Carys Tavener

Through the dark gates of Arkham Asylum

Through the dark and haunting gates of Arkham Asylum a dark and haunting cape is dragged along the cold floor. A cape and mask used to hide the identity of a justice seeking face but also to bring hope to the weak and innocent and strike fear into the hearts of the bad. Over the years it has proved successful as every villain's heart is pierced with the symbol of the bat.

The Batman's cape is dragged along the cold, metallic floors of the house for the criminally insane and stops outside a thick, heavy cell door of an old foe. One foe whose heart has been pierced, but not necessarily by the bat. His symbolic mask leaves but two holes for his deadly serious eyes to glare out of; eyes that immediately demand the guards to open the door…and lock it behind him. The guards nod their heads vigorously and push the rusty key into the lock, open the door and slam it behind the Batman.

After a click of the lock's securing mechanism there is utter silence in the pitch darkness.

"Lights!" The batman shouts but still keeping focused.

"Oh right sorry sir!" The guards stutter and with one flick the room is filled with a sickly white glow.

Straight ahead of him is an old grey table with two un-inviting chairs at either end. Sitting on the left chair is a shadowy character whose short hair flicks out wildly in different directions, he is wearing and orange prison overall and his hands are the only part of his body visible in the light which is hanging above the table. Hands that are stained a pale white colour and dealing a pack of old, torn cards. He places one card down with its picture facing up however his hand remains rested on top. He finally moves it away to reveal a joker card.

"Joker we need to…" The batman starts

"Where are your manners Batman? After all these years…"

The Joker says, leaning forward into the light to reveal his blood red smile and wild green hair and he raises a hand towards the opposite seat.

"Take a seat."

The Batman's eyes glare but have no effect so he slowly and carefully sits in the seat opposite.

"Look, no one knows who you are or where you came from. If you tell us we might be able to help you."

"Help me? My dear man I'm as fit as a fiddle! This is more like a second home for me, a get away place! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

The Batman stays serious and just stares into the Joker's crying eyes.

"This is no laughing matter clown!" The Batman roars and thumps his clenched fist down onto the table in anger.

The Joker stops laughing and slowly rolls his eyes straight into the Batman's.

"Too many people have fallen into your murderous clutches women, children. Do you even remember your original life?"

The words women and children circled the madman's mind. They spun ferociously digging into his memory but he kept the clown smile staring at the bat. The Batman noticed his sudden silence and decided to continue.

"You had a life before all this murder before all this anger and I think you remember."

Inside the Joker's head the haunting words found their deeply buried treasure and tore it open causing bursts of pictures and motions to continue to whirl around his head. Yet his smile remained fixed as it always has.

"I think those memories are still in their Joker you just have to let them out!"

On those last three words all of the pictures, motions, treasures and voices seemed to stop and come clear into focus before the Joker's eyes. He saw a young woman with blonde, thin hair that blew in the wind. She was wearing a red dress and her delicate hands were placed on a rounded stomach. Another picture flashed up of the same woman in a glamorous white dress with a veil hanging loosely over her gentle face. She was holding a bunch of brightly coloured flowers and was walking towards him in tiny, glass high-heels that echoed every time they hit the floor. As she was walking an older, male voice spoke.

"I now pronounce you man and wife…"

The Joker's smile weakened and twitched until it was no more; his eyes were no longer staring into the Batman's but just plain staring. More pictures flashed and more motions moved until one motion remained in place. The same woman that was in all of his memories was wearing a new dress that was purple in colour with a beautiful green jewelled necklace. She was smiling and in the background was a fun and brightly lit carnival. As she touched the Joker's hand, in his mind, the Joker's real pale white hand opened on top of the Joker card and then clasped an imaginary hand that was real enough in his head. The motion showed them walking through the carnival happily and laughing and smiling together until eventually the woman jolted to a halt and her eyes widened with fear. Her head rose up and she started to scream at a spine-tingling pitch. She slowly collapsed to the floor yet the Joker could do nothing but watch. Her pain was showing in her watering eyes, she started breathing heavily and her hands tightened around her rounded stomach. A crowd of people gathered around yet nobody helped they all just stared until she breathed no more. Her tightened hands let go of their pain and dropped to the floor and her widened eyes closed into a restful everlasting sleep. Joker fell to his knees beside her and stroked her lifeless face; he rested his other hand on her stomach stroking it softly. He then looked up to the crowd desperately with tears streaming down his face.

"Can anyone help her? Please we need help! I can't be without her I just can't!"

The audience stared for while unsympathetically then a few started to chuckle, the chuckles turned into laughs and before long everyone was laughing their heads off rolling around on the floor.

Back in the cell the Joker clenched his fist on the Joker card in anger his thought-tracking face turned madder and madder. Batman stared confused and finally spoke.

"Joker?"

The Joker launched back from his seat so he was stood as an over powering figure, his clenched fists tensed at his side.

"Don't you see Batman? Life's a joke! And if you don't get it you're never going to survive! You need to laugh at death; you need to smile at pain; you need to understand that nothing matters! Because if you don't you'll wind up sane. You'll wind up feeling emotions that should never even come close to you; you'll wind up hurting and you'll wind up with a dead heart that will feel that hurting forever!"

The Batman remained seated and looked into the Joker's burning eyes. He himself knew the hurt.

Suddenly the door crashed open as the guards stormed in and seized hold of the Joker. The batman calmly stood up and watched as the Joker's struggles made it difficult for the guards to hold him. His dark and haunting laugh echoed the cell as a dark and haunting cape slowly left the room.