Reflections

[DoS Archive]

From: kaenetheblack@aol.com (Kaene the Black)
Date: 09 Jun 2002 17:59:42 EDT

It's amazing how many ceiling boards there are, he remarked to himself. I never even think about how essential they are; if they gave out, I'd be gone. It's funny how the things that are meant to protect you often end up being your demise. Bad food that poisons, shoddy houses that collapse--his thoughts turned acidic--loved ones that kill the soul.

His mind's eye showcased a picture of an attractive brunette for a moment.

You can never fully give your trust to anything; that will be your demise. For once you let your guard down, the demons attack...

Germaine tossed again in his hard straw bed. The entire sleepless night had turned into an exercise in self-reflection and philosophy. Ever since the report of the murder in the Orthodox ghetto had crossed his desk last week, his thoughts had become more profound. The line between clarity and insanity was razor sharp, and he was trying to balance upon it. To make matters worse, lately he felt he was carrying the weight of the world on his
shoulders.

Germaine the charitable, he mused bitterly. Germaine the civil servant. He couldn't remember the last time anybody had taken time to be his servant. But isn't that what made him stronger than everyone else? He was the Sentinel, the Guardian. His sacrifices would truly be rewarded in the next life.

....Right?

Sleep had abandoned him tonight. He shrugged off the sparing wool blanket. His feet found the coarse wood floor and he rose, bowing his back and stretching like he had been trapped in a coffin for the past thousand years.

More like the past thirty two, he added bitterly.

He immediately dove into his clothes and exited the shack; the door slammed shut behind him even before the dust he had kicked up in his haste had settled.