A Story By Chance

Day 19: The Prisoner

Dice: moon, balance, dialogue balloon, sheep, flower, die, apple, tower, key

Date: August 16th

There is a beauty in balance. That's what I've always observed from the top of my tower as I watched the passage of time. Every morning I woke to watch the sun rise. Every evening I stared from my window to watch the sun sink in the horizon. Sure, some days I stayed laters, some I woke later.

Another fun pastime was recording the phases of the moon year, after year, after year. Did you know that every year the moon is four centimeters further from the Earth? Imagine it, a time so long ago, when dinosaurs still ruled the earth, a million years ago, the moon was so close it could take up so much space in the sky. Four million centimeters, that's forty thousand meters, Forty kilometers. That's how much closer the moon was to us before humans even existed. Fortunately, I don't need to imagine it.

Next to my tower, grows a huge apple tree. It is currently in bloom, with white flowers covering the whole thing. It's such a gorgeous sight I never tire of. If only it were much taller and I could reach the plump fruits it holds in autumn. Alas, I always must content myself watching the odd animal take my longed for prize. Sometimes, it's the stray sheep nibbling upon the delicacy, other times a bird, a horse. I envy their freedom, yet not their mortality.

Behind me, dice begin to rattle on the table, spinning out of control. Nine little things that I have kept with me over the millenia. An old sage had given them to me, a Greek who had carved them out of bone. Slowly, they began to settle, new images appearing on each of the once-blank faces. They stared at me with such longing. I picked the first, turned its sides so that the image could follow me. They never ceased to fascinate me. Finally, I left it on the table and reached the far and only door. There were a bunch of keys resting on the commode next to it. None fit. They took long to make, and none fit! This particular detail frustrated me more than it should have.

I tried the new one. As before, it just rattled and just jammed the door a bit more.

«Great,» I tried to mutter. As always, a blank sheet hovered next to me and spelled out the words only for it to disappear a few moments later. It seemed my curse was as strong as always. Nevermind, it was only a matter of time before someone found me.

That's what I kept telling myself. What I had been telling myself since I was imprisoned in this cursed tower.

On the table, the single die I had picked still glared at me, a coin drawn upon it. Yes, it was time to send them out. I had delayed the inevitable long enough.