are protected from your brutishness. Now then, raise your foot. Come on, do it or we shall do for you. Okay, grab his foot and mark it. There, that’s not so bad. Bring him forth, we need to find a suitable place for him, and make sure to find another. These beasts do not fare well solitarily. Oh, and make to go through the entire integration process. This beast will turn on else otherwise…”
With a jolt, Newman awakened. His breathing was erratic and his brain was still fresh with the voice of the man. Newman was fearful. His eyes darted around, seeing if there was anyone near who could have been talking to him. His eyes met back with the pole which had shocked him. He thought about the purpose of this pole being here, it still seemed strange.
“It would require somebody with intelligence to make this.” Newman thought to himself, “The symbol, the same person must have built this as the metallic bird. There must be humans here, but where.”
Newman walked along the front of the electricity’s arc, which had left a black meandering pathway way off into the distance. After walking a while, he found another metal pole, identical to the last one. The same symbol was marked on it. Newman thought about this finding for a moment, and then picked up a rock and threw it through past the pole on the other side of where the black trail ended. Another arc rushed through and closed its circuit on the symbol. Yet again, a black path was leading off deeper into the forest. Newman was perplexed. He didn’t know what to think of this. The whole situation seemed unreal. It was almost as if something had created a barrier to keep him within. There was no way to prove it though, but this anxiety would not leave him.
“No, this can’t be. It makes no sense. I cannot explain this, I can only infer. I cannot prove there is something else here because I cannot see it. I am here though, there must be a reason. I must’ve come to being here, all my memories are of this place. But the dream, where did that come from? Did that happen before, or was it simply my brain passing time.” Newman said to himself.
His anxiety brewed within him, and with a shot, he raced off back to the shelter at the creek. He thought that maybe she had found something equally as disturbing.
* * *
When Newman arrived back at the camp he noticed that Glory had not yet returned. His heart was racing from the running he had been doing as well as his continued anxiety. The thought that something was containing him frightened him to the core. Newman entered the shelter and knelt down ripping some flesh off of the deer he had brought down the previous day. Taking a bit of the warm and bloody uncooked meat, Newman tried to focus his mind elsewhere. He thought of Glory, and her shiny hair. She was quite lovely he thought, and with that he gradually became calmer.
Glory returned to find Newman still eating. She greeted him with a hello, knelt down to rip herself some meat, and sat next to Newman. The sound of raw meat being chewed filled the shelter, an almost crunchy sound. Glory starred at Newman for a minute, her eyes gently moving around his features. Newman saw this.
“What’s wrong” Newman asked.
“Nothing really” Glory responded, dropping her sight towards the ground, “Today, I found something strange in the forest.”
Newman tensed slightly, and then said, “What did you find? Did that metallic bird follow you?”
“Yes,” she said, “It stayed overhead for hours, following me. I found this pole, off over there,” she said point in that direction, “with a mark on it, just like God.”
“God?” Newman questioned.
“Yes, the metallic bird that hovered to us earlier, he spoke to me. Oh, he is quite nice. He told me that he brought us here so that we may be happy. He gave us each other so as to prevent us from being lonely.” She said.
“But wait,” Newman interrupted, “how did we come to be here? Did the metallic bird explain that? And why do those poles prevent me from crossing?”
“Oh, my love, God says you mustn’t cross the edge of our world. He says that those poles protect us from evil. He says we can stay here in him guardianship forever, isn’t that great? Oh love, I am so happy to finally understand why I am.” Glory said, “We can live here and have children, God says. In fact, he encouraged us to do so. He will keep us safe, Newman; we needn’t worry about our fates anymore.”
Newman just sat there and took in what she was saying. He had an uneasiness rising within him again. He felt something still didn’t seem right.
“How do you know he’s God? I mean, how does something like that hovering thing ever talk?” Newman questioned.
“Don’t question him Newman. He doesn’t take like to be questioned. I know he is God because of his power. I questioned and he set me right. In order to be safe, the poles are necessary. He says we would perish in the land that lies beyond.” Glory said.
The though occurred to Newman that life here with Glory may not be so bad. He had a definite affection for her; it seemed almost natural for him to feel so, but his thoughts grinded at the thought of this prohibition that had been laid out for them, and he thought of why it had to be this way.
“I don’t think I trust this God, his demands seem unorthodox. What lies in the other land that he doesn’t want us to see?” Newman said.
“You must obey his commands, Newman, or else he will punish you as he did me. Trust me, he is God, is power is amazing” Glory said.
“I’m unable to believe it, Glory. Those poles are meant to keep us in; I have a feeling of it.”
Glory starred at Newman in disbelief. She raised her hand and rested it on head as though to relieve a mental strain. Once again, night came and shrouded the forest in darkness once more, obscuring their vision. Glory tossed her meat back at the carcass and lied down. She was soon fast asleep, and Newman continued to gnaw at the piece of ligament that remained of his food. Throwing it aside, Newman went out of the shelter to take a drink from the creek. While knelt at the creek bed, Newman heard the whirl of metal. As he looked up, he saw the metallic bird hovering above him.
“Why do you question your maker, the man who was named Newman?” the metallic bird resonated, possessing a buzz for an accent.
Newman fixed his sight on the metal creature above him. He then spoke, “How did you make me, my supposed maker? Why is the land beyond the poles forbidden?”
The eye of the creature extended out and focused on Newman. Clanks, whirls, metal clicking into metal were the sounds coming from the metallic bird. Once more, the one who claimed to be God spoke, “Newman, you mustn’t question my wisdom. I gave you this land out of my kindness, and you repay me though doubt. Just be. There is plenty of land for you and Glory to live and perpetuate your species. Is that not the primary concern of any creature? Obey.”
Newman’s anxiety returned in full force, his breathing hastened. He thought to himself that he shouldn’t obey this thing and that this metallic bird was trying to use him for some unknown purpose. The voice of his dream came back to him, its haunting message clear resonated his brain, “Mark his foot…” Grasping his ankle, he pulled his foot up to see his sole. Marked on it were what appeared to be characters of some language he had never seen before?
“What are these marking on my foot? How did they get there? What is this place anyways and why do I feel like life’s memories are too short” Newman protested.
“VVFFGHCLICK, your questions are unacceptable. Stay still and prepare for your re-installment.”
Off in the distant sky Newman saw a series of bright lights approaching. His fear peaked, and he started to run. The metallic bird pursued, overtaking him with ease.
“Stop now. You must receive your re-installment.” The metallic bird buzzed.
“Never!” Newman said, picking up a large fallen limb near his feet.
The metallic bird now hovered upwards, moving out of Newman’s range. Newman stood there, his being focused on his adversary. The lights were getting closer. Newman turned and continued to run. The metallic bird kept up the chase. The ground foliage cracked underneath Newman’s feet. More buzz came from the sky. Newman ran faster. Suddenly, out of the trees came an opening, and off to Newman’s left another metal pole, the edge of their allowed world. His didn’t notice it in time, and again the arc shot through his body. Newman fell.
* * *
Newman woke up to find himself within a cage of bars. He stirred up and stood, looking around this prison. The space was barely big enough for him. Off in the distance, he heard some talking.
“I understand, but this is a business. And besides, first days make or break these exhibits. He is a liability.” The voice of a man said.
“True, sometimes these beasts have the strangest need to control their environment. Usually, though, they will obey power. Oh well, there are plenty were he came from. You should have another shipment in a few days. By the way, what should I do with that beast?” another male voice said.
“Terminate him. He is of no use for he does not obey.” The first voice said.
The sounds of footsteps approached from around the corner. Newman’s thoughts turned to his questions from earlier. The poles which kept him within; the symbol on the metallic which was also on the poles; the way the bird and these men called him a beast. His mind hit its limit, and he broke into tears.
“What am I to these people?”
The steps came closer and a figure of a creature formed in Newman’s sight. Its appearance was only somewhat human as his exposed skin of his face had an albino quality to it. It stopped before Newman’s cage, knelt down and looked at him. Newman was now visibly shaking.
Newman spoke, “Where am I, and why am I here?”
The nearly transparent creature laughed, and then said, “Well, you are quite far from where you originally came from, and why you are here is no longer important.”
“But why?” Newman pleaded, “I want to know.”
“There is no need anymore. Goodbye, beast named Newman” and with that, the creature drew a long blade from the inside of his jacket and thrust it into Newman’s chest. The force of the impact created the sound of cracking bone throughout the room. Pulling his blade back, the creature sheathed it and then walked away. Newman died.
yeah, I haven't titled it, but I will think of something...