04-14-2019, 05:29 PM
Why was Jude down here? Because this place was the most familiar to him. This was the foremost stage for all his party tricks. He had slept down here, woken up here, talked to Them here. While he had no intention of reaching out, Jude felt the loss of Their voices the way a city-dweller might miss the background hum of traffic on a dark night in the woods. Sitting down here, Jude felt a closeness to the normalcy he had known, and that helped to soothe the sting of loss. He had come here first, soliciting Near before all others, blindly assuming that the apple couldn't fall far from the tree. Woe unto Jude, discovering Near was a fruit of a different type altogether.
"No!" He wasn't finished yet. Eventually, he would be finished, and then he would leave. He would leave when he was finished, and no sooner. These three sentences swam through Jude's head like three goldfish in a single bowl, looping aimlessly in their clear confine. Why did Near feel the need to rush him? Jude wasn't bothering him anymore.
"You come down here!" This felt like a winning phrase. Either Near would have to come down and accept that Jude was only partially crazy, or he would be too scared to venture further and leave Jude alone.
Or Near might call the police. That would be troublesome.
Invisibly, Jude's mind wandered from the bench, weaving back through the wine bottles and floating halfway up the stairs, where his mind's eye gazed upwards to Near and the light shining down into the dark. Jude wanted to add on, Don't worry, it's almost over, but he knew now that Near would find some way to make him feel stupid about it. Better to watch silently, wait, and see.
"No!" He wasn't finished yet. Eventually, he would be finished, and then he would leave. He would leave when he was finished, and no sooner. These three sentences swam through Jude's head like three goldfish in a single bowl, looping aimlessly in their clear confine. Why did Near feel the need to rush him? Jude wasn't bothering him anymore.
"You come down here!" This felt like a winning phrase. Either Near would have to come down and accept that Jude was only partially crazy, or he would be too scared to venture further and leave Jude alone.
Or Near might call the police. That would be troublesome.
Invisibly, Jude's mind wandered from the bench, weaving back through the wine bottles and floating halfway up the stairs, where his mind's eye gazed upwards to Near and the light shining down into the dark. Jude wanted to add on, Don't worry, it's almost over, but he knew now that Near would find some way to make him feel stupid about it. Better to watch silently, wait, and see.