#free write

and when she is not near

I open the backdoor to escape onto my porch

I stand barefooted in the grass

I plead with the wind to capture her laughter in a friendly conversation

or even her scent as she walks under the sun

and bring it to me

“It has been a hard day.” I say

A continuation of part three, which you can read here (You can also read all previous parts on AO3)

*** Enjoy, and remember, your choices have consequences :0) ***

Take Water <== Take Coffee ==x Decline

The prospect of cool water was much more appealing, so you gently took the small cup from the official stranger. Your other hand still grasped the letter, so for now, you just held the water in one shaky bandaged hand.

You managed a couple small sips. The chill of the liquid spreading through your chest was awakening, perking you up slightly. The cool of the cup was also a balm to your hand, easing the pain that had snuck through the pain killers.

The person in the coat waited patiently, though you could tell there was an urgentness in their stance. Only when you met their eyes did they speak.

"He was here, wasn't he..."

Statement, not a question.

You looked down to the envelope, and the person shared your gaze. A tired sigh left them.

Somehow you knew who this was. Could have been the context clues, the stereotypical wear, or just the air of authority around them. Still, you asked to be sure, and they confirmed.

"Yes, I am the Detective." They held out their hand, expectant.

The parcel, weighted with it's prominence, passed heavy from your hand to theirs. You noticed the scar on their ring finger as you finally let go. The shadow that sat on your shoulders lifted if not but a few inches. A breath of relief escaped you regardless.

The Detective's gaze was understanding and sympathetic. Slowly they retreated behind the paramedics that were attending to you. The sounds of discussion seemed muffled, as in the bright distance, you watched the Detective read the letter.

Face not seen, but tension was observed in the frame. Clearly, this was not over. But you already knew that.

...

The Detective accompanied you to the hospital, along with an entourage of other officers. Things were being discussed out of earshot as you were examined and fitted with a cast. They came in to ask you a few questions once or twice, but overall looked pensive at you from a distance.

After a fashion, the Detective, who had not strayed too far from you, approached.

"Well, from what we can gather, there is no reason for you to be held here, seeing as you clearly did not perpetrate the crime. You are free to go... however," Their voice sounded measured and calculated, a rehearsal being preformed in full, "given your unfortunate entanglement in this case and the danger still at large, I would suggest that you stay in our custody for the time being." They looked like there was more to say, but omitted.

"The choice is ultimately up to you. You can come with me, or..." pitch became a subtle warning in tone, "...I can take you home."

Well this has been on the back burner for a long time. I do have a set plot in mind, and I just need to get it out. Hope the fandom is still alive. Made this a longer poll just in case.

I watched them go, here from my fisher's perch, one in many, for I found no purchase with, only without. Luck so far had been elusive. Not a catch in ever, a profit required to carry on. Not that I was alone in this hunt.

PJ looked up at the cervine entity, it's shadowed purple form almost indiscernible against the mental black of the subconscious void, cutting through the squares of doors floating above.

"What do you mean?" PJ asked quizzically as they padded along that abstract path.

The eyes it glared were a striking contrast. "I mean this place!" It snarled, "What you call the 'collective unconscious.'" A scoffing snort resounded with distaste. "Hardly even deserving of that name anymore. Nothing is shared here."

She followed it's gaze to the many doors along the path and beyond it. "... what did it used to look like?"

The willow tail swept the stream, horns raised back high in inner picturing. "I never saw it myself. But I was shown the memory." Figments took shape in narration, "Before, there were no doors, no barriers between minds, no separation of selves. All existed in a single endless expanse where emotions rooted deep and thoughts branched out high above in a canopy. And between the trunks, the stream of consciousness flowed unimpeded and free, partaken from and shared. One mind, all minds, experiencing thoughts and feelings together."

PJ could almost see it clear, trees of light with figments of forms between. It seemed fantastical, and she expressed her doubts, "Sounds very... idyllic."

"It was true." It retorted, "And don't mistake my flowery description as utopian, nor make you think it was some kind of paradise. It was an ecosystem, and like any ecosystem, there was a flow of energy produced from predation. And perhaps that is where things started to change. The desire for each thought to preserve itself. Or maybe it was the introduction of an outside and the need to filter and contain exact experiences in it. Who's to say?"

They came to her door, itself branching out into the ether. It traced the frame with bony hand.

"Eventually, the forest was cut down, and the wood of the doors is all that remains. Even the stream of consciousness is drying up," It eyed the path beneath their feet, blue and shifting, "That I have seen! In places, it only pools and circles those who are close together outside. And in others, only a leak from these dams is where it can be seen." It glared into the black. "All while I see effigies to the physical grey matter, all orbiting that mass. All are now hung up on focusing on their own worlds, too enclosed to care for what's beyond."

Silence. Then interjection, "I don't think everyone is that closed minded."

No response, it had faded.

electric love

neon cools with pops of pink

small town vibe

county fair

midnight in the summertime

warm air, cool breeze

put me on display

echo all my pleas

just for you

For the first time, she finally looked up. What now?

She froze. All she knew was the world below her, the puddle of water on the sidewalk when she would stroll through her neighborhood, the spiderwebs that built on car windows and tree branches. Every step she took was a way to avoid interactions, so she didn't have to interact with the world above.

She froze because she had an idea of what to do, but piled on top of pile, they all jumble into one. So the first step that needs to be taken has slowly disappeared. The girl wanders and wanders until she finds her way out. When she finds an opening, the way out is demanding a price. To forget everything she knows, to forget herself.

She ponders if anything and everything she has worked for is really worth the risk. Even the comfort she so loves- is it worth giving up to go home? The girl shakes her head and walks by; she chooses comfort instead of home. The sheer thought of rejecting oneself to emerge into a new one scared her.

For the first time, she looked up and didn't like what she saw. She saw a world of uncertainty, like a shipwreck by the bay, but the more the girl wandered, the more her feet sank into the ground. Suddenly, she stopped moving; she looked down and saw her feet were stuck.

She looked around for help, but all she could hear was the whistling of the wind and the birds flying by. Defeat washed all over her face, and stillness and silence arose. She smiled. The comfort and security that she so loved were back. They were back better than before, not as the front but the truth that was trapped underneath.

One by one, she chipped her ears off, begging for no more. She couldn't bear it anymore. The girl didn't want to face the truth of what's been keeping her trapped here all this time. The constant sabotage, the constant rage, and just the dread of self-hatred that ran throughout her body.

The girl pleaded. She pleaded out into the world, to make it stop. That she'll do anything, so she doesn't have to face the truth anymore. The words "I don't want to live like this anymore" spill out. Her hands form into fists and tears are streaming down her face. Does anyone hear her? Will she be like this forever?

A beam of light shines onto the girl's face. She basks in it, feeling its warmth, the sheer hope that radiates from it. Are you ready to let go of everything? To let go of the old and embrace the new? A voice asks