Stories of Siv Spencer Theophane
Like a sore heart
When Siv looked behind him the revolting warehouse that he had lived in most of his life had disappeared. Siv was standing outside the building yet not so much as a change in temperature gave signs of the cloaked building, nor the vessel of wrath that had followed him out. Siv moved toward the nearest tree, amazed by the beauty that shone throughout the forest. He pushed his face against the bark of the tree and sniffed like it was an enchanting perfume. He could spend all night canoodling with the trees as if they were lovers, he could kiss the ground as passionately as he could a woman, his life had found it’s beginning and not the twit that followed him nor the place people had dared to to trap him within could destroy his life again. The damned quibbles they gave him for trying to escape and there he was, the champion. They had lost where he had won, and it exhilarated every bone is his body. He felt like a child again, he had desires to climb every tree and to explore every inch of the land. His mind throbbed with possible ideas, and he didn’t know where to start. He clung to the tree as if his life were on the line, until he felt a rumble in the ground that took him to the verge of losing his balance. Pyrotechnic sparks spat at the sky before dissolving in the air leaving a small dent in the ground. The rustling he had heard during the tremors grew louder and a stout man emerged from between the trees that were tightly packed before he had intruded, Siv remained as tall as a monument and equally as still up to the point that he was convinced he had caught the man’s interest.
This man held a rather dated gun, and he was looking at Siv with a gaze that was far from concerning, but if Seventeen were to die than it would be an end to all his worries, or so he tried to talk into himself. He hadn’t left - he had walked out the cupboard with him and fled, but he could not have ran a mile before it occurred to him that leaving Seventeen would not heal his conscience. It only gave him a feeling of guilt that hemagglutinated him to the point of gasping for breath, but this, he soon realized was simply the air. He wasn’t used to the chilling cold flowing air crawling down his oesophagus, it made him shiver. He hadn’t missed it at all, the reciprocal warm oxygen that used to constantly fill his lungs was gone. He had sacrificed it to return to the world that ruined him, and unless the door was once again opened from the inside, he was trapped here. Because of Seventeen, and if he had given up his old life for this man he was going to have to somehow fool himself that it was worth it. He could start by defending him from this newcomer to the forest. He had noticed in Seventeen’s eyes all the surprise and fascination upon seeing him, he suspected Seventeen had never seen a man wearing anything other than a white coat. They were going to be severely emphasized out here if they did not find a change in clothes and a change in mind, he had so much to teach Seventeen but he was reluctant to start.
Siv watched the man’s arms fold around his weapon and point it upward. The beaten ground will surely attest that he was holding some sort of organ that causes destruction. It was too soon for him to see another human being, his eyes hid away in shyness, and only then did he get a closer look at the area the man had shot at. There was something colourful there, Siv moved closer to it ignoring the confused look of which the man seemed to be trying to attack him with, and saw something with feathers. His mind immediately classified it as a bird, it’s golden beak still shimmered next to the sun but all the life had left it’s eyes. This was a man that blames creatures for living and therefore deprives them of it. This wasn’t a man that he wished to speak to but he had come so far that he was determined to break out of his old ways of ignorance, especially when the man spoke to him.
“Ello, what you doin’ ere?”
Siv felt his words like he had been bitten with them, he sounded so different from him that Siv could almost not comprehend it. Before he could respond, he heard somebody mutter from behind him. He turned around and saw the man that had followed him into this world, which amused Siv greatly seeing as he had been shown nothing but contempt and hatred from him since they met. His worn face was exaggerated against the sun, and Siv could see just how alike he must’ve been from every man in that building - for with his man he could feel a connection despite their disrespect for each other, yet his disrespect for this new character was nothing positive at all. But perhaps the doom for the poor animal he had killed had damaged his opinion of the man before acquaintance. Perhaps it was routine for normal people to do this. They ate meat, and meat came from animals. He was clearly over-reacting. Despite his immediate assumption, they were not opposite species, and so Siv attempted to maintain a polite manner of speech despite the disappointing greeting. He opened his mouth to speak and a pinched moan came from behind him, his stalker clearly didn’t trust his words and presumed he was going to get them in the same position as the duck. Siv wasn’t personally sure if the man had ever killed a human, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Oh, we didn’t mean to interfere with your plans we were just passing by, we’ll soon be out of your way”
He said a little too quickly, he realized when the man frowned deeply and eventually gave a light shrug. Siv interpreted this as dismissal and walked through the trail of eroded trees, and he could hear the footsteps of somebody following him. Sure enough, it was the man that had suspiciously decided to leave the world of which he was accustomed to come into the forest with him. No other sound was made but the man’s occasional grunting as they walked through the maze of trees that seemed to consume them. Eventually he spoke, but Siv had to listen closely to conclude that it wasn’t just another grunt.
“Is it true that your name is Siv Theophane?”
He asked, clearly remembering the embarrassing display back at the labs. He had denied his true name and referred to himself in the name that he had forced himself to believe was him, not Siv Clements. Siv took a deep breath at the remembrance and rested the words on his tongue to say ‘No, you were right about my name’, but nothing had changed. He was living in another world but he was still him.
“It is” was all he said.
The man seemed to accept this, gave a brief nod and looked away expecting the conversation to end, but Siv refused to let it rest.
“Would it be ridiculous to ask your name?”
He enquired, and the man seemed to unmask his harsh exterior at these words.
“Calhoun, I think-”
He cut off, and stared at a grassy area that had fewer trees around it, but had no other distinguishing features that set it apart from the rest of the forest. Siv remained standing but Calhoun went to his knees, his hands didn’t need to search far before they found a wide tree stump only a metre away from where Siv was stood. Calhoun ran his fingers over it, then leaned forward to plant his tongue on the centre of the bark, savouring the taste with his eyes closed as if in a trance. Siv watched with genuine interest in this new side of him, and when Calhoun withdrew himself he looked up at Siv, his knees shaking from the pressure of being his only support.
“This…” moisture built up in the man's eyes, and Siv’s jaw felt bound with chains as he watched the old man cry, these were emotions he had seen on his computer screen, but now they were vulnerable and splayed in front of him, and the man was on his knees.
“This was the place I married”
This man held a rather dated gun, and he was looking at Siv with a gaze that was far from concerning, but if Seventeen were to die than it would be an end to all his worries, or so he tried to talk into himself. He hadn’t left - he had walked out the cupboard with him and fled, but he could not have ran a mile before it occurred to him that leaving Seventeen would not heal his conscience. It only gave him a feeling of guilt that hemagglutinated him to the point of gasping for breath, but this, he soon realized was simply the air. He wasn’t used to the chilling cold flowing air crawling down his oesophagus, it made him shiver. He hadn’t missed it at all, the reciprocal warm oxygen that used to constantly fill his lungs was gone. He had sacrificed it to return to the world that ruined him, and unless the door was once again opened from the inside, he was trapped here. Because of Seventeen, and if he had given up his old life for this man he was going to have to somehow fool himself that it was worth it. He could start by defending him from this newcomer to the forest. He had noticed in Seventeen’s eyes all the surprise and fascination upon seeing him, he suspected Seventeen had never seen a man wearing anything other than a white coat. They were going to be severely emphasized out here if they did not find a change in clothes and a change in mind, he had so much to teach Seventeen but he was reluctant to start.
Siv watched the man’s arms fold around his weapon and point it upward. The beaten ground will surely attest that he was holding some sort of organ that causes destruction. It was too soon for him to see another human being, his eyes hid away in shyness, and only then did he get a closer look at the area the man had shot at. There was something colourful there, Siv moved closer to it ignoring the confused look of which the man seemed to be trying to attack him with, and saw something with feathers. His mind immediately classified it as a bird, it’s golden beak still shimmered next to the sun but all the life had left it’s eyes. This was a man that blames creatures for living and therefore deprives them of it. This wasn’t a man that he wished to speak to but he had come so far that he was determined to break out of his old ways of ignorance, especially when the man spoke to him.
“Ello, what you doin’ ere?”
Siv felt his words like he had been bitten with them, he sounded so different from him that Siv could almost not comprehend it. Before he could respond, he heard somebody mutter from behind him. He turned around and saw the man that had followed him into this world, which amused Siv greatly seeing as he had been shown nothing but contempt and hatred from him since they met. His worn face was exaggerated against the sun, and Siv could see just how alike he must’ve been from every man in that building - for with his man he could feel a connection despite their disrespect for each other, yet his disrespect for this new character was nothing positive at all. But perhaps the doom for the poor animal he had killed had damaged his opinion of the man before acquaintance. Perhaps it was routine for normal people to do this. They ate meat, and meat came from animals. He was clearly over-reacting. Despite his immediate assumption, they were not opposite species, and so Siv attempted to maintain a polite manner of speech despite the disappointing greeting. He opened his mouth to speak and a pinched moan came from behind him, his stalker clearly didn’t trust his words and presumed he was going to get them in the same position as the duck. Siv wasn’t personally sure if the man had ever killed a human, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Oh, we didn’t mean to interfere with your plans we were just passing by, we’ll soon be out of your way”
He said a little too quickly, he realized when the man frowned deeply and eventually gave a light shrug. Siv interpreted this as dismissal and walked through the trail of eroded trees, and he could hear the footsteps of somebody following him. Sure enough, it was the man that had suspiciously decided to leave the world of which he was accustomed to come into the forest with him. No other sound was made but the man’s occasional grunting as they walked through the maze of trees that seemed to consume them. Eventually he spoke, but Siv had to listen closely to conclude that it wasn’t just another grunt.
“Is it true that your name is Siv Theophane?”
He asked, clearly remembering the embarrassing display back at the labs. He had denied his true name and referred to himself in the name that he had forced himself to believe was him, not Siv Clements. Siv took a deep breath at the remembrance and rested the words on his tongue to say ‘No, you were right about my name’, but nothing had changed. He was living in another world but he was still him.
“It is” was all he said.
The man seemed to accept this, gave a brief nod and looked away expecting the conversation to end, but Siv refused to let it rest.
“Would it be ridiculous to ask your name?”
He enquired, and the man seemed to unmask his harsh exterior at these words.
“Calhoun, I think-”
He cut off, and stared at a grassy area that had fewer trees around it, but had no other distinguishing features that set it apart from the rest of the forest. Siv remained standing but Calhoun went to his knees, his hands didn’t need to search far before they found a wide tree stump only a metre away from where Siv was stood. Calhoun ran his fingers over it, then leaned forward to plant his tongue on the centre of the bark, savouring the taste with his eyes closed as if in a trance. Siv watched with genuine interest in this new side of him, and when Calhoun withdrew himself he looked up at Siv, his knees shaking from the pressure of being his only support.
“This…” moisture built up in the man's eyes, and Siv’s jaw felt bound with chains as he watched the old man cry, these were emotions he had seen on his computer screen, but now they were vulnerable and splayed in front of him, and the man was on his knees.
“This was the place I married”