5qwerty
[b][font="open sans"]WHOLLY MOLEY[/font][/b]
- 2,102
- Posts
- 15
- Years
- Seen today
Hey y'all, kinda late posting this. This was my entry for the SWC for GT2020. I'm not really a writer by any means, but I entered because I thought it would be fun. It ended up being a good use of my time and I did enjoy writing and reading the other entries. I already got my feedback and have had some time to reflect as well - I know this story is far from what is considered good and I have a lot to work on. Either way, other entrants wanted to see what I wrote, so here goes:
The Island
Albert was quite young when he came to the island. He had forgotten where he was from, and where he was going. All he knew was that he had drifted here to this island, a place that he had to call home…at least for the time being.
Its shape was oddly like a circle, and almost too perfect in that regard. Almost mimicking the strangeness of the shape of the island were the waves, the ebb and flow of which seemed almost too robotic, not that Albert knew what robots were.
Upon his arrival, he yelled, signalled, swam, but these were all fruitless endeavours.
Realizing how futile his efforts to escape or call for help were, Albert instead tried to adapt to his new home. The island was lush and blooming with distinct species of wildlife and teeming with juicy prey that filled Albert up every single time. Birds also chattered and wailed during daytime, though peace would come at sunset; they flew too high for him to reach or even see, but he grew accustomed to their cacophony. Sometimes he wondered if they were watching him as they went about their business in the skies, possibly viewing him as repulsive or catching wind of his scent, both of which may have caused their constant sneezing. He usually dismissed the idea, attributing their sneezing to some sickness they may have had. These birds never landed on the island, which caused Albert to ponder where they lived and slept. Usually he dismissed these thoughts, as it gave him no benefit to question these things; he only needed to be glad that they were gone when he needed to rest.
There was a cave near the center of the island in which he could take refuge. That was where he slept, as well as the place he would run to in case of any danger. The cave had multiple exits and connected different areas of the island together. Albert soon became no stranger to the island; it was now his home. Albert was happy here, no longer having thoughts of returning to his family…no longer cursing his life for what could have been. He had everything that he needed right here.
However, Albert frequently dreamt of comforting deities who brought him emotional relief during his time on the island. Perhaps this was the blessing of the gods, who decided to bestow mercy upon him as his parents prayed in another land. Though he also occasionally had nightmares. Disturbing and painful memories of the day when he was separated from his parents, seemingly personified as a monster that tortured him. These nightmares were much less frequent, but the pain that it caused him almost seemed real, at least as real as the pleasantness from the dreams that he dreamt.
Days became months and months became years as the ticks on the walls had become uncountable since what seemed like an eternity ago. Seasons came and went, adding some variance to the otherwise repetitive cycle of life on the island. Albert was now an adult, having mastered almost all the skills he could hope to learn. Hunting was trivial and almost akin to a scheduled task for him, having developed a digestive cycle similar to what he would have developed in a normal society. He adapted to the chirping of the birds, learning to tune them out as he went by his everyday business. However, they sneezed more frequently than before, although this was still of no concern to Albert as he had never caught any type of disease before.
Despite all his growth and maturity, Albert still failed to learn how to venture into the deeper parts of the waters. After passing the shallow waters, he would fail to make it into the areas further out from the coast. It felt as though after crossing a certain point, the tides pushed him back harder than before, seemingly as consistent as gravity would pull him down when he jumped. Albert tried very hard to swim away during his first days on the island, but quickly submitted to his fate. Perhaps after years on the island he could finally do it? No, he did not even entertain that thought. The island was his home and the place he was meant to protect. If it were not true…if this was not destiny…no, it had to be. That had to be his purpose. The island was his home and the place he was meant to protect.
Albert's trial as protector couldn't have come sooner.
It was a rainy day, though the storm was not particularly heavy. Drops of water drizzled down as they seemingly drowned out the voices of the birds, who seemed much less in number and strangely healthier than usual. Albert enjoyed these types of days. Suddenly, almost as if a bolt of lightning struck, something dove right onto the island. Naturally the birds were frightened by this, their annoying chatter turning into disturbing screams and a myriad of sneezes. Albert was not afraid, but he had to recon the island to see what had happened. He leapt towards the crash site only to find out that it wasn't something that fell, but rather someone.
Albert couldn't believe it. He was in shock and very much terrified now. The being that ended up descending onto the island wasn't a bird or even some animal that he didn't recognize, but rather the demonic being that haunted his dreams. He was quivering at the sight of this thing. Although, he noticed that it seemed different somehow, maybe due to its shorter body size? Now that he had taken a closer look, the monster also seemed smaller than what he had initially thought. Albert's heart rate started slowing down as he thought more about his responsibility as the protector of this island, his home. He needed to rid the island of this invader.
Albert also noticed that the monster was squirming and screaming as if it were scared of him. It sat there with fear, seemingly tranquilized by the sight of Albert. He smirked as he knew that this would be the day that he finally overcame his fears. He would no longer have to suffer from those nightmares, the ones that brought him pain, both emotional and physical.
Swiftly, Albert leapt at the creature and tackled it to the ground. Ignoring its bird-like screeches, he mauled the creature to death. Such is the fate of all who try to disturb the tranquility of his island, he thought. Strange, it sounded like a bird, though it had no wings and did not sneeze even once. Albert figured that he never really saw a bird up close, though it was extremely unusual how the monster from his nightmares made the same noises that a bird did. Was he hallucinating? Was he mistaken? Was he just tired?
Before Albert could continue any further, he felt a sharp pain in his torso. As he turned around, he saw two figures, one a god and the other a devil, both from his dreams. They looked so similar side-by-side. Perhaps the two were one and the same. As he limped towards them, he noticed how fowl-like their speech sounded. Albert was feeling unnaturally weak and fell as his paws could not carry him any further. But at least he protected his home, something that he could be proud of. That was Albert's last thought.
----------
It was a sad day for the caretakers of Albert the lion at the Jacksville National Zoo. Sad is an understatement. Not only did they lose the animal that they raised from a cub, he was forced to die by their hands. As news crews swarmed around the dome that was Albert's enclosure, the chatter of the crowds still continued. Few stopped to ponder what had just happened to two lives that were just a moment ago. Instead, the "kcherk" and "kchak" of phones and cameras continued, as if they were sneezing in an odd manner. Perhaps Albert was right. Perhaps the birds were ill.
Its shape was oddly like a circle, and almost too perfect in that regard. Almost mimicking the strangeness of the shape of the island were the waves, the ebb and flow of which seemed almost too robotic, not that Albert knew what robots were.
Upon his arrival, he yelled, signalled, swam, but these were all fruitless endeavours.
Realizing how futile his efforts to escape or call for help were, Albert instead tried to adapt to his new home. The island was lush and blooming with distinct species of wildlife and teeming with juicy prey that filled Albert up every single time. Birds also chattered and wailed during daytime, though peace would come at sunset; they flew too high for him to reach or even see, but he grew accustomed to their cacophony. Sometimes he wondered if they were watching him as they went about their business in the skies, possibly viewing him as repulsive or catching wind of his scent, both of which may have caused their constant sneezing. He usually dismissed the idea, attributing their sneezing to some sickness they may have had. These birds never landed on the island, which caused Albert to ponder where they lived and slept. Usually he dismissed these thoughts, as it gave him no benefit to question these things; he only needed to be glad that they were gone when he needed to rest.
There was a cave near the center of the island in which he could take refuge. That was where he slept, as well as the place he would run to in case of any danger. The cave had multiple exits and connected different areas of the island together. Albert soon became no stranger to the island; it was now his home. Albert was happy here, no longer having thoughts of returning to his family…no longer cursing his life for what could have been. He had everything that he needed right here.
However, Albert frequently dreamt of comforting deities who brought him emotional relief during his time on the island. Perhaps this was the blessing of the gods, who decided to bestow mercy upon him as his parents prayed in another land. Though he also occasionally had nightmares. Disturbing and painful memories of the day when he was separated from his parents, seemingly personified as a monster that tortured him. These nightmares were much less frequent, but the pain that it caused him almost seemed real, at least as real as the pleasantness from the dreams that he dreamt.
Days became months and months became years as the ticks on the walls had become uncountable since what seemed like an eternity ago. Seasons came and went, adding some variance to the otherwise repetitive cycle of life on the island. Albert was now an adult, having mastered almost all the skills he could hope to learn. Hunting was trivial and almost akin to a scheduled task for him, having developed a digestive cycle similar to what he would have developed in a normal society. He adapted to the chirping of the birds, learning to tune them out as he went by his everyday business. However, they sneezed more frequently than before, although this was still of no concern to Albert as he had never caught any type of disease before.
Despite all his growth and maturity, Albert still failed to learn how to venture into the deeper parts of the waters. After passing the shallow waters, he would fail to make it into the areas further out from the coast. It felt as though after crossing a certain point, the tides pushed him back harder than before, seemingly as consistent as gravity would pull him down when he jumped. Albert tried very hard to swim away during his first days on the island, but quickly submitted to his fate. Perhaps after years on the island he could finally do it? No, he did not even entertain that thought. The island was his home and the place he was meant to protect. If it were not true…if this was not destiny…no, it had to be. That had to be his purpose. The island was his home and the place he was meant to protect.
Albert's trial as protector couldn't have come sooner.
It was a rainy day, though the storm was not particularly heavy. Drops of water drizzled down as they seemingly drowned out the voices of the birds, who seemed much less in number and strangely healthier than usual. Albert enjoyed these types of days. Suddenly, almost as if a bolt of lightning struck, something dove right onto the island. Naturally the birds were frightened by this, their annoying chatter turning into disturbing screams and a myriad of sneezes. Albert was not afraid, but he had to recon the island to see what had happened. He leapt towards the crash site only to find out that it wasn't something that fell, but rather someone.
Albert couldn't believe it. He was in shock and very much terrified now. The being that ended up descending onto the island wasn't a bird or even some animal that he didn't recognize, but rather the demonic being that haunted his dreams. He was quivering at the sight of this thing. Although, he noticed that it seemed different somehow, maybe due to its shorter body size? Now that he had taken a closer look, the monster also seemed smaller than what he had initially thought. Albert's heart rate started slowing down as he thought more about his responsibility as the protector of this island, his home. He needed to rid the island of this invader.
Albert also noticed that the monster was squirming and screaming as if it were scared of him. It sat there with fear, seemingly tranquilized by the sight of Albert. He smirked as he knew that this would be the day that he finally overcame his fears. He would no longer have to suffer from those nightmares, the ones that brought him pain, both emotional and physical.
Swiftly, Albert leapt at the creature and tackled it to the ground. Ignoring its bird-like screeches, he mauled the creature to death. Such is the fate of all who try to disturb the tranquility of his island, he thought. Strange, it sounded like a bird, though it had no wings and did not sneeze even once. Albert figured that he never really saw a bird up close, though it was extremely unusual how the monster from his nightmares made the same noises that a bird did. Was he hallucinating? Was he mistaken? Was he just tired?
Before Albert could continue any further, he felt a sharp pain in his torso. As he turned around, he saw two figures, one a god and the other a devil, both from his dreams. They looked so similar side-by-side. Perhaps the two were one and the same. As he limped towards them, he noticed how fowl-like their speech sounded. Albert was feeling unnaturally weak and fell as his paws could not carry him any further. But at least he protected his home, something that he could be proud of. That was Albert's last thought.
----------
It was a sad day for the caretakers of Albert the lion at the Jacksville National Zoo. Sad is an understatement. Not only did they lose the animal that they raised from a cub, he was forced to die by their hands. As news crews swarmed around the dome that was Albert's enclosure, the chatter of the crowds still continued. Few stopped to ponder what had just happened to two lives that were just a moment ago. Instead, the "kcherk" and "kchak" of phones and cameras continued, as if they were sneezing in an odd manner. Perhaps Albert was right. Perhaps the birds were ill.
