Slaughtering Silence

I shouldn’t be here. But that doesn’t stop me. It’s a dangerous thing being out after hours. After curfew.

My mother always warned me, “Stay inside. You don’t need to go out now. It can wait until morning.”

My Father always chided me when I came back late— or early, depending on your point of view. I never listened, and They took it out on my family.

My three sisters are gone. My four brothers, gone. My loving parents… they’re gone too.

And it was my fault.

Who is They? You ask. It’s a secret.

Why? You ask. I’m not telling. It’s also a secret.

You beg. But I can’t speak. Revealing a secret quells the need to press further. Maybe I like it when you are curious. It’s fun. Some sort of taunting game.

I’ve played games before, but not like this.

I don’t gamble with lives. I gamble with money. So how I end up at this table tonight I cannot tell you.

Of course I could tell you if I wanted to. But I don’t. I’ll let you wonder, draw your own conclusions.

They say no talking in the library. These people take the warning seriously. I do too, of course, obeying is a first for me. But we all know what happened to little Penelope when she screamed. She’s gone. No one has seen her since. Am I going to tell you what happened to her?

Of course. What happened to her is relevant to this story. The question is, how shall I begin?

Perhaps… “It was a dark and stormy night.”

“Call me Ishmael.”

“It was a pleasure to burn.”

I think I would like to start with my own opening line, but I can’t seem to think of one, so I will go with the classic. “Once Upon a Time.”

—

Once upon a time in a far off place that wasn't very far away, there lived a guy. That guy was me. I seemed to get into trouble a lot. I go to the library after hours to study... things. No, don’t ask, I’m not going to tell you.

It’s always quiet there, but especially so after hours. I’m alone in our fated library. I love it. There is no temptation to make a sound. I always go after hours. Of course that didn’t help Their decision to take my family either.

I always got into trouble. My whole existence was geared towards trouble. It might as well be my middle name, but it’s not, my middle name is Rhett. You didn't need to know that, but I told you anyways.  It's unimportant. I find it fun to give you useless information. It's like another game.

My habit of getting into trouble begins with the laws. Mostly the fact that the laws were stupid. They are trying to alter people’s will and agency. I didn’t like that. So of course being my pertinacious self, I had to put a stop to it. 

And of course a protest only works when multiple people join your cause. But everyone is terrified of Them. No one will join me. So I must live with the consequences of my one sided rebellion. 

They don’t like to punish the one who commits the crime— what that crime is, I won't say— but their families and loved ones are the victims of your supposed punishment. People often don’t care about themselves as much as they should. They wouldn’t have had to touch my family. I’m a selfish person, they don't know that. 

But back to Penelope.

She was my neighbor. I never spoke to her, save for one occasion. She was an angelic child, but like most sisters, she didn’t get along with her brother. The library is a place of silence. Everyone knows that. So when she screamed at her brother, no one questioned why she was suddenly gone.

They took her. They took my family. They’ve taken our voices.

What’s next?

As I accept my cards, I sincerely hope I don’t become one of Them. Toying with everyone else like they are rag dolls. Just puppets to be ordered around. But if I win, everyone goes free. If I lose, I become a humble servant.

I don’t think “humble” is a word in my vocabulary, and I know the word “servant” has certainly been banished from it.

When They agreed to this game, They all exchanged glances and smiled with vile undertones. 

I made them promise to play on one condition, it had to be at the library. Here was the only place more powerful than Them. I keep one eye on each of them, I know they will try to cheat. The only way to con a swindler is to play like them, so I set them up. 

The invisible choking silence weighed down on everyone. Of course we were all nervous. One peep and we would be gone. Just like Penelope.

I know I say They are the ones who have taken everything, and it’s partially true. But there is something that robs us most, silence. That is the true thief of voices.

They are just a pawn of silence and quietude. Eventually the tranquility will drive a man mad. They still took my family and Penelope, and I would avenge them. I want to. But I know it would be fruitless, and what can I say. I’m selfish.

One look at my cards tells me I have a potential winning hand. It just depends on what everyone else has. 

I survey their grotesque faces. They are actually quite handsome. But their oily grins turn my insides out.

What do they know that I don’t? I'm the one setting them up, I should be smug. But maybe they don't know that. maybe the think I'm the one about to be swindled from our deal.

Is gambling with lives, rather than money, different somehow?

I don’t see why. But maybe that's my problem. I don’t see.

We all show our cards. All four of them first. It looks like my hand is a winning one, I must win three in all to win my people. 

The process repeats itself.

I hear my mother’s voice begging me to be careful in my decisions. To not make any stupid mistakes like usual.

Too late.

I have a winning hand again. But If I win, They might get suspicious and think I rigged the game. I did of course.

Why? I’m fairly sure it’s obvious.

I like to think I’m an honest person. I’m really not.

I lost this time, but that's alright. I’ll win the next two, then lose the last. 

All goes according to plan. I win the next two, lose the last, just as I say. They don’t suspect a thing, but they are angry. 

One of them gets up, his expression livid. They don’t want to give up their control. “How did you—”

But he only gets that far, before the silence envelops him. We all know, you're not supposed to talk in the library. Especially after hours.