I Be Back...
Aug. 9th, 2004 09:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
athersgeoOnly got lost twice en route to Shepton Mallet (and both times because junctions were very badly signed in the direction I was travelling) and got lost a couple of times en route to Fenny Compton (because Wiltshire county council have gone mini-roundabout mad and the AA's website doesn't know about it yet), but eventually arrived safely at The Gathering (and on time, too!) and had a most excellent and enjoyable weekend. It was nice to meet up with everyone again and the quizzes and such were really good fun (although certain CBBers have further enhanced their reputations for being EVIL).
The bedtime drabbles, in particular, were very, very much fun. Some were sweet, some were standard(ish) CBB madness and one was downright depressing.
Jack wondered if it would ever be possible to convince them it had all been a mistake.
Looking around at the unrelieved, bare plaster of the four walls surrounding him, the answer was obvious. They would never believe him.
"Tell me, Herr Doktor Maynard," one of the officers had said, "what were you doing on the Sonnalpe last Saturday?"
"It was a picnic," Jack had replied. "It was a group of old friends out to enjoy the sunshine."
"Oh, really?"
The disbelief had been cutting. The backhand across the face had been painful.
"Now again, Herr Doktor Maynard," the officer had said, "what were you doing on the Sonnalpe last Saturday?"
"I told you – it was a picnic."
This time the blow was so hard that Jack had seen stars.
"It is pointless to continue this fiction, Herr Doktor," the officer had said. "What were you doing?"
"It was a picnic. A group of friends…"
"You are friends with many children?" the officer had cut in derisively.
"Through my fiancée, yes," Jack had replied. "And many of the party have lived on the Sonnalpe for years. I know them all well."
Jack had expected the third blow and he wasn't disappointed, either. It was a sharp, harsh backhand that had rocked his head back so fast it had sent a shooting pain straight down his spine.
"Lies," the officer had asserted. "All lies. I will have the truth, Herr Doktor – of that make no mistake."
"I've given you the truth," Jack had replied.
This time, instead of a backhand, the blow had been to the point of Jack's jaw, snapping his teeth together and causing him to bite his tongue hard enough to draw blood.
"What were you doing?" the officer had demanded.
"We were having a picnic," Jack had answered thickly. "Just an end of term, school girls' picnic."
The other officer who had been present in the room had laughed. It was the first sound he'd made in the whole interview and it had sent a chill straight down Jack's spine.
A moment later and Jack had found himself flat on his back, staring up at both officers as the one who'd laughed had simply reached out and pulled his chair over.
"Now," the officer who'd conducted the interview to this point began, "perhaps you believe that your government will free you from this; perhaps you believe you can truly convince us of this fiction. I must tell you that any such freedom will not come easily and I believe we have already demonstrated that we do not believe you."
And then the beating had begun.
Jack felt a surge of anger at what had been done to him. They had beaten him into unconsciousness, over a game of hide and seek and a picnic! When he'd come to, he'd found himself stuffed into this tiny, featureless room, presumably, their intention was to have him think over his position and reconsider his story. They were trying to break him.
They wouldn't.
He was not going to be bullied.
He would get out of this.
But then the circumstances of his incarceration returned to him and the reality sank in. He was one life, and though he didn't doubt that Jem and Hanson had pull, he found himself doubting they truly had the pull needed to get him out of this mess.
Was this awful little room to be his last sight on Earth?
Unbidden, the words of Psalm Twenty Three entered Jack's mind, and he found himself murmuring, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil."
The words felt right. Fear no evil. Jack nodded to himself. If this was to be his fate, he would not fear it. Nor would he shirk it, for it wouldn't take much for the Gestapo to become interested once more in the other members of the party.
The sound of footsteps intruded on the silence of Jack's cell. Was it the guards come to collect him for another interrogation?
"I shall fear no evil," Jack murmured, and prepared to face what fate was going to hand him.
So that was my weekend. It's now time for me to get down to writing Without Love (so that I hopefully have something to post this evening!)
The bedtime drabbles, in particular, were very, very much fun. Some were sweet, some were standard(ish) CBB madness and one was downright depressing.
Fear No Evil
Jack wondered if it would ever be possible to convince them it had all been a mistake.
Looking around at the unrelieved, bare plaster of the four walls surrounding him, the answer was obvious. They would never believe him.
"Tell me, Herr Doktor Maynard," one of the officers had said, "what were you doing on the Sonnalpe last Saturday?"
"It was a picnic," Jack had replied. "It was a group of old friends out to enjoy the sunshine."
"Oh, really?"
The disbelief had been cutting. The backhand across the face had been painful.
"Now again, Herr Doktor Maynard," the officer had said, "what were you doing on the Sonnalpe last Saturday?"
"I told you – it was a picnic."
This time the blow was so hard that Jack had seen stars.
"It is pointless to continue this fiction, Herr Doktor," the officer had said. "What were you doing?"
"It was a picnic. A group of friends…"
"You are friends with many children?" the officer had cut in derisively.
"Through my fiancée, yes," Jack had replied. "And many of the party have lived on the Sonnalpe for years. I know them all well."
Jack had expected the third blow and he wasn't disappointed, either. It was a sharp, harsh backhand that had rocked his head back so fast it had sent a shooting pain straight down his spine.
"Lies," the officer had asserted. "All lies. I will have the truth, Herr Doktor – of that make no mistake."
"I've given you the truth," Jack had replied.
This time, instead of a backhand, the blow had been to the point of Jack's jaw, snapping his teeth together and causing him to bite his tongue hard enough to draw blood.
"What were you doing?" the officer had demanded.
"We were having a picnic," Jack had answered thickly. "Just an end of term, school girls' picnic."
The other officer who had been present in the room had laughed. It was the first sound he'd made in the whole interview and it had sent a chill straight down Jack's spine.
A moment later and Jack had found himself flat on his back, staring up at both officers as the one who'd laughed had simply reached out and pulled his chair over.
"Now," the officer who'd conducted the interview to this point began, "perhaps you believe that your government will free you from this; perhaps you believe you can truly convince us of this fiction. I must tell you that any such freedom will not come easily and I believe we have already demonstrated that we do not believe you."
And then the beating had begun.
Jack felt a surge of anger at what had been done to him. They had beaten him into unconsciousness, over a game of hide and seek and a picnic! When he'd come to, he'd found himself stuffed into this tiny, featureless room, presumably, their intention was to have him think over his position and reconsider his story. They were trying to break him.
They wouldn't.
He was not going to be bullied.
He would get out of this.
But then the circumstances of his incarceration returned to him and the reality sank in. He was one life, and though he didn't doubt that Jem and Hanson had pull, he found himself doubting they truly had the pull needed to get him out of this mess.
Was this awful little room to be his last sight on Earth?
Unbidden, the words of Psalm Twenty Three entered Jack's mind, and he found himself murmuring, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil."
The words felt right. Fear no evil. Jack nodded to himself. If this was to be his fate, he would not fear it. Nor would he shirk it, for it wouldn't take much for the Gestapo to become interested once more in the other members of the party.
The sound of footsteps intruded on the silence of Jack's cell. Was it the guards come to collect him for another interrogation?
"I shall fear no evil," Jack murmured, and prepared to face what fate was going to hand him.
So that was my weekend. It's now time for me to get down to writing Without Love (so that I hopefully have something to post this evening!)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-08-09 03:44 pm (UTC)BTW, you might want to wait on posting, ff.net's still got major problems.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-08-09 04:41 pm (UTC)And thanks for the tip about ff.net. It's summer, ergo ff.net must be down...
(no subject)
Date: 2004-08-09 07:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-08-09 07:39 pm (UTC)Looks like I got in just right yesterday, then; I had no trouble logging in or reviewing. Fortunately!