Writing competition entry: Clasingla
Journaling through the escape: by clasingla
(this is on the darker side of my storytelling)
June 3 2600
dear diary,
Death its inevitable, your rather sacrificed to the bloody grasps of war or faint from the absence of food and the toils of labor. The land of Lapasurim and Terrame have been at war for decades neither of them in the right. For both are ruled by corrupt gods seeking only to be more plentiful for themselves, waiting to sacrifice countless innocent blood for their riches to be in hand. Today they are planning to draft more souls to this awful endless war against Terrame. I hope that my facade will spare me a few more weeks. Sometimes I wonder if there there is a fate better than death.
If anyone finds this remember my name, Sierra.
knock knock knock "OPEN UP." knock knock knock. Sierra quickly slipped her journal into her satchel, and rushed to the door. As she opened she saw death waiting at the doorstep, or as close to death as you can get. A overwhelming fear came over her as they handed her the letter. A cold glare they gave as they announced her almost guaranteed mortuary, "See you tomorrow at the battlefield or else." One of the soldiers motioned to his firearm, making sure the message was clear.
As they left the steps she quickly close the door, staring at the slip that surely meant the end. and began to read it out loud.
"Sierra the Spheal, you have the honor of fighting in the Lapasurim army on behalf of the immortal and great leader Kyogre. To avoid your civil responsibilities will result in a brutal death as would any traitor receive. If you give your life on the battlefield, it is a martyrdom unto our oh so gracious lord Kyogre; for death to stop the brutal Terrameme's is a great death indeed. We shall expect you to arrive for battle tomorrow at 12pm.
Signed, commander Floats"
As Sierra read the last sentence a feeling of utter disgust comes over her, not only of the hypocrisy of those fraudulent words but by the signer themselves. Her mind filled with all sort of conflicting thoughts, how could he of all pokemon be a commander of the army. "how… he told me to write to never forget." Sierra opened to the first page of her journal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 23 2598
dear paper,
I met this buizel today, it was a funny story, I was getting my weekly ration today when I tripped and fell, my ration rolled away and I dare not ask for more as to not displease the great Kyogre. This buizel saw me and split his ration with me, he also gave me this weird looking stack of paper and told me to write daily in it, so thats what I'm doing.
June 6 2598
dear diary,
I was able to find the buizel again, his name is Floats, and I've been telling him that I have been writing on the paper he's given me, he says that It's called a diary. He also started explaining of these marvelous places that his great grandfather used to tell him about, fields of turquoise clovers, canyons of orange and red, waterfalls leaving rainbow's in their wake. It's all so fascinating I hope that one day I can see places like those.
July 13 2598
dear diary,
they preformed the execution of a traitor today. It was my brother's childhood friend, Hunter. I don't know why Kyogre hated him so much to give this fate. It was crowded and loud, I remember him shouting blasphemy about the great Kyogre I don't remember most of what he said but one thing stood out to me I remember it way to clearly. "Sierra listen, your brothers been dead for months, and that's not the only secret they are keeping from you."
October 19 2598
dear diary,
over the past few months I've been having conflicting thoughts about Kyogre, is he really as great as everyone says or is he just a fraud. Today I decided to share my concerns with Floats. He was very understanding. He then proceeded to tell me a story that his great grandfather told him right before the grandfathers death. How Lapasurim used to be a major trade hub in his youth before Kyogre came and ceased control of the city, he gave a dark description of 1000's dying but Kyogre eventually conquering.
December 23 2598
dear diary,
Floats has been having thoughts of escaping, he says that he has found a lightly guarded swamp area where there's a small gap to escape from. I know that we may be considered traitors by doing this, but if we get drafted the only other option is guaranteed death. We both know the risk that we have to take. That day we made a promise that we would escape together.
January 2 2599
dear diary,
Floats has just been drafted for war, I can't lose him too I tried running up to him that maybe just maybe I could stop him from the shadow of Kyogre. He gave a warm smile and said these words "never forget our promise." I just couldn't stop crying. Floats is worth more than Kyogre will ever be.
May 23 2599
dear diary,
It's been a year too this day since I first met Floats, every day I look back and remember to never forget the promise and to never forget him. I don't know if he's still alive right now, but I will one day make it past the gate to see the beautiful lands he once told me about, to live free from Kyogre's dystopia of lies. Even though the hope that he is alive is all deceased, I will make his spirit happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
…
The shadow of night has risen, Sierra knew it was now or never to keep her promise, one broken from the other side. with one last deep breathe Sierra put on her satchel, and headed outside. She quietly went from street to street avoiding the sights of the stationed nightwatchman. The place where she was heading was a 6 hour trek. An abandoned ruin far out from civilization.
…
She comes up to the ruins daylight is setting upon the scene, revealing overgrown buildings, lush with plant life that overtaken them, a grove so beautiful the most stunning thing; BANG! Sierra didn't have time to think a bullet grazed right past her. She ran and ran bullets flying like a pack of carvanha's. She needed to find shelter, and quick, she turned to one of the ruin buildings and jumped inside the lack of stability in the ruins caused her to fall under the floor. She then felt a sharp pain in her tail, a red paint spilling from a small hole.
She needed to focus on something other than her pain, amongst the dust and mold, she sees a little alter with some strange plants in it that are somehow beautiful, 6 pink leaves sewn together to make a beautiful pattern. On the edge of the alter an inscription was written. for the plentiful harvest we've received we offer this gift unto you shaymin.
She also sees an artisanally crafted piece of wood with a long stick pointing out of it with strings running down it, and what looks like to be a black oval at the side. next to it is another strange artifact a long piece of wood with a bountiful amount of strings connected from one end to the other. She decided to take out her journal.
June 4 2600
dear diary,
The past few days have been stressful I've decided to make the hardest decision of my life and try to escape this purgatory, It was after I received a letter of the one I once thought friend drafting me into the war. I don't know how to feel, death at any moment could be a touch away, I'm currently in immense pain as my tail has been injured, and being hunted by soldiers wishing to put me at a traitors end. On the better side of things I found this strange shrine to this pokemon I had no idea existed called 'shaymin' to know that there were more benevolent gods then the tyrants who squeeze the life out of all their people. Next to the shrine I found this strange device that makes sound every time I pluck its strings. I hope that if I shall perish here then someday this journal will be found and give even just the slightest bit of hope for the reader.
…
"COMMANDER FLOATS." An aged Gyarados yelled.
"YES SIR SARGENT GARY YES SIR."
"A traitor is trying to escape the draft our regular soldiers lost track of them in the chaos, things have escalated immensely. It's your mission to go and hunt them down make sure that nothing that's going on gets out."
"YES SIR SARGENT GARY YES SIR."
"Good Good, if you fail you are sure to meet Seirra in the afterlife."
…
June 8 2600
dear diary,
It's been a few days journey the gate is within view, I've been able to make a bandage for my tail out of some tall grass in the area, and found some really delicious berries they are pink and have these petal like looking fruits and have a really sweet taste to them. This is the final stretch, my only regret is that Floats wasn't here with me… like we promised.
BANG! "HUH A GUARD ALL THE WAY OUT HERE!"
"Stand still by Kyogre's law you shalt meet a traitor's end."
The voice sounded soo familiar to Seirra yet so foreign at the same time. It felt as if the warmth was replaced with cold, hope replaced with regret. Something she once knew, "Floats?"
…
How did this traitor know his name, everyone he loved is dead, because he could never be good enough. He is the reason that his brother died if he would have volunteered to go with that unit instead duct would still be here. Sierra was also dead because of him he was the one who put those dangerous thoughts on his head, when Gary showed the letter that Sierra had been executed as a traitor, he knew he was the one that doomed her. "STOP GETTING IN MY HEAD. PLEASE STOP."
"PLEASE FLOATS IF THIS IS REALLY YOU, WE CAN STILL FUFILL THAT PROMISE."
Promise the only person that he made a promise to was Sierra, why was this traitor impersonating his dead friend. He slowly raised the firearm. "STOP PRETENDING TO BE A DEAD MON."
"DEAD, YOU LITERALLY SIGNED ME TO BE DRAFTED."
That didn't make sense he wasn't on draft duty this month, that was Gary. This mon must be crazy impersonating a dead person and then saying he was the one that drafted her. But at the same time for some weird reason his eyes were getting drenched with tears. What if it was Sierra, no blind hopes and dreams can't face simple facts. SIERRA IS DEAD.
"If you really are Sierra show me the journal."
…
Sierra slowly pulls the journal out of her bag, she sees Floats drop the firearm. He starts to fall on the ground and ball his eyes out. She takes one of the berries out of her bag and splits it in half, she looks up to him and gives him a warm smile "Let's call this a reunion." She starts to head toward the gate she looks back yet Floats was not following. "Floats please come we are finally free."
Floats looks at the ground "but do I deserve to be free? I've taken countless lives in war. Almost took the life of the one mon left on the planet that understands me. Why should a worthless fool like me get to see another day?"
Sierra's answer was short but sweet. "Because I have forgiven you, and know you can change for the better."
June 9 2600
dear diary,
I finally convinced Floats to escape with me, when we exited the gate that imprisoned us we were met by turquoise fields of clovers just like the ones in the stories. The view was awe dropping. I don't know what adventures may come but now I can say that fear is nothing more than a memory and am excited for the journeys up ahead.
