Not under control von VideoGameCrack (Mein NaNoWriMo-Projekt für 2010 - mit täglichen Updates!) ================================================================================ Kapitel 17: Day Seventeen ------------------------- The clouds have lightened up a little, as Gerald was sitting in front of his kitchen window admiring the little that could be seen from the sky, while the black tea was standing right beside him. There was something very calming about it. It made him forget the stress he had to deal with in the last few days. But the longer he sat there, drinking tea and looking at clouds, something made him wonder. Was it really right to use the ritual? Nothing is stopping him to stop using it all together, but he still continued. What was it that kept him returning over and over again? The overall weirdness his story contained? No, this couldn't be it, as he completely ignored it a few visits later. Was it Frank being turned insane? No, it couldn't be that, either, as he, like Anthony suggested, could just write about a doctor and make Frank visit him. He himself has no idea how to help him, so why should he put himself in danger? Was it the threat coming from the Freedom Seekers? That made even less sense, as Helena didn't seem like she was going to tell them how they could leave, and they need him to find it out. Why? That was the question. He completely forgot about actually continuing the novel, and the inspiration was completely gone as well. He could spend as much time as he likes talking to the characters, but the spark just didn't come. It helped at first, but now, visiting the novel was more or a thing he likes to do to meet people rather than getting advice from them. He stood up, put the cup into the washing machine, and entered the living room again, where he still could come to the conclusion that he and Helena fought here. It still felt like it just happened a few minutes ago. It certainly wasn't something he likes to think too much about. He decided to sit on the couch, as he looked to where the table was before, wenn he used the ritual for the first time, when he was introduced for the first time to the world behind the words. It was an enriching experience, for sure, and the people behind the characters were nice too – except for Helena, of course – but he doesn't really get why he continued going there anymore. He had to fear about his lives four times since he entered the ritual the first time. Saying it was a coincidence would mean that he was lying to himself. He grabbed the paper out of his trousers, where the instructions were printed on. He looked on them for a while, still trying to remember how much impact the first time had. It was a scary world he was thrown into, but even though the idea of entering a novel sounded exciting at first and will always sound pretty weird and surreal, now, that feeling was gone. He was used to it now. The question still stood in the room. That „Why“ didn't want to disappear. It was like a fly flying all around his room, annoying him and avoiding all his attempts to squash it. Gerald needed to resolve this problem quickly. He needed to go to the novel – a last time, before abandoning the ritual forever. It was evening, when he came back to the story, standing in the middle of the street. He walked around, looking for Vincent, Anthony and Frank to say goodbye properly. But Frank's office was closed, the dead end was empty and they weren't in the bar, either. The light faded away to switch places with the night, which now broke in, revealing the stars to give him at least somelight, because the streetlights were turned off and it was very hard to navigate through that darkness. As he couldn't find them at the moment, he began to admire city. It changed a lot since his first visit. It was almost like he didn't enter some weird parallel dimension, save for the missing sun, the emptiness surrounding everything, the missing nessecity to pay for things... the more he thought about it, the less it felt real. But he didn't need to enter a novel to experience the reality. That's what reality was there for in the first place. He walked towards the end of the street, staring down to complete emptiness. The thought of falling down scared him, so he took a seat a few metres away from the cliff, while being baffled about how scary it felt. But while being quite frightening, it also was a quite impressive sight, staring right into the infinity, even though there was nothing to see there. He didn't know how long he just sat there, but it definitely took a while before he heard someone calling him from behind. „Gerald?“ The author turned around. It was Anthony, who stood behind him with a cigar in his mouth. „What are you doing here?“ Gerald shrugged. „Just sitting around. Care to join me?“ „I got nothing else to do, so why not?“ He sat on the ground beside him, before Gerald told him: „I've spent quite a time here.“ „You surely did.“ Gerald sighed. „Just too bad it'll be all over now.“ Anthony looked at him irritated. „What are you talking about? You sound like you're going to die.“ „No, it's nothing like that. But I think I shouldn't come here at all anymore.“ Anthony raised an eyebrow. „Why would you do that? I mean, okay, the Freedom Seekers are still a problem, but-“ „It hasn't that much to do with them but with visiting this place at all“, Gerald replied. „The more time I spent here, the less interest I had staying here.“ „That's the kind of logic Helena would use, wouldn't she?“ „Yeah, I know. But she does have a point here somehow.“ „So, I guess you're only here anymore to say farewell?“ Gerald sank his head. „Indeed I am. I don't like to do it myself, but it's better for all of us.“ „Maybe you're right...“ „You don't have an idea where Frank and Vincent are, do you?“ Anthony shook his head. „Sadly, I don't. But I would prefer you coming here sometimes anyway. It's boring otherwise as long as your novel isn't finished...“ „I'll probably complete it someday, don't worry about that.“ The two remained silent, as Anthony threw his cigar down the road into the nothing. Even though the nothing was the most boring sight possible, it may the most interesting at the same time because of it. Neither could explain it, and neither bothered to do so. „Say, Gerald“, Anthony asked, „You wanna go for a drink for the last time?“ No reply. „Gerald?“ Then he turned to him, with Gerald's mouth hidden with his head. His eyes were wide open and looked like they saw the most horrific thing. „Are you alright?“ Gerald moved his hands away. His mouth magically disappeared. Where his lips were, was now only skin. „What the- I'll take you to the bar, immediately Not that they see you like that!“ As they arrived there, they took a table as far away from the street as possible. As soon as Anthony was sure that they won't be seen so easily, he asked Gerald: „Do you have any idea how that happened?“ Gerald shook his head heavily, as he acted with his fingers like he was writing something. „Should I get you something to write?“ Gerald nodded, before Anthony pulled out a piece of paper and a pen out of his vest. Gerald looked questioning at him. „What? I'm an informant. I need to make my notes somehow...“ He put the items in front of Gerald, who then took them and began to write something on the paper. After he finished, he gave it back to Anthony, who read out loud: „I got no idea sorry.“ Anthony looked in a way that was literally screaming „Yeah, that was very helpful“ in a sarcastic tone, before returning the paper to Gerald. „What are we going to do with you?“, Anthony asked. „When you can't speak, you won't be able to get back again.“ Gerald scribbled on the paper. „I know that.“ „We need to hide you from them as long as you don't have your mouth, but we can't stay here all the time.“ „Are you just going to say things I already could figure out?“ Anthony sighed. „I just wanted to make it clear. You can't escape at any time anymore. That means you need to be way more cautious.“ Now it happened, Gerald thought. This world had now finally put him into serious danger. Helena wasn't a push-over, but that was partly his fault. Now he had to fear about his life, as they could spot him at any time. Who knows how aggressive they're going to get now. Not to mention that he has to figure out how to get his mouth back, or otherwise he's going to starve here. Why was this happening? Why would something so cruel happen to him?Why does he get the feeling that he just turned as insane as Frank did? Why couldn't this be just a really bad dream? So many questions, no answers at all. All he could hope for now is that his mouth manages to come back again or that he really did fall asleep while performing the ritual. As unlikely as it sounded, it was all he could wish for at the moment. Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)