"Relentless" and other shorts

Relief

"There's always some relief in giving up."

"Delirium stories, wasn't it?" Clinton thought to himself as he stared over the cliff at what lay below, ominous shapes of fellow mountain peaks shimmering the light of the crescent moon. Below his feet lay absolute darkness, an empty chasm of illusion. Maybye it isn't as bad as it seems, thought Clinton to himself.

"Come on, you know there's no going back now!" growled Jervis fervently.

"Don't, just don't, just.....DON'T!" pleaded Amani.

"You know what lies ahead sport... Don't come crying to me if the expected happens!"

"Don't listen to him!" She pleaded.

"Such a Panzy, a little bucket of fried chicken is what you are."

"Listen to me Clint, This is a stupid idea. What will the family think? What will she think? You think this is mature of you? You're smarter than this!"

Clinton held his head with the palms of his hands, and sank down onto his knees. Jervis and Amani had been with him for years. He had grown to value their opinions, and take their words of wisdom or otherwise into consideration. A conflicting force, ambivalent in balance, one making more sense than the other at times.

When Clinton lost his first job, after months of pending paycheques, Jervis had assured him it was a waste of time, and these were cruel inevitable occurrences in the world of a disappointed idealist. had always encouraged him to keep looking, to keep trying different things. Twenty four years into life's journey, with divorced parents, an unsuccessful career in music, working day jobs to make it to the end of the month, low self esteem, gradual moral and social deterioration, Clinton felt he had hit rock bottom. Needing some air, he drove out to the mountains, listening to Jervis and Amani in the back with their usual conflicting reasoning, while varieties of different music played on his emotions.

The cool, silky breeze of altitude caressed his face as he stared down at the chasm. Shadowed were the harsh realities that lay below, engulfed by cover of darkness, yet it seemed placid, comforting. "Well atleast I can close my eyes," he thought.

"Oh just get it over with already!" Sneered Jervis.

"I know you wont go ahead with it, Clint. Don't listen to Jervis!"  Amani begged.

"SHUT UP, THE BOTH OF YOU!!!" Screamed Clinton in frustration, clenching his fists and falling to his knees, his agonizing scream rifting the muscles of his vocal cords. Tears streaming down through his beard, he painfully inched his way to the edge - one knee and arm at a time, the darkness below getting closer, as if reaching out to him, swallowing the sounds of his sobs, beckoning him with arms outstretched,assuring him that it would all be over soon. Just before pathetically inching himself off the precipice, Jervis sang "This is the beginning of the end of it alllll.....". Amani let out a terrified "STOP!!". This is when Clinton recognized the lyrics to be his ringtone, a song he had composed a few years ago. Snapping out of his state, he pushed himself back from the edge, and in his state of shock, he fumbled to take his cell phone out of the left pocket of his now dusty denims. He looked at the caller ID, to find it to be her. He answered, and said, "Hey, what's up?"

"Where have you been?" She asked.

"Just getting some air with Jervis and Amani."

"Well, it's late. Did you take your pills today?"

"Oh, I felt something was out of place today."

"Don't neglect your prescribed medication, Mr Clinton, it's imperative on your road to improvement. We are scheduled for 10 am tomorrow, since you didn't show up for your session today."

"Duly noted, I'll see you tomorrow."

Cutting the call, Clinton pulled himself up, smiling and said "Well Amani, it looks like you did it again."

"Hold on to context" Amani sheepishly concluded.

"Panzy bucket o fried chicken n fish, take a look at this cowardly Clinty Dish!" sang Jervis repeatedly in a mocking fashion.

Clinton looked up to the sky as the moon began to hide behind the clouds.

In the distance, he heard the mournful cries of some wild animal.

He looked the time, it was 11:40 pm. He had been here over two hours.

Looking around at the empty area, his car a standalone figure in the moonlight, near the road he had walked up from over to the precipice.

Jervis and Amani were now silent, as they always were, when Clinton came back to his own sense of reasoning. They had been this way for years, his voices of reason. He wasn't ready to let them go yet. He sat in his car, started the engine, and started for the drive home. He suddenly felt a surge of peace through his troubled mind, and as he drove down the dark road towards the city lights, he remembered, "There's always some relief in giving up."