Title: Being 287
Author: the random monkey
Date: 9-24-03
Author's notes: Okay, I know this one will be a little annoying to read. Poor Mr. 287 does not understand the concept of complex sentences. Poor Mr. 287 also does not understand the concept of contractions. Poor Mr. 287 has trouble with the concept of pronouns. The author wishes for the reader to stick with it. The author wishes for the reader to know the story of Mr. 287. The author promises the reader that the next chapter will be easier to read. The author wishes for the reader to enjoy the story. The author owns nothing.

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Why's it never light on my lawn?
Why does it rain and never say good-day to the new-born?
-Elton John, "Grey Seal"
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Humans could see better in daylight. The sun was setting. When the sun set there would be less light. Therefore, humans would not be able to see well after sunset. 287 did not want to be seen by humans. Therefore, 287 would hide until sunset.
287 watched. Humans piled Black Mage bodies in the field outside of Lindblum. Most of the bodies did not move. A few did still move when they were brought out. Most of these bodies soon stopped moving. 287 watched and waited. 287 considered what he wanted to do.
Some of the bodies still moved. 287 felt a longing for others like himself. The bodies that still moved were like 287. It was possible that they were not the same mentally, however.
287 knew his own mind was strange. 287 was doing things he had never been programmed to do. Thinking, for example.Making decisions. It was possible that others could also make decisions and think. 287 felt a longing to meet others who could do such things. Therefore, after sunset, 287 would look for others who could think and decide. 287 nodded his head to himself at reaching this decision.
Nightfall came. The humans stopped bringing out bodies. 287 walked out into the field cautiously. 287 walked over to the first pile of bodies. None of the bodies moved. The eyes of the bodies had no glow. Therefore, none of them were like 287, who could move.
287 moved to the next pile. One pair of eyes in the pile glowed.
287 considered the best way to inquire about the body's status. 287 finally decided on, "Are you awake, sir?"
The body did not appear to respond.
287 pulled away from the pile. 287 stopped when he heard a noise. The noise sounded like distressed breathing. 287 looked back down at the glowing eyes. The eyes also looked distressed. There were tears in the eyes. The body was crying.
287 thought about this. "Crying is not a programmed response for Black Mages," 287 said. "If you are carrying out an unprogrammed response, you must be able to think." 287 nodded to himself. 287 desired to meet others who could think. This one could think. This one also needed help. Therefore, 287 would help this one. Then 287 would be able to meet this one.
287 began to pull bodies off of the pile. The other stared at 287 while 287 worked. 287 pulled a final body off of the other. Then 287 looked at the other.
287's eyes widened. 287 felt surprised. The other's limbs were bent at strange angles. The other's clothing was burned. "You are damaged, sir," 287 said.
The other closed its eyes. The other seemed to be waiting. 287 did not known what the other was waiting for. Perhaps the other needed more help. 287 held out a hand. "Can you stand, sir?" 287 asked.
The other shook its head from side to side. This was a signal for no.
287 lowered his hand. 287 thought about what to do. The other should be moved. It was dangerous for the other to stay here. The other was damaged. The other could not move on its own. Therefore, 287 would help the other move. However, moving the other might cause it pain.
287 leaned down. "I am sorry if I cause you pain, sir," 287 said. 287 put his arms under the other. 287 lifted the other.
The other appeared to be in distress. 287 began walking. The other went limp. 287 paused. Had the other stopped moving? Was the other no longer like 287? The other was still breathing. The other's eyes still glowed. The bodies of those who were unable to move did not breathe. Their eyes did not glow. Therefore, the other was still able to move. The other was still like 287.
287 continued walking. 287 carried the other to the place 287 had been hiding in. It was a place with many boulders. The boulders were covered with moss. There was a stream nearby.
287 put the other down. 287 considered what to do next. 287 wanted to know if there were more others who could think. 287 would leave the other here. 287 would leave a fire to keep the other warm. 287 would then go look for more others.
287 built a fire. Then 287 left.

Humans could see better in daylight. The sun was rising. When the sun rose there would be daylight. Therefore, humans would be able to see better after sunrise. 287 did not want to be seen by humans. Therefore, 287 would hide after sunrise.

287 was disappointed. 287 had not found any other who could think.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been several days since 287 had found Mr. 286. Mr. 286 was better. Mr. 286 could now walk. However, Mr. 286 still seemed very sad.
"Sir, may I ask you a question?" 287 asked.
Mr. 286 looked at 287. He shook his head up and down. This was a signal for yes.
"You seem very sad. Why are you sad?"
Mr. 286 looked away. He looked at the sky. He shook slightly. Then he shook his head no.
"I do not understand, sir," said 287.
Mr. 286 shook his head no again. There were tears in his eyes.
287 decided to change the subject. "We should continue traveling soon, sir," he said. "Do your legs still feel well?"
Mr. 286 nodded. He rose to his feet. He gave a small grimace.
287 rose also. He cast a small water spell on their fire. The two of them began to walk.
They wandered on in silence for a while. Suddenly, Mr. 286 stopped.
"What is it, sir?" asked 287. He also stopped.
Mr. 286 pointed at a small group of boulders.
287 looked at it. Then he looked at Mr. 286. "Sir?" he asked.
Mr. 286 leaned down. He cleared the grass from a spot in the dirt. He wrote a message in the dirt. I recognize these rocks. We've passed them before.
287 looked at the message. Then he looked at Mr. 286. The message made 287 feel uneasy. "Are you certain?" he asked.
Mr. 286 nodded.
287 felt more uneasy. "We have followed the edge of this cliff. We have passed by the same spot before. Therefore." He looked at Mr. 286. "I do not know."
Mr. 286 kneeled down. He drew a circle in the dirt. He drew a small spot on the circle. Then he pointed at the rocks in front of them.
"That point represents the rocks?" 287 asked.
Mr. 286 nodded. He drew another spot just inside the circle. Then he pointed at himself and 287.
"That represents us?"
Mr. 286 nodded again. He drew another circle inside the first one. The new circle started on the spot representing the two mages. Then he looked up at 287.
287 kneeled down next to Mr. 286. He studied the drawing. "The second circle is our path," he said finally. "We have followed the edge of the cliff. Therefore, the first circle represents the edge of the cliff. Therefore." He realized why he had felt uneasy. "There is no path off of the cliff."
Mr. 286 nodded. He rubbed out the drawing with his hand.
"What do we do now?" 287 asked. He sat down on the ground.
Mr. 286 raised his shoulders. This was a signal for "I do not know."
287 felt more uneasy. His abdomen hurt. His throat felt tight. "There are many humans around. Humans do not like us. If humans find us, they will harm us. They might destroy us." He felt a stinging sensation in his eyes. Tears? He had never cried before. "I do not wish to be harmed, sir," he said. The tears began to move from his eyes down his face. "I am afraid."
287 felt an arm around his shoulders. He looked up. Mr. 286 had a kind look on his face. As 287 looked at him, it slowly changed to a scared expression. Mr. 286 started to shake again.
"Sir?" said 287. His own voice was shaky.
Mr. 286 wrapped both arms around 287. He held 287 tightly. It was very comforting. 287 returned the gesture. They held each other for a time.
Mr. 286 finally broke the embrace. He stood up. He walked to the edge of the cliff. He looked down. He seemed to be studying something.
287 stood up. He joined Mr. 286. "What are you looking at, sir?" he asked.
Mr. 286 paused. Then he began making several gestures. He moved his hands as if he were pulling something down. He moved his legs as if he were walking up a hill.
287 was confused. "I do not understand, sir," he said.
Mr. 286 sighed. He looked around. Finally he walked back to the dirt by the rocks. He bent down. He wrote another message. Maybe we can climb down.
287 read the message. Then he walked back to the edge of the cliff. He looked down. He could not see the bottom. The Mist hid it.
287 looked back at Mr. 286. "Do you think we could do it?" he asked.
Mr. 286 nodded.
287 looked back down. "The ground is probably very far below. If we fell, we would certainly stop. Therefore, we must be careful not to fall." He nodded to himself. Then, he swung his legs over the cliff. He carefully felt for places to put his feet. Then he began to climb down.

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BUM-BUM-BUM! CLIFFHANGER! LITERALLY! Tune in next chapter to see what happens. Same random time, same random channel!