COUP Chapter 5

Part one

Part two

“Hello?” the lone voice echoed through the chamber—if that was indeed where they were. The voice (or, rather, the originator on the other side of the sound waves) wasn’t quite sure of the validity of that statement. “Is there anybody out there?” An awkward pause. “Where is out there?”

No response.

“Hello?” they tried again. “Does anybody know who I am?”

The responselessness continued unabashedly.

“Well, ain’t this just great,” asked the creature that, for all it knew, didn’t exist moments before. That was an unnerving thought for a newly-sapient whatever-it-was.

AIN’T AIN’T A WORD, the Darkness boomed back at the confused person/animal/construct/thing.

“You just used it, though,” the voice countered a bit shakily.

IT WAS AN IRONY, the Darkness counter-countered.

“I suppose,” the voice said, giving up. This line of dialogue seemed pretty pointless and anticlimactic for the first conversation of their newfound existence, and they wanted to move on to bigger and better things. Unfortunately for them, reality doesn’t really get much better. “Why am I here?”

WHY ARE ANY OF US HERE?

“I don’t know, that’s why I asked. It doesn’t help that I don’t even know what I am.”

YES, I CAN SEE HOW THAT CAN BE A PROBLEM.

Ever so slowly, the black turned grey. It didn’t help much. Now there was nothing but grey. No, that’s not true—now the voice could see themself. Well, they could see their torso down. There was no mirror, after all; it’s already been established that there was nothing but gray and the person, for that’s what they turned out to be.

They were a man, to be exact, proven by the fact they were unclothed.

YOU ARE A MAN, the Darkness Grey answered.

“I’ve figured that out.”

GOOD. SELF-AWARENESS IS KEY.

“Key for what?”

THE LOCK, OBVIOUSLY.

“Okay,” the man said, dragging out the kay.

ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN?

“No—You haven’t told me what I’m starting,” the person said in alarm, feeling that in only a brief amount of time (not that he knew much of time considering it didn’t seem to exist in the darkness-turned-gray realm they’d manifested in), he was going to find his nakedness much more impactful.

THAT DOESN’T MATTER. ARE YOU PREPARED?

“Again, no! Can’t you at least give me a hint of what’s to come?”

NOBODY ELSE GETS A HINT.

“I’m the only one here, though!”

NOW.

“Now?”

NOW.

Another awkward pause. “Now?”

BRACE YOURSELF. YOUR STORY IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.

“Seriously?! Just tell me who I am!”

THAT’S NOT FOR ME TO DECIDE.

“You’re laying down the philosophy pretty thick, aren’t you?”

GOOD LUCK.

The man threw up his arms (as in he abruptly raised them into the air, not regurgitated them. That would be turning this into a completely different kind of story.) “Ugh, fine! Just send me where ever the heck you want then! Jigus’rist, can you at least give me a pair of pants?”

NOPE.

The Gray returned to Darkness, and just as quickly, the Darkness turned to Light. And boy does light hurt when you’ve only known darkness.  

Everyone has me
No one wants me
I’m part of life
I can lead to death
I come in all types
But time cures me
What am I?

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