The Second Writer Games: Life and Death

Sponsorships

There was something unnerving about holding the rest of someone’s eternity in one’s fingertips. Having been dead for a while, Prometheus knew this was no matter of life and death. No, this was something that was much more important than that. He had already narrowed down the field of tributes he desired to sponsor, if only based on those he personally liked and disliked. Combining the list of tributes he disliked with the tributes he didn’t think had a shot, and the one of the tributes his colleagues were sponsoring, Prometheus found he had been left with a shockingly small amount of tributes.

Death, he decided, was a terribly personal thing. He had always found that those who died in a similar manner tended to find themselves drawn to each other in the afterlife. If only for this reason, he scrawled out the name Bryan Carter in the list of tributes he would be sponsoring. He found he would be quite willing to enter the Games himself to protect the young boy from a second untimely death.

With only one tribute left to be sponsored, Prometheus became even more specific, scratching out one or two more names. It wouldn’t do to be sponsoring two tributes who died in the same manner, especially if that was how he himself had died. He looked at the list that was left: two young girls remained. Both of whom, he realized, died while attempting to achieve something truly extraordinary. Which one, though, would be able to achieve their goal in the day they had left? Making up his mind, he wrote down the second name: Emerson Becker.

***

Florentina sat in her lounge, shuffling papers of tribute’s stoic faces, information plastered underneath her her messy scrawl. She was new this year, a big honour for her entire family. She’d even thrown a large party to celebrate when she had received the news. Now, her orange hair in a mess, she stared at the papers with a disapproving frown, feeling the stress of being a Gamemaker. She was a history buff, and she knew she wanted to see an interesting story coming from unique tributes. That’s who she would sponsor, she decided. Throwing away the papers that resembled any sort of present time, she stared at what she had left. The list had been considerably reduced.

She sighed, pursing her lips. If there was anything she hated, it was unrealisticness, and so more names were crossed in orange ink. She sat back, running her fingers through her hair. Today was supposed to be her deathday party, but here she was stuck in her lounge deciding who to sponsor. She really wished that Einstein or Aristotle had taken up the task of being a tribute, but she knew they weren’t fond of the spotlight. And so she was left with a list of tributes who yearned for nothing more than another day to do whatever they wanted. That was the problem- what would they contribute when they had returned to earth? She spun in her chair a few times, rolling names around her mind like dice.

More names were crossed off, until three remained- perhaps the oldest tributes to date. Yet still, the two to choose eluded her. After a few moments of questioning, she finally settled on one: Hrothgar. The strongest, yet most interesting character perhaps, she felt as though he would be a real tribute to watch out for. Now, all she needed was the second one. Two names stared at her. Her counterparts wouldn’t be fond of either choice, she thought. Her counterparts were, for the most part, good friends, but she came from a different time period than both of them, and she always felt a bit strange around them. And it was for that simple fact that she came from the same time period that she scrawled the name Hans Corone onto her paper, and sent it away.

***

One thing really grabbed at Anatolius’ attention as he added to the notes his boss had given him earlier in the day. What did Anatolius look for in an individual? Some kind of independence and stubbornness, those two features are evident and without them a tribute does not appeal to him. However, it’s the snarky remarks and the sarcastic humour that matches his own that really helps him connect to a tribute. In his opinion, there aren’t too many witty and honest tributes that he can pick out as his two to sponsor.

He frowns and runs his hands through his golden locks, desperate to finalise his choices before his body would shut down from sleep deprivation. His weary eyes drooped as the faces of the familiar dead flash in front of him. Blue ink stains the cuff of his shirt; gravy stains the tie he seems to have failed to take off. The sheet of paper where his two choices had to be written down appeared to be blank. Then, he decides who he wants as his first choice, who he wants to help go further in this game: Candor Rouse.

The list was dwindled down to a select few now; the humour aspect of each tribute he had in mind was different between them all. Then, through tiredness and desperation, he realises that not all of them will be showing their humorous remarks or their witty comebacks or their sly body language throughout the duration of the games. The fog of exhaustion seemed to weigh him down; only one more name was flashing in his mind: Finn Conrad. As he scribbles her name under his first choice, he smiles and signs the piece of paper before the fatigue overtakes his body and he accidentally slams his head against the desk.

***

Prometheus Vindicta has chosen to sponsor: Bryan Carter and Emerson Baker.

Florentina Clavisa has chosen to sponsor: Hrothgar Sheafson and Hans Corone.

Anatolius Nykrog has chosen to sponsor: Candor Rouse and Finn Conrad.