Chains Final Chapter

Unmasked and bare they stood before him in militaristic rank and file, with countless rows behind the first stretching on and on, far exceeding the limits of his sight. Sweeping through the sea of faces with his eyes, perplexed and confused, he struggled to understand the meaning behind the cryptic spectacle that had unfolded before him.

Undeniably, they were his captors, the very same savages responsible for his current plight; the very same dictators who had banished him to this accursed isle of exile. Yet, beyond his wildest expectations, they did not bear the hideous visages of monsters, faces that would have been perfectly aligned with their heinous actions, but implausibly, wore the dispassionate faces of humans instead.

As he started to zoom in on those seemingly human faces, this time focusing his attention on the individual, it made his heart shiver when he realized that he could identify every single face in the contingent. Friends and enemies, relatives and acquaintances, students and mentors, colleagues and companions, even those of his aged parents, even that of the one that he loved, they were all observing him collectively as he shook his head in disbelief, his mind desperately searching for an answer and his spirit, longing for a resolution.

And just as he began to question the fragility of his own sanity, his eyes stumbled upon a face that allowed him to rise above the confusion; a face that bestowed upon him the salient revelation that he had been searching for all this while. There, nestled within the eerie stillness of the sea of faces, amongst the cold-hearted ranks of the army of enforcers, he finally found the one that he had known for the longest time; he finally found himself.

Enlightened by the truth, he now understood the secret identity of the enforcers, and founded upon that knowledge, the essence of the very chains that bound him; how strong they could grow, yet how weak they could be if only he had the eyes to see them for what they really were. Empowered by that liberating revelation, he effortlessly broke the chains that imprisoned him in plain sight for all to see, shattering them into pieces as though they were mere threads of brittle clay, and the old desk that he could never find refuge from followed suit, crumbling down in a landslide of wood and dust, leaving behind in its place a beautiful set of wings emanating glory that rivaled those of divinities, angels and seraphs.

As he reached out to touch the heavenly feathers of the glowing wings, they bathed him in an ethereal light more intense than any he had ever felt before, and through his body the light ran until it emerged as a perfect set of wings on the other side of his chest, seamlessly woven into the skin of his back, held to him by flesh and blood and not by the unfeeling bindings of chains and steel.

As the enforcers rushed in to lay hold of him, he lifted his feet off the ground and rose up into the sky high above and beyond their reach, soaring through the air and grazing the heavens as he embarked on his maiden flight. Dancing on a stage of sapphire blue and bursting through the clouds like he had always dreamed of doing, he flew and flew until he once again came within view of the city, but this time, for the first time since the days of his childhood, he saw it in more than just shades of gray and white, but in the full splendor of an array of bright and beautiful colours.

-------------- The End ------------

Chains Chapter 7

It was unknown to him how long he had been unconscious for, but when he finally came to his senses, he found himself in a place with a layout so simple, yet so profound. In what seemed like the centre of an alien universe he sat, with a single spotlight shining upon him from above, casting a circle of illumination around him just big enough for him to see ten feet at most in all directions, and beyond the fringes of its limited glow lay an ocean of darkness that made it impossible to identify what lurked beyond.

Yet he was not alone in that cone of light, and together with him stood the only other thing visible to his lifeless eyes, his nemesis; the old desk that had haunted him for days without end, a companion whose company bore affliction instead of comfort. And now here he was once again, seated in his rightful place behind its familiar frame, his feet crossed at the ankles as always, staring blankly at the files stacked neatly at the top right corner like he would find them every morning.

But this time, there was no more running, for his wrists were inescapably imprisoned in a freshly forged set of chains; the thickest he had ever seen, the heaviest he had ever had to carry, and twisting around the prosaic body of the old desk they extended endlessly, forming a convoluted mass of knots and loops whose complex paths could not be traced, binding him once and for all, inseparably and indefinitely to his duties and obligations.

Filled with indignation, but resigned to the preordained, his hands trembled violently with anger as he wept bitter tears of grief and hate. The struggle had come to an end, and though he resented having to accept the ruinous fate that had befallen him, he no longer had the strength to carry on fighting, and in a broken state of utter despair, he bowed his head in defeat as he listened, helpless and hopeless, to the dying breaths of his long-cherished dreams.

But the nightmare was far from over, and just as he thought that the worst had already come to pass, he began to hear their perfectly timed footsteps closing in on him from all around, marching with flawless precision, bringing with them an ominous sense of impending judgment. Like an army of a hundred strong, the ground trembled under the weight of their advance, sowing great fear in his already weakened heart as the apprehension of unrealized suffering tormented him to no end.

Barely beyond the edges of the light they cunningly stayed their feet, and though they were entirely cloaked in darkness, hidden from his eyes, he could feel their overbearing presence wherever he turned. Besieged by unsettling silence, he heard the frantic beatings of his heart pounding faster and faster into his ears as his palms drenched themselves in nervousness and perspiration. Then suddenly, without a shadow of a warning, the entire area was flooded in a deluge of light, shattering the darkness and blinding him temporarily, but ultimately revealing the most mystifying display he had ever witnessed in his life.

Chains Chapter 6

This was the moment that he had been longing for all these years; a reality made of the surreal substance of broken dreams and faded wishes, yet now here he was living out the very scene he never once thought would come to pass, and steadfastly he held onto her hand as though she was all ever he knew for he was not about to let this slip through his fingers for anything else in the world.

Led by the hand, tailing closely behind him, she had no time for contemplation and her mind was a complete blank. But his passion was overwhelming, and his courage, inspiring, and she felt a strong rekindling in her heart, a revival of her very own hopes and dreams that set her spirit ablaze, and that alone was enough for her to follow in his footsteps in search of a future that they could truly call their own.

Out the mansion they emerged, where they were met by the boundless freedom of the cloudless skies above, and together they streaked down the pine-scented driveway, with their chains screaming in agony each time they were dashed against the earth at their feet, and an unparalleled sense of fulfillment, one that lay dormant up until now, erupted from within their very souls.

To the end of the driveway they finally came, and now, all that stood between them and the world outside was nothing but a mere gate, the weakest link in the compound’s outer walls. With not a moment to lose, he lunged toward that twisted web of glittering gold and scaled it in the same way that he had done earlier, only this time in reverse, and on the other side of the gate he soon landed, firm and unwavering.

But looking back through the empty spaces of the gate’s skeletal frame, he saw that she had not followed him, but had stopped herself just as she was about to begin her ascent. On the other side, with one of her shackled hands gripping the bars tighter than one lost at sea holding onto a lifeline, she froze. Separated by what seemed like the locked, impassable door of a birdcage between them, she stared long and hard into his eyes with a piercing sadness, and he understood in all fullness that this time, despite all that he had done, he was just too late.

Devastated by the epiphany that had dawned upon him, he gently caressed her hand with the tip of his fingers, stroking them with an enigmatic tenderness that carried with it both love and disappointment. Like a foolhardy knight he had come to rescue her from her tower of entrapment, but what he had failed to consider was the strength of the chains that bound not only her hands, but also her heart, and in the end, neither his sincerity nor bravery was enough to prevail over them.

As sorrow flooded into the chambers of his aching heart, the unsettling footsteps of the eerie, inhumane army echoed from behind him. But it was already too late to attempt an escape, his fate had been sealed, and he knew that her tears fell partially out of pity for herself, but more so for the inevitable pain that was to come for him. And as soon as he bade her farewell, he was torn away from her side and was met with anguish beyond the realms of what he could bear, and then, his world faded into nothingness.

Chains Chapter 5

Having separated the very doors that had obstructed him before, he was now greeted by the splendor of the mansion’s interior, a hallway constructed of handcrafted tiles branded with emblems and of sparkling pillars and chandeliers that exuded regality like no other. But his eyes were immune to their artistry, and far was he from being charmed by any of these, for in the middle of the hallway, perfectly placed between the rows of jeweled pillars, stood his prize and what he had come all this distance for.

She was as beautiful as he could have ever imagined her to be, surrounded by an air of aristocracy that he always felt incapable of emulating, just like before. Her elegant gown wrapped itself around her physique so perfectly, accentuating her womanly lines and curves, and mesmerized by her captivating silhouette, he was once again reminded that she was no longer the girl whom he used to climb trees with from the days of his childhood, but was now a lady of standing, who in the same manner as he, was enslaved by her own set of chains.

Her eyes were wide with surprise, and her satin glove, daintily placed over her rouged lips in an attempt to hide her shock, as long had it been since she had extinguished any expectation or hope of ever seeing him again. But now, to her mansion of gray he had come, tardy as always, with that same look in his eyes from faded years of the past, full of passion and overflowing with foolish courage, and immediately, without need for explanation, she understood the purpose of his coming.

Saddled by uncertainty, he paused at the doorway once again, and for the first time today, considered carefully the grave consequences of his actions thus far in intricate detail. But he knew in his heart that the decision had already been made, and with that understanding, he took the first step toward her, backed up by nothing other than a tiny drop of faith.

The first step he took, small as it might have been, led to another, and then another, and then another, and his chains, shivering in fear, rattled each time the soles of his tarnished leather shoes met the spotless tiles of the reflective mansion floor. One step at a time he continued, his confidence building with each second, and straight toward her, unwavering in thought and deed, he steadily advanced until she was right there within the grasp of his tired, weathered hands.

As he gently seized her wrist, he completely enveloped the shackles that bound her with his own hands and their eyes met momentarily, his shining brightly with hope and reassurance, but hers still glazed with disbelief. Yet now was not the time to be indecisive, and without saying a word, he turned around and started to run toward the open doors of the mansion through which he had entered earlier, only this time, not alone, but with her following closely behind him hand in hand.

Chains Chapter 4

A fresh sense of liberation filled his spirit as he stepped out into the open, but a foreboding fear soon took its place as the deafening screams of an alert siren echoed across the skies. Knowing full well that he was the cause for alarm, he looked around in a frantic state of panic, expecting chaos and possibly even danger from the multitude of figures around him, but for reasons unknown, not even the slightest change did he see in their behaviour, and it was as though they had ears but could not hear.

Yet, the realization of their oblivion to the emergency provided him no comfort, for he had lived in the city long enough to understand that nothing here could exist without reason or purpose, and he knew with all certainty that this was no exception. Someone, or something, had been mobilized. As he prepared to escape from the scene, he began to notice an ensemble of sharp, erratic movements whenever he peered through the ever-shifting gaps in the crowd, and indeed, his fears were not unfounded.

With newly forged chains lashing about in their terrifying claws, they methodically barged a path toward him, their bodies armored in metallic plates shielding the intricate clockwork of cogs and bolts that invigorated their jerky, robotic movements. And although their faces were shrouded by inscrutable masks that bore the unearthly visages of lifeless puppets, making them indistinguishable from one another, their intentions were clear and their malice, obvious beyond question.

Without an inkling of hesitation, down the colourless streets he raced; a fugitive, scattering papers and knocking over coffees as he bumped his way through ranks and battalions of faceless individuals. His chains threshed about violently with each stride, constantly whipping themselves against his shins as though out to cripple him as the unforgiving hands of his pursuers reached out to capture him, but the more pain he felt pounding into his legs, the faster and faster he ran.

Riding on the winds of perseverance, he lunged through the multitudes, pressing on until he could no longer hear the relentless footsteps of the city’s enforcers chasing threateningly behind him, and as the stampede faded into the calm, he gradually regained his composure, leaving his fear behind in the trail of his opportune escape, and in the direction of his goal he continued to run without a single moment’s respite.

Beyond the exquisite gates of a decorated mansion his feet eventually came to rest, and so did his chains, but only briefly, for having realized the lack of any other alternative, up the gate he started to crawl, breathless but determined, restrained but proficient, with his limbs guided by a strange familiarity; a skill honed but never forgotten from years long past.

Over the gate he brashly threw himself, where after with a firm grip on the sturdy iron bars he momentarily suspended his upper body, preventing it from plunging down as his legs made a smooth crescent in the air, up and over the top, before finally finding their way fluidly back down to the ground on the other side. Flanked by majestic pines to his left and right, he felt the electrifying adrenaline fueling his steps as he blazed onward with destination finally within sight, and soon to be within reach.

Led by a pair of reckless hands, one on each of the two massive rosewood doors sealing the passage into the mansion, he mustered all his strength and pushed, his head wedged between his quivering shoulders and his toes, grating against the floor with his heels off the ground. And slowly but surely, the guardian doors began to part, growling coarsely in resistance as they adamantly clung to the posts of their original standings, but nonetheless, they were unable to resist the unbreakable will flowing through from his unrelenting heart to the faces of his palms, and to the fortitude of his spirit, they inevitably yielded.

Chains Chapter 3

He could always hear them before he saw them, and each time he heard the roar of their engines and the muted wailings of their propellers slicing through the air faster than any pinwheel ever could, his eyes would shine with excitement as he authoritatively reminded her not to be distracted, lest a single precious second of actually seeing them be lost.

Bursting through the clouds they would emerge, bringing with them a wave of euphoria that never failed to hoist them both to their feet despite the danger of falling from atop the nest of overlapping branches. The recklessness of their actions were hardly ever a consideration, eclipsed by the wonder and amazement that captivated them as shapes and patterns of all kinds began to manifest themselves in strokes of white drawn against the azure canvas of the open skies.

In circles and loops they would dance about freely, with tails stolen from the clouds trailing behind them, a scene so breathtaking, so inspiring that no doubt did he or she ever have that one day they too would roam across the skies, leaving their legacy written high above the earth wherever the tips of their wings grazed the heavens. It was a dream they both shared in their hearts, a dream that forged a bond stronger than chains of any kind between them, a dream that they would pursue hand in hand.

Yet now, here he was, standing with powerless hands enslaved in braids of woven steel, staring out toward the horizon in hopeless abandon and futile reminiscence. Instinctively, he closed his weary eyes in search of an escape from the reality that surrounded him, but still he could find no refuge from the immense weight of regret bearing down upon his heavy heart, and into the emptiness of his inner man he began to sink.

In the blackness of the void his mind wandered, groping around in the shadows for fragments of something from the long forgotten past, pieces buried beneath the sands of time. Through waves of memories he swam, searching high and low for a glimmer of hope, however faint, and there, in the happiest years of his childhood, he finally found it, amidst binding words spoken in youthful voices between them from a time when their hands were still small and free, and from the dying echoes of that promise, new courage therein he discovered.

Out of the darkness he emerged as he opened his eyes, only this time, reflecting in his gaze the same foolish faith and brash determination from once upon a time when atop an apple tree he did stand, admiring the sheer grandeur of the limitless sky as he waited in anticipation of their arrival. And driven by that overwhelming desire, out the room he charged, like an unstoppable bullet from a rifle’s barrel, sprinting down the hallway with the pantry, past the receptionist, down the twenty one flights of stairs, across the marble-floored lobby, out the rotating door and into the streets that lay beyond.

Chains Chapter 2

The twenty-second floor, past the receptionist on the right, down the hallway with the pantry, third room on the left. It was no where near as cozy or private as the corner office, but still it had its perks; a view of the city in all its splendor a mere swivel of a chair away from the old desk that stood as the centre piece of the entire room, but that was hardly any consolation for him, for it was in this very room that his shackles seemed particularly evident; particularly present.

Squarely between the doorframes he stood, gazing hard into the stillness and emptiness of it all, and like many other times before, he was once again bewildered at his endurance, his determination, his capacity for living like one pieced together of cogs and bolts instead of one born of flesh and blood. Without dwelling on it any further for fear of more questions to which he did not have the answers to, he took his rightful place behind the desk, feet crossed at the ankles as always, and prepared to open the first of many files stacked meticulously at the corner by his assistant. But for some reason unknown, today, unlike any other day, he just could not bring himself to continue.

Effortlessly, with a glancing motion of his fingers, he pushed against the corner of the desk while still seated, turning his back to the mundane repetition of the documents and papers. A moment of quiet contemplation ensued before he stood up to take a small step closer to the edge of his confines; a tinted panel of reinforced glass that stood between him and the world outside, a barrier strong yet in no way unbreakable.

Then down toward the busy streets he peered, where he saw streams of people scurrying about the cityscape like ants in an open-air ant mound, led by their briefcases, bounded at their wrists, without exception; every single one of them. And from the centre of his being, a barely audible sigh rose up and out of his chest, shattering the quiet stillness of the surrounding air as he re-aligned his vision to focus on the vague reflection of the metallic bindings that imprisoned him.

But then he tilted his chin up, leading his eyes away from the land below, and looked out toward the distant skyline from whence the sun had already risen; obscured by slander towers and overwhelming skyscrapers, yet still in no way anything less than beautiful. Mesmerized, he leaned forward even more until his nose was on the verge of touching the window, so close that he could feel his own breath arching back to stroke his lips as it rebounded off the cool, foggy glass. And in that manner, he started to remember.

Into the outskirts he would slip away when his parents were too preoccupied with their duties, and by the lonely apple tree that grew taller with each season at the city’s edge, the one overlooking the orchards that marked the start of the rural areas, he would find her waiting as they had always prearranged, dressed like a princess in her beautiful garbs with a bright smile on her face beaming with both joy and mischief, and much to his relief, not in the least bit angry in spite of his constant, unchanging tardiness.

Together, they would scale that tower of wood and falling leaves unrestrained, soiling their clothes and picking the occasional fruit along the way for a snack in reserve as they made their agile way up, and when they had finally climbed high enough, into the never-ending sapphire sky they would fixate their gaze for hours on end, hoping to catch a glimpse of what had always fascinated them both the greatest.

Chains Chapter 1

Chains

From all directions he could hear them as they sang in their cold, high-pitched voices, a cruel choir devoid of emotion, devoid of mercy. It was an empty song that he had long since grown accustomed to, but never fond of, much like everyone else, for there was no place where they could not be heard, and not one who wandered free from their hold amidst the dull, monochrome pavements and streets that formed the rigid foundations of the machine-like city.

Round both his wrists they coiled themselves, tighter than a serpent constricting the very life out of its prey, and down toward his feet they slacked in a lazy, shape-shifting curve, singing as they slithered with their bellies against the floor, oscillating toward and away from him with every step he took, his pace dictating the magnitude of their swings, but nothing more.

In the intensifying sunlight of early morning, their silver scales shimmered, reflecting blinding rays that danced about on concrete walls, granite floors and other surrounding surfaces, occasionally even right into his weathered face, compelling him to turn away as they pierced his tired eyes, almost as though they deemed it necessary to remind him of their obvious presence. And yet, there was nothing he could do in the face of their tyranny, and from them he could find no rest.

Like every other day that had already wandered by, down the main street he shuffled, unintentionally marching in step with everyone else as they dragged their bindings along, absent of will yet full of fabricated purpose. And when he finally came to the café, the one with the striped red umbrellas, he routinely picked up his coffee; the blackest and most bitter they had, before rejoining the parade for another two blocks, a stretch that always bore the greatest frustration for him; the frustration of a brand new day.

Crossing over from the street into the building was always a risky affair; the rotating door was never one for waiting, with its two conflicting currents of sharply dressed individuals moving in constant opposition of one another, demanding a certain precision in timing if he was to successfully pass through unscathed for the day. But the inescapable smell that greeted him almost immediately upon entrance was the one thing that never failed to sicken him and turn his stomach, and it was here that the coffee truly proved its usefulness.

The marble-floored lobby resembled that of a hotel in both form and fragrance, consciously designed to serve the same purpose of soothing the nerves, but nevertheless, for him, that familiar setting was only capable of construing images of words and numbers printed boldly against sheets and sheets of glaring white in the deepest recesses of his mind; images that he could not stand thinking about, much less endure seeing.

And shortly after his mind wandered into the snare of those thoughts, he would feel the unbearable weight of layers upon layers of primal, yet complex pressures bearing down upon his chest, manifesting themselves into a strange reluctance to step through the sliding doors of the elevator. Yet never once did he ever fail to take that step, albeit led by the logic of his mind and not by the callings of his heart.

Endless Rain Dedication

Endless Rain was written

for all who have loved and lost.

I pray with all my heart that you

find comfort in these words.

Endless Rain Epilogue

The blaring sound of the horn could be heard from miles away, and the high-pitched screeching cry of its brakes, unmistakable. As the train gradually came to a stop beside the vacant platform, she carefully checked the destination on her ticket for the last time before standing up in preparation to alight.

Lifting her dainty but fashionable suitcase with both hands, she stepped off the train and onto the station grounds, where she was greeted by the magnificent sight of a field adorned with flowers of all colours and shades, bright and beautiful, great and small. A deafening blast of steam from the train’s engine boldly announced its departure and as the train pulled away from the station, a refreshing draft of wind that chased after it swept over her petite physique, coursing along the contours of her smooth, radiant skin.

Taken by surprise by the sudden gust of swift-moving air, she could not react in time to keep her lady-like hat from being carried away by the aerial currents trailing ever so closely behind the departing train and she quickly turned in hopes of snatching it back from the wind only to have it escape her grasp by the tip of her slander fingers. But alas, needless was her attempt to catch it, for just a short distance away from where she was, in the direction of where the train was now heading toward, down along the deserted platform … he caught it for her.

And there he was, just the way she remembered him to be, visibly full of love and adoration, unchanged and unchanging, and with tears of joy streaking unrestrained from her eyes, into his arms she plunged … only this time, for now and ever after.