alaiyo

Silence opened the game, moving his pawn. Night, automatically moved hers. The habitual ritual began.
Two pawns out of place on the board. Neither had the power to determine the outcome of the game. Their initial move was, in fact, the longest move possible for their kind. Life was limited to one step at a time after that. They stood there looking at each other.
"We meet again, D7." said the white pawn.
"So we do." replied the black.
"You know what happens next, don't you?" asked the white.
"Yes, one of your knights will stand behind you and threaten me because you won't get rid of me." he answered.
"And then, yours will move to threaten me...and there'll be four of us out here...all threatening...Look! Why don't we change the rules?" she suggested eagerly.
"Change the rules?" he asked. "How do you propose to do that? Have you forgotten who we are?"
"Yes, I know, I know, but if you and I change places..."
"You mean..."
"Yes, you join my side, and I join yours."
"But..." he faltered.
"What?" she frowned. For once she was beginning to feel she could think for herself, she did not want any "buts" interrupting the process.
"Well we'd still be on opposite sides, so what would it accomplish?" he asked; his earnest gaze ahead of him as if he were not really talking to her out of the side of his mouth.
"Well, for a start," she began impatiently, "they'd be too confused to continue the game" her voice mellowed, "which would give us enough time to step off the board and..."
He interrupted. "Haven't you thought that perhaps they want us to do that, I mean, wy can we suddenly talk to each other after all this time?"
"If they want us to do that then what are we waiting for? Why are we standing around wasting time that could be spent otherwise?" She was frowning again.
"I don't trust them" he replied.
"Oh, what have we got to lose?" she sighed. "We're both going to end up being sacrificed until the next game, and who knows if we'll be able to talk then...this may be our last chance."
"You know I want to really, don't you?" he whispered.
"So...?"
"So...let's do it!"
Before he changed his mind, she jumped onto his square. He smiled and jumped onto hers. They had swapped places. Two seconds later would have been too late. The white knight on B1 had begun to shuffle, but had stopped the minute E2 and D7 had changed positions on the board. E2 noticed that B1 did not seem to look as alive as they were. He had the same glazed expresion all the rest seemed to have. Now E2 was stading on D5, her heart thumping in her chest. She smiled at D7 standing on E4 and held out her hand to him. The touch of his hand made her gut flip. they both looked towards G8, but not a sound came from that square. The same expresion of nothingness met their gaze. G8 would not be leaving her position tonight.
Suddenly they were faced with the uncertainty of whether they had done the right thing. As they slowly edged their way towards the end of the board, they noticed how Night and Silence exchanged knowing looks and smiled. E2 could have sworn Silence had winked at her, but she did not mention this to D7, who, she believed, may have accused her of being too fanciful.
Holding hands, standing on the very rim of the board, outside the actual squares, they deliberated whether to step off.
"Come on!" she tugged.
"Wait!" he pulled her back.
"What now?" she frowned again.
"You know something...you'd look a whole lot prettier if you smiled once in a while..."
"Will you..." she began, frowning, but seeing him smile, she smiled too. He was teasing her. He loved to do that. That was why he always came out to meet her. He willed it so Night would always move him, and place him in front of her. Night had a soft spot for him and complied. This time was different though. They could actually speak. And touch.
"What's stopping us jumping off the board, D7?"
"It's too risky. Where are we jumping to?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it matters! There's nothing but empty space around the board!"
"So?"
"What do you mean "so?" Aren't you scared of what might happen to us?"
"Well, of course I'm apprehensive if I stop to think about it, which is why I'm trying not to...I've spent far too long on the same square, doing the same thing. I'm sapped. I want to make my own decisions. I'm sick and tired of following the herd and conforming...but you wouldn't understand..."
"I know what you mean. Believe me, I understand you a lot better than you'd imagine."
"Do you really?"
"Yes, I do. Do you think I'm happy on my side? I can never change positions without permission, and even then it's always the same move, nothing new, ever."
"I know" she nodded. "I've wanted to ask you many times if you felt the same. I somehow imagined you might, but for some reason I never felt I could talk to you until tonight. In fact, I never really thought anyone was feeling as I do."
"Shall we just sit here for a while?" he asked.
"I'd really love to jump off, though..." she smiled at him.
"I know, but I'm not sure. It's a bit scary, don't you think? I mean, this is the first time..."
"Could be the last too." she interrupted.
"Yes, but it's only the first time we've been given this power, or whatever it is, and..."
"You're afraid." she interrupted again.
"Well, aren't you?" he asked, exasperated by her interruptions.
"A bit. I must admit I'm afraid of leaving behind my side. They've always been there, behind me."
"That's what I mean! We'd be alone. It would be one move which would not be backed up. There'd be no accolades. No feeling of triumph or fair play."
"So you'd prefer to be sacrificed, without a say in the matter, rather than take a stand, is that what you're telling me? If so, why do you meet me every game?"
"Because I think I love you E2"
"Oh!" she blushed. "Well, I love you too, but at the same time I'm afraid I suppose. We're from different sides. You know as well as I do that we can't be together or the game will not be able to continue".
"They need us, don't they?"
"Maybe we need them too...that's probably true...I mean, we're part of a side, after all. On our own we'd be...well, just that, on our own!"
He sighed.
"It's sad. I almost wish we hadn't been allowed to talk or hold hands. It makes going back a whole lot harder, doesn't it?"
"Do you regret this?"
"I do and I don't. Does that make sense to you?"
"Totally."
"You do understand me, don't you?" He was not really asking.
"Yes, I do"
"Do you think the others know what's happened?"
"They might do. That would make things difficult...I hope to God no one saw us changes positions. We'd be considered traitors..."
"It's funny though, how the game always starts the same way." he mused.
"Yes, but it never ends up being the same game, even if you and I always start it."
"I suppose that's what makes it interesting for them."
"Do you think they always start the game the same way just so they can see how many different endings there can be to the same beginning?"
"It's a possibility. They will eventually run out of endings though..."
"And then?" she asked, her mind considering this.
"And then, they'll start with two other pawns. You don't honestly think we're the first this has happened to, do you?"
"No, probably not. Still, tonight I feel as if we have the ending in our hands..." she whispered, not quite daring to voice this thought as loudly as her previous ones.
"But is it really in our hands? What makes you so sure we're not being manipulated as usual?"
"Gut." she answered, without deliberation. "I think tonight is special. They're giving us a chance, aren't they? It's up to us to take it."
"Maybe..."
"Do you have any idea how long we've been sitting here?" she asked.
"No idea but it's amazing that they should've given us so much time..."
"And it's amazing how we can talk and talk..." she added.
"What do you think will happen now?" he asked, looking around and looking at the space beyond the board.
"Do you realise what you've just asked? We've known what to expect for such a long time, this is a novelty!"
"An uncomfortable one! I'm not sure if it will happen again. Do you think we'll get another chance?" he was still staring at the space.
"Who knows? All I know is I could spend forever on the edge of this board holding your hand." she whispered, looking at his eyes.
"Not jumping off? You seemed so sure of wanting to a while ago." He was only half teasing her.
"If it's a choice between going back to E2 or staying here, I've nade my choice."
"But staying here isn't really an option, is it? I suppose we're either meant to jump off or...what the hell's that?" he asked startled, as a flash of light hit him in the face.
"It's some kind of light, isn't it? It's been flickering for the past few minutes, but I've no idea what it is..."
They both stared ahead, away from the board, at this bizarre light which seemed to be approaching them. Before they had time to question it further they were hit full on by whatever it was. They fell backwards. As they tried to sit up, this light pushed them back onto the floor again. Then it lifted them and they felt themselves being moved backwards in the direction of the board.
"E2, I..."
"Me too."
"What's..."
A shining invisible force was pushing harder.
"Let us..." she screamed, realisation seeping into her mind. "D7, fight it!"
"I can't...I...maybe next time..." she could hear his voice but she could not see him now. the light blinded her.
"There may not be a next time!" she shouted with all her strength, knowing he could not hear her. She had lost her voice.
There was nothing but a blinding light and loud noises she could not recognise.
"D7!"
No answer.
"Can you hear me?"
No answer.
"Please..."
Suddenly she began to perceive shapes and figures. Ahead of her and slightly to the left she could see D7 standing rigid on his square. She called out to him but the voice remained locked up in her soul.
Night and Silence had disappeared. The Sun was out. Another game was beginning.

Sitting on wet sand
Soft waves rippling over my toes
Is that a person bobbing out there?
It looks like a man
Is he in danger?
No...
He seems to be swimming
Oh!
He seems to be beckoning!
Me?
I can hardly swim all that way!
I can hardly swim!
Husband and daughter on the shore
Can no one else see him?
The water is ice cold
My knees are numb
He is still there
Talking to me...
Can no one else hear him?
A seagull swoops
Sun in my eyes
One, two, three...in!
So, so cold
Tingling skin
Will I reach him?
I can hardly swim!
Husband and daughter behind
Can no one see me?
Out of my depth
Sun in my eyes
Hand grasping mine
Pulling
Out of breath
Sun in my eyes
Voices way behind me...in my head.
My head turns back
My body is heavy
Arms pulling me
Dragging me further
Under
Down.