Elements (A Story In Sketches)

Image source: Pixabay

Chapter One - Earth

Gabriel William ‘Sisi’ Ruth felt a sharp sting as he tried to part his eyelids. He opened his eyes, closed them and opened again. It was the same darkness. He felt fright crawling on his skin, trying to force its way through the pores into his bloodstream.

He tried to lift himself, but the lack of support and balance from his hands forced him to stumble and fall. His right hand, bounded behind him, cried as it felt the weight of the 600 pounds baseball player on him.

He pulled himself on his side, trying to feel for the wall. He rolled again and again and again. There was no end to his rolling, no assuring feel of the wall. The fright crept into his body and began to massage his heart, chanting songs that steamed sweat out of his body.

“Steady yourself Sisi,” He breathed into the dark expanse. He tried to roll on to his back but his right hand, strained from the fall, begged for mercy. In response, he rolled over to his stomach and felt the cold kiss of the ground underneath him. Between his attempt at standing, his fall and rolling in search of a wall, his shirt had rolled up and the skin of his stomach was exposed.

He wrangled his hands, trying to weaken the knots. His wrist winced as he grounded his hands against each other. At that moment, his mind asked him why he was tied up like a goat ready for slaughter. The question broke his dam of memories and events of that morning replayed themselves.

Chapter Two - Air

“C’mon Sisi, we are not asking you to throw the game away, aright. Just miss three consecutive pitches and we are good to go.” Chairperson Bob Truman admonished as he settled into the seat opposite Sisi.

Sisi, his gaze focused through the window, watched as the clouds sped by, as if there was something he was hoping to see. He thought one of the clouds looked like his son.

“Think about your family; your wife, William junior…”

“Leave my family out of this!” There was a resolve in Sisi’s eyes. Bob was used to this. He had seen it back n College. He sighed. When the consortium wanted someone to help them in fixing the last game in the World Series, Bob was an obvious choice. Now, he wasn’t sure it it was the right choice.

“Look man, work with me. These people, the people you want to say no to… they don’t react politely to no. They can…”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Of course not Sisi. We go way back, remember? Just do this one thing. Your team is going to lose the series, so whether you loose a few pitches isn't going to…”

“You don’t know that.”

“i didn’t get you”

“You don’t know we are going to lose.”

“You’ll be surprised Sisi. You think Shaffer’s sprained ankle was an accident. You know Shaffer, right? Of course you do, he’s your team-mate. He’s going to spend the summer in the London with his family. Where are you going to be? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. don’t…”

“My answer is no.” Sisi adjusted the seat into sleeping portion and closed his eyes. He could not wait to land at the airport and be united with his team. He would never betray his team. The next time Sisi would open his eyes would be in the dark expanse he found himself that evening.

Chapter Three - Ice

“Hey man, lighten up!” Joshua Garryman threw a ball at Sisi. The latter felt the ball bounced off this face but did nothing.

“Hey! Leave him alone!”Shaffer bellowed as if Joshua was a high school bully looking for someone to pick on.

“Chill man. I was just trying to check up a brother.“ Joshua protested and then turned to Sisi. “I wish I could tell you I know how you feel but I don’t. Your family is going through a lot right now and I appreciate you being here for all of us. Say well brother.”

“Yeah yeah, leave him alone.”

A hour later, Joshua watched like a mother checking if her son had hurt himself as Sisi jogged out of the locker room with the rest of the team. The was something weird about his gait. Joshua picked up his pace and stretched a hand to touch Sisi’s shoulder. He wanted to assure him that all would be well. Instead, he felt a coldness in his shoulder. It was as if Sisi wore steel under his shirt.

“Hold up man.” Joshua called out as Sisi picked up the pace. Soon they were on the pitch and Sisi was up.

“What are you thinking?” Joshua spoke under his breath as Sisi swung his bat too early. The second time, he did the same thing. There was something mechanical about the swings, as if Sisi had programmed when he would swing his bat. The third swing gave it away. Joshua noticed that both hands were firm on the bat. Sisi was never than firm with his bat.

Joshua made a mental note to speak with Sisi, deciding to focus on the game for the meantime.

Chapter four - Fire

Lights flooded the room as two men walked in dragging a burden behind them. It had the looks of Sisi but that was all. Sisi gasped when he saw what the men dragged, it was his look alike except it didn’t look human.

“You had a robot play in my place?” His voice gasped, voicing his fear.

The men dropped the mass of steal on the ground and turned to approach Sisi.

“No! No! Get away from me.” He commanded as he tried to crawl away. A syringe forced his way through his skin and he felt hot liquid rush through his vain. His eyes protested in vain as his eyelids shut the world out, forcing him to retreat into the darkness of nothingness.

He opened his yes to see a concerned Bob stare at him. His hand wanted to lunge at Bob’s fat neck, to squeeze life’s breathe out of him. Instead he sat in the driver seat of what seemed like his own car, while Bob stared thought the window.

“It didn’t have to be like this, you know Sisi”

“Fuck you!” the expletive was lacking in force.

“I can assure you that your family will be well taken of and…”

“You had a robot replace me…” it was more of a question than a statement.

“Yeah. Someone felt you wouldn't play ball so we needed a back up plan.” Bob pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brows. “I really wish things were different. You could have been preparing for a holiday with your family instead of what? Death by fire?”

“Fuck you!”

“Goodbye Sisi.” Bob announced and then signalled to one of the men. He hurried to his car, eager to be with Sisi’s wife when his death came up on the news. He owed a debt to the family now. If only Sisi was not so self righteous, he would not be crashing into a parked oil tanker.

Entry for the Oct 9 Twenty-Four Hour Short Story Contest--A robot is secretly playing in the World Series