A Day in the Clouds (Chapter 2) - The Hours Between 0600 and 0700

_{This is a continuation of the Steemit-exclusive, original novel A Day in the Clouds. Earnings from this series go to my nephew's treatment and other mental disability charities.}

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Morning came quickly as I was jolted awake by a revolting wail. I stood up slowly, groggy from my ordeal at dawn. It's as if that perpetual siren knew no limit to its intensity. My ears wallowed in despair as I surveyed my prison cell.

From where I stood, I could see the gigantic guard slumbering, clutching Mamie so that she couldn't escape. Dadier — as they called the grotesque giant — had his burly arms wrapped around Mamie like a snake coiling up its prey. If only I had enough strength to free Mamie from his grasp I would have, but that infernal shriek is impeding my armas.

I surveyed my surrounding and, to no surprise, discovered Eddie as the source of the piercing noise. Wretched creature. I crept up to him slowly, with my pillow as the only weapon in my arsenal.

I have never been quite sure what Eddie was. Having arrived in the prison compound a few months ago, he had always been something the giants were drawn to instantly. Always cooing and giggling whenever they surround him, he was like a plaything the giants distracted themselves with. Plump, oftentimes vile-smelling, and never stops crying, I always found him loathsome and could never really take sympathy on him. He is so fat that he couldn't even stand on his own two feet. But, his features … His features look all-too familiar. It's like he's … His eyes, those eyes. His nose, his mouth, even his face. He's like a twisted, tiny version of … Of me.

I was never quite sure, but I had often feared that … Could he … Could he be a copy of me? I mean, I've heard that it was possible. "Cloaning" or “clowming,” I'm not entirely certain what they called it — I think that it was a possibility, although I'm not certain. The other prisoners often teased how similar looking we were.

The first time I ever laid eyes on him, I always felt something different — like a strange connection of some sort. Eddie is like an anomaly that I'm not quite sure should've existed. My cellmate, Teten, in particular, prophesied his arrival months before he ever came to the prison. It was very peculiar, and I often wondered if he was the purpose of my imprisonment. If I stuck around long enough to find out, I might lose any hope of escape.

    "Shut up," I whispered, in the giant's language, but he refused to comply. I inspected him to see if he was injured or if something was visibly broken, only to find nothing of note. Eddie felt soft to the touch, frisking him was like playing with gelatin. If he was indeed my clone then he might not yet be familiar with the language of the giants. “Shut the hell up,” I whispered again, this time in my native tongue. Still, he refused to comply.

The physical similarities were undeniable, even as I gazed upon him bellowing. I lifted the pillow above his head, as I gripped on its edges tightly. He looked back at me unfazed, still bawling loudly. The light from the early morning sun pierced the creases of the prison cell — it was only a matter of time before the giant wakes up.

In one fluid motion, I pressed the pillow on his face to dampen the noise. Eddie struggled, fidgeting wildly under the makeshift pacifier. His cries intensified, but so did the force I used to plug the wailing. We went back and forth for a time, but suffocation helped subdue his offense.

I grinned, knowing my impending victory over his insufferable bawling, but then all of a sudden a huge hand grabbed me and flung me in the air. I tried to wiggle my way out of Dadier's vice grip but did not have enough strength.

Mamie swooped in and rushed to little Eddie's side. His face was smeared by tears and snot, and his crying was reduced to mere hiccups. The vile creature looked back at me with disdain, as he rested his head on Mamie's soft arms.

    "Shh," she said to him, softly. “Stop crying now, everything is alright.”

Even though she was a giant herself, Mamie had always shown kindness to all the prisoners. She occasionally scolded us whenever we strayed from the rules but most of the time it seemed as if it was so that the other giants wouldn’t have an excuse to punish us. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous as I watched her caress Eddie in her arms.

Dadier lifted me up, coiled his arms around me and pulled me closer. He kept making a ticking sound with his mouth, like it was a torture that didn't seem effective. Rocking steadily, he shot back a scowl at me, but I couldn't help but grin at my achievement.

I wiggled wildly, managing to free my arms and slide down, but his bulging abdomen impeded my escape. He grabbed the back of my shirt and hoisted me back up, clamping down stronger than before. Dadier had a sinister look plastered in his face that seemed like he enjoyed whenever he outmuscled me.

    "O where are you going, little man," he snorted, literally breathing down my neck. “Settle down, settle down. You're not going anywhere.”

    "Shh, not so tight, Dadier," Mamie pleaded on my behalf. “He didn't mean it.”

    "It's not that tight. Right, buddy?" Dadier goaded, flashing a vicious grin.

    "Let go of me, you buffoon," I demanded, trying to free my arms.

Dadier's arms were as hard as stone, a stark contrast from the flabbiness of his belly. His beard abraded my skin every time it made contact. I tried banging my head on his chest, without any seeming effect.

    "Gah!" I shouted, with every ounce of my strength. “Release me, giant, or I will rain down the wrath of the heavens on you and your lot!”

His carapace was tougher than I anticipated — no wonder my armas had no effect on him, whatsoever. If my punches — which land with full strength — didn't even dent him, then weapons made out of wind — admittedly, not in its peak condition — wouldn't stand a chance. I gritted my teeth and then bit his arm, in desperation.

    "Ow!" he howled, but didn't at all loosen his grip on me. The scream re-initiated Eddie's incessant crying. “That hurt ah!”

    "Dadier!" Mamie sullenly interrupted. “Not so loud, you'll wake up Teten. Just take Ledd outside. Shh, Eddie, stop crying, baby. Everything's alright.”

Dadier crossed his eyes, flashed a smile and made his way out of the cell. With all the strength I had left, I freed my right arm and gouged his eyes. He winced in pain and I was released from his hold.

I ran away as fast as I could, to any direction my feet took me. Dadier recovered quickly and immediately gave chase. I wasn't sure how far away or how fast he was coming at me, all I wanted was to find a way to escape his clutches. Every five steps I took was one mere stride for him — I was fighting a losing battle. If I had any chance of escape, I knew I had to be innovative.

I jumped up the bed, hurled the blankets and pillows around, and climbed up to places his enormous frame would have a hard time traversing. Dadier laughed maniacally, like ... Like he was enjoying the chase.

The commotion woke Teten up, but she refused to move from where she lay. Instead, she adjusted her blanket and pretended to return to sleep.

Still groggy from my early morning ordeal, my energy dipped and Dadier narrowed the gap. I tried to hide behind Mamie but she was too busy comforting Eddie. She gently pushed me aside and held me down, allowing Dadier to draw even closer. I slipped out of my restraint and began the pursuit anew.

It was a futile attempt — of that I am sure. But, I had to try. There were no other means of escape, except the ones that were afforded to me daily. It doesn't hurt to wear my opponent down. I mean, what was he going to do? Kill me? If they wanted to, they could have done so a long time ago. Whether my purpose was directly connected to Eddie or not, I knew that they were saving me up for something, and I wasn't sticking long enough to find out.

I arrived at a corner, and I swear, at that moment, it seemed as if the four walls of the prison cell were conspiring against me. They closed in on me until I was boxed in by the relentless giant, who was now wearing his thick spectacles — an article of clothing that, for the longest time, I always thought was a part of his body. I curled up into a ball, and then darted in between Dadier's legs. He caught me, and snatched me up, but not without resistance. It was a tactical error on my part — I've always underestimated his reflexes. But then again, with no other options, it was worth a shot.

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