The Damascene Moment by Hollingdrake Malcolm

Author:Hollingdrake, Malcolm
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-08-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

The hamster spun within the wheel and the generated buzzing noise seemed constant. There was the occasional movement within the black cylinder just behind, drawing his attention away from the hamster. The absorbent pads beneath the lower opening had been changed twice.

“You must be thirsty, Jess.” He heard her begin to cry again. Leaning in he passed a tube between her stretched arms and placed the mouthpiece to her lips. The other end of the tube was attached to a runner’s hydration rucksack. She drank and all noise ceased momentarily.

“Why? I can hear your thoughts as you drink. You’re wondering why you’re here? What have I done they whisper to me? Who is doing this? These are all relevant questions any intelligent human being would ask, they’re all reasonable and all in need of answers. Spit out the tube when you’ve had enough. It’s because of what you represent. I really don’t know you. I’ve seen your pictures. I think I know your friends in a way people know and collect friends on social media. They’re not real are they? They’re just a name and a photograph. We trust too easily. I trusted, just as you have done, trusted people whom I believed had my best interests at heart, that they could and would help but when push comes to shove …” He tapped the cylinder. “They lied. Goodness, we did a fair bit of that to get you where you are now, pushing and shoving, I mean. Anyway, all too often these people fail you. In my experience, Jess, the majority of those who have fitted into that category throughout my life have been female. I seemed to be surrounded by them.”

Jessica tried to hit the inner side of the cylinder with her bound hands. “Help me, please, help me.”

“See, like those of whom I speak you’re the same, you’re not listening. Hearing but not heeding. There was never empathy. Alas, it was ever thus. It’s all about them – the words, later, not now, another time, when I’ve done this – it was rarely, how can I help you?” His outburst grew more emotional and there was evidently a degree of resentment. He leaned on the cylinder. Jessica could sense his distress.

Recovering, he approached the cupboard, removed an end cap for the cylinder and collected the contact adhesive. Within minutes the lower opening had been sealed. The light within diminished proportionately. Jessica looked up into the remaining light.

As she glanced up at the opening, a silhouetted head appeared. “Selfish you see, you’re just like the rest, like Sadie. It’s all about you, isn’t it? Let’s play a little game my sweet hopscotch girl. You’ll know it – I Spy with my Little Eye. Why didn’t you stop Sadie doing what she was doing? You were, I believe real friends and not just names on Facebook. I’ve seen the pictures. You knew her boyfriend rather well. She told me that, she’d tell me anything I wanted to know before she left and went away.

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