The Writer Games | 4 - 5

Finals: Stone

"Late?" I mumble turning  toward the wall, pulling the covers over my head. Suddenly the covers  are yanked from my grasp and I tumble to the floor.

"Puella!" I cry. "Why did you do that?" Angrily I jump to my feet.

"You have to get going!" Puella shouts. "If your late again, you'll be demoted."

As I notice the light  coming through the window, my anger vanishes. She is right; I really  mustn't be late again today. "I'm sorry" I say. "I must have had a rough  night."

Dressing quickly, I grab  my work pouch and head out the door, kissing my wife on the cheek as I  leave. Puella is a good wife, I think. I am very lucky to have met and  married her two years ago. Now, why did I think that? I mean, she is my  wife. Isn't she? My mind folds back to when ...

-Flash!-    

She is my wife.

Closing the door to my  home behind me, I look out upon the city. I have lived here all my life.  Below me is the courtyard where I played as a child and beyond it,  through the trees, I see my parents house. There is the balcony where I  fell and hurt my arm when I was six. Or was I eight? My mind folds back  to when I was eight...

Henry has brought me a  new bug for my collection. As he goes to get a pin, I pick it up and to  examine it closer. It is awesome, like nothing I've ever seen before.  Golden with translucent wings, it looks like a wasp, only much larger.  And that stinger, it's a good thing that it's dead...

-Flash!-  

I fell from a balcony when I was six. That is how I damaged my arm.

I step from the  courtyard out onto the street. My job is to the south, past the grove of  Poseidon. I work with Puella's father and brother harvesting fruit for  the many palaces in Atlantis. I am very lucky to have this job, I think.  There I go again. Why would I think that? Of course I am lucky. It's  easy work that doesn't hurt my arm. Hurt my arm? My arm doesn't hurt. My  mind folds back to when I was eight...

"Careful, Malachi!"  Henry shouts as he comes back into the room with a pin for my bug.  Startled, I jump and the bug flies out of my hand, coming down on my  left arm, stinger first. My arm begins to burn the second it sticks in  me. I swat at the bug but end up driving the stinger in farther. As I  scream and wail, Henry grabs my arm and pulls the bug away, its barbed  stinger tears free and is still sticking in my arm. After several tries,  Henry pulls it free from my rapidly swelling arm, leaving a hole that's  oozing green liquid. "I'm sorry, Chi" Henry cries as everything goes  black.

-Flash!-

The fall from the balcony broke my arm and my parents called a physician. Nothing else happened.

Quickening my step, I  enter Poseidon's Grove, admiring the tiered fountains as I pass through I  turn towards the eastern orchards. What beautiful eyes!, I think,  passing by a somehow familiar looking noblewoman. Have I seen those eyes  before? My mind folds back...

-Flash!-

I don't know her.

Opening my work pouch, I pull out my gloves and put them on as I enter the orchard.

"About time you got  here!" comes a call to my left. It is Puella's brother standing with her  father. They are both smiling back at me, not angry at all that I am  late. I am very lucky to have...  ENOUGH! Why do I keep thinking things  like that?

A movement in the tree  above catches my eye, and a young girl jumps down. She runs to me and  gives me a hug around the waist. It is Puella's little sister. She loves  to climb trees. Loves to climb trees... My mind folds back.