The Long Game
(A Dream Within A Dream - Alan Parsons)
One leaf at a time.
There were other ways she could have tormented him. Torment wasn't the only option available to her, of course. There were other ways of dealing with the current situation that she had availed herself of countless times before. The day's torment assumed a desire to draw the inevitable out, rather than simply confronting him with the truth of the situation and reducing him to nothing more than a dusty memory. The opportunity to do so came around at least once a year, and had done so for years beyond counting. All things considered, she thought she had gotten rather good at removing him from the equation.
Over the last several years, she had elected a far more direct course of action. Either by main force or subterfuge, she no longer found it difficult to get within arm's reach of him. Once there, as with all things, the slightest brush of her fingertips was enough to remove him from the equation for more than long enough to accomplish her own goals.
This year found him atop a hill, hiding amidst a copse of trees whose branches stretched towards the sun that was even now killing them slowly. It was an excellent vantage point that would allow him to see anyone approaching from a significant distance away. She, in turn, was sitting lazily in the grass on the next hill over, casually eyeing the situation with equal parts amusement and confusion. "That still puzzles me," she murmured. She shifted her gaze away from the trees to the person sitting next to her. He was an older man whose hair and well-kept beard had both gone white, and gray eyes shone out from under bushy eyebrows. He flicked his eyes over to her before going back to his own vigil on the trees. "What would that be?" he asked in return.
"He's absolutely worried about what I'll do to him, about what my presence will bring. He's so caught up in that, and he completely misses the fact that by the time I arrive, he's already started to do my job for me," she responded, returning her gaze to the trees as well. Both of them were silent then, electing to watch the actions of the man on the other hill.
He was younger than either of them, and his dusty blonde hair hung from his head in a close halo of ringlets. Bright green eyes darted around from one direction to another, surveying the surrounding landscape with burning intensity. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and it was not from the sun's unceasing heat.
"He can't help it," the older man grunted, finally breaking the silence. He slowly reclined back into the grass and allowed his eyes to drift to the clouds that slowly wandered by overhead. One hand folded back behind his head while the other casually pulled an ice cube from the moisture in the air and popped it into his mouth. It clicked against his teeth as he worked it into one cheek before he continued. "He's high-strung, just like his little sister. They both get so caught up in what they're doing that they never pay attention to what's going on around them. It's been like this since the beginning."
For her part, the woman merely shrugged her shoulders and lifted her right hand. "I suppose that's unfortunate for him." One corner of her mouth tugged up a little and she flicked her wrist at the trees they both watched.
Across the field, the younger man jumped when he heard the noise in the branches above him. Had she somehow gotten past him? How had he missed her? Green eyes raked the canopy above him, searching for some sign of her presence. Instead, the only thing he was greeted with was the sight of a single leaf, drifting lazily to the earth.
There were other ways she could have tormented him. Torment wasn't the only option available to her, of course. There were other ways of dealing with the current situation that she had availed herself of countless times before. The day's torment assumed a desire to draw the inevitable out, rather than simply confronting him with the truth of the situation and reducing him to nothing more than a dusty memory. The opportunity to do so came around at least once a year, and had done so for years beyond counting. All things considered, she thought she had gotten rather good at removing him from the equation.
Over the last several years, she had elected a far more direct course of action. Either by main force or subterfuge, she no longer found it difficult to get within arm's reach of him. Once there, as with all things, the slightest brush of her fingertips was enough to remove him from the equation for more than long enough to accomplish her own goals.
This year found him atop a hill, hiding amidst a copse of trees whose branches stretched towards the sun that was even now killing them slowly. It was an excellent vantage point that would allow him to see anyone approaching from a significant distance away. She, in turn, was sitting lazily in the grass on the next hill over, casually eyeing the situation with equal parts amusement and confusion. "That still puzzles me," she murmured. She shifted her gaze away from the trees to the person sitting next to her. He was an older man whose hair and well-kept beard had both gone white, and gray eyes shone out from under bushy eyebrows. He flicked his eyes over to her before going back to his own vigil on the trees. "What would that be?" he asked in return.
"He's absolutely worried about what I'll do to him, about what my presence will bring. He's so caught up in that, and he completely misses the fact that by the time I arrive, he's already started to do my job for me," she responded, returning her gaze to the trees as well. Both of them were silent then, electing to watch the actions of the man on the other hill.
He was younger than either of them, and his dusty blonde hair hung from his head in a close halo of ringlets. Bright green eyes darted around from one direction to another, surveying the surrounding landscape with burning intensity. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and it was not from the sun's unceasing heat.
"He can't help it," the older man grunted, finally breaking the silence. He slowly reclined back into the grass and allowed his eyes to drift to the clouds that slowly wandered by overhead. One hand folded back behind his head while the other casually pulled an ice cube from the moisture in the air and popped it into his mouth. It clicked against his teeth as he worked it into one cheek before he continued. "He's high-strung, just like his little sister. They both get so caught up in what they're doing that they never pay attention to what's going on around them. It's been like this since the beginning."
For her part, the woman merely shrugged her shoulders and lifted her right hand. "I suppose that's unfortunate for him." One corner of her mouth tugged up a little and she flicked her wrist at the trees they both watched.
Across the field, the younger man jumped when he heard the noise in the branches above him. Had she somehow gotten past him? How had he missed her? Green eyes raked the canopy above him, searching for some sign of her presence. Instead, the only thing he was greeted with was the sight of a single leaf, drifting lazily to the earth.
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