Re: Here comes the candle [7/11]
anonymous
October 4 2009, 10:13:29 UTC
They gave him work as a state. ‘They’ being the formless, nameless spectres Arthur never saw or had any contact with other than through Alfred. The workload itself was nothing compared to that of a nation but it helped keep the boredom at bay on those multiple occasions when Alfred was gone.
The seasons passed as usual. The world cruelly continued its passage through time, though to Arthur it seemed as if he were a hapless spectator to its journey rather than a participant struggling against the flow.
“How was the meeting?”
“Boring,” Alfred shrugged, draping his coat over the side of the table.
Arthur did not smile but he did not feel the urge to strangle Alfred as he would have previously done.
“I made you dinner,” he said. “Since you’ve been having nothing but burgers lately, it’s all vegetarian. Eat it.”
XX
“Yo, Arthur!”
“What?” Arthur looked up irritably at a beaming Alfred. After countless years of sharing the same breathing space, he had long since learnt that Alfred’s happiness was directly proportional to the size of his headache.
Currently, Alfred was standing with his fifty-one star flag draped over his hand, covering something suspicious.
Amused by the tiniest hint of curiosity in Arthur’s eyes, Alfred gripped the flag with his other hand and whipped it off with a flourish.
“A present! I figured you might get lonely when I’m not around!” he announced proudly.
A tiny yellow-orange lovebird hopped from perch to perch in its steel cage, twittering sweetly. Arthur tilted his head for a better look. He was not sure whether to smile at his caged comrade or pity it but, either way, he did not think that he could find the strength to let it go.
Oblivious to his thoughts, Alfred pushed the age into his arms. The gesture was full of such good intent that Arthur winced slightly.
“It’s been fifty years since the merger. It’s our anniversary so let’s celebrate!”
Fifty years? Had it really been that long? But then again centuries passed like seconds for them.
“Why do I have to celebrate something depressing like that?” Arthur his head turned away stubbornly.
“Come on. Just once, won’t you wear it with pride?” Alfred held up the flag as he would a coat for him to try on. Soft syllables escaped from his mouth and melted like bubbles.
Arthur smiled.
“Alright. For you.”
The words sounded pleasant on his tongue. It sounded like a pretty little lie.
The seasons passed as usual. The world cruelly continued its passage through time, though to Arthur it seemed as if he were a hapless spectator to its journey rather than a participant struggling against the flow.
“How was the meeting?”
“Boring,” Alfred shrugged, draping his coat over the side of the table.
Arthur did not smile but he did not feel the urge to strangle Alfred as he would have previously done.
“I made you dinner,” he said. “Since you’ve been having nothing but burgers lately, it’s all vegetarian. Eat it.”
XX
“Yo, Arthur!”
“What?” Arthur looked up irritably at a beaming Alfred. After countless years of sharing the same breathing space, he had long since learnt that Alfred’s happiness was directly proportional to the size of his headache.
Currently, Alfred was standing with his fifty-one star flag draped over his hand, covering something suspicious.
Amused by the tiniest hint of curiosity in Arthur’s eyes, Alfred gripped the flag with his other hand and whipped it off with a flourish.
“A present! I figured you might get lonely when I’m not around!” he announced proudly.
A tiny yellow-orange lovebird hopped from perch to perch in its steel cage, twittering sweetly. Arthur tilted his head for a better look. He was not sure whether to smile at his caged comrade or pity it but, either way, he did not think that he could find the strength to let it go.
Oblivious to his thoughts, Alfred pushed the age into his arms. The gesture was full of such good intent that Arthur winced slightly.
“It’s been fifty years since the merger. It’s our anniversary so let’s celebrate!”
Fifty years? Had it really been that long? But then again centuries passed like seconds for them.
“Why do I have to celebrate something depressing like that?” Arthur his head turned away stubbornly.
“Come on. Just once, won’t you wear it with pride?” Alfred held up the flag as he would a coat for him to try on. Soft syllables escaped from his mouth and melted like bubbles.
Arthur smiled.
“Alright. For you.”
The words sounded pleasant on his tongue. It sounded like a pretty little lie.
For you.
XX
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