A Secret Languag of Seashells and Glass
By Lucidscreamer
begun: 10-1-2015
COMPLETED: 10/6/2018
NOTE: This is an experiment. A sequence of 100 word drabbles paired with prose poems of varying lengths. The final chapter is a ficlet and a very short poem.
(1)
Yami's life feels half lived, deferred with the promise of "someday."
Someday, when...
...school's done.
...he's twenty-one.
...he's his own man, out from under his uncle's thumb.
"Someday's" finally today. The will's conditions are met, and, Akhnadin be damned, Yami's future is clear.
Today, Yami celebrates his birthday (his freedom). Today, his whole life begins.
But "today" drowns in heated exchanges and cold glances, culminating in Akhnadin's shark-smile as Yami sails toward an unwanted party on the family yacht.
When the stars rise, the night explodes. Flame-filled tides rip "someday" away-
-and Yami crashes into a sea of "never."
o0o
Hungry with greed, you stole this dirty gold, Uncle, and I hope you choke on it. Money meant more to you than your brother's life, your son's compassion, your nephew's love. I'll not delude myself that any of those things mattered to you; any accounting of your conscience would find only sick joy in your actions. You've filled your coffers and emptied my heart. Once, I would have loved you with all a child's innocence, seeing only blood between us. Now, my heart is hollow, and yours is the hand that bloodied the knife. They say the sea is cold, but betrayal is colder; you only ever put your arm around me to better drive the knife in deeper. If I must, I'd rather meet my end in this bloodied ocean than endure another day in your "care." The sea's cold embrace is warmer than any emotion I've ever had from you.