Ten Seconds to Sunshine

One

"Why so down in the dumps chumps? It's a brand new day and everything is just grand!"
A man by the name of Tripolie glared "everything is about to be in ruins and you're laughing at it?"
"Yes, because this is the one time everything fundamentally changes because everything is the same as always."
A gesture to the crumbled ruins dashed about.
"This isn't what I'm talking about it's the roots. The trees. The man named Tripolie. A swan gracing the lakeside. You see once the view expands so much and your mind is over seen that it goes past even that."
"Explicative, stop right there go lay down and just keep your madness to yourself."
"Madness? Well I suppose, but you see we are ten seconds till the sun shines the roots of rot becoming too emaciated even a mere babe could rid of the slime easily let alone their own rotted roots."
Tripolie frowns, what a disappointing story. "So that's all, just sit back and relax?"
"No, you have to be everyone and everything and just never be hit."
Tripolie glowers at the mere reference that something as vast and complicated could be compared to a simple video game boss strategy guide. "Oh sure, just don't be hit anywhere ever brilliant advice."
"I know right! You see they aren't much in terms of prowess or anything really. What they have is a head start and that's about it. A head start that took over twenty thousand years just to get a foot hold."
Tripolie couldn't believe this Explicative. "But they have—"
"A lot of everything yes. That's what makes this so easy you see."
Tripolie finally with sad trepidation asks what he didn't want to ask. "Well what is?"
"Nine seconds to Sun shine."

Two

Tripolie and Explicative watch as the blood and gore splatters on the digital device.
"See they can't help themselves. No matter who or what they must have their sacrifices and tortures and examples."
Tripolie is unamused, "so what, it's nothing new and they'll do that to anyone and everyone! Including and especially us!"
"Exactly! It's nothing new. Ever. Their development cycle is in the thousands of years and even that is just to find out which coat of paint to use. Everything under the hood is and has been the same."
Tripolie frowns ever greater. "You missed where they do that to everyone especially us!"
"No I didn't. Look across this garden they aren't there right this second—"
"—they could be!"
"They aren't even if they were they are still just one person like you or I. Even that is generous to call them a person. When they are hard you must be soft. When they are soft you must be hard. Always you must never ever be hit. To be a ghost on the wind."
Tripolie glares, "None of your schemes I can't have any of it!"
"No schemes. Do what you can when you can to be a good person. Because it's the little things that add up."
"A lot of little things add up, and as automatic like things they do their things unconcerned of the little till they run into programming errors."
Tripolie frowns again. "They're still people."
"Say it again with a straight face, then with a grin. You'll know a joke when it's told."
Tripolie still frowns. "But they'll do awful things."
"They'll always do awful things. That's their steadfast choice time and time again. That's why I say you must always avoid their blows and hits by just being out of the way."
Tripolie glares. "Then you're doing nothing!"
"No, were doing much more than that."
"Eight seconds to Sun shine."

Three

Tripolie watches as the crumbs are put into a water pot. "Well here we are I suppose."
"Isn't this grand! Here we are existing despite the seemingly insurmountable odd and we're winning!"
Tripolie can't even muster a glare. "We're desolate."
"We're under noticeability all we have is our labor, bodies, and spawn they would want to use."
Tripolie glances down.
"Well, mostly in any case. Look at what they dropped for us."
Tripolie's eyes widen. "When they catch us we'll be drawn up and tortured!"
"They'll do that anyway with or without this. Anyway if we have it they don't."
Tripolie frowns. "Your playing with fire."
"No you are. Fire must have the due respect and proper places to go. As such we must hold the fire and keep it a nice hearth for us all."
Tripolie gestures to the subpar conditions.
"Exactly! What's one hole to another?"
Tripolie glares with heat. "We're living like rats!"
"Ah ah ah! Rats don't have fire, nor the spoils of their self destruction."
Tripolie sighs. "Lot of good it's doing us now."
"Look at what is going on as a story. More exactly a mythology—"
"I hear them."
Nothing is found.
"Seven seconds to Sun shine."

Four

Tripolie looks with the deadened looks of many. "Well what now."
"We make merry my friends! A ghostly chortle always at their ears everywhere they go. Bring what they can't ever provide to people in the humanity within."
Tripolie frowns. "I don't know if I can."
"So?"
Tripolie frowns some more. "What if I mess up?"
"Look around there are always little things. And being grateful especially for the very little things changes the world around you."
Tripolie frowns yet again. "So what about all this fear and desperation."
"Is it ours or is it theirs? They always use and wallow in fear and control."
Tripolie grimaces. "It looks like it's working."
"Exactly, it looks like it's working. Nothing is. The game is to win. We're winning."
Tripolie saddly glances. "You're sure we are?"
"Yes. In every single position we are there as just another cog. In every single movement we are heard. In every single haunting ghostly laugh we are felt. With every position and little portion we have regained what matters. We're not done yet."
"There is more to do. So let us make merry."
"Six seconds to Sun shine."

Five

Explicative looks at the gallows nearly dead himself. "What did I tell you works like a charm."
Tripolie pale and sweating. "A bad luck charm."
"For them perhaps, because now I'm a dead man walking. A living dead. Ahh who am I kidding I'm just a man like anyone."
"Besides the forces are fighting themselves and the ground is now enriched with the rotten bloody remains of them."
Tripolie pants. "Lot of good that does."
"Yes a lot of good. You see this is for everyone the ground is fertile so what is to happen to distract them from our gains."
Tripolie glares half heartedly. "Our neighbor was almost flayed alive."
"Good thing we pulled an ol' switcheroo."
Tripolie groans. "Who even prepares for something like that! It's a dead body covered in blood!"
"Someone who wants to win. With everyone of their friends and future friends intact."
Tripolie sighs harder. "Well what insanity do you have in store this time."
"My insanity? What about yours, I'm sure you can think of something. What about planting some seeds and yelling as if one of them."
Tripolie grumbles. "Fine, fine. I still don't understand why so many even go along with this."
"It's this or we all are tortured and maimed. I'd like to think the little things matter in these circumstances. A little missing here or there. A little extra popping up here or there. A little whisper. All unseen and unheard and unknown."
Tripolie mumbles. "So what a secret society."
"No, a public society on decency. Just undercover."
"Five seconds to Sun shine."

Six

Tripolie and Explicative watch the figures fight over the shadow hierarchy.
"Funny isn't it? They play themselves like a fiddle."
Tripolie snarles. "A lot of good people died in the cross fire."
"Well yes. Many more were secreted away to make it one more day."
Tripolie growls. "How much longer!"
"When they are checkmated. When we win forever more. Our fields are ready. Our places are filled. Our friends who are alive are alive. And our friends who passed fight even then. We have them surrounded, but they must be occupied with them selves."
Tripolie scowls. "We're not even half way to anywhere!"
"Our friends have been giving cards and stamps. Just water for those inside. A stock pile scattered around everywhere. Everywhere. And none of us know anyone else. There is simply good people doing good things silently and out of their attention."
Tripolie rages. "So when?"
"We need a clean sweep to get them all. To have everything that they so willfuly gave for their own amusement."
"So not yet, we keep on keeping on. To exist and thrive despite them."
Tripolie breaks. "What is it four seconds to Sun shine?"
"Four seconds to Sun shine."

Seven

Tripolie confusion on the face. "What does that even mean?"
"Does it matter?"
Tripolie looks unamused. "You keep saying however many seconds to Sun shine and it doesn't even relate to anything."
"Sure it does, but the thing is it's a metaphor, a myth, a legend, a folk tale."
Tripolie responds. "Something you made up."
"Something that has always been here. Want to know why?"
Tripolie grumbles. "Fine whatever."
"Hope is usually kept in a box never to be opened. That is a fools errand. Under hope deeper down than the horrors is the spirit of what makes being human, human."
Tripolie used to this nonsense glowers. "Sure."
"You know what has happened? Ninety percent of people are generally better people if they met us."
Tripolie scowls once more. "So what!"
"What were doing is working. That scares them. And if that scares them it's funny. And if it's funny light of the soul shines through. And if the light is blinding they will try to hit it. So we'll have them hit themselves."
Tripolie mutters. "Lot of good in these times."
"It is a lot of good. Everything counts. The smallest kindness to the faintest smile or nod. A joke told only in hearts and minds. A small little thing. Only as much as you can bare and no more."
Tripolie grunts. "Only as much as you can bare and no more. Yeah right!"
"Do you expect everyone to do what you do? It's impressive what we've done with what little there is."
Tripolie askes again. "So what does the Sun shine count to?"
"Three seconds to Sun shine."

Eight

Explicative pulls Tripolie off the cell as if they are always supposed to be leaving.
"Always avoid being hit."
Tripolie says nothing.
"Always. You're important too. The difference between a flower and humanity is that humanity needs you."
Tripolie clenches.
"They use the same tricks. That's no reason to be lax or slothful. Prepare as nothing has happened."
Tripolie says one thing. "Thanks."
"You're welcome friend."
Nothing is said for a long while.
"The spoils await us. Tidbits of information, material, locations and positions."
Tripolie sighs. "I'm tired."
"Just a little longer. In ten seconds. And ten more seconds after that. And ten more seconds."
Tripolie squares away. "Fine ten more seconds."
"They sit doing nothing, holding strings. Almost all of them have botched each other. Due to fear. So we must laugh."
Tripolie almost laughs. "Laugh? About the destruction of everyone who matters?"
"No, about the success we are having. Little steps. I got a scrap of cloth from them."
Tripolie is confused. "Scrap of cloth? What good is that?"
"You tell me. Is it better in our hands or theirs?"
Tripolie nods. "Fair enough. So what will we do with the stockpiles of junk?"
"Continue being good people."
"Two seconds to Sun shine."

Nine

Explicative is hanging.
Tripolie watches.
Tripolie has tears. "You had to avoid being hit. Now what will we do?"
Tripolie frowns. "Well?"
Tripolie yells. "You think this is funny!"
Tripolie shakes. "That I could have done more! Prepared more! Laughted more! Smiled more!"
Tripolie clenches teeth. "Fine! I'm laughing. I'm smiling! I'm being a good person!"
Tripolie sighs. "It's too late isn't it."
Tripolie mutters. "The little things hunh?"
An explosion ripples through the air.
Tripolie glances side to side.
"Well come on. We have work to do. Just a little more. To win everything."
"One second to Sun shine."

Ten

Explicative watches. "You're here. Must have been quite the ride."
"When doing clean up of someone's toxic global mess everything has to be spotless."
"Up and down, left and right, inside and out. Cleaned and purified. There is no more room for the rot. The rotting corruption and its ilk is decomposed to feed the soil."
"Sounds a bit harsh. It isn't, we're just returning what they desperately wanted. Total destruction and control."
"Being a good person is all it takes. Sometimes that means doing what is thought to be impossible. Usually the impossible is very possible."
"More than possible really. What's this all about?"
"Oh just a little fable of you and me. Of monsters and people. After all every little thing counts. Even when they organize and pretend to be in solidarity it's with knives in the back and a dead soul at the helm."
"For them it's a show for the peons. To lavish in their control and fear."
"A little more than this? Well it's time, you'll have to listen carefully and take good care. What else can one say?"
"Ah I suppose there is one last thing."
"You have everything within. Express it with care and wisdom."
"Zero seconds to Sun shine."