Siphy/集輝 Eternity

Acacia: Two of Diamonds

The Jack and the Two sit in a comfortable silence, completing killer sudokus. Well, it would be comfortable if they weren’t both going as quickly as possible, pens scribbling with intensity, trying to maintain a composed façade. Neither can resist a competition – a chance to best the other and tease them until their next battle – but the rivalry is friendly and companionable now.

Shelly: Seven of Spades

The Jack and the Seven sit by the bar, sipping their drinks and chatting about their recent activities and plans for the future. The Seven is busy with work and hobbies, but the Jack struggles to know what to do next. Still, at least they can be sure that there will always be a friend and a drink waiting for them at the Whippoorwill.

Gale: Ace of Clubs

The Jack cannot avoid the Ace forever, nor do they want to. One day, when they are sure that the Ace will be hard at work tending to the garden, the Jack approaches them. The garden is lush and beautiful, but it is not enough to bring peace to the Jack. Perhaps nothing can.

The Ace is careful around them, but there’s something they simply have to see. The Ace guides the Jack through the garden to their pride and joy: a bush carefully trimmed into the shape of a chicken. The Jack can’t help but laugh at the sight. Perhaps they can’t find peace here, but they can find humour, and that is something to be grateful for.

George: King of Diamonds

The King is broken, and there’s nothing that the Jack can do to fix them. The Jack can play xiangqi, they can cook together, they can hold the King every night as they shake and cry from nightmares, but they cannot keep the darkness away for long.

The King is broken, but there is something which could fix them. The King and the Jack discuss it over many games of xiangqi – a careful memory wipe to reset the King to before they were beheaded. To remove the painful memories and let them keep living happily like they did before. It sounds almost too good to be true.

But it is true. After rigorous consultation with Technicians, therapists and medics, it is agreed that this procedure would greatly help the King. So they go ahead with it, with the Jack remaining close by to support them throughout the entire process. The King emerges a little dazed, but otherwise unharmed, and the Jack tends to their every need during the recovery process.

The King sleeps soundly in bed, as the Jack marvels at the wonders the amnesia machine did for them.

A thief, running away like a fool.
Be a hero, noble plans with dreams.
The old and ancient will surely yield.
To its downfall, walks willingly
The endless guilty. Future empty
Of all but fears. One day
It will succeed, as immovable
As their ideal. Better escape,
For the loss ruins them.

A conman, falling from the pride,
False lion, looks without envy.
Wind rattling past, find over again
That centre. Plummeting to
Grounding. No more air.
Which way now? Turns,
Cannot see approaching
End is arriving
With interest.
Now act!
Too late,
This time.
Change will,
Yet again.
But-

A liar, burning vibrant to dust,
Smile still right fixéd.
Ashes up, wood up, in flames.
Hope now reverses, frantic
Bearing towards nowhere. Rekindled
Belief condemns forward preacher.
So flee again, out of the fire and into fresh hell,
Renewed remains smouldering always further.
Restart again, it’ll burn you.
They will.

A traitor, fragmenting life at the ends.
Echoes on top of the next memory,
Foreign face becoming new.
Light grief, familiar feeling now,
That slowly dissipates.
Perfectly poisoned false position.
Last time a novelty, or a habit,
Yet this thought persistent,
Not when blind minds may not see.

A coward, dying again,
Close to change. Another
Attempt, futile, clock reset.
Overpowering absence;
It pairs well with the lamplight.
Façade replacing charade,
Clarifying nothing. Dead
Truth loves deceitfully.
Gamble, but win;
Fail once more.
Dying, it was easy.
Easier for them to see you.

A thief, a conman, a liar, a traitor. A coward,
Running, falling, burning, fragmenting. Dying
Away from vibrant life again,
Like the pride, to dust at the close.
A fool, false smile ends.
To be a lion still echoes change,
Hero looks right on another.
Noble without fixéd top,
Attempt plans with envy,
Ashes of futile dreams.
Wind up the clock, the old rattling wood,
Next reset and ancient past up in flames.
Memory overpowering will. Find hope,
Foreign absence surely over now.
Face it, yield again,
Reverses becoming pairs.
To that frantic new well, its centre bearing light
With downfall. Plummeting towards grief,
The walks to nowhere familiar,
Lamplight willingly grounding rekindled feeling.
Façade the endless, no more belief now,
Replacing guilty air which condemns that charade.
Future, way forward, slowly clarifying,
Empty-now preacher dissipates nothing
Of all turns, so perfectly dead,
But cannot flee poisoned truth.
Fears see again false loves,
One approaching out of position deceitfully.
Day-end the last gamble,
It is fire and time, but will arriving into a novelty win?
Succeed with fresh hell, or fail as interest renewed
A habit, once immovable, now remains yet more;
As their act, smouldering this dying ideal, too,
Always thought it was better late.
Further persistent easy escape, this restart
Not easier for time again. When,
For the change, it’ll blind them,
Loss will burn minds to ruins yet.
You may see them again.
But they will not see you.

– by Ben C

“I’m not sparing any affection on Lord George Roaderville, of all people. He’s simply… useful.”

My subsequently less-favoured Invigilator,
:(

Aim: Facilitate the decapitation of Lord George Roaderville

George’s next chant is to the tune of ‘Hot To Go.’ “A-S-C-E-N-D. You can take me to ascend!” He mimes the letters enthusiastically with his arms - the ‘e’ where he curls up on the floor must be the lowest point.

“Thank you… Siphy. You're not just a… a good assistant, you're also a… a good… friend.” ¹⁾

“Everything changes until it doesn't.”

Aim: Debilitate the decapitation of Bishop Antonius

It cannot repeat. It will not repeat. You will not let it.

This is too personal for you.

[Today's date]

Dear [name of manager],
  
Please accept this as notice of my resignation from the position of [your job title] at [business or organisation name].

Since my notice period is [X weeks/months], I believe my last day will be [date]. Please let me know if that is incorrect.

[Optional] Please let me know how much accrued holiday and pay I am owed.

[Optional – adapt this for your personal circumstances and relationship] Thank you for the support you have given me during my time at [business or organisation name]. Please let me know if there is anything you need from me before I leave.

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]

“Fear is a reminder that you still have something to lose.”

Major Action - Defying Mavity

“Down here… purpose is all you have. Without it, well I fear one would lose themselves.”

“I hope that was convincing. Maybe I can convince myself. I do think what I say is true. And I almost believe it.”

That night, you have your own bad dreams. Except they’re not dreams, they’re memories.

A pause. Awful stillness. The words come out stilted, teetering on borrowed emotion, threatening to plummet off the tight-rope.

“I leave myself in your hands. Do what you will; all that I ask of you is to not leave me in the agony of hope.”

“Then how does one stop hoping? Waiting for something which will never come to pass?”

“If it is desire which marks a good man, then I would have ascended by now. Yet here we are. All that desire gets you is the delusion that you have a conscience. But what really matters is what you do. And by that metric… well, I am nothing more than a liar and a traitor.”

The days, pointless markers, receiving no distinction. Is that all this place is? A graveyard of long-dead ideals, faded gold and age-stained parchment; futile attempts to capture that which captivates. People doing something, anything, to feel. Drink. Drugs. Violence. A ruined tower. Yet at its base… a garden. Games of xiangqi. Killer sudokus. The people are still people. It is death, but only on a technicality.

“Starting is easy. It's the endings which are the hard part.”

“I am nothing more than a coward.”