Look Ahead (Freewriting Experiment 3)

-An experiment on simpler writing style, language, and characterization-

Siphon-Samuel awoke to the shadow of outside prison bars and a piece of cloth down his throat. His hands were tied with a small rope and his weapon of choice, a rapier, naturally, was stripped from his service and cast out into the unknown wilderness. Looking around his small metallic fortress, he wondered how long it would take for him to die from asphyxiation.

Five, ten minutes at the most. He thought. I'm sure that ol' Reep will be the first to mourn and the last to grieve. That's how he was with father, Alfaxion, and Ceres, and it's how he'll be with me. He'll weep, go to Mathias and descend into depression for a month or so, then he'll come back around with his usual optimism. That's his process and it is quite extraordinary. He is the only person in the family who has a conscious, because he grew a heart first instead of a head.

Siphon attempted to move his tongue around to see if he could force the gag out, but alas, the tongue was too suppressed by the cloth, which was stained and smelled of urine, that nothing could be done. The Mouse tried to move his paws around but the rope was tied in a too tight of a knot for him to decipher how to untie it. His tail desperately tried to pick at the rope to see if there was an entry point for it to loosen the grip of the rope. Alas, it did not work. So the tail tried wrapping itself around its owner in an effort to remove the gag. It searched for a grip on the cloth, found it, but realized that it was too short to pull. The tail sighed a bit in frustration and wished it had a voice to call for help, but it was just a tail and could only do so much.

Siphon rested his body and eased his mind. There was nothing stopping him from reaching the end.

I have reached the end. I have fought my war and won, for in me lies a victory for Him. For I refused Him once and then a second, and yes, even a third, but as I stand before decision- to live or to die, it is not difficult. For if I choose to die then I choose to live, but, if I choose to live, then I simply die and I cannot submit myself to that.

His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes. As weakness overtook him, The Angel No One Wants Around entered the small cage and gently picked him up. As The Angel was about to leave however, he heard a distressed voice call out.

"Siphon!"

The voice called again, the second time it was louder and more worrisome. The Angel, who was Death, looked down at the soul he carried in his hands and with the assistance of Compassion, allowed for a final meeting. As the owner of the voice approached the cage, seeing it from a distance and wondering what it was the cage was there for, his heart became heavy and his mind furious at the implementer.

Reepicheep traversed through the dead leaves and passed under the threshold of the cage. He instantly stood and cut Siphon's bonds with faineance via his blade and very quickly removed the gag, tossing both of those aside like a child does a toy he no longer has interest in.

Siphon looked up at his brother, smiled and breathed a moment. "I always knew you'd come for me."

"Were you expecting anyone else to?" Reepicheep asked.

Siphon laughed and nodded slowly, "Do not look back. Look ahead."

"To what?"

The elder mouse said nothing, and neither did Death who reached down and took Siphon by the hand and into the warm embrace he so longingly dreamed of. Reepicheep, who saw this, did not shed a tear as Siphon expected he would. He smiled and waved instead and Siphon smiled and waved back.