Valdemar

The space was small, suppressing the man sitting the corner. The air was dense and slightly damp, clinging heavily to the inside of his lungs. Ditrich felt isolated in the dark of the pit, not a sound tickling his ears, the air even seamed void of any particular smell. The only comfort was the feeling of the cold cement beneath him, his only connection to the world he once knew. He had been in this room for a mere day and was already feeling the effects of the chamber.

Ditrich was a germanic man, immigrated from Austria as a young man, and landed himself in Alcatraz after several serious offenses that caused the government to want to place him in their highest prison. Ditrich still remembered that night...it was a wind-whipped night that he stood outside of his apartment, soaking in the chilly and mesmerizing nighttime, the city lights and stars blurring together to form a cascade of pinpricked lights across the painted night and he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the tranquility.

The day had waned long and tedious as he consulted with his co-workers and performed his everyday duties at the business. His beautiful wife was home probably making kartoffelkloesse, his personal favorite, he could practically smell the dumplings from where he stood in his office across town. Indeed, he was so anxious to meet his wife, embrace her, and love her tenderly that he clocked out early that night, making his way eagerly through the evening traffic.

When he arrived at their small apartment, only the kitchen light was on, the yellowish luminescence filtering through their handmade curtains that draped dramatically over the glass panes.

Oh, good. She’s probably making dinner, Ditrich thought happily.

Wiggling the key into the old doorknob he twisted until he heard that satisfying Click! The door creaked in greeting as he entered the small hallway, hanging his coat and slipping off his shoes he smiled,

“Honey! I’m home!” No answer, “Hmm,” Detrich mumbled softly.

“Der Honig?! I’m home!” This time there came some noise from one of the back rooms, hushed whispers and movement.

Ditrich was in their bedroom, in an instant he felt betrayed, in an instant he grew angry and in an instant, he grabbed the man by the throat.

His wife screamed, “Don’t hurt him!” But it was too late, Ditrich’s large hands dwarfed the man’s neck in fury, suffocating him easily; fury at the scene that lay before him.

His wife reported him that night and it was over since then Ditrich had been dragged down a path of bitterness and anger. Eventually landing him in Alcatraz where he was consequently placed in the pit after an offense of bashing his cell door in an attempted escape. No, he sat here, twenty-seven more very long days stretched out ahead of him. He felt as if he wanted to claw his ears out, although there was no sound, maybe it was the absence that caused the deep aching within his mind. Ditrich cried out for mercy, letting his ears take in the echo around him.

Ditrich wandered the paths of his minds, his thoughts tenebrous much like the space around him. His thoughts strayed to a story he had once heard, or rather, a legend that involved someone much like himself. It was a story that depicted a young man who was deeply in love, he could distort or fabricate the world around him. He used this to please his lover, shaping vast gardens and waterfalls, indeed, anything she wished. It was an act of infidelity on her part that led this man to anger, for she had chosen another over him. He grew irrationally bitter and sought to use his power for personal gain, a therapy of sorts. He separated himself from the real world and formed a reality for himself where he lived happily with his beloved, although from time to time he would reach his hand out and offer that same mercy to those that were suffering. It was some crazy way of explaining their insanity, but Ditrich sure wished that Valdemar would offer that mercy to him. Anything to escape the ensnaring silence of the isolation.

Valdemar, if you’re out there I could use something different from where I am. Detrich thought hopefully,

However, the answer did not come immediately. It was several days before it seemed to Detrich that Valdemar was reaching a hand to him.

He awoke suddenly to the sound of birds, he had abruptly grown warm, and something sharp pricked the parts of his body where he came in contact with the floor. When he opened his eyes he stood on a hill overlooking a small Austrian town, the small cottages drawing him to step forward, although he stopped when cool green grass tickled the soles of his bare feet. A gentle zephyr played with a little girl’s kite farther down the hill, lifting it high before suddenly dropping it until it began to soar steadily in the breeze. The sky was a brilliant blue, sparsely interrupted by clouds, and the sun beat down on his skin. Tilting his head up, Ditrich just soaked it all in, his senses overwhelmed by the entirety of it all.

Author Notes: This was an assignment for my Honor´s English course, it was WAY out of my comfort zone and it´s a little bit ODD. If you have any suggestions please let me know!
Thanks guys! You´re absolutely fantastic!

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