Chain Story 1
The Steel Balance
Download!Telephone Story 1
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Download!Randolf’s feet were beginning to burn, and the piano was getting heavier by the second.
"The thing must weigh a tonne!", he thought. While he was trying to rope it down through the window as silently as possible, he was thinking how awfully inconvenient the old man welded the safe to it. He was thanking the heavens, that the thing was not life size, but cursing them at the same time for the steel that it was made of. Well, it's just like the old bastard, making himself a steel piano. He was a steel magnate, after all.
Randolph was exhausted by the time he roped it half way through, and the only thing preventing him from letting it fall down was the racket it was bound to make; and racket was an ideal reason for anyone to come investigate his very illegal doings tonight. He was forcing himself no to think about the money. but he wasn't very successful. The sheer amount of it, sitting in the safe, was completely outstanding... and then the rope broke.
Sisyphus was punished for his crimes with pushing a boulder up and down in eternity. Prometheus has his forever regenerating liver perpetually devoured by an eagle. On Atlas’ shoulders the gods have dropped the whole sky to hold. But for me Zeus had a particularly devious concept in mind. He ordered me chained and the other end of the lengthy chain attached to a steel net holding up hordes of trophies from my past conquests in battle. Then the god’s minions have carefully balanced the net with its contents right on the edge of a great chasm – in such a manner that I’m unable to pull that dead weight up. Instead I’m forced to invest all my strength and focus just so that it doesn’t fall pulling me down with it.
I have no idea where I am (Tartarus?), how long I’ve been in this state, or even if I’m alive or not. I just remember Zeus’ last words “You really don’t want to fall in there – there is no coming back.” Bastard knew I’ll torment myself endlessly pondering if I should try that after all. I can’t really just go nearer the chasm to peek what’s awaiting me below.
It had been a sunny day, and now, the early night was ever so nice as well. The whole city had been full of people, suddenly everyone was wearing short shorts and cap-hats, swarming around beaches and ice-cream stalls. And finally, when Randolf thought he'd have all the time in the world to work his way privately, for some reason the whole street was full of people regardless of the hour.
Somehow he had managed to disguise himself as a moving man, lifting up heavy things. No-one knew who they belonged to, all passers-by just minded their own business as they do in the city. But when a huge piano with a metal safe attached to it approached from the above, suddenly it was everyone's business. Randolf didn't have time to think, he couldn't yell. He just froze. The planks on the floor gave a creak. It seemed like forever, watching the huge instrument get smaller and smaller, then finally flatten on the pavement and break into thousand little pieces, it didn't even make a sound. Or was it just Randolf's imagination?
Up on the top floor everything seemed quiet and unreal. But as he reached ground level he realised he had scored a bull's eye.
Instead I tried to gain ground, each day a little more. It felt as if I already gained a few steps, a few steps further from the never ending hole of what I can only assume to contain never ending misery. But it could all just be my imagination; in the end it is the uncertainty that breaks me. At some times I felt like closing my eyes and just let it all go; but in the end I could not go through with it. I am not a quitter, which is what brought me into this mess in the first place. And now I am playing the game of the gods… forever… Well, now I think about it, it is a game that can not be won… I close my eyes.
Every time I close my eyes I hear music. I see a piano it floats in de sky and the keys play by themselves. It is always the same tune, yet if I open my eyes, I forget about it again. The piano in the sky, it is what reminds me, reminds me not to give up. I try to memorize the song now; it goes like this.
He had instantly hit the proprietor of said piano and safe combo. This was not a very good situation to conduct an illegal act. And there they were! Just when you thought the police was a sham in this country, they arrived just in time to start accusing people of both theft and murder. And by “people”, they would eventually come to mean “Randolf” if he didn’t get himself out of there. Thankfully, he knew that his partner, Harry was waiting just a few streets away, behind the wheel of a conveniently running black 1954 Corvette.
As he was thinking about that beautiful car, his daydreaming was rather rudely interrupted by policemen running up the stairs and banging down doors. The sirens weren’t very nice, either. So it was time to act! Randolf ran up to the roof exit and peered over the apartment buildings. He then proceeded to make his way across the top of said blocks towards 32nd Street and in an alleyway there was his partner in crime. Since his mind was poisoned with adrenaline, he decided that taking the stairs down was clearly not worthy of the Superman he most definitely was.
So he jumped…
…onto a dumpster…
…and broke his legs.
It’s amazing what some thought can do. Thankfully, Harry was awakened by the horrid screams of his partner damaging himself and carried him to the car. And onward they drove out of the city!
The song begins with the grandeur of a thousand orchestras. It conjures images of men who live by the sword: strong, noble, heroic. Much like my former self. Imagine an ensemble of angels. Then you won’t be too far from understanding how beautiful it is.
But then it becomes sullen. The grandeur is lost, and instead there’s a melody as heavy as my chains. It is dark, and strained. It reminds me of the sweat which cascades down my back.
I’d been building up to it for thousands of years. I didn’t think I was a quitter. But I am. In the end, the music drove me to it. Zeus was taunting me. He was clever; as the God of Gods he had to be. I was more scared of being there for eternity. So I just let go. All it took was the first moment’s rest in a thousand years. Into the abyss I fell, down through the black vortex. But it was the best feeling in the multiverse! I was at last free from my eternal toils! The gates of Atlantis were just a pinpoint of white above me! I had no care where I would end up!
Note: Multiverse is a word, whatever Word may say =D
As the Corvette hit the freeway heading out of the city, Randolf's broken legs were leaving a gingerbread trail of blood for the police to follow. Harry knew if the pair were to catch their ferry off the mainland, they would have to patch Randolf's legs up, and quick. Driving way beyond the speed limit, they were soon off the freeway and zipping through small towns on far bumpier rural roads when Harry spotted a potential solution to their problems. In the distance, lit by tacky neon lights, stood an open all hours Veterinary Hospital. It wasn't ideal, but it would have sufficient supplies to fix Randolf up long enough for the pair to make their daring escape.
Harry hopped out of the car, leaving the engine running so they could make a quick exit, and ran into the vets. While Harry did his best to persuade staff that he did in fact require all the medical supplies he could think of, he heard the unmistakable roar of the Corvette.
Randolf was ditching Harry, leaving him with a pool of blood to explain to the ever approaching police.
I stepped into the gate, I dived into white light. As I gained back consisniess [whoever that is spelled!], I first noticed the ground. It was hard and black, and somebody had apparently started a painting on it and had sketched out his work in form of white stripes. I kneeled down and touched it – hey, this must be asphalt, the magical element the wise men told me about! But then - I was so busy with the environment that I didn’t see the red carriage drive towards me.
As it hit me, my body was filled with pain. Was this what Zeus had planned? I shivered.
“Hey mate, watcha doin’ on ye street, and why are ye dressed like olden Brian?” a man in a blue uniform asked me. There was also a civilian standing next to where I lay.
“I’m fine, thanks”, I replied. The uniform guy with told me in his odd language “Fine… but I hope ye don’t run over ye street again, mate! ‘Tis dangerous in ‘is part of olde Dublin…”
Dublin? What was that? Did he mean Dublon? But what by Chronos was Dublon…?
As he left, the civilian looked up to me… his face changed. He grinned bastardly, and everything was tinted red. “Welcome to your hell, Tartarus”, he spoke.
And so he opened his Toga and defecated over me.
Harry realised quickly what had occurred, and made a run for the door, only to spot several flashing lights pulling up out front. Panicking he dashed for a back door but couldn’t find it, and was distracted by a rather dark looking closet with shelves. The bottom shelf looked slightly too small for someone to hide in, making it easy for the eye to wander past it when looking for someone.
Jumping into the lowest section of shelving, Harry curled himself into a tight ball and squeezed his way in. Using a free hand he managed to grasp the door and pull it shut, securing himself in his tiny space. ‘Finally,’ Harry thought as he heard police boots trample past him, ‘Finally I get the break I deserve, sure is hard to breath though…”
Randolf felt bad for Harry. Not a huge amount though, otherwise he wouldn’t have left in the first place, but bad enough to be noticed. He wasn’t sure why he felt so bad.
Harry was always the intended fall guy, but things had gone a little differently than planned, and Randolfs own readiness to abandon his partner in crime surprised even himself.
I ran away, as far as I could. No goal in sight, I had to get out of there.
A house appeared and I entered. It was a rather large mansion. And it looked like it had been empty for ages. “Excellent” I told myself, “I’ll be safe here.”
First things first, I had to wash the stench off of me. Down a corridor I found a bathroom. I entered and started to wash myself off. I savored this moment, the feeling of washing of my face was a pleasure I had taken for granted. Now it was the greatest feeling in the world.
I looked myself in the mirror. My face was looking worn down. “No wonder” I chuckled.
Then my face got distorted. My ears started to grow far larger then normal. Then my nose and jaw started to grow. I touched my face to feel it, but it felt normal. This was happening inside of the mirror! As I came to this conclusion I noticed what my mirror image had become.
It was a horse, standing there, staring at me. It said “Did you really think you could escape” and ran through the mirror straight for me.
What surprised him even more was his timing- He probably should’ve waited until after Harry’d gotten him the supplies for his legs. Oh well. He’d just find somewhere else.
BLAM! Shaking his head back to reality, he realised he’d just slammed into a pedestrian. The box she’d been carrying flung open, and with a sound like a hatchet to the chrome, a small dog smashed into the hood of the car.
Horrified, he belatedly swerved, hitting another passer-by. Speeding up, he soon heard the shrieking of sirens again. He headed into a dust-cloud up ahead.
The inside of the closet felt coldly metallic. Something was poking Harry in the back. With some difficulty, he reached around and got a piece. Even in the low light, he saw it was a wad of €500s. There were piles behind him! If only the damned footsteps would stop, he could escape rich. At one point, very close, he heard someone playing “Ode to Joy”.
This was much before he had the distinct sensation of falling.
Harry had emerged from the dark cloud to find himself…not in the car- In a busy street, wearing an expensive suit. Looking up, the last thing he ever saw was a huge metallic piano-safe hurtling towards his head.
The steel magnate stepped out of the dark closet and smiled.
And suddenly everything changed. Everything distorted again. It was really hard to realize whether I was dreaming or I was hallucinating. Point is I wasn't liking the experience.
I seemed to be naked. Naked in the most nude way possible. And there I stood, having this bloody feeling some sadist bastard was watching all this time, and probably having a good time, in my expense.
My feelings felt violated and abused. It was pitch black all around me, but eyes slowly were beginning to adjust to the moonlight. I was in the middle of a forest, with absolutely no idea what events preceded and got me there, or any other logical explanation behind that fact. And then it struck.
I heard the sound of a church's bell hit. I ran like hell towards the north, where I assumed the church was according to my -still dizzy- senses. The forest was slowly fading away the more I ran towards the church. The same thing happened to all the sounds surrounding and all that was left were my breath and my heartbeat to accompany me.
Behind the screen of glass and in front of the large wall-mounted monitor, the men in the white labcoats smiled as well. "You see... we've been putting your generous donations to good use. The device is fully functional, as promised." Their leader said, turning halfway around to a very pale steel magnat. "Was that... me?" He whispered, staring at the now dark screen through wide eyes.
The doctor nodded patiently. "It appears that those hallucinatory episodes are more dreamlike than we thought... environmental influences, odd inconsistencies... have you noticed how he managed to drive a car with a broken leg? And the perspective shifts? This glance into Harry van Randolph's mind certainly taught us a lot." He turned around to the appearantly comatose man strapped to the chair on the other side of the glass screen... taking a second to admire the tangle of wires attached to the poor man's head. "What exactly is going on when he yells 'I'm sorry, Harry!', for example."
And as I fervorly ran to the church, a sudden whiteness came over me, blinding me instantly. "ZEUS!", I screamed, while clawing at my now useless eyes. The whiteness, somehow pinpointed itself to a point moving from my right eye to the left one. I heard a voice: "Pupils are reacting!" Funny, the voice was full of joy.
And then I remembered. I took off the dream inducing helmet, thanked the four doctors and pocketed my five hundred. I mean, us poor students have to manage somehow. I strolled with a smile, exiting the laboratory and heading off to the "blood donation for money" foundation. As I was crossing the university park I saw my sister, naked, running towards a crowd. The rain started falling, and I wondered what kind of mess did she get herself in to now.