Rose Petals and White Shades
A Bioshock short story
Image courtesy of Peter Gutierrez (http://blogs.slj.com/connect-the-pop/2013/02/comics/teaching-transmedia-with-comics-a-conversation-with-tyler-weaver/attachment/bioshock-2/)
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Rose Petals and White Shades
The world was once a scary place, full of evil and danger, but now, this place is heaven to us.
Everyday is the same routine. We wake up, we visit our Daddies, we play with the angels and then we go back to sleep in heaven. But something strange happened today. When I went to go play with my Daddy, another big man appeared. He seemed to be looking for his own daughter but then he struck. The white curtains that covered the walls were torn to pieces to reveal a deep menacing ocean and the toys I saw everywhere turned into weapons. My Daddy, even though he was the same felt different. And before I knew it, he was dead. What is happening? I screamed, not knowing what to do, seeing his corpse strewn about, the other man’s drill catching sight of me, but all I could do was cry while seeing Daddy.
Maybe this was just “a means to an end” as the Kind Lady says to me in my trance-like state. The man approaches me, but suddenly the world returns to normal. His image is replaced by my Daddy and from the back of my throat I cry, “Daddy... You’ve come back!” He grunts in approval, lifting me into the air. “Wee~!”
“Does Daddy want some ADAM? I know where the angel’s are sleeping.” Before I know it, we find the angel sleeping on the floor with rose petals gently resting by his sides. “ADAM is here, Daddy!” He lets me off his shoulders and I tiptoe to his flank. “Silly angel, don’t you know that you shouldn’t sleep on the floor? Let me tuck you in.” The world begins to shift again, but it’s gone in an instant. My consciousness begins to subside as I... wait, what am I doing?
I feel a hand on my arm and the world comes back to ocean and sulfur. “Give me the ADAM, you little—”
And just like that he was lying dead on the floor. His head looked misshapen, as if a toddler built a man’s face from a box of leftover pieces. His body wasn’t too far from the rest of that. I snapped my attention back to the angel, but that was only the physical remains of one. I slapped my head, hoping to go back to the world of dreams and found myself there again.
Before long, we had finished the job and it was time to go home. “I’m sleepy, Daddy,”I mumble. He shuffles slowly to the Little Sister Vent we use to crawl home but instead of letting me down, he holds me in his arms. I look inquisitively into his face, him putting his hand on top of my head. Suddenly, a burning sensation wracks my entire body, beaming from my eyes and flesh. Then in an instant, it’s gone.
Consciousness. The feeling I’ve long missed has come back. So, I was not dead. So, my family’s was stolen from may be mourning my death. So, this place that was filled with sunshine and rose petals was actually just leaking water pipes and blood.
I look at the man who I was forced to believe was my father. Is this knowledge a curse or a new beginning? What comes next? I thank the man for freeing my mind and begin my way towards a possible escape.
The world was once a scary place, full of evil and danger, but now, this place is heaven to us.
Everyday is the same routine. We wake up, we visit our Daddies, we play with the angels and then we go back to sleep in heaven. But something strange happened today. When I went to go play with my Daddy, another big man appeared. He seemed to be looking for his own daughter but then he struck. The white curtains that covered the walls were torn to pieces to reveal a deep menacing ocean and the toys I saw everywhere turned into weapons. My Daddy, even though he was the same felt different. And before I knew it, he was dead. What is happening? I screamed, not knowing what to do, seeing his corpse strewn about, the other man’s drill catching sight of me, but all I could do was cry while seeing Daddy.
Maybe this was just “a means to an end” as the Kind Lady says to me in my trance-like state. The man approaches me, but suddenly the world returns to normal. His image is replaced by my Daddy and from the back of my throat I cry, “Daddy... You’ve come back!” He grunts in approval, lifting me into the air. “Wee~!”
“Does Daddy want some ADAM? I know where the angel’s are sleeping.” Before I know it, we find the angel sleeping on the floor with rose petals gently resting by his sides. “ADAM is here, Daddy!” He lets me off his shoulders and I tiptoe to his flank. “Silly angel, don’t you know that you shouldn’t sleep on the floor? Let me tuck you in.” The world begins to shift again, but it’s gone in an instant. My consciousness begins to subside as I... wait, what am I doing?
I feel a hand on my arm and the world comes back to ocean and sulfur. “Give me the ADAM, you little—”
And just like that he was lying dead on the floor. His head looked misshapen, as if a toddler built a man’s face from a box of leftover pieces. His body wasn’t too far from the rest of that. I snapped my attention back to the angel, but that was only the physical remains of one. I slapped my head, hoping to go back to the world of dreams and found myself there again.
Before long, we had finished the job and it was time to go home. “I’m sleepy, Daddy,”I mumble. He shuffles slowly to the Little Sister Vent we use to crawl home but instead of letting me down, he holds me in his arms. I look inquisitively into his face, him putting his hand on top of my head. Suddenly, a burning sensation wracks my entire body, beaming from my eyes and flesh. Then in an instant, it’s gone.
Consciousness. The feeling I’ve long missed has come back. So, I was not dead. So, my family’s was stolen from may be mourning my death. So, this place that was filled with sunshine and rose petals was actually just leaking water pipes and blood.
I look at the man who I was forced to believe was my father. Is this knowledge a curse or a new beginning? What comes next? I thank the man for freeing my mind and begin my way towards a possible escape.