I enjoyed writing this. I know it's not the best but I haven't written anything for ages so it's always great to whip out the keyboard and type. I hope everyone here loves rushed endings! (1993 words)
Harry and the Letters
The clock struck twelve. It was an ominous sound, one that Harry did not care for. He watched the pendulum swing back and forth, back and forth, never ceasing in its ultimately futile endeavour to break free of the confides of the glass casing. Maybe there was a lesson in all of it? Maybe he was meant to have grown as a human? Moved on? Harry certainly felt like he should have learnt something from these past few years but it all felt so
similar. It all felt the same.
He put down the drink he had been nursing as the last of the tolls echoed into the darkness. Your drinking will be the death of you, you know? The words came sudden and cut through the darkness lodging deep into his heart. God, he missed her. God, he was alone. Sally never approved of his drinking but then she didnt approve of much these days. She couldnt, not after he had lost her. It had been years since the great lion outbreak took Sally from him but for Harry it seemed like it happened just yesterday. Harry let out a defeated chuckle. She loved the lions, Harry mused, Loved them to death. It was
what was it? Irony. He took another sip of his drink, Nah, thats not the word.
He sat in silence as the pendulum swung back and forth, back and forth. Doesnt matter, he concluded, Nothing matters. Not anymore.
And yet, that wasnt true. Something did matter and thats what annoyed Harry. He glanced down to the table by his side and picked up the letter. He didnt know why, he had poured over its contents time and time again hoping to glean meaning from the pages but every time he had returned defeated. He opened up the letter once more and read:
Dearest Harry
I will be amongst the moor on the night of our union.
Yours
Sally
And that was it. Harry was outraged by the letter. It had arrived through the letter slot a few days earlier which was weird because the postman didnt deliver to his house. Harry had to send Charles down to the nearest town once a month to pick up the letters and supplies from the post office. Originally Harry put it down as a prank some kids had put together to try and get the Big Old Scary Hermit out of his house but who would hike all the way out here to do that? And who knew that their marriage anniversary was approaching, that it was in fact tonight? Harry shook his head. It always came back to the handwriting. There was no mistaking it, the handwriting was that of Sallys. The way she looped the os and crossed the ts was unmistakable. Harry could spot it anywhere. Sally had to have written it. But then why the secrecy? If she had written it then why not enter the house instead of just slotting it through the door? Why was she waiting on the moor? Where in the moor? The moor was a big place.
Harry sighed with frustration. It didnt matter anyway. Sally couldnt have written the letter, not after he had lost her all those years ago. It was just a stupid prank by stupid kids. Nothing more. And yet there he stood by the double doors that opened onto the porch, teetering at the line that defined inside and outside, safety and danger. Harry could go out there now, go to the moor, just to be sure. He had to know, no matter how slim the chance that it could be Sally, he had to be sure. He knew that he wouldnt be able to live with himself if we never tried and yet
It had been three years now. Three long years. Ever since the outbreak Harry had kept to himself mostly. Charles would drop by every now and again with supplies so it gave Harry no reason to venture past these double doors. Agoraphobia. Thats what the quacks called it but Harry ignored them. He wasnt scared of leaving his house. He just
didnt need to.
But now he needed to so why was it so damn hard? Harry let the doors swing inwards under the force of the wind. The rain buffeted his face but he kept his ground. He forced himself to stare into the night, to steel himself for the step he was about to take.
But the step never came. Harry was disgusted at himself. He couldn't bring himself to go outside, to enter the unknown. He punched the wall. "Pathetic", he murmured.
There was a rustle in the surrounding bushes and a man dragged himself onto the road. His leg was limp and bleeding. Harry suspected he was seriously hurt but couldnt make out anything else in the blinding rain.
Help me. Croaked the man above the howling storm.
Harry hesitated. He glanced at the imposing double doors that marked the entrance to his house. He wanted to help. He truly did but
Help me. Croaked the man again. Please.
The stranger was slowly dragging himself towards the porch. His hands clawed into the dirt as he inched closer and closer. Harry could see he was covered in cuts and bleeding quite badly. He probably had taken a blow to the head. But how? And why now of all times?
Why wont you help me? Gasped the stranger.
Harry stood nervously by the doorway. He shuffled his feet from side to side and glanced at the door again. Im sorry. Harry shouted. Ill just be
I just have to
He trailed off, I cant!
What!?
I cant. Repeated Harry.
You cant? came the incredulous reply.
Hey dont call me that.
Are you
Im bleeding here!
Wait
just hang on!
Harry fled back into the house leaving the cursing man behind him. Charles wasnt due for another few days and that man probably couldnt survive that long. Harry ran to the kitchen to grab some supplies before heading back to the entrance. Hold on! Shouted Harry, Ill throw you this rope.
Are you serious? came the reply but closer than Harry expected. He turned and saw the stranger propped up against the door frame, bleeding on his porch. Now I dont suppose
Started the stranger, Im losing a lot of blood.
Harry came to his senses and helped the stranger to his study. Sally had always badgered him to learn rudimentary first aid but he never did. He never found the time, at least thats what he told himself. He leafed through the first aid boxes he had gathered.
The stranger looked at Harry reading a bottle, What are you doing?
I dont know. Admitted Harry.
Look, give me that. Give me that! Alright well I should be glad that at least one of us knows rudimentary first aid. Now I want you to run down and fetch me some water. Actually no, do you have any brandy? That would be better. Yeah, the whole bottle. Oh and a mirror while youre out there. Actually get me some water too. Ill probably need it later. Tell you what, theres a very high chance of me going into hypovolemic shock, I have lost a lot of blood, so if you happen to have an IV drip anywhere that would great if not, well
Call the hospital too could you? Actually dont, theyre probably already in there. Just grab the stuff. Thanks.
Harry slowly stood up. W...what? He stammered.
Brandy, Water, Mirror. Go!
The clock struck three. Harry was relieved in a way. The stranger, who had identified himself as George had managed to patch himself up, God knows how, and had assured Harry that he was in a stable condition. When Harry enquired as to how he knew this George had replied Because my throat is a little hoarse! much to the amusement of George and only George.
Harry slipped back into the room. So George, Harry said, Do you mind telling me how you came to be here?
George shifted in the couch so that he could see Harry. Look, whatever your name is. Im truly grateful for your help. Really I am, but right now I need some sleep, rest and shut eye. So a few hours would be great as I recover from a near fatal wound.
Its Harry.
What?
My name is Harry.
Well goodnight Har- A wave of realisation passed across Georges face which quickly gave way to a pained expression. Oh no. He muttered to himself. Youre Harry. Youre the one the letters talked about.
Letters? What letters?
George pulled himself so he was sitting upright and swiveled towards Harry. Look. he began, Im a part of the Lion Tamers Association, the first line of defence between us and the lions. Now before you write me off as crazy keep in mind that I have taken a lot of drugs recently so if anything Im delirious.
Harry pulled up a chair and sat down. Go on.
Three years ago there was a massive lion outbreak across the globe. Lions came out from nowhere and ran rampant through our cities.
They said it was the hormones leaking down from the weather balloons.
Theyre idiots. It was a group of highly trained Lion Sympathisers that had mastered the art of hypnotism. They had spent years slowly entrancing Zoo Keepers and Lion Tamers from all across the globe to unleash lions onto the human populace at a designated time so that lion kind could reclaim their rightful place at the head of the world. Unfortunately for them they forgot that humans had access to ranged weaponry and the uprising didnt last long. I agreed to the hush up mainly because of the money. They gave me a lot of money. You keeping up?
Harry managed a Huh.
So there werent many Lion Tamers left anymore because they had all gone crazy. I was fine though. My dad taught me how to block a psychic attack when I was a boy. Anyway, a year or so back I noticed something on the television that caught my eye. This senator was petitioning for open air lion sanctuaries which I thought was mighty strange. Anyway, I did some digging, everyone that was backing that had only recently come into power with no other political history behind them which could only mean one thing.
The Lion Sympathisers became senators.
What? No. The Lions are masquerading as senators. Only logical explanation really. You can tell when they lick their lips.
What?
So I get this letter a couple of days back. Telling me that they had proof. No idea how they knew I knew but hey dont bite a gift horse in the mouth and all that. They gave me these GPS coordinates and told me to meet them there. Said a guy called Harry could help.
Harry brushed that piece of information away and asked What was the letter signed?
S, just the letter S.
The moments ticked by. So I figure, continued George, How are you going to help me?
Harry stood up slowly and glanced at the grandfather clock by the entrance. There was still time. Excuse me, Harry muttered and walked downstairs amidst the cries for answers.
"If everything George said was true, which was a big if, then maybe Sally had something to do with that tragic day three days ago. In that case maybe she was... I mean, she could be. I have to be sure. Harry thought.
And so Harry took a step through the massive double doors which was really an entrance into the unknown in order to find his lost wife who may or may not be alive and who may or may not be working for the lion sympathisers who may or may not exist and hence grow as a character.