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DISCLAIMER: They're not mine blah blah blah NBC blah blah blah just playin' with 'em for a little while blah blah blah Jarod in a g-string blah blah don't sue me.
Bedtime Story
By Aurora
Miss Parker slammed through the revolving door into the hotel. She knew Jarod was, once again, long gone. He'd only been staying here for a matter of days, but the Centre had sent her to examine his hideout anyway. This hotel was much nicer than the Labrat's usual digs, she thought as she pushed her way through the noisy bar on the first floor.
"Have you had a guest name Jarod here recently?" she asked the clerk at the front desk. She was too exhausted to even put up her usual front of bitterness.
The girl behind the counter gave Parker a jealous look. "Are you Miss Parker? Mr. Seuss instructed me to give you the key to his room."
Parker grabbed the key and turned on her heels. The clerk called out to her, "Room 207. But he's not here! Uh, have a nice day!"
Finally pulling together enough energy to be righteously annoyed, Parker stomped up the stairs to the second floor. She found 207, unlocked the door, and flung it open, gun drawn. The room hadn't been cleaned by housekeeping yet, but the sheets had been pulled up and straightened on the bed. Jarod was, of course, nowhere to be found. His things were gone from the bathroom and the closet. She wasn't surprised; just another fruitless errand arranged so Lyle could get her out of the way. She sank down onto the corner of the bed.
And heard the crackling of paper. She pulled a small stack of paper from beneath her. The first page said simply, "A Fable -- by Jarod Seuss." She turned to the next page. It chronicled a simple story, as one might read to a child at bedtime, in Jarod's handwriting with rudimentary sketches in the margin. Parker settled down and, against her better judgement, began to read.
Once upon a time, there was a castle. Only two humans lived there, but the castle was filled with shadows. The shadows looked and sounded like men, so much that they fooled the boy and girl who live there, but yet they were only shadows. They imprisoned the girl and the boy in towers, side by side, with only windows covered by bars.
Every day, the boy and the girl lived in their towers, side by side. Their windows faced each other, and so sometimes they talked, but try as they might, the bars would not allow their hands to touch. Each day, the shadows would come into the boy's room. They would tell him he was ugly, and make him wear masks. Soon, he began to love the masks and hate his own face.
This went on for years, until the boy became a man and the girl became a woman. One day, when a shadow was handing a mask to the man, the man touched the shadow. And his hand went right through him. And he knew of the illusion. The man ran over and touched the bars on the window. They, too, were just illusions So he began to leave, and the shadows were powerless to stop him. The man climbed out the window and into the world, but not before taking his masks with him.
The man wandered out in the world, meeting people and doing things he had never dreamed. But always he wore a mask, not wanting people to see his face. At first, he did not worry about the woman. He knew she was smart. She could see that the bars were not real. She would escape. But one day, he realized that he missed her. So he returned to the castle.
Seeing she was still in the tower, the man tried to call out to the woman. But she could not hear him. So he walked to the tower and climbed the wall up to her window. He was so happy to see the woman again. He shouted a greeting to her, but she replied, "I do not wish to see you. You remind me of things I would rather forget."
The man was sad, but he did not give up. He climbed back down the wall to his pile of masks on the ground. "Maybe she does not like this face," he said. So he picked up the most beautiful, elaborate mask and put it on. He climbed back up and shouted to the woman. "Come! There is no reason to stay up here!"
The woman saw him and was afraid. "I cannot," she said. "The bars on the windows are strong."
"They are but illusions," the man laughed. "Come!"
She still would not move. "I am afraid of the others in the castle. If I try to leave, they will stop me."
"They cannot! Don't you see?" The man did not know why the woman could not understand. "Those are nothing but shadows!"
The woman grew angry. "No! They have kept me here all my life. They cannot be shadows. Leave me!"
That was the last page. Parker snapped back into reality and realized how shaken up she had been by a children's story. And realized she wanted to know the ending. Her cell phone rang.
"What?" she snapped.
"Have you read it?" a familiar voice asked.
"Oh, it's Dr. Seuss," she said, struggling to hear Jarod over the noise behind him. Then her tone softened, and she added, "But it's not finished."
"In the desk drawer," he said, and hung up.
Parker turned off her cell phone and walked over to the desk. As he said, the last page was in the top drawer. She stood there and read.
The man was very upset. He climbed down the tower and sat on the ground. He was ready to give up and live a lonely life without her. But he could not. So he decided to try once more. He took off the beautiful mask and threw it aside. He climbed the tower.
When he reached the window, the woman was turned away him. Instead of staying at the window, this time the man climbed through. She heard him and turned around. She saw him pass through the bars. He finally reached through the shadows and touched her hand.
"Come," he said. And she did.
Parker looked up, only now aware of the single tear running down her cheek. She set the manuscript down and place her hands on the desk. "But Jarod," she thought, "the bars look so real." Unaware she had whispered it aloud, she heard a low, soft voice behind her.
"Come."
And a hand softly closed around hers.
THE END
Bedtime Story
By Aurora
Miss Parker slammed through the revolving door into the hotel. She knew Jarod was, once again, long gone. He'd only been staying here for a matter of days, but the Centre had sent her to examine his hideout anyway. This hotel was much nicer than the Labrat's usual digs, she thought as she pushed her way through the noisy bar on the first floor.
"Have you had a guest name Jarod here recently?" she asked the clerk at the front desk. She was too exhausted to even put up her usual front of bitterness.
The girl behind the counter gave Parker a jealous look. "Are you Miss Parker? Mr. Seuss instructed me to give you the key to his room."
Parker grabbed the key and turned on her heels. The clerk called out to her, "Room 207. But he's not here! Uh, have a nice day!"
Finally pulling together enough energy to be righteously annoyed, Parker stomped up the stairs to the second floor. She found 207, unlocked the door, and flung it open, gun drawn. The room hadn't been cleaned by housekeeping yet, but the sheets had been pulled up and straightened on the bed. Jarod was, of course, nowhere to be found. His things were gone from the bathroom and the closet. She wasn't surprised; just another fruitless errand arranged so Lyle could get her out of the way. She sank down onto the corner of the bed.
And heard the crackling of paper. She pulled a small stack of paper from beneath her. The first page said simply, "A Fable -- by Jarod Seuss." She turned to the next page. It chronicled a simple story, as one might read to a child at bedtime, in Jarod's handwriting with rudimentary sketches in the margin. Parker settled down and, against her better judgement, began to read.
Once upon a time, there was a castle. Only two humans lived there, but the castle was filled with shadows. The shadows looked and sounded like men, so much that they fooled the boy and girl who live there, but yet they were only shadows. They imprisoned the girl and the boy in towers, side by side, with only windows covered by bars.
Every day, the boy and the girl lived in their towers, side by side. Their windows faced each other, and so sometimes they talked, but try as they might, the bars would not allow their hands to touch. Each day, the shadows would come into the boy's room. They would tell him he was ugly, and make him wear masks. Soon, he began to love the masks and hate his own face.
This went on for years, until the boy became a man and the girl became a woman. One day, when a shadow was handing a mask to the man, the man touched the shadow. And his hand went right through him. And he knew of the illusion. The man ran over and touched the bars on the window. They, too, were just illusions So he began to leave, and the shadows were powerless to stop him. The man climbed out the window and into the world, but not before taking his masks with him.
The man wandered out in the world, meeting people and doing things he had never dreamed. But always he wore a mask, not wanting people to see his face. At first, he did not worry about the woman. He knew she was smart. She could see that the bars were not real. She would escape. But one day, he realized that he missed her. So he returned to the castle.
Seeing she was still in the tower, the man tried to call out to the woman. But she could not hear him. So he walked to the tower and climbed the wall up to her window. He was so happy to see the woman again. He shouted a greeting to her, but she replied, "I do not wish to see you. You remind me of things I would rather forget."
The man was sad, but he did not give up. He climbed back down the wall to his pile of masks on the ground. "Maybe she does not like this face," he said. So he picked up the most beautiful, elaborate mask and put it on. He climbed back up and shouted to the woman. "Come! There is no reason to stay up here!"
The woman saw him and was afraid. "I cannot," she said. "The bars on the windows are strong."
"They are but illusions," the man laughed. "Come!"
She still would not move. "I am afraid of the others in the castle. If I try to leave, they will stop me."
"They cannot! Don't you see?" The man did not know why the woman could not understand. "Those are nothing but shadows!"
The woman grew angry. "No! They have kept me here all my life. They cannot be shadows. Leave me!"
That was the last page. Parker snapped back into reality and realized how shaken up she had been by a children's story. And realized she wanted to know the ending. Her cell phone rang.
"What?" she snapped.
"Have you read it?" a familiar voice asked.
"Oh, it's Dr. Seuss," she said, struggling to hear Jarod over the noise behind him. Then her tone softened, and she added, "But it's not finished."
"In the desk drawer," he said, and hung up.
Parker turned off her cell phone and walked over to the desk. As he said, the last page was in the top drawer. She stood there and read.
The man was very upset. He climbed down the tower and sat on the ground. He was ready to give up and live a lonely life without her. But he could not. So he decided to try once more. He took off the beautiful mask and threw it aside. He climbed the tower.
When he reached the window, the woman was turned away him. Instead of staying at the window, this time the man climbed through. She heard him and turned around. She saw him pass through the bars. He finally reached through the shadows and touched her hand.
"Come," he said. And she did.
Parker looked up, only now aware of the single tear running down her cheek. She set the manuscript down and place her hands on the desk. "But Jarod," she thought, "the bars look so real." Unaware she had whispered it aloud, she heard a low, soft voice behind her.
"Come."
And a hand softly closed around hers.
THE END
