literature

Portal 2 - Us and Them

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Suddenly, it is just the two of you, caught in the same fall.

She is the last person you would choose to be with — but you are lost to the height, and you know, hopelessly, that there is no going back.

The realization draws nearer with the ground, hitting you full force as she collapses to the ground. It vibrates for hours in your fragile body, so close to disintegration; it takes you away, terrifying, tight in a pair of claws.

Like it or not, you are in this together.

*

Reconsidering you worries proves to be faster than you thought.

You talk, she stabs you with her gun; just a few seconds go by in between. It is not much, but more than enough to feel terrified — and then flutter, slightly relieved, in the little more space your circuit is given.

She is with you when you almost fry it; and you realize that maybe, all things considered, that is for the better.

*

Every now and then, you spy on her in silence. Her face swims in the yellow light; she is a mask of focus, of painful tenacity.

She is familiar. Vaguely, though — vaguely, you find something else.

You can tell, approximately. Hers is the face of someone who would rather be, quite literally, anywhere else than here.

And you start wondering, in between darkness and light — where would she be?

Where else could she be?

*

It is hard to bring back order in your mind. It is hard to make it come together — the frantic rush to the future, the past that comes in waves.

The risk is to get lost, never to come back. But you have the tests, the sequences; you have her rhythmic pace, and a new beginning for each end.

The gentle bobbing keeps you oddly focused.

*

The missing fragments of your story do not stop the bitterness. Not everything is there, indeed — but the story has come full circle, without lies, without mercy, and you can’t stop wondering why.

You think of yourself, you think of her. You think of the steps you string together, forward, on the most pointless of battlefields.

You think of much more. Why it had to go like this, how it could have gone; what she would have chosen to be, and you wish you could have been — it all unravels on the road back home, on the frail corridor in between the abysses.

In the hope she will listen, you speak softly.


*

There is a time for surrendering.

After all, you can find a little room for exhaustion — a limit to stick to is essential at some point, even for you.

You could shoot her anytime, now that her shield is broken. You could take everything back, all that she took from you — you could make her blood pour in rivers on the ground, silent, defenseless.

You could. You stay still, for hours.

Ending it here and now doesn’t seem to have a meaning anymore. There was a number of truths, of exchanges, that passed between you two — you walked together the road to ruin and to liberation, where some things are always due in the end.

You think of power, of balances, of possession and control. You feel, in a fleeting moment, the pointlessness of it all — and there is just you and she, the frail, dying creature sprawled on your dirty floor.

You genuinely want to admit it now; the war is lost. But what matters most is the new, wonderful, terrifying thought crossing your mind — it may be lost, but not quite in the way you expected.

One way or another, you live on.

You can’t help laughing, as you both rush to your freedom.
The Dark Side of the Moon masterpost
Me and you
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do

Alongside Rejected, my ongoing project, I am hopeful and proud as I introduce my new one-shot collection.

Forty-one years have passed since British group Pink Floyd released their intense concept album, one destined to enter history due to its strong musical innovations and its thought-provoking themes. Unique in more than one way, The Dark Side of the Moon sets a dense atmosphere of reflections and feelings, exploiting its artistic potential with the most diverse and experimental ways.

While Pink Floyd music doesn’t exactly meet my taste, the various and artful suggestions of this album have a very strong effect on me. They help me focus and relax, but also stimulate my thoughts and my emotions. But it was mostly the lyrics, incisive, deep and in perfect harmony with the tone of the album, to convince me; the eerie and alienating atmosphere of the Portal games fits in seamlessly, and joining the two was the perfect chance to test my own creativity.

Thank you, and enjoy!

© 2014 - 2024 altairattorney
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Th00z's avatar
This is actually my favourite of all your texts and that means a lot since you're my favourite writer and most of your texts count to my all time faves :)