>>315730Five
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."