skater94
July 11th, 2011, 02:32 AM
A man in a colourful robe stood at the head of the table; a gavel in one hand and a dossier in another. This was the fiftieth annual meeting, which also symbolized the fiftieth anniversary of this prosperous kingdom. Under normal circumstances, the kingdom will be celebrating its great success and achievements. Jovial atmosphere would have filled the streets, and every citizen would have been wearing smiles on their faces. However, this kingdom looked like a yellowed photograph in an ancient album.
The disastrous effects of the drought were blatant to any man living in the kingdom. Fields of wheat and rye, once golden, covered much of the kingdom. These fields of wilted crops were constant reminders of the calamity that had overshadowed the kingdom’s celebratory events. Some claimed that the ominous storm clouds had shrouded the kingdom forever after the coronation. The man in the colourful robe, the king, glanced despondently outside and surveyed the miserable farmlands. While King Gidane was staring outside aimlessly, the prince stormed into the meeting chambers. After a brief exchange of whispers, the dialogue between the king and the prince elevated into a full-blown argument.
“My lord, it cannot be done. It is impossible,” shouted the prince in complete fury, “we cannot afford to continue with this experiment”.
King Gidane was even more enraged, upon hearing the comment. “What experiment? It was an order!” He started pacing around the prince, who was standing awkwardly beside the door. “Do you have any idea what we do with people who fail to obey orders?” King Gidane asked.
“Sir, with all due respect, impossible is impossible,” protested the prince.
“It is only impossible when I say so,” King Gidane snarled. “Now, listen, I want the magic camel at sundown,” said the king, still pacing. “Failure to complete this task will result in banishment.”
The prince was escorted out of the chamber by the guards, and he hurried back to the laboratory. Preforming introspection before, he has never been as bewildered. He sat at his desk and contemplated about this task, his reasons for agreeing to an attempt to create this revolutionary creature. It began almost thirty years ago, during his carefree childhood years.
Being King Gidane’s younger brother, the prince was almost always neglected by his parents. He was not the important son. However, Gidane had always accompanied his brother. It was Gidane who read him fairy tales, sang him soothing lullabies, and tucked him into bed. In addition, Gidane acted as a mentor for his brother teaching him skills such as sword-fighting and archery. A carefree and blissful childhood eventually transforms into a tumultuous adolescence. Perhaps it was the lack of attention or the death of their mother, Gidane’s brother became emotionally unstable. Gidane would often hear sobbing reverberating through the hallway. He would step quietly into his brother’s room and pat him gently on the back. Gradually, Gidane began spending more and more time with his brother. Occasionally, he would climb into bed with his brother and wrap his arm around his brother’s slender shoulder. The years had come and gone, and the fraternal relationship was stronger than ever.
One day, Gidane and his brother went on a short excursion on horseback. Suddenly, the horse began galloping uncontrollably and threw Gidane into rushing rapids. Endangering his own life, Gidane’s brother jumped into the river in an effort to save his loving brother. He gripped Gidane’s arm and slowly but surely dragged him to the shore. The situation was grave, as Gidane was unconscious and not breathing. Gidane’s brother administered life-saving procedures, but to no success. As a last ditch effort, he gave his brother mouth-to-mouth breathing. To his chagrin, Gidane coughed out the freezing water.
Clearly delirious, Gidane croaked, “W-what…happened?” Gidane continued to cough violently.
Gidane’s brother, overwhelmed by Gidane’s survival, hugged Gidane. His tears of joy landed on his brother’s face. “I thought I had lost you, just like mother,” he replied.
“B-but, you saved my life,” said Gidane, his shaky voice full of glee. He directed at his brother a feeble grin.
Upon returning to their residence, Gidane’s brother was praised for his gallantry. However, his moment of glory was brief. Their father became critically ill and Gidane would become king any moment. Their castle was transformed into a bustling marketplace, with servants scurrying around, preparing for the inevitable coronation assembly. After a few short hours, their father passed away peacefully.
The prince, the King’s brother, was immediately summoned by King Gidane after the coronation. King Gidane and his brother always had the ambition of becoming a mad scientist. They wanted to create this elaborate and versatile camel that can various tasks, from carrying heavy crops to fighting in wars. The king inquired his brother about their experiment with the camel, and asked him whether the experiment could be continued. The prince wholeheartedly agreed and told the king that he would assemble a research team to relieve him of his research duties. The continuation of the magic camel project was very successful, as the research team made steady progress. According to the original designs, the empirical specimens have all the necessary technologies to perform the tasks. Things were simply too good to be true.
From that day on, not a drop of rain landed on the kingdom. The citizens of the kingdom were driven into sheer hysteria. Many tried to leave with their possessions only to die, parched in the unforgiving heat. Many took their own lives. Morale could not be lower. The king, desperate for some good news, asked the prince about the magic camel project.
The prince, storming out of the king’s chamber, was as pale as a ghost. He knew it was impossible, every researcher knew it, and even the king himself knew it. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He figured if the king could not realize the power of their fraternal relationship, then he would have to settle for banishment. When he left, the prince had neither regrets nor fears.
Despite his brother’s tyrannical decisions, the estranged prince often wondered about him. Had he successfully solved the issues in the kingdom? How was his health? He knew it was risky, but he could not resist separation from his brother anymore. The prince decided to return to visit his brother. However, the prince had trouble locating the kingdom itself. He traversed the entire region, but failed to locate the castle or the gates. Then, the wind delivered a yellowed photograph beside his foot. It was a portrait of his brother and him. Tears flowed like a waterfall down his cheeks, and he finally realized the kingdom had collapsed.
Holding the photo, he walked to the river bank. He pictured his brother, fighting for his life and gasping for air. He pictured his brother and himself, embracing each other’s cold and wet bodies. He pictured the loving brother that read him fairy tales and sang him lullabies. He did not know whether his brother is alive or not, but he knew that wherever his brother was, he would always care about him. He would also be with him. With a last glace around, the prince of the lost kingdom and the brother of the lost brother stepped into the river and reunited with his brother.
*note: It's not really short, but I just wrote on and on. I don't know if it's any good, just wrote on an impulse
The disastrous effects of the drought were blatant to any man living in the kingdom. Fields of wheat and rye, once golden, covered much of the kingdom. These fields of wilted crops were constant reminders of the calamity that had overshadowed the kingdom’s celebratory events. Some claimed that the ominous storm clouds had shrouded the kingdom forever after the coronation. The man in the colourful robe, the king, glanced despondently outside and surveyed the miserable farmlands. While King Gidane was staring outside aimlessly, the prince stormed into the meeting chambers. After a brief exchange of whispers, the dialogue between the king and the prince elevated into a full-blown argument.
“My lord, it cannot be done. It is impossible,” shouted the prince in complete fury, “we cannot afford to continue with this experiment”.
King Gidane was even more enraged, upon hearing the comment. “What experiment? It was an order!” He started pacing around the prince, who was standing awkwardly beside the door. “Do you have any idea what we do with people who fail to obey orders?” King Gidane asked.
“Sir, with all due respect, impossible is impossible,” protested the prince.
“It is only impossible when I say so,” King Gidane snarled. “Now, listen, I want the magic camel at sundown,” said the king, still pacing. “Failure to complete this task will result in banishment.”
The prince was escorted out of the chamber by the guards, and he hurried back to the laboratory. Preforming introspection before, he has never been as bewildered. He sat at his desk and contemplated about this task, his reasons for agreeing to an attempt to create this revolutionary creature. It began almost thirty years ago, during his carefree childhood years.
Being King Gidane’s younger brother, the prince was almost always neglected by his parents. He was not the important son. However, Gidane had always accompanied his brother. It was Gidane who read him fairy tales, sang him soothing lullabies, and tucked him into bed. In addition, Gidane acted as a mentor for his brother teaching him skills such as sword-fighting and archery. A carefree and blissful childhood eventually transforms into a tumultuous adolescence. Perhaps it was the lack of attention or the death of their mother, Gidane’s brother became emotionally unstable. Gidane would often hear sobbing reverberating through the hallway. He would step quietly into his brother’s room and pat him gently on the back. Gradually, Gidane began spending more and more time with his brother. Occasionally, he would climb into bed with his brother and wrap his arm around his brother’s slender shoulder. The years had come and gone, and the fraternal relationship was stronger than ever.
One day, Gidane and his brother went on a short excursion on horseback. Suddenly, the horse began galloping uncontrollably and threw Gidane into rushing rapids. Endangering his own life, Gidane’s brother jumped into the river in an effort to save his loving brother. He gripped Gidane’s arm and slowly but surely dragged him to the shore. The situation was grave, as Gidane was unconscious and not breathing. Gidane’s brother administered life-saving procedures, but to no success. As a last ditch effort, he gave his brother mouth-to-mouth breathing. To his chagrin, Gidane coughed out the freezing water.
Clearly delirious, Gidane croaked, “W-what…happened?” Gidane continued to cough violently.
Gidane’s brother, overwhelmed by Gidane’s survival, hugged Gidane. His tears of joy landed on his brother’s face. “I thought I had lost you, just like mother,” he replied.
“B-but, you saved my life,” said Gidane, his shaky voice full of glee. He directed at his brother a feeble grin.
Upon returning to their residence, Gidane’s brother was praised for his gallantry. However, his moment of glory was brief. Their father became critically ill and Gidane would become king any moment. Their castle was transformed into a bustling marketplace, with servants scurrying around, preparing for the inevitable coronation assembly. After a few short hours, their father passed away peacefully.
The prince, the King’s brother, was immediately summoned by King Gidane after the coronation. King Gidane and his brother always had the ambition of becoming a mad scientist. They wanted to create this elaborate and versatile camel that can various tasks, from carrying heavy crops to fighting in wars. The king inquired his brother about their experiment with the camel, and asked him whether the experiment could be continued. The prince wholeheartedly agreed and told the king that he would assemble a research team to relieve him of his research duties. The continuation of the magic camel project was very successful, as the research team made steady progress. According to the original designs, the empirical specimens have all the necessary technologies to perform the tasks. Things were simply too good to be true.
From that day on, not a drop of rain landed on the kingdom. The citizens of the kingdom were driven into sheer hysteria. Many tried to leave with their possessions only to die, parched in the unforgiving heat. Many took their own lives. Morale could not be lower. The king, desperate for some good news, asked the prince about the magic camel project.
The prince, storming out of the king’s chamber, was as pale as a ghost. He knew it was impossible, every researcher knew it, and even the king himself knew it. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He figured if the king could not realize the power of their fraternal relationship, then he would have to settle for banishment. When he left, the prince had neither regrets nor fears.
Despite his brother’s tyrannical decisions, the estranged prince often wondered about him. Had he successfully solved the issues in the kingdom? How was his health? He knew it was risky, but he could not resist separation from his brother anymore. The prince decided to return to visit his brother. However, the prince had trouble locating the kingdom itself. He traversed the entire region, but failed to locate the castle or the gates. Then, the wind delivered a yellowed photograph beside his foot. It was a portrait of his brother and him. Tears flowed like a waterfall down his cheeks, and he finally realized the kingdom had collapsed.
Holding the photo, he walked to the river bank. He pictured his brother, fighting for his life and gasping for air. He pictured his brother and himself, embracing each other’s cold and wet bodies. He pictured the loving brother that read him fairy tales and sang him lullabies. He did not know whether his brother is alive or not, but he knew that wherever his brother was, he would always care about him. He would also be with him. With a last glace around, the prince of the lost kingdom and the brother of the lost brother stepped into the river and reunited with his brother.
*note: It's not really short, but I just wrote on and on. I don't know if it's any good, just wrote on an impulse