Chapter Ten – Beware of Knives, Keys and Kites
I was thinking of calling this chapter "Signs," but this title just sounded so delightfully strange.
Also, sorry this took so long. I'm back on a more open schedule again now. Updates should happen more regularly after this.
Grey. The sky was grey and featureless. One wide, oppressive coating of cloud covered the sky as Theodore looked up. Every few seconds, from some pocket deep within the blanket of cloud cover, would come the sudden flash of lightening, followed by the low grumbling of thunder. Theodore adjusted his shirt, now wishing that he had been provided with a jacket. He took one last apprehensive look at the black car that had delivered him, and began walking toward the door to the Estate.
As it did with every visitor, the large white automatic door whirred as it opened, finally coming to an abrupt stop with a pronounced click.
One tentative step at a time, Theodore ascended the small staircase leading to the door. Before entering, he peered inside seeing the grandiose living room of The Estate. He saw the backs of the twin staircases, the elevator shaft leading into the tall, vaulted ceiling, the massive bank of windows on the far end of the room. His eyes were drawn along the curved balcony upstairs and finally reached the chaise lounge chair in the center of the room. Its black fabric stood out like an island in an ocean of flawless white marble.
As he recovered from his astonishment, Theodore began to wonder where Simon was in all this. He squinted as he looked down the long, dark hallway to his left. Far down, nearly to the window at the end of the hall was a bright triangle of light on the floor. A door was open.
He began walking cautiously down the hallway. Every step stirred doubts and apprehensions within his mind. He wasn't sure what he was meant to be doing here. He had only been told by the doctor that Simon needed him and that he would have to come here to help him. But this was such a beautiful place. He couldn't understand how Simon needed help here.
"I'll just talk to him," he told himself for the hundredth time that day.
He finally reached the open door which led into a blindingly white room. Theodore raised a hand over his eyes, trying with all his will to keep his eyes from closing.
On the other end of the room, one of the bright panels of light on the floor receded, leaving a perfectly black square in the middle of the luminance. A muffled whirr could be heard as a chair rose from the depths, carrying with it a chipmunk dressed in a cream colored suit and tie. The chair clicked as it stopped moving and the chipmunk seated on it jumped down.
Theodore, still blinded by the lights in the room, saw only a grey silhouette approaching him.
"Simon?" he asked, half hopeful of seeing his brother and half fearful of seeing anyone else.
Tulig assumed his characteristic smile as he approached Theodore with one hand outstretched. The other, Theodore noticed, was tightly closed at his side.
"I am Tulig," he replied to the query. "I am Simon's defender here at The Estate."
"Defender? What are you defending him from?" Theodore asked as he weakly shook Tulig's hand. Tulig shook back for a moment, but was quick to pull away and head back to his desk.
"Oh, from whatever might be out there," he said as he closed out his laptop and swiftly jumped down from the desk again. He was clearly in a hurry.
"I am here doing the very same thing your good doctor is doing, back where you're from."
Theodore smiled. Alvin had warned him to be ready to face enemies here, horrible people trying to keep Simon a prisoner in The Estate. This was frightening to him, but speaking with this man put his mind at ease. Here was another person with Simon's best interests at heart. A friend.
"Is Simon alright? Where is he? I've been sent to talk to him."
"Oh you'll see him, in time. He's presently sleeping, I believe. But now, you mustn't worry about that. Your brother is in good hands. Please, do come in."
"Believe me, it's a relief to hear that. My brother made this place sound so awful."
"Ah, well, seeing a family member in such a negative mental state must be difficult. A shame, really. Family is such an important element in the healing process."
"That's what Dr. Gregor said to me. He wanted…" Theodore trailed off as he noticed Tulig's expression. He wasn't really listening to him anymore, only staring with a smile on his face. Theodore tried his best to smile back.
"You look rather chilled. I'm afraid our climate hasn't been abundantly hospitable as of late."
"It's sort of cold in here, too," Theodore added, remarking to himself how strange it was to be exchanging small talk in a place like this.
Tulig's smile grew. "Here," he said as he took off his suit jacket and handed it to Theodore who immediately put it on. Tulig then invitingly stretched out an arm in the direction of his desk chair.
"Do sit down."
"Thanks," Theodore said happily as he leapt up onto the chair. From over the glass desk, he looked down at Tulig who was hurriedly approaching the door.
"Are you leaving?"
"Oh, I'll be nearby. Just have to step out for a while today. I'm sure you can handle things."
Theodore stood up on the desk chair as his eyes filled with concern. "Handle things?"
Tulig was heading out the door as he spoke. He didn't even bother to look back. "Just answer the phone and keep an eye on Simon. He may feel a bit confined, but you mustn't let him leave. For his own good."
"His… own good."
"Now you've got it. I'll be seeing you later, then."
"Wait," Theodore said, almost forcefully. Tulig turned back, looking him in the eye for the first time since they shook hands.
"I don't know for sure about this," Theodore said with a bit of hesitation creeping back into his voice.
Tulig furrowed his brow and sighed before speaking again. "You do want to help your brother, don't you? You want to protect him from the dangers beyond the gate."
"Well, sure but…"
"You want nothing more than to help him."
"I guess so…"
"And the best way to help him is to be a brother to him."
"Right."
"He needs you, Theodore. He needs you here."
Tulig's smile returned as Theodore nodded quietly.
"Answer the phone, keep an eye on Simon. I'll be around."
Tulig let the door slam behind him as he walked out into the hallway. He walked with a supreme dignity, his feet talking long strides across the carpet and his hands folded neatly behind his back. He was in control, once again. The ease he took in manipulating Theodore proved that to him. This feeling stayed with him as he walked through the automatic door and down the Estate's long driveway. The small figure, just a speck of brown against the dull redness of the driveway, walked tall and proud as he approached the wrought-iron gate. It immediately swung open, coming to a stop with a metal clang that echoed back into the open windows of the house.
Tulig passed the threshold and the gate strained as it pulled itself closed. He then stopped. A blurry flash of lightning shone for a moment, deep within the cloudy sky, illuminating the chipmunk as he turned and began approaching the gate again. In one fluid movement, he removed his white tie with one hand and swept the long piece of fabric around the two middle-most bars of the gate. He raised his other hand, which was still tightly clasped, and stuck out his thumb and index finger to grasp the other end of the tie. Tulig tied a simple knot across the middle of the gate, binding the two halves together. He turned on his heels and headed into the dim forest, leaving the pure whiteness of his tie slowly swaying in the breeze against the stark blackness of the iron as the Estate's massive stone form looked on from behind.
Tulig left no sound behind in the Estate. Everything was silent. Simon slept upstairs, and in the room labeled SHORT TERM, every surveillance screen was blank. Theodore sat alone in the crushing silence and blinding light of the room.
He leaned forward in the chair Tulig had left him in, examining the computer more closely. The machine was dormant; no light, no images, no sound. Blackness.
Theodore raised a hand and tapped its black base. Nothing. A frown began to creep its way onto his face. He had been sent to help his brother. He wasn't doing any good for anyone here. Tulig did ask him to stay and answer the phone, but he felt sure that he could escape for a moment and see Simon.
The chipmunk, still wearing Tulig's white jacket, slid down from his chair and began to walk toward the door.
Just as he reached the door, the red phone on the desk began to ring. It was a piercing ring, the type you would hear from the bells of an old, hand-crank telephone from the early 1900s. However, Theodore could see no bells attached to it. It was just an ordinary red telephone with a cord and a base with a keypad.
He hurriedly leapt up from the floor to the chair to the desk, pushed the phone off the hook and spoke into the receiver.
"Hello?"
No answer.
"H… Hello? Anyone there?"
Still no answer. More than that, there was no dial tone, no static, nothing. Just silence on the other line, assuming of course that there was another line involved.
Theodore, confused but still attentive to his 'job,' heaved the phone back onto the hook. He stood for a few moments staring at the phone, waiting for it to spring back to life and ring again.
Minutes passed. Nothing.
Theodore slid down from the desk again and began tip-toeing toward the door, as if trying not to wake the telephone. Again, just as he reached the threshold of the door, the phone pierced the house's silence with the clanging of tiny bells.
Theodore broke out into a flat run toward the desk, hopping straight from the floor to the glass desk. He slid on the desk's surface, stabilized himself, pushed the phone off the hook again and began speaking.
"H… Hello?" he asked while trying to catch his breath.
Again, there was nothing to be heard from the other line.
"Hello!"
"That's new," said a voice from the entrance to the room. Theodore looked up to see Simon standing in the doorway.
"What is?" Theodore asked, somewhat dumbfounded.
"Both of you," Simon said as he walked closer to the desk. "The ringer… and you."
"Yeah, I can't figure this thing out. It must be on a timer or something. You know, I don't even see any cords on this thing."
Simon simply raised an eyebrow as he stood looking up at the man in the white jacket.
"Anyway," Theodore started again. "I came to see you!"
"I'm sure you have," Simon said with an adversarial level of sarcasm in his tone. Theodore noticed this but was too overwhelmed with happiness to give it any thought.
"So, how've you been?"
Simon began pacing about the room as he responded. "Why? Don't you know?"
"Not… really. I only just got here."
"This I noticed." Simon stopped walking and faced Theodore. "What's wrong? Didn't Tu show you the ropes before he… what? Went on vacation? Got reassigned?"
Theodore couldn't ignore Simon's tone of voice any longer. His eyes narrowed as he cautiously asked him "Simon. Who do you think I am?"
"The New Tu, perhaps?"
Theodore's heart sank. Alvin had been right. Everything he said about Simon not remembering him. Everything he said must have been true.
Theodore started pulling the white jacket off as he spoke. "Simon, you… you don't understand. I don't run this place."
"Of course not!" Simon's sarcasm was painfully evident. "You're just an innocent, here to check up on me. Maybe delve a little deeper than Tu was able to? Get me to talk?"
"Talk about what?" Theodore asked with one arm still caught in the jacket sleeve.
Simon examined Theodore with a suspicious eye. Looking him up and down. Not believing a word he said.
"Exactly."
Simon turned and marched out of the room. Theodore, still caught in Tulig's coat, tried to chase him but fell just short of the door.
"Simon!"
He got to his feet and stepped out into the hallway. And, as soon as he did, the ring from the red phone bombarded his ears. Theodore stood frozen where he was, watching as his brother walked swiftly away.
"Simon!" he continued to yell. "Simon, come back!"
… ... ... ... ...
Tuilg continued to march through the forest. The path had long since disappeared and the only thing left to guide him was his intuition. That and the signs. The forest was dotted with sign-posts nailed to the trunks of trees. The first, he had passed almost ten minutes ago, just outside the gate. It read in oppressive, black letters:
The Estate
Population: Unlimited
But now, the chipmunk was coming across signs he had never seen before. Deep in the forest, further than the Chief Administrator had ever dared venture. Places he had only ever thought about. Here, in the frightening frontier of the Estate's wilderness, there was a sign. A sign, whose light and somewhat whimsical lettering made it all the more sinister,
Beware of Kites
The message was perplexing, but no more so than any of the other signs he had come to expect in the forest. He had seen signs that read 'You're Going The Wrong Way,' or 'March Back – Turn Left' or his personal favorite: 'Here Lies Lies.' The forest was full of cryptic messages, all which could mean something or nothing, depending on your perspective.
There were decidedly few times anymore when Tulig could remark at the surreal nature of the Estate. There were very few instances when weirdness became notable above the normal level of oddity, but this was certainly one of them.
Still, his confidence level was too high to be put off by a sign. Tulig looked down at his hand, which was still firmly closed, smiled and continued to walk. He hiked along until he noticed another white sign, almost directly in his path. His interest was stirred and he decided to take a quick detour. When he got close enough to read it, his situation elevated from mildly odd to unpleasantly eerie. The chipmunk stared up at the white sign, nailed to the trunk of a large tree.
Beware of Keys
His blood was running cold. Tulig cautiously looked down as he unfurled his hand. There, in the palm of his tiny hand was a small black key Simon had been given when he arrived at the Estate. The key to the library of the repressed. The key Simon left under the mirror shards in his sink.
He covered the key with his fingers again and stood in the silence of the forest with his eyes tightly shut.
"Not likely," he said to himself. He refused to believe in this. How was he to assume that this sign was meant for him at this particular moment? None of it made any real sense. It was all up to how much he chose to read into it.
Or, at least, that's what he told himself.
In actuality, his powerful sense of confidence had gone and was replaced by a deep sense of uneasiness. Not confusion, dread. The sign may have meaning, it may not. But he wasn't going to let it upset his plan in either case.
Tulig opened his eyes and began to relax a bit. As he did so, he noticed a sound. The sound he'd been tracking was a great deal clearer here.
He cocked his head at the sign as he thought. "Interesting. If I hadn't come over here to read this sign, I may have lost track of it."
He shook his head and walked past the tree, trying to put as much distance between himself and the sign as possible, without moving so fast as to lose track of the sound. He had to keep moving. He didn't want to be holding this key any longer than he had to.
As he marched on in the dim forest, Tulig eventually came to another sign. He was more hesitant about approaching this one, but unfortunately it was directly in his path. He couldn't help but read it.
Beware of Knives
Tulig raised an eyebrow. He did not have the time nor the patience to unravel this mystery, even if it seemed to be aimed at him. He ignored the messages the forest provided and instead followed the faint sound of waves crashing.
… ... ... ... ...
Theodore peeked his head around the door to Simon's room. He could still hear the phone ringing downstairs, but tried his best to ignore it.
"Simon?" he asked in the quietest and most harmless sounding voice he could manage. He cracked the door a little further.
Simon stood on his balcony, looking out at the grounds with his hands folded behind his back. He turned his head slightly when he heard Theodore enter.
"Cameras not working?" he asked, again with a heavy layer of condescension in his voice.
"Actually nothing downstairs works, except that stupid phone. Everything shut off when Tulig left."
Simon turned to face Theodore, who was still wearing Tulig's jacket.
"He doesn't trust you," he said as he narrowed his eyes, carefully examining this chipmunk who claimed to be his brother.
"What is it?" Theodore asked after the silence in the room became too much for him.
"I'm trying to figure out who you are." He took a few steps closer to Theodore. "You haven't replaced Tu, I know that much. You're not like him."
"I'm not?"
"No. I can see it in you. You don't enjoy seeing me trapped here like he does."
"Is it that bad? Being here, I mean."
Simon's eyes stared back with steely intensity. "You have no idea."
"Tell me."
"Why would I do that?" he fired back, without breaking his gaze.
"Because, it bothers you. Being here. You should talk to me about it. It might help."
"Yes, well that's what they would say. 'Just talk. That's all. Nothing to worry about. We'll just have a friendly little chat,' right?"
"Simon, I don't want anything from you. I just want to talk."
"Talk. As my brother, I suppose."
A faint smile flickered across Theodore's face.
"Even when you know it's a lie."
Theodore's expression melted.
"I don't remember exactly, but I'm certain of a few things. I know you aren't my brother. I only have one, and you aren't him."
Simon's words stung at Theodore.
"Maybe you work for them, I don't know. I just know that this is a lie."
"Simon, you have to stop! You have to trust me or I don't know what will happen. You need to talk to me. Please. I… I just want my brother back."
Theodore was crushed. He began to fear that the doctor was right in suspecting that Simon was trapped. He began to back away from Simon, trying his hardest to fight back tears.
"…And it kills me to see you like this."
Simon stood completely still with no change in expression as he watched Theodore slowly head out of the room.
… ... ... ... ...
Tulig stood alone, facing the power of the Ocean as the wind whipped across his face. It was beautiful in his eyes, not because of the color or the intoxicating smell it sent into the air along with the finest mist, but because it was doing its job. Somewhere, beneath the crashing waves was that jeep that kept Simon out of the water. He had seen for himself how effective this solution had been.
And now he was counting on it. It would be the key's last line of defense.
Tulig took a step forward and loosened his grip on the black key in his hand. He moved until his feet were planted just beyond the farthest reaches of the waves. Tulig scarcely blinked.
The chipmunk in white looked down at the key one last time. It was dull, matte black, and covered in little grains of sand collected from Tulig's march over the dunes. It was so small, even in his miniature hands. How could it be a threat?
Tulig focused on the horizon again. He steadied himself. This key was a threat. It was a security risk. Without it, Simon would never be able to access the library or the elevator. Without this key, the truth would always be out of reach.
He tightened his grip one last time, held his arm back over his head, and swung it forward with every bit of force he could muster. The black key whistled as it spun through the air, finally marking the end of its flight with a quiet plunk. Tulig slowly breathed out. It was a weight off his chest, that much was certain.
The ripples the key had made in the water were quickly erased by the waves in the water. One wave caught Tulig's eye, in particular. He watched as it rolled up the shore, and darkened a new patch of sand as it travelled farther than any wave yet. The smallest bit of water made it over Tulig's feet, but with was not what concerned him. Somehow, this wave had carried some sandy form up the shoreline and right to Tulig's side. He reached down, hesitant of what he might find. Rather, hoping that he would not find what he expected.
But his fears were confirmed. Tulig reached down into the sandy, murky water, and pulled out a small black knife. The knife, like the key, was dull black with only essential features. This knife was the mere essence of a blade. No frills, no attachments, not even a shine. Only a sharp edge.
Tulig tightly wrapped his hand around the handle, turned and began his long walk back to the Estate.
… ... ... ... ...
Simon stood on the balcony, watching Theodore pitifully trudge back toward the door. He was completely unmoving and resolute in his uncaring, unfeeling expression. His logic told him that he had just defeated one more of Tulig's traps. His soul, however, told him otherwise.
"Theodore!" The chipmunk jumped and immediately stopped walking. Simon began to approach him. His blue eyes shone out with pity at making the younger chipmunk cry like this. He couldn't believe it, but Simon found himself caring about this person's feelings. Here was a man who, by all logic, was working for his captor. And all he could feel was compassion.
"Do you know that feeling," Simon said as he slowly walked toward the saddened and confused chipmunk, "that feeling when you just wake up from a dream. You remember something, something important, just on the edge of your memory. You try to hold on to it, but it stays just out of reach. It's so important. It's truth. Truth in its purest form, and you know it has some… bearing on your life up here."
Theodore stared up at Simon, his sad expressing falling away from his face.
"You tell yourself that you have to remember. But for the life of you, you can't seem to put words to it."
Theodore looked up into Simon's blue eyes, cautiously filling his own with hope.
"My… brother."
"Simon?" Theodore asked softly, in an effort not to derail Simon's train of thought. "Do you remember me? Do you know where we are?"
"Theodore…" Simon said slowly, letting the word hang in the air as he thought. He was speaking as much to Theodore as he was to himself, trying to interpret the situation. Trying, once again, to unravel his confusion.
"This isn't likely," he continued. "Everything I know about him… Everything I've seen tells me that this is a trap. But…"
Theodore stood motionless, trying not to interrupt his brother.
"Should I trust a mad idea? Should I take a… a leap of faith? I'm not usually one for that kind of thing. I stick to facts, and the facts tell me I'm wrong. They tell me that if I trust you, I'll regret it. But I can't shake the idea that…"
Simon dropped his gaze to the floor, trying to collect his thoughts. Theodore remained silent.
"Should I choose to believe something that I want to be true? Should I go against everything my logic says. Ignore all the past tricks, ignore the surrounding circumstances. Should I believe a hope?"
A tear welled up in the corner of one of Simon's blue eyes. Not a tear of sadness, or pain, or guilt, or despair. Tears of intense happiness. An involuntary smile rippled across Simon's face as the memories in his head fell into place like pieces of a jig-saw puzzle.
He snapped his eyes up from the floor and looked his brother straight in the eye.
"Theodore!"
"Simon," Theodore breathed out with a sigh of relief.
"Theodore, where are we?"
"I… can't really explain."
"Right, it doesn't matter. I mean, it won't matter, in the long run. Give me a second!" Simon was visibly excited now. He began pacing back and forth in the room with his hand to his chin, thinking of his next course of action. Thinking of his escape plan.
Finally, he spun around to face his newly rediscovered brother again. "Theodore!"
"Yeah!" Theodore chuckled. This, seeing Simon back in his element, somehow made him happier than he had been in a long time. He had his brother back. For the first time in weeks, he was able to speak to his brother.
"You got here somehow. A car out-front, like the one Alvin took, I assume?" Simon was speaking almost too fast for Theodore to follow. Hopefulness shone through both of their eyes.
"Yeah, it should still be in the driveway."
"And your driver, he'll take us out of here? He'll take us back home? That was the plan for you, right? So, can I come along?"
"I think so."
A wild look grew in Simon's eyes: A potent mix of happiness and hope. He stared right into Theodore's green eyes and smiled.
"Come on. We're leaving."
… ... ... ... ...
Tulig trudged back toward the Estate, legs soaked from his time on the beach, fur covered in sand, and a black knife in his right hand.
The iron gate was in sight now, along with the tie Tulig had fastened around its latch. He approached the knot he made and stared into it bleakly. He almost wore a grimace on his face, like something in the Estate had offended him in some deep, unspeakable way.
Tulig made no other move than to raise the knife and slice his tie in half. The gates creaked and Tulig took a step back. Another creek followed. The gates acted like they were reluctant to let him back in, but finally the two halves swung open to allow the Chief Administrator through.
As he walked back toward the house, Tulig noticed something. His tie. His cream colored tie was fluttering in the breeze of the oncoming storm. He stopped walking and stared at it.
The fat half of the tie began to catch wind beneath it while Tulig stood a few feet away, still staring as if to say "I dare you. I dare you to do it."
The tie fluttered again and began to slide off from the gate's latch. Tulig's incredulous stare persisted. But the tie paid this no mind and, in an act of defiance against its former owner, took flight in the wind and began twisting and twirling into the air. It rose higher and higher, leaving Tulig back firmly rooted on the grounds of his Estate. All he could do was watch as this piece of fabric slipped out of view and into the limitless sky.
"There's a storm out there," he thought to himself. "It'll have a hell of a time."
The cream-colored bit of fabric came back into view for a moment, against one particularly dark cloud, and then was gone forever. Tulig turned and walked the last distance to the automatic door.
… ... ... ... ...
Simon skidded across the lighted floor as he ran into the room labeled SHORT TERM. He was followed closely by Theodore.
"Simon!" he shouted over the phone that was still ringing. "What are we doing in here? The car's outside!"
"There's something I have to get," he called back, still with a thick layer of excitement coating his every word.
The chipmunk in his blue sweatshirt approached the large metal door in the room and stared into it. He just then realized that he had no idea how to open it. The door to the Estate's archives had always opened for him. He wasn't even sure if it was possible to open it from here.
He squeezed his fingers into the narrow crevice between the halves of the door and began to pull. Theodore watched from the doorway, a sense of pity growing on his face.
"Simon," he spoke in a soft and careful voice, "whatever it is, I'm sure…"
"It's too heavy!" Simon interrupted. "It… won't… open!"
"Simon. Calm down. Everything you need is…"
He interrupted his brother again. "I… have… to… get… in… there!" Simon heaved at the end of every word. "I… have… to… get… her… out!" With this last word, Simon pulled with all of his strength. There was a snap, and Simon inhaled sharply. He looked down on his hands and saw that he had succeeded in tearing off one of his fingernails.
He let himself fall against the door and slowly slide onto the floor, cradling his wounded left hand as he went.
"Simon!" Theodore ran to his brother's side. "Simon, who are you talking about?"
"Jeanette, Theodore," Simon said, thudding his head against the metal door. His eyes were tightly closed. "He has Jeanette locked up in there."
Theodore's face deepened with sadness.
"Simon, Jeanette isn't here. She's…" Theodore stopped mid-sentence. The room was suddenly filled with an unearthly silence. The phone on the desk had been silenced. He then noticed Simon staring intently at something near the door. Theodore turned around to see a disheveled Tulig standing in the archway holding a knife.
Simon climbed back to his feet. Theodore was caught in the middle of the two of them, engaged in another one of their staring contests.
Simon was the first to break the silence.
"A knife? Really? I thought you had a bit more finesse than that."
"And I thought you had learned your lesson," Tulig retorted in his heavy accent. "You've tried escaping before. You've seen." He took a few steps into the room, still leaving a considerable amount of space between himself and his prisoner.
"There is no out. You could leave and you would still be in. You could be back at home in your bed, and you would still be right here with me."
"Theodore got in. He can get back out." Simon then took a few steps forward to mirror Tulig's action. "And he can take me with him."
A perverse smile grew across Tulig's face. That insufferable smile that made Simon want to strangle him.
"Ah yes, your brother. How have you two been getting along? Theodore, does he remember you?"
Simon's expression changed. A scowl formed across his brow and he glared down at Theodore.
"You." This single word of Simon's cut into Theodore's spirit. It felt like the single most adversarial thing he had ever heard Simon say.
"You liar."
"Simon," Theodore pleaded, still sitting on the floor. "Simon, I'm not lying to you."
"Shut up. You're just like him, you know. You're just another cog in the machine. And you let me believe you were my brother."
"Simon. You… You said you believed me. I…" The chipmunk's eyes began to well with tears.
"You can stop this. Do you hear me? Stop it! You're not my brother. You couldn't possibly be."
"Si… mon…" Theodore sobbed, "I just wanted to…"
"You're not fooling anyone! Either of you!"
Tulig spoke up from across the room. "What's this, Simon? A change of heart?"
"A change of mind. You just wanted me to believe he was my brother. This is just another one of your traps, isn't it?"
"Is it?"
"Yes! Because if you say it, it can't be tr…"
Simon's eyes widened. He looked back down at Theodore apologetically, and then snapped a glare right at Tulig. The two took a few steps closer to the center of the room.
"Are you telling me this because it's the truth, or are you telling me this so I won't trust the truth?"
Tulig simply grinned.
"What truth?"
"Stop it," Simon said, voice trembling with anger as he audibly tried to calm himself.
"The truth of your brother? The truth of your imprisonment?"
"Stop. Tell me the truth."
"The truth of the Estate?"
"Tell me the truth."
"What about Jeanette's truth?"
"TELL ME THE TRUTH!"
Simon lunged at the smiling chipmunk, knocking him to the floor. The two slid back along the smooth, lighted tile. As Tu hit the floor, the black knife was thrown from his hand and slid back with the two chipmunks.
Equal height, equal strength. The fight could have gone on for hours, but Tulig was refusing to fight back. Simon had him by the collar with one hand, and reached out for the knife with the other. He held the knife to Tulig's throat. Hate pulsed through his hands. Every beat of his heart felt like it should be the one. Every wave of hatred felt like it would send him over the edge and make him into a killer.
Just this one man, this one wretched man. He would be doing the world a favor. 'Murder in the public interest.' He wouldn't have any guilt. None at all.
Just a bit of blood on his hands.
"I'll kill you!" Simon shouted in Tulig's face.
Tulig moved his face closer to Simon's, pushing the knife further into his own neck. He stared directly into Simon's eyes as he spoke.
"And you'll die."
Simon dropped the knife and backed away, still on his knees. He stared deeply into Tulig's face. No more anger. No more hatred shone in his eyes, only astonishment.
"Tell me the truth," he whispered.
"I will, Simon. I will happily tell you the truth, just as soon as you decide on one."
Tulig got to his feet and adjusted his
"There is no one truth. I cannot provide you with one answer. Everyone's truth is different. So, now you have to decide: what is yours? Are you an innocent prisoner, or a murder who deserves his fate?"
Simon stood up. He took one quick look back at his brother and then looked on at Tulig again. His heartbeat slowly was returning to normal. Without saying a word, he raised his arms away from his sides, flinging a bit of blood from his hand onto the pristine white floor.
Tulig nodded, snapped his fingers, and was soon joined in the room by four guards wearing black, wet raincoats. Two rushed over to Theodore, picked him up and carried him out of the room. The other two stayed behind Tulig.
He walked closer to Simon and stared him in the face.
"You've made your choice."
Simon didn't flinch as one guard presented a needle and drove it into his neck. The familiar white lights began to cloud his vision, and the two guards took him by his outstretched arms. They lifted him from the floor and began to carry him from the room.
Suddenly, Simon began to speak. His voice was strained and his speech was slurred, but he managed.
"Tu."
There was another snap, and the guards turned to allow Simon to face his captor. Tulig merely stood with one eyebrow raised.
Simon struggled to keep his eyes open. He did the best he could to stare into Tulig's face as he spoke two soft words.
"Answer it."
With that, the red phone began to ring. Tulig stood, not looking surprised in the least, and stared at Simon as his eyes rolled back and sleep took hold.
There you have it. As I said, more is to come in the very near future.
Let me know what you think so far.
Reviews are appreciated.