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Chapter 1 |
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| Object of Inspiration: my dog’s food bowl and the way she determinedly snuffles around in it a good ten minutes after she’s finished all her food. [ligne][/ligne] segue… The watcher once again felt itself pulled from the tumultuous storming of the void into the Unraveller’s world. Mildly surprised not to find itself in the nexus where its ageless body lay in wait, the watcher was surrounded by wire and cages. Overwhelming greyness dominated and dulled its vision. “Come on pup,†the watcher heard a voice filled with frustration and hurt, battling to sound encouraging and soothing, yet failing. Turning, it saw a young woman crouched down in one of the cages, her focus on something in front of her, obscured from the watcher by her body. “Come on pup,†the voice sounded no better on this second attempt. In front of the woman was a puppy, a youngling of a species so often made companion to the Unraveller’s people. The puppy stood on shaking legs, its uncertainty indicated a much younger animal than the watcher had guessed from its size. The dog was a mutt, its thin coat a mix of marled black and brown splodges. “If you don’t eat, little fellow, you won’t get better,†the woman’s voice lost some of the frustrated bitterness that had laced her previous utterances, and instead a hollow helplessness wavered behind her words. “Come on now.†Her voice broke and silent tears crawled down her cheeks. Ignoring them, the woman pushed a bowl of soggy weetbix and soft biscuits towards the puppy, and the little animal cowered and took a step back as the metallic bowl scraped over the concrete floor. The woman winced and took a handful of the mush, pressing it softly against the pup’s muzzle. After several attempts, it began to lick the food, and when the woman guided its head gently to the bowl, it ate. The watcher stared at the puppy. The emotions of anger and bitterness swirling like a stormy ocean inside the woman battered against it. A homeless puppy was a sad thing, but there was something more boiling dangerously inside the woman. “Hollie, your shift ended an hour ago,†the watcher saw another woman enter through an old wooden door at the end of the hall along which the cages were arrayed. The face of the woman was browned and lined, and it wore an expression that the watcher thought an attempt at annoyed indifference. “You won’t be paid overtime you know. Especially as it’s Sunday.†“I know,†the young woman, Hollie, didn’t look up from the puppy who was licking the now-empty bowl. “You can’t save every animal that comes through here you know.†This caused Hollie to turn. “So I should just give up?†Her eyes were wet from tears, yet they burned with fury. “No,†the older woman sighed as if she had been through this conversation before. “Just… be selective. Be practical. You have to look at each animal, each situation, objectively. Some of them have to die. We have to decide which.†There was a tense pause, and the watcher could feel Hollie’s rage and frustration twisting inside her, screaming for release. It could feel the poisonous tendrils that the Chaos spirit had planted inside her reaching towards her soul. Rage won. “I don’t understand how anyone could do this to a dog! A puppy!†Hollie had turned back to the puppy, the feelings inside her oscillating between fury and hopelessness. The puppy turned its face up to Hollie’s, and the watcher saw for the first time what had been done to it. The puppy had no eyes, and the empty sockets where they had once been were stitched closed, the edges red raw and weeping. The watcher felt the older woman soften slightly; her emotions a constant battle between her desire to help every case she encountered, and the realities of the capabilities of the organisation. Would the desire to help ever surpass the desire of others to rip and tear, to destroy and belittle? “Don’t try to understand it. You won’t get anywhere.†“So this is just how the world is then?†Hollie resolutely kept her eyes on the puppy. The watcher could feel her desire to take her frustration out on something, but not the puppy. Never an animal. The woman standing behind her making cold statements was a more likely target. “Yes. Sometimes, this is how the world is.†Hollie bit back a sob. “Then the world is disgusting. How could a dog, any animal, ever provoke anyone to do something like this? Animals don’t have the capacity to be evil. Sure, they kill, but always with a purpose. To eat or to protect themselves. Not for fun.†Hollie spat the final word. “Humans are monsters. We all have the horrible potential to be evil. You do. I do.†The watcher felt the Chaos spirit surge at the admission. “You’re young. You’ll get used to it. You’ll be able to switch it off.†“Switch it off?†Hollie twisted to face the older woman. “I would never want to switch it off. What would that make me, if I just ignored everything bad that happened in the world and lived my own content little life?†Her eyes bored into those of the older woman, her tone accusing. The older woman sighed again. “That would make you part of the majority.†She turned and headed back down the hallway. “Make sure you check that the cages are locked before you leave.†She opened the wooden door and disappeared. Hollie turned back to the puppy, tears once more flowing freely down her face, the feeling of helplessness and inadequacy almost overwhelming her. The puppy slowly made its way over to her, still crouched on the cold cement floor. It flinched a little as its questing nose butted her knee, but it soon crept closer, seeking the warmth and companionship of another body. Hollie softly lay her hand on the head of the puppy, and the watcher withdrew as the girl broke down, choking sobs wracking her body. It segued... |
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