<< Introduction
Three years. I've spent all of three years held captive in this prison compound. I could do worse. Soft bed, clean sheets, three square meals a day — nothing much to complain about, if you ask me. It's just that … I didn't have the best luck in the draw, s'all. I could escape anytime I wanted to, I'm just waiting for the most opportune moment.
During those years, I've grown fond of some of the other captives. They have made my interment somewhat bearable. Time and again, I've tried to rally them and organize an escape, but I fear that my arguments have fallen on deaf ears. It was either they were afraid what they would be subjected to if we were ever caught or that they still do not understand the way I speak.
Our — my — captors have tried to recondition me by teaching me their ways and their customs. It was a strange way to extract information from me, but try as they may I will never give in. However, their tactics aren't without benefits: in their quest to integrate me into their society, I have come to understand their language. With that knowledge, I've been granted the capability to understand their plans. Often times, I would try to reason with them and negotiate my release, but they don't seem to comprehend what I'm trying to convey.
I can't help but grin every time they don't understand when I tell them about my escape plans. Admittedly, it was infuriating at first whenever I couldn't get my message across, but I've learned to accept it over time. They smile with me but they have nary a clue of my impending getaway.
I have to be patient. That's what the elders of my village have taught us. I have to calculate every possibility until there is almost no chance of failure. All I could do now is to go along with everything and bide my time. If they wanted to kill me, they could have done so a long time ago.
Time and again, I would have these flashes of days past — of glory and of boundless adventure. Even now, as I straddle between dreams and reality, I could feel the warm breeze against my skin, as I fly through the billowy clouds. I could hear the gentle stream gurgle as it flows above the jagged rocks. Sometimes, the memories are so vivid that I couldn't tell them apart from reality.
Days past, I hate it when I speak as if those days are behind me. I remember those adventures fondly, and even though I get to relive them every night in my dreams, I fear the constant reconditioning slowly erase my memories. I couldn't even remember what my family looked like — I'm not even sure if I even had a family.
Even though they have stripped me of my armor, my weaponry and — gradually — my memory, I still continue to carry on speaking my people's language, still trying to carry on our tradition. As far as I can recall, the experiments that I have endured under captivity has diminished my powers greatly. I've lost my power of flight but, thankfully, I could still conjure weapons from the wind — armas de viento — or I could have just lost the memory of how to perform them effectively. My armas aren't as powerful as they used to be — back then they could destroy ships and devastate whole armies, but now I couldn't even injure a fly.
It feels strange being this powerless. I feel like a toddler incapable of even opening a door for itself, in some ways. In this land of giants that I find myself in, that feeling isn't far off. Perhaps that's why my armas aren't that effective against them. One day I'll find a way to penetrate their armor, I just have to be smart about it. Sabiduria.
I guess that's one of the reasons, if not the reason the Sachaphoyans — my people — weren't so successful in our campaign during the Great War. Think of where you will land before you leap off the cliff, the elders always said. Too bad the elders weren't there when the whole village decided to leap towards the battle. The lure of combat was too tempting to pass up. I could still remember the fervor we all felt at the time — the feeling was almost palpable.
It was fervor that we felt, right? Wait … fervor, jumping off the cliff, armas that could topple armies, prison guarded by giants — yes, that sounds right.
Sabiduria. What does it even mean? Hope? Courage? Wait, no — that doesn't sound right. Wisdom? Sabi— Wis … dom. Sabiduria. Wisdom. Yes, I think it's wisdom, but I can't know for sure. Get a hold of yourself, Ledd. Get a hold of … yourself.
Ledd. That's your name. That's the name your parents gave you. Parents. You had parents, you had family. They looked … they looked … You remember how they looked. They look exactly like you. Focus.
Tch. Times like these, I could really use a chi—chicha— Come on, you know this. It's your favorite food. You know this.
Frustrating! Again, from the top.
Three years. I've spent all of three years held captive in this prison compound. I could do worse. Soft bed, clean sheets, three square meals a day—
It has been three years, right? Stuck in this prison? But … Why do I feel like I've always been here? Like this is where I was born. I … Wait, no. That can't be right!
Breathe, Z. I mean, Ledd. Your name is "Ledd." My name is “Ledd.” Breathe … Ledd.
I can smell the clouds. White, billowy clouds floating in the sky. I can feel the sun on my skin — it's cold … Wait a minute. Is the sun supposed to be cold?
The clouds surround me like it's giving me a tight embrace. Come, clouds. Come be with me as we rejoice our freedom. Not too tight, though. Wait, not too tight! No! The more I struggle, the more I'm strangled. Let go of me, foul creature! By the winds I conjure, I—
Wait, what? Why did it suddenly become dark? Where have the clouds gone? Where has my village disappeared to? What kind of sorcery is this? Have I gone blind? Have I—
No, wait. It's just a dream … It's just … It's just a dream. It felt like it happened, is happening, and will happen, all at the same time. It felt so real.
Blanket? The clouds were only a blanket. It smells like clouds. Or, the clouds smell like this blanket. How could that be? Do I even really know what clouds smell like? Was that a memory or was that a dream?
Things like these need not be questioned. This is their doing — this is how they intend to do me in. Those giants can step on me anytime they want to, but they'd rather have me suffer. Their reconditioning is taking its toll on me, and I don't know how long I could last before I break. I have to — no, I need to — escape as soon as I get the next chance.
But first, I need to settle down. I need to calm myself. One step at a time. Sleep deprivation is dulling my senses, so that should be my priority right now. I need my wits about me if I ever hope to escape unscathed.
I know who I am.
I-I know my … I know my past, and I know that it's real.
I know what I have to do.
<< Introduction
Thanks for reading! Follow me @jedau for stories, solutions and other stuff that begin with 'S'!
I'm lost with Ledd/Z. I can't wait to find out The TRUTH, if there even is a TRUTH.
Is there even a truth!? OH MY GLOB! :O You got the gist of it haha!! I don't want to say more in hopes of not spoiling anything. So yeah, you got the basic question I'm trying to ask the reader. Great job! :D
Thank you for praising my reading comprehension skillz! I got a 34 on the reading portion of the ACT!
Awesome! Way to put that skill to good use. Do let me know what you think of the story as you go along. No promises with regard to changing parts you don't like, but we'll see. It's not like the story is etched in the blockchain.
Ah! That's right. It was the (un)reality that I found so intriguing! Steem on!
I do hope that even when the story gets grounded by reality you would be invested enough to be intrigued further :/
That's why I put the un in ()! :D
I've been waiting months to read this. And, now that I've given the compilation a second look over, I've realized that there's a second story or is that a second happening? I don't know! But, I've gotta find out.
Are you referring to SILVER LINING? If you are, that's actually a Behind the Scenes look at the story. Just a fun complementary series exclusively available for people who read on Steemit. Based on my analysis, more people interacted there, maybe because it's aim is to create a lively discussion haha!
Rock on! That's a really neat idea. Is SILVER LINING best read along side as you've put in the compilation?
Yes :D I really wanted to place it all in just one post, but everything seems so cramped and jam-packed when I put my thoughts in to every chapter, so I decided to split it up. On the bright side, it opened up a whole new source of income, which was funneled directly to @zeppelin so win-win for everybody involved :D
I'm just coming back around and starting this novel from the beginning. As always, you are a phenomenal author. I absolutely love reading your work, and this has got to be one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. Please keep this work going. I'm going to press forward and read more; I can't wait to see where this goes!
Woah! Blast from the past!! How were you able to comment on here? haha! I had a friend who caught up with this a while back and he wasn't able to comment this far so he left comments on the most recent chapter he could comment on.
Man, it's so awesome that you're catching up now. You don't know how much this means to me. Definitely made my day, for sure! :'D
All I can say is "WOW"! The feeling of claustrophobia and isolation when reading this awesome chapter 1 are astounding! On a 100% serious note, you write like a professional. I could have read that in any book and thought it was published work.
The settling, feelings and environment all work together seamlessly and the cliffhanger ending just adds to the intrigue. You've started with style and this is something you can just expand on in so many ways. You captivate the reader to the point where they just want to know more and that, I believe, is what separates the good from the great!
Awesome job, man! I just wish you wrote more on here. You're level of talent is off the charts. :)
So this is what it feels like when a reader says exactly what you're trying to convey in your story. Claustrophobia? Check. Isolation? Check. Those were the only adjectives in my notes!
On a serious note as well, oh man, my brother, that ... I feel so undeserving of the praise, but I truly appreciate you saying those kind words. That was truly a tearjerker. I can't even fully emphasize how much it means to me. I had to re-read your comment a bunch of times, and all I kept thinking was "this is how you kick off the comments section" :D
I hope that the story won't be put in too high of a benchmark and would disappoint. I wish more people would get a chance to read not only this, but all of the other fiction on Steemit. Reading yours, @dreemit's and other people's comments are truly encouraging. One of my favorite highlights of my day for sure!
Very creative story. I can't wait to read the next chapter.
Thanks, @ken-and-jane! I appreciate the re-steem as well :D You're in luck, the next chapters are waiting for your read whenever you find the time! I see that you followed me as well, and just because I like people who interact, I've followed you back as well. I'll view your videos in a bit, excited for that as well!
Great read! Can't wait to catch the next chapter. You've managed to keep the reader suspended in the (un)reality your character is experiencing! Rock it.
Steem on!
Possible edit note: There's a few places where it looks like markdown didn't take: ex. *markdown *
Thanks for taking the time to comment, @finleyexp! I really appreciate it :D I'm going to be releasing Chapter 2 in a few minutes (as of writing) so it's going to be a sharp drop-off from the dream sequence here. It's going to try and straddle the thin line between reality and imagination, so I hope it lives up to the legacy of the first chapter!
(Oh? Really? I actually noticed that after a day or two after publishing and have edited them. Would you mind letting me know which parts still have the formatting error? Thanks for the heads up regarding that! That's what I get for favoring Markdown! haha)
On a completely unrelated note...
How did you get "Chapter 2 (Coming next week)" to right align?
photo
I've tried fiddling with the markdown table options, but everything I do looks like crap comparatively speaking ;)
It's actually a Steemit-exclusive trick (I think) that involves using the pull-right class. Enclose the text you want to right align inside a div that uses the class pull-right. I've detailed an example below:
<div class="pull-right"> Chapter Y >> <em>(Coming next week)</em> </div>Make sure to place that div before the text that you want to retain on the left side. There's also a pull-left class, which isn't that extraordinary. Try playing around with it using images, etc :D
This is super useful! Very delayed thanks for the tip! Especially that BEFORE bit!!
HAHA! You're welcome! :D I can't believe this was 6 months ago haha you've been gone for a really long time! I'm looking forward to when you're going to be using that for your fiction or poetry :D
It has begun!!! I am so excited! This was incredible, I can't say it better than @ezzy did, I agree with everything he said. What a brilliant and beautiful beginning!
I just really hope that it didn't peak the story too much. My sincere wish is for the tale to just be consistent and not a disappointment. I was all heart with this one, so I hope it would show in the writing. Thanks for the praise, my friend! Truly a gift to have your comments on my posts :D
Very cool! I had to re-read it, as I kept imagining that the protagonist is a toddler in an orphanage, with fleeting memories of his past life. :)
Close enough! :D Really though, I want readers to view the story through two perspectives: the fantastical world that children see and the reality that every one else sees. I injected passion into this, so I hope it translates just as well as your tales do!
I really liked that pace change from calm, settled, confident, I know what I'm doing to SUDDEN PANIC WHAT'S GOING ON WHO AM I and a gradual attempt to return to that first state. Following :)
Hey @ryivhnn nice to have you on board! I sincerely hope that you stick with us for the entire ride, we're happy to have you here :D
If you like those roller coaster like turns, then you'll like several other scenes from the following chapters. I really took special care of pacing with this one, since the chapters are framed in one hour increments. Just because of your comment, I'm following you back :D Looking forward to future interactions and reading more of your posts as well! Thanks for leaving a comment, I appreciate it :D