I was in the same place once again. In the city, middle of the road. Holding a piece of paper in my hand that tells me to survive from wild elephants.
I was scared. Fear and hopelessness were the only things I felt.
Tears started to fall once again.
I lifted the paper to look at it, with the hope of seeing a solution, but no, there was nothing. Just a punishment for the game.
Return from death. Again, and again, and again. Until I win a game that has no way of winning.
As I was looking at the paper, I heard that noise again.
Elephants.
Surging at me with hate and intent to kill.
I didn't move, I couldn't move. I didn't see any point in doing it.
I just stood there, tears falling from my eyes, tilting my head to the right slowly. I didn't realize how pathetic I was looking, but was it really important?
I would die anyway.
Seeing elephants close the gap between us, I closed my eyes and waited.
I died once again. I felt the same pain once again.
…
Same place once more. Me, the city, and the paper. Of course, there were papers around me, but who cares? The only paper that had importance was in my hand, but even that was not a solution for my suffering.
I stood there again, waiting for the bitter taste of death.
I heard elephants, they came, they killed, and I returned, again.
This went on a few more times—enough for me to not even remember.
I was tired. Tired of dying. I have died and felt pain more times than anyone could imagine.
But the feeling of fear was not fading. It was there as if it had always been there.
"Kill me," I said with a shaky voice.
"Kill me permanently. I can't take this anymore," I asked.
I have realized it now. I was not scared of dying now. I was scared of not being able to die.
I was wishing for death, a permanent one to end my suffering. End this endless pain.
I fell on my knees. I put the paper down in front of me. I hold my hands together as if I were praying.
"Please, kill me. I can't take this anymore," I said with closed eyes.
I heard a paper rustling.
No, this was not just one, but more. A lot of papers were making a noise.
I slowly opened my eyes to see what was happening.
When I looked around, I saw that all the papers had a one-word note for me.
"No" was the text on them. It was refusing my wish.
When my eyes started to fill with tears again, I saw that the paper in front of me had different text. I took it from the ground and read it.
"Run and survive.
These are the only rules of this game, except for the punishment.
So, let me remind you. You are free to use anything you can find. I never said that you can not.
If I remembered that you were a crybaby, I wouldn't even pick you for this game.
Now, wipe away your tears and run, because I can do this as long as I please."
I didn't know what to say or how to react. I just got scolded for crying.
I read it again just in case I had missed something, since all the texts that have appeared in this paper had some information until now.
"You are free to use anything you can find," it says.
So, if I can find something that is faster and ride it, then I can save myself?
"Can I drive or ride something I find?" I asked this mysterious person or thing.
As I asked, all the papers around me that had "No" written on them changed.
It was "Yes" now.
This gave me hope, hope for surviving.
I could find a car and drive it, but only now I could realize.
There are no cars in the city now. Aside from the cars I saw in my neighborhood, there were none.
"Did they disappear too?" I thought to myself.
As I used my sleeve to wipe my tears away, I remembered the gift shop.
If I can somehow get in there, I can get something from there. A bicycle.
Yes, I can ride it, and it will be faster than any elephant.
As I was filled with hope, my fear slowly started to fade away, and a slight smile appeared on my face.
I wanted to take a look at the paper again because something caught my attention that I could use.
"If I remembered that you were a crybaby" was written on it.
Did this thing or person know me?