 | Antaran's Journal |
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Today began with the door to the jail getting pushed open so hard, that it hit the wall, resulting in an ear-penetrating metallic sound. Two guards stepped in, each carrying large plates with food and bottles of wine. I thought this was a hallucination, summoned by the lack of food, water and sleep. The plates and bottles got placed right in front of the cells. "What is that about now?" Tartek scoffed.
The guards looked at us, making an offering gesture with both hands, and leaving the jail right afterwards. Tartek yelled after them and told them to come back, but the door stayed closed. I saw Sereliaen's eyes staring at the plates of paradise. She and her husband were as skeptical as me, judging by the looks on their faces. We had to decide to either starve to death, or try eating food that was probably poisoned, or bite the pieces of musty and dry bread that were still lying scattered on the ground. On the plates there were fresh bread, boiled steaks, soft cheese and even grapes. Sereliaen obviously couldn't resist. She began eating grapes, opening a bottle and drinking so fast the red wine poured out of her mouth and ran down her neck. At first Tartek wanted to hold her back but then he took bread and meat and Sereliaen shared the bottle with him. "Don't just stand there! Even if we die from it, it's one heck of a last meal," Tartek said to me with a full mouth. I finally resigned and joined the feast. Never in my life has tasted food so fulfilling... Though the wine worried me. Drinking alcohol to satisfy thirst has lead to several accidents in my life... I told Tartek and Sereliaen to hold back with the alcohol and just eat grapes instead - there were a lot of them - but they didn't listen. Not until Tartek took the last slice of bread from one of the plates. That's when I almost had a heart attack: Spiders. About ten of the size of a thumbnail, with long thin legs. Sereliaen lifted the branch of grapes: More Spiders. But that wasn't the worst. I took the bottle of wine out of Sereliaen's hands and held it against the light that shone through the window: About a dozen spider corpses piled up on the ground of the bottle, slowly rocking in the red liquid. In shock I dropped the bottle, and heard Sereliaen throwing up behind me. Tartek was busy stomping the spiders that crawled off the plates. The situation couldn't have been any more grotesque... Imprisoned, food on the ground, a woman throwing up and crying in a corner, glass shards and wine below the window, small spiders and a man who looked like he was dancing with them in the center of chaos... All spiders were dead after a while and Tartek was standing still, breathing heavily. He slowly turned his head in my direction. I was terrified, the one who looked at me wasn't the Tartek I knew. I have never seen him so enraged, full of hate and yet empty at the same time. My body prepared getting beaten by the man standing before me, but he turned to his wife and took care of her, embracing her while she was sobbing. A long time we were just sitting on the ground, either with eyes closed or staring at nothingness. Tartek stood up once and walked over to the plates, and ate like nothing happened. He faced the jail door. "Spiders, huh? Is that all you can do?" he yelled, his cheeks stuffed with meat. "Here, I'm still eating! I - don't - care!" He grabbed a piece of bread and waved it in my direction, saying with a calm voice, "Want some?" Barely visible I shook my head, staring at the ball of crumbs in his hand... It's getting darker outside, I can hardly see what I'm writing. The candle has indeed burnt down and I guess hoping for a replacement is a waste of thought. Unlike hoping for a way to get out of here. I think... |
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