Chapter 2 – Escape to Reality
A few years had passed down the line since she lost her bear Ted to ASI, she couldn’t keep track of her age as she didn’t know how old she was, when she asked ASI about her age with a hiss of steam and creak of its neck followed by a long pause it said “sixteen”
Alinson sighed “do you know when i was born?”
ASI shook its head from left to right “no, i am going based on when you were first brought here Alinson”
Alinson nodded her head, she walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge looking out of the window each time and waiting for her prince to come, or a hero to come and slay the beast, she looked over at ASI with a smile and giggle at the thought that somebody would have to do battle with that machine, but that man comes by now and again, from what she could get out of ASI its called a year, one year has twelve months and each month has 30 days, once she worked this she was able to create her own tally chart, using the very short pencil she was given years ago and a very crumpled bit of paper.
Over the last ten years or so she had running arguments with ASI and battles aswell, each year once a year for the past ten years the stranger would come a give her presents and things she would need but she would sometimes leave certain things lying around, the only thing that saved her was that ASI would sleep of a night time to recharge, during the night time she took out her crumpled bit of paper and just managed to put on the last mark that would fit, tomorrow night is the night he would come, she had left a note in the basket from the night before say what she would like, more paper, another pencil and another book.
During the day Alinson had to sit down and eat her breakfast and dinner, the day seem to take longer for the sun to set and ASI kept an eye on her more so then before, it learned a bit about her and so was waiting for to make a wrong move or do something suspicious, instead she waited often staring up at the ceiling or looking out of the window watching the clouds float by in the distance, she waited and waited until the sun was down and looked over at ASI as she said “i feel tired ASI i’m going to sleep”
There was another long pause followed by another hiss of steam “ok, i need to move around so i don’t rust”
The metal clasp opend up and ASI took a few bounding steps forward, it stretched its arms and its bellow joints hissing as it went on its spring like feet, Alinson watched and waited, she knew if it carried on like this it would wear itself out and have to charge itself eventually, she could hear each step it made make a scrape, eventually ASI stopped and seemed to drop to its knee, Alinson had never seen this before, it was like it was getting old like a human.
As a human gets older some parts of its body tend to give way for no reason, this was the case, nobody was around to maintain it and so like most things in life it began to dwindle slowly, she got up and walked over to ASI “do you need help?”
ASI turned its head looking up allowing another puff of steam come from its neck, it took a long look at Alinson as it said “no, i don’t need help”
ASI stood up again and wobbled slighty, it stood on the spot and bent down forwards and twisted a few nuts and tightened a few bolts on it knee and leg, Alinson watched as it stood up and looked at her with cold dead eyes “i need to researched that fall took a lot of power from me”
Alinson nodded as she walked over to her bed and tucked herself in and waited, she watched ASI bounced off to its hobble hole, it faced ALinson and waited as the pips and other links connected up and the gate closed, she waited till the last possible moment until its eyes green glow flickered off and went dim, this was her chance, her night dress was a one piece item made of silk that stopped below her knees and cover her shoulders to her elbows.
She kicked the covers off and quickly rushed to the window, at that point in time she waited and the stranger came, still cloaked up not showing a face or anything but carried a basket of items, she smiled down but this time she tried something different she whispred loudly so ASI couldn’t hear her “hay stranger, pssst up here”
The figure looked up but because it was dark she couldn’t make out any of the features on the face she carried on “can you do something for me?”
The stranger waited as Alinson dropped a bit of paper that floated down and landed by the strangers feet, the stranger picked it up and started to read it, it was a letter that Alinson had written in childish hand writing, it said “wanted a adventurer or knight with shining armour to rescues a princes from the tower”
The stranger looked up but could see who was up there, the feeling that the person up there was a girl was know made clear to the stranger, either that or a gender confused boy, the stranger didn’t say anything as he tied the basket to the rope on the side and hulled it up, Alinson was waiteing with glee as the basket approached her, inside was a new set of pencils, pen and some sort of fabric, she took it out and held it up, it was long and purple with a hood, inside the basket was a note “dear child, inside is what you requested plus a shrowle to keep you warm, the nights will get colder and the tower will lose some of its heat, this should keep you warm”
Alinson smiled at it thinking to herself that it would be great for when she gets rescued by her prince or heroic adventurer, once again like always she quickly placed another note into the basket, this time asking for a backpack and few supplies like bandages and some coins to use, as she sent the basket down after putting the items away, as she sent the basket down she notice that the stranger was still there, the stranger read the note but what Alinson couldn’t work out was how could the stranger read in the pitch black, before she could leave with the feeling that the note was read and understood there was a set of squeaking noises, she notices that the stranger was sending something else up, it took longer and the stranger was having a bit of trouble but when it reached the top she was surprised .
Inside was a backpack and inside were supplies and a strange device with a note inside, she took the bag out and placed it on the ground nearby, when she looked over at the stranger there was no one insight, she sighed with a slight hope that this stranger would be the one to have rescued her, but she guessed not.
She lowered the basket to the ground and quickly went to her bed and placed the bag on the bed, she looked inside and took out her items a strange cylinder object with a switch, a few first aid bits and pieces, a small bag of gold coins and something that she hasent seen in years, a teddy she gasped and said “Ted!”
She hugged it to bits and noticed that it had been repaired and stuffed, at the bottom of the bag was a note with her writing on one side and the strangers writing on the other “Dear child, this will be the last time i will come, take my backpack, medical supplies and something i created called a torch, press the button and find out what it does, i won’t be back”
Her feelings guessed that he wouldn’t be coming back, she sighed and placed all the items back into the bag and under her bed, she smiled as she tucked herself into bed and feel asleep almost instantly, her dream was about her being rescued by a knight, he was smart, handsome and stong, his sword skill surpassed all others as he fought his way to get to her, his last task was ASI as man fought the machine and man won, he swept her of her feet and onto his white stallion as the galloped off to a castle were she became his queen, but that was interrupted by ASI walking into the castle into a rage killing everyone in its path with a determination to take her back, her dream became a nightmare.
She let out a scream as she feel out of the bed and landed hard on her side causing a burse to come up instantly, she looked around and struggled to get up, ASI was in front of her helping Alinson to get up, she wobbled as she got to her feet and feel down sitting on the bed, her head felt heavy and groggy, her stomach felt sick, ASI looked at her and said “Why were you out of bed?”
Alinson looked up “i had a nightmare and feel out of bed”
ASI paused for a bit as it said “you feel out of bed because of a nightmare, this is not acceptable behaviour”
Alinson sighed as she held her head “you know ASI, you’re not human, you wouldn’t understand what goes on in a human body, only what your programmed to know, you never dream or have nightmares so you will never understand”
There was a long pause until ASI said “no i don’t have dreams or nightmares, go to sleep”
Alinson waited until ASI bounced off back into its home, Alinson couldn’t sleep that night but during the day she wasn’t allowed to sleep, each day she was hoping to be rescued by somebody but as each day turned to month and each month a year she was certain that nobody was going to rescue her, that she has only one option left.
With half her leg off of the bed along with half her arm off the bed she woke up with a start and feel off the bed looking up at the cailing, she blinked twice and sat up looking around the room, nothing had changed and everything was clean, once again the robot arms in the ceilings were doing there jobs for the day, she stood up and stretched herself, her joints clicked slightly and her back was stiff, ASI was looking directly at her as it said “Morning Alinson, your breakfast is on the table, eat”
Alinson shuffled over and sat down, again it was the same, Porridge with raisins and sultanas, she eat it must to her displeasure and it was about time for her to take a bath, she looked at ASI and said “takeing a bath ASI, don’t look please”
ASI switched off as the bath was prepped for her, she took off her dress and her undergarments till she was naked, her body had undergone a lot of changes, her hair was down past her shoulders till the tip reached at the bottom of her back, her chest had grown and she grew taller, as dipped her toe testing water satisfied that it was ok to enter she pop one leg over then the other as she laid back and started to think.
She had lost track of how old she was and when she asked ASI the day before she was told “twenty two”, if she had worked it had been another six years and nobody came, she already assumed that the stranger didn’t do as she asked and the stranger was true to their word, she hadn’t seen the stranger for over six years, she had enough of this, she wanted out and her mind was made up, she had a plan, it was dangerous but it could work, her bag was packed and her shrowl on top, she had to wait.
Her mind wondered to the outside world, of what it would be like full of green fields, flowers, fresh air a house made of wood a brick with a fire going where she would cook and keep the house clean, it sounded like paradise to her, her bath interrupted by ASI “Time to get dry”
“Cant i stay in here for a bit longer, it feels so relaxing”
“No Alinson you have to get out”
Sigh “why do i have to?”
“i have told you before, your skin will wrinkle and stay like that for the rest of your life”
Alinson sighed again “ok, but look away “
ASI looked away as she climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her, she sat on the chair and looked at ASI “have you ever wondered why i ask you to look away?”
ASI looked at her “it is my understanding that you don’t want me to look at you during certain moments, like having a bath, undressing or using the toilet”
Alinson nodded “yes that is right”
She had a plan and waited till the night time before making her move, she eat her dinner and got dressed in her pyjamas, this time she was ready as she waited for ASI to shut down, she got dressed as quick as she could, she got her undergarments on followed by her dress, her bag was packed and all that was left was her shrowl, she flung it over herself and knotted the top to keep it on, her bag was on her back as she quickly sneaked to the window ledge, she gulped as she looked back at ASI, still recharging.
She looked down unable to see the bottom, she sat on the ledge and looked over at the pully system, it was basic with a knot at the end to stop it from coming off, but she needs a knot sooner so it wouldn’t move, as she made a rough not by tying the rope into itself.
When she was certain it would not budge she took a firm grip, all she had to do was place one foot on the wall and walk down, she gulped hard and sighed, she turned her body around until she was faceing the wall of the tower, her hands were hurting from the rope as she slowly walked backwards down the tower, her knot was not as tight as she thought, she was near the bottom until the knot gave way, she then slipped and feel to the ground, her back felt the gravel but was cushioned by the bag, she didn’t fall far, but she felt something wired, stones, gravel and the cold.
She could feel all that was around her, the temperature was different as she stood up, the wind blew through her air, even that smelled fresh not musty or steamy, the stars seemed bright and she heard sounds like never before, a owl hooting, a fox screeching while the wolfs were howling in the moon light, but her noise and little yelp didn’t go un noticed.
ASI woke up to the sound of the little yell and the thump, it looked around the room and noticed that everything was as it should be, its focus was on Alinson’s bed, it noticed there was a shape of a person sleeping but it couldn’t sense or hear any breathing, it opened its connecting house and took its steps out to investigate, it bounced towards the bed and waited, it let out a hiss of steam, its head tilted this way and that.
Eventually its own curiosity and programming got the best of it as it took off the covers of the bed, there was another puff of steam as it looked around the room “Alinson?”
It bounced as quick as it could around the room searching for her, calling her name getting louder each time until it went to the window and looked down, it could see her, it shouted her name in a monotone “Alinson! Get in here now”
Alinson was down below she had never heard ASI scream her name before, it was scary, like a evil witch that she read about, the sound was perching as it echoed around the forest, all became silient, it made her feel uneasy as she froze on the spot at the now screeching noise, then a feeling that she had never felt before, fear.
Her heart was racing her mind was pacing but she ran down the only visible path with ASI screacing in anger behind her, she could feel the stones underneath her but her feet have spent years and have adapted to hard surfaces even sharp pointed pebbles wouldn’t cut her feet, but she stopped in her tracks as something caught on her dress, it was the grass, the green coils of metal, she had no time to think as she ripped parts of the dress to get free.
The screeching was distant but still loud and it sent shivers down her spine, once she was free she reached the edge of the trees and ran with her hood up, as she ran the screeching stopped, she assumed that ASI ran out of steam but she couldn’t stop and she just ran for it, her shorwl and dress was getting cut by the metal on the branches, she never looked back once until she was in a clearing and feeling grass underneath her feet.
She eventually slowed down and came to a stop, her panting was long and hard and her legs felt tired and stiff, a chill blew around her to cool her down but this was it she thought, the outside world, away from the tower away from ASI, she was on her own, alone with no direction of were to go next until she looked up and noticed a faint glimmer of lights in the distance, she thought it was the village that she could just see from the tower.
Her only guide was a single path leading in that rough direction and a bright star, she gathered it was the north star from her fairy books she had been reading, she took a deep breath and sighed, the outside world was not as she pictured it but she is only a few meters from the tower, maybe if she headed to the town in the distance she could start there, she took a deep breath and held onto her shoulder straps and set off down the road, she was not sure how long the road is or what town and people would be like but she had little to no choice and she couldn’t get back to the tower.
Around her was quiet apart from the sound of crickets but something caught her eyes, a shooting star she smiled and made a wish, a wish that she would meet the her knight in armour to take her away to be married and have a family, she was distracted by a howling noise that was nearby as she stared into the eyes of a wolf out on the hunt for its next meal, it didn’t growl or snarl at her but just looked at her, its eyes glowed in the night but then carried on its way.
Alinson was slight scared her adrenaline was still there in case she needed to run, looking up the town was that bit closer, she knew she would be able to reach it in no time, but she had to be quick, the wind was cold and the air was crisp, she could see her hot air linger in the air before dissapreing, if nothing else she kept going, her destination was in sight slowly getting closer.
Eventually after a few more meters of travelling the town was closer, she noticed that there was still lights on in a single large house and faint noises of merry making could be heard, that was were first port of call, eventually she got to the outskirts of the village and past a few houses, there were people in the streets walking not taking any notice of her or too drunk to care, she noticed that the house with all the noises and merry making had people going in and out all the time.
On the outside hanging from the house was a single sign that read “rusty nail inn”, she knew what a inn was, a place filled with people who want to eat, drink and sleep, she wasn’t sure what the people on the inside was like or the barkeep, but she was tired and needed a drink, she had come this far and had to go further as her resolve was high.
She took a deep breath and walked up to the inn but stopped outside when a person was thrown out by a tall muscular man wearing dirty clothes and a dirty apron, but something else caught his eye, a figure coverd in head to toe in a large robe, she could tell was tall but it reminded her of the stranger that would visit her, she watched him enter the inn but thought she saw a tail but she shook her head and quickly followed the man inside the inn.
What she was different from her book, if she knew that her world would change and bed led down a path she was uncertain about she proberly would not have entered but it was too late, from this day fourth for her, whatever she knew was going to be turned upside down or trashed.