Michael

Short Stories
2005-06-20 12:36:52 (UTC)

The Darkness In The Deep ... Page 3 / ?

The bumping awoke Charlie away from his night-time
reverie. The loose coupling of the bus's suspension was the
culprit, and then another bump to prove the point. Sighing
to himself, Charlie rubbed his eyes tiredly, checking his
watch to see how much time remained before his destination.
Too much time.

Music started playing. Not terribly good music, either.
Glancing to his right, Charlie observed a young stylishly
dressed female dressed in rather tight, revealing leather
garments. The young woman, also possessed what appeared to
be mulitple eyebrow piercings as well as a nose stud. She
was situated at a window seat, and was looking out her
one-foot by one-foot window of freedom with a look of slight
depression.
She was listening to her cd player, which, was not doing a
great job of confining the music to the sole individual.
This, Charlie noted, was the source of the bad music. A
growing source of irritation, as well. Although, Charlie
mused ... she wasn't half bad looking. Something about the
piercings.
The young woman, stopped a moment sensing that someone was
looking at her, then turned to her left and looked straight
at Charlie. For a moment, their eyes met. Charlie turned his
look away, embarassed at being caught. He looked out his
window, once more.

***

Two individuals stood in the middle of a nearly abandoned
and overly large classroom. It was quiet, dark. The bare
streaks of moonlight were the only offered touches of
illumination.
One individual circled the other, inspectingly. As a
teacher would, a pupil.

"Where does all this anger come from?" asked the teacher.
"... I don't know" growled a tight-lipped student. He
eased after his words, sighing. The once held anger tipping
his voice, eased. Charlie began wishing that something ...
something in him, would change.
"You know," replied the teacher, after some moments time.
"It is a shame, to watch such talent wasted."
"I ..." answered Charlie, unsure of what to say first.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you. Master. I really am. But you
should know, that my path is mine to take."
Taking a deep breath, Charlie continued. "And, you know, I
wish you people would stop with this ... this shit! This
pitying me. I can't stand it. I don't want to hear about how
I'm wasting my potential, my skill, my talent, my ...
whatever the fuck, you want to call it."
Charlie glanced at his teacher, and sighed apologetically,
looking away. He looked away for a few moments, but those
moments felt like an eternity to Charlie. For those few
moments, he just gazed into nothing, wondering.
"I ... I really don't know why I am like this. I really
don't. It's not as if I chose this. This way, that I am."
offered Charlie, lamely.

The teacher looked at Charlie, critically a moment.
Discerning for himself the authenticity of his words.
Nodding curtly, satisfied, the teacher paused a moment
searching carefully for the right words.
"The problem is, Charlie, you let your emotions, get the
better of you. In that regards, you fit the cliche
description of fire. You burn ... consume, everything that
touches you. You feed on it. Your emotions, feed on it.
Consume it, until there's nothing left. Nothing but ashes,
and ashes can't sustain a flame as big as the one you have
going in your soul. Not for long, at anyrate."
"That's why you stopped there. Your anger at me,
everything stopped there. That fire, that anger, had nothing
left to eat. So, it died."
"Remember, Charlie. Alliance through hate, is a fragile
alliance at best."

Charlie sighed and rolled his eyes slightly.
"You know, I think I heard that saying, before. Like, in a
movie. Or something."
The teacher smiled, bemused, offering no defense.
"Like I said. You were always my favourite student, Charlie."




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