The alarm I had set on the new tablet did not do a good job at keeping me awake. I heard the countdown buzzing, the volume I had set for the passing seconds having a calming effect rather than keeping me awake and after a while, the sound of time periodically passing, along with the lack of movement from the box sent me into a calming routine of blinking slower and slower.
Until of course, I fell asleep. I must have stayed up till four or five in the morning, but the faerie was either asleep itself or not planning to come out and I surely needed some rest if I was to deal with such a stubborn creature.
“What time is it?” I asked the ceiling robot with a groggy voice, too upset with the tablet that didn’t keep me awake to pay it any attention.
“The time is ten forty-eight AM.”
Okay, so we both slept for about six hours. Not that bad, I hoped that the faerie at least ate and drank to get some more energy.
I guessed wrong.
The plate of food hadn’t been touched, the tea remained a pile of cold mush and the water bottle and can of soda were unopened.
Seriously? I even gave it privacy to come out and freaking eat. I started doubting its intelligence, because who, in their right mind, would refuse nourishment when given the opportunity, and especially, in captivity? Last night was the perfect moment for it to come out, eat and drink, explore, try to escape or even try to murder me in my sleep.
Instead, it chose to just stay there, in the same putrid box that for some reason, had become a shield. Stupid, stupid faerie.
I was especially annoyed because it interfered with my plans. We were already over thirty-six hours in, and I hadn’t even met my subject. Hadn’t learnt anything about it. And I was wasting valuable time.
Determined to make the first progress of the day, even if I had to force it, I stepped towards the box while slamming my boots on the hardwood floor, just to make sure the faerie was already awake.
“Hey buddy, I’m sorry to steal your thunder, but your box stinks like hell and we can’t be living like this. So, brace yourself, because your home is going to disappear soon.”
I did not give it time to reply, by this point I was ready to use blunt force and get it out. And what better way than destroying its home?
We did not have any weapons in the kitchen, but a rolling pin would do just fine. I grabbed it and went back to my friend in the box, ready for my morning cardio.
“You might want to mind your head in there. It’s going to be noisy.”
And with that, I started slamming the box from every side, forcing the wood to crack under the pressure. My every movement threw splinters around like they were fireworks and my eyes got hit a few times, but I tilted my head and continued my work. Two or three minutes later, what used to be a box remained a pile of mess. Still, the faerie did not move, did not even draw breath too loud while I was doing all that destruction.
Not that it had much choice now, it needed to come out one way or another.
“Don’t worry, I’ll rescue you from the rubble in just a second.”
I didn’t even know why I bothered at this point because clearly, I would be monologuing for a long time. But I was here for a reason, and I would not let anyone or anything mess up my plans.
Even a stubborn faerie in a mouldy box.
Careful to remove the nails and keep my fingers away from sharp edges, I started rummaging through the pile of broken wood, taking it apart piece by piece until a form started to show underneath. I continued to remove the broken pieces of wood until I reached chains.
Its entire body was encased in iron, even its head and face. No wonder it could not move, or speak, or eat and drink.
I was a fucking idiot. I’d basically tortured the creature, placing warm food next to it, forcing it to smell it for the entire night when its body could not move to reach it. A sharp rock dropped through my throat, down my oesophagus and into my stomach at the realisation. At the stupid, amateur thing I had done.
“I’m so sorry.” The words were out before I could stop them, before I could even think them.
A blink, that’s all it could do. A blink of acknowledgement, maybe gratitude for someone observing their situation and understanding it. I took a moment to look at its face, or what I could spot from behind those iron chains. PDD had basically mummified the creature in chains, leaving only its eyes, which had been covered in so much blood and grime, it was a wonder it could still see.
Could it?
By the way it blinked at me, I hoped it could. Sight was one of the most precious gifts of this life. I spotted a bit of green in those crimson injected eyes, a shade so deep it almost made me fall to my knees. It reminded me of sprouting leaves, of a lake in a forest, reflecting sunlight and life. It reminded me of home.
“Can you stand?”
Silence and another deep blink, this time heavier, carrying regret. Definitely a no.
“Okay, let’s make a system. One blink for yes, two for no, okay?” I stepped closer and placed my face in front of its eyes to make sure it saw me.
