Life & Artfeld McNalty - Part Two
Created | Updated Jan 24, 2004
Art fainted rather shortly after giving in to the creature. He had a bizzare dream about a talking hamburger, and how it threatend to eat him. Then for some reason a talking shark came in and ate both the hamburger and him. Well it would make sense, Art thought to himself. Well it made more sense than what was actually going on in the real world, which was increasingly becoming less and less like the real world he was hoping to find.
Then for some reason the dream disappeared, and the thought cabbages came in to his head.
Through the haze he could see the outline of a face.
"Cabbages!" said the outline, "and probably Rubarb as well! yes probably...".
To his combined shock and relief he saw an old bearded human face. Relief, because it wasn't a 7 foot creature with a domed head and sunken eyes, and shock because he seemed to be be shouting at Art about cabbages.
"Who are you?", Art struggled to say.
"Why who told you?", yelled the bearded man.
"What?", said an increasingly confused Art.
Art tried to take in some of his surroundings. For all intents and purposes it looked just like a medieval prison cell. His brain was struggling now.
"Tom!", came a voice from the shadows, "leave him alone."
"hmm... what...oh right. Must find some vegetables... silvers ones".
Art, now waking up very quickly as he saw the shadowed, human figure coming towards him. Was the creature he saw just a dream? "Mmm... maybe", he thought, but why was he in a medieval prison cell of all places?
The shadowed figure came in to the light.
"Are you alright?", said a younger bearded man.
"Erm... not really. Where am I?"
"Well your not where you used to be thats for sure. I'm Mike. And thats Tom. Though you'll have to forgive Tom, all this time in here has made him a bit mad you see."
Being drawn like a moth to a light in the dark, Art felt he had to carry on this conversation, as it seemed to be the one vaguely sane thing going on in his life at this moment.
"So you don't know where we are then?"
"Well you see", replied Mike, "We never stay in one place so I couldn't really tell you where we are. They have a lot of business to attend to."
"They? That creature! I didn't dream it then. Who are they?"
Mike thought about this. "I don't think they have a name. Not a pronounceable one any way."
"So have neither of you tried to escape?", enquired Art.
"Well... we've tried, but to be honest theres no where to escape to. Its virtually a barren waste land of nothing out there. Look out the bar if you don't believe me."
Art got up and moved towards the door. He was shocked to see a similar sight to the one that greeted him after he had left his bathroom before being dragged away the large muppet-featured creature. Lots of bright blue lights, in a void of darkness.
"But I felt ground underneath my feet. There must be something out there.", said Arthur starting a new line of questioning.
Mike sighed. "Look I've been here fifteen years, and I don't know any more about it than you do."
"So what we just give up!", said Art angrily.
"I don't know. Some times I think it might be better to be like Tom", he indicated toward Mike, who currently frustrated at losing out to the stone wall in a staring-out contest, kicking out at it in anger. Mike turned back "or maybe not."
"How long has he been here?" asked Art
"He was here fifteen years before me, and there was another guy called Peter who was here fifteen years before him. Clever guy. He was convinced he knew how to get out, but he didn't, and died of a stroke. And then there was some army guy here fifteen years before him. And so on. Seems like your one of the lucky few."
Art snorted a vague laugh. "Yeah, lucky me." He looked around. "So this is your existence, spending all your time in here? A medieval cell. Well I guess that gives us some idea how long this has been going on."
Then for some reason the dream disappeared, and the thought cabbages came in to his head.
Through the haze he could see the outline of a face.
"Cabbages!" said the outline, "and probably Rubarb as well! yes probably...".
To his combined shock and relief he saw an old bearded human face. Relief, because it wasn't a 7 foot creature with a domed head and sunken eyes, and shock because he seemed to be be shouting at Art about cabbages.
"Who are you?", Art struggled to say.
"Why who told you?", yelled the bearded man.
"What?", said an increasingly confused Art.
Art tried to take in some of his surroundings. For all intents and purposes it looked just like a medieval prison cell. His brain was struggling now.
"Tom!", came a voice from the shadows, "leave him alone."
"hmm... what...oh right. Must find some vegetables... silvers ones".
Art, now waking up very quickly as he saw the shadowed, human figure coming towards him. Was the creature he saw just a dream? "Mmm... maybe", he thought, but why was he in a medieval prison cell of all places?
The shadowed figure came in to the light.
"Are you alright?", said a younger bearded man.
"Erm... not really. Where am I?"
"Well your not where you used to be thats for sure. I'm Mike. And thats Tom. Though you'll have to forgive Tom, all this time in here has made him a bit mad you see."
Being drawn like a moth to a light in the dark, Art felt he had to carry on this conversation, as it seemed to be the one vaguely sane thing going on in his life at this moment.
"So you don't know where we are then?"
"Well you see", replied Mike, "We never stay in one place so I couldn't really tell you where we are. They have a lot of business to attend to."
"They? That creature! I didn't dream it then. Who are they?"
Mike thought about this. "I don't think they have a name. Not a pronounceable one any way."
"So have neither of you tried to escape?", enquired Art.
"Well... we've tried, but to be honest theres no where to escape to. Its virtually a barren waste land of nothing out there. Look out the bar if you don't believe me."
Art got up and moved towards the door. He was shocked to see a similar sight to the one that greeted him after he had left his bathroom before being dragged away the large muppet-featured creature. Lots of bright blue lights, in a void of darkness.
"But I felt ground underneath my feet. There must be something out there.", said Arthur starting a new line of questioning.
Mike sighed. "Look I've been here fifteen years, and I don't know any more about it than you do."
"So what we just give up!", said Art angrily.
"I don't know. Some times I think it might be better to be like Tom", he indicated toward Mike, who currently frustrated at losing out to the stone wall in a staring-out contest, kicking out at it in anger. Mike turned back "or maybe not."
"How long has he been here?" asked Art
"He was here fifteen years before me, and there was another guy called Peter who was here fifteen years before him. Clever guy. He was convinced he knew how to get out, but he didn't, and died of a stroke. And then there was some army guy here fifteen years before him. And so on. Seems like your one of the lucky few."
Art snorted a vague laugh. "Yeah, lucky me." He looked around. "So this is your existence, spending all your time in here? A medieval cell. Well I guess that gives us some idea how long this has been going on."
