Prose Example - Stand Up High
(This was written based on the game Smile for Me.)
They had been sitting silently for a while, side by side, on the small bench that Kamal had holed himself up on. The floristâs kid had quietly joined him a while ago, with just a small smile in greeting. At first Kamal had been stiff. Everything he did, from breathing, to the way he was sitting, was overanalyzed by his brain running away from him with anxiety. This... this HERO of the Habitat was right there! What if he was bugging them by the way heâd sigh sometimes without thinking?? What if they thought the way he was curled up with his knees to his chest to make himself small as weird?? What if his breath was still awful??? What if, what if, what if...
But eventually... the longer Flower Kid just sat there with him and made no move to leave, even when he coughed accidentally and made them both jump, the more he started to ease. Not completely, he wasnât sure he was ever COMPLETELY at ease anymore with how things were going, but... enough. Â
He looked down into the Carnival area, and could see the Carlas ever patiently waiting for someone to play their games, and Gillis seemed to be enjoying the view of the sky starting to turn a pinkish red as the sun got lower in the sky. Kamal wasnât at all sure that this wasnât due to the constant pumping of Marthaâs machinery billowing clouds into the sky, but he supposed it was pretty in any case. The wind blew and tousled his hair, but he barely noticed as his eyes focused solely on the ground. So far down. There. Waiting.
The fear that mixed with... something else. A compulsion. It wasnât foreign to him.
âWhy did you... come up here?â
Kamal yelped at the unfamiliar voice, and nearly fell out of the bench seat. It felt like some stranger had peered into his addled mind and commented on it, but who--?
His gaze fell upon Flower Kid, peering at him with a small tilt of their head. Did they... speak? COULD they speak? After all this time of just nodding and shaking their head?
âM--me?â
The question seemed moronic as soon as it left his mouth and he physically winced in dismay. Flower Kid just smiled though, not mockingly, but warmly. They gave one of their signature nods. So, it was them...
For a moment Kamal was overwhelmed with the concept he may be the first person in the Habitat to have heard itâs saviorâs voice and what that could possibly mean, but realized he should probably answer the question. But how to? Did he even know why?
âUh... I guess to get as far away as possible from--âŚ"
He swallowed. His throat felt tight every time it came to that subject. And was that even true? Being at the highest point in the Habitat only meant he could easily see Dr. Habitâs office looming overhead. He could spot the âdoctorâ at times, doing... god knew what up there. He shuddered a little at the thought.
At a glance he saw the Flower Kid just nod in understanding. Kamal eased slightly again at this, having half-expected to be told that it was silly, or cowardly, or... something.
But wasnât that true, even if they didnât say it? Wasnât he hiding out here on the roof just waiting, and hoping that this kind soul would be the one to step up and do something to stop whatever the Big Event was? Lumping it all on this person, who had been nothing but wonderful to everyone, just BECAUSE theyâre so damn nice? Did they deserve to carry the weight of everyoneâs happiness?
Kamal hid his face in his knees for a moment, gritting his teeth briefly before immediately stopping out of fear of causing damage when they were in such a poor state from lack of care. Because of... him.
âNo. Thatâs not whyâwell it IS why, but--⌠itâs because Iâm a coward that wonât do anything but sit here andâand hope that SOMETHING will happen. Because I thought if Wallus could go hide somewhere and wait for things to blow over, why couldnât I, huh? Why is--... why is it MY job to do something just because IâI... work for--... worked for--âŚ"
The more he said, the more pathetic he felt AND sounded, he was fairly certain. He was answering his own questions. He SHOULD have done something the moment he felt something was off. He SHOULD have spoken up, and pointed out that maybe his TEETH wouldnât be so GROSS if SOMEONE!!! HADNâT RUINED ALL THE TOOTHBRUSHES!!!
But he didnât.
And he wouldnât.
His eyes burned as he issued a strained laugh devoid of humor, and bonked his forehead against his knees a few times.
âIt should be my job, Flower Star. Iâm--⌠Iâm sorry. Iâm sorry all I can do is sit up here and... let everyone down andâand wonder why I donât just--âŚ"
His dark gaze zeroes in on the ground below again, but before that familiar jagged mix of distress and urge can ooze in once more itâs stopped in itâs tracks by a very gentle touch. Kamal looks at his hand, and is baffled to find another one over it. Flower Kidâs hold on his hand is secure and stabilizing, but somehow still filled with that softness and compassion theyâve shown every single person in the Habitat.
Even someone like him.
Kamal sniffed softly while looking at his companion, who just smiled again, if sadly this time. As if they could feel what he was feeling, knew... where his mind kept going. But it wasnât pity, it was... genuine care. And an assurance that it was all okay.
Tense shoulders slumping some again, Kamal managed a small smile in return, a grateful one. Although it still felt as if too much was being asked of the Habitatâs newest member... if anyone could handle it, it was them. And maybe... being able to help them further on that journey was enough. It was something. It mattered.
He mattered.
