Romantic Paranorm: Sight of the Hand

[Just Damn Evil]

First of all, a warning: of all the people whom I've shown this story to at school, 100% said they did not understand it at all (really). If it makes any of the below any the more sensible, realize that the entire story is written from Adrian's perspective who is, quite obviously, not sane.

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Sight of the Hand
It was ticking. The clock. Adrian began to stare at it intensely. He remembered that noise. Tick, tick, tick, in sync with each of the clock's mechanical movements, Adrian added a new part to his drawing. Tick. A drop of blood. Tick. Another drop. Tick, drip, tick, drip, tick -
"What is that?" The student in front of Adrian. The drawing. Adrian looked back towards the drawing. That was his dream. It was always his dream, what he drew every day. But this dream was different. Adrian could tell, yes. This dream was important. It faded away into a massive headache, while Adrian tossed about on the bed screaming, knocking an already open container of sleeping pills onto the floor. The pain was intense, so much that he couldn't hear - and then it faded away and he heard it again. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick - "The dream," Adrian said, "is Death. The picture can't touch me, see? I'm immune." The class bell rang. School was over. The drawing was finished with the addition of the heading - "You are blind."

The dreams left Adrian. Everyone left Adrian. Sitting alone, the next day, just waking up, Adrian was alone. No, not alone. It talked to Adrian. Adrian, for the first time, was not alone.

"Who are you?" Adrian asked.
"You are blind," it answered.
"Who am I?"
"I am the Cure."

Adrian tried to find it, but it was always hiding. Somewhere. Maybe inside his head? He tried to bash it out, but he would always fall asleep. "Come to me!" he yelled at it once while in this state.
"I am to come," it replied.

That was Adrian's dream. And when Adrian awoke, he drew the dream - an eye. Bursting into flames, the paper hovered in mid-air and transformed - no, gave it shape. Eye. Standing firmly, Adrian said to Eye, "Cure me." And Eye blinked - Adrian was consumed by a massive fire that burned through and destroyed his house. But when the fire cleared, Adrian was still there. The picture cannot know him. No, not this picture... the other one. It will not know him. And so Adrian was immune.

He reached into the pupil of Eye and grabbed the switch there - it was hot. Burning, burning, burning, burning, burning, burning, burning, but then the switch was pulled - Eye disappeared into nothing.

Adrian examined his hand. There was a burn scar. An Eye. The scar, an Eye, on the palm of his right hand. And then, it blinked. Adrian moved it around, and for the first time, he saw. A business man, dressed in a fine suit smiled at him. "Now," said Death, "you can see." And Adrian screamed.

He walked at a slow pace away from home. His parents would be home in a few hours, yes, that was how Adrian's parents were. The businessman walked beside him. "So Adarynne," said the businessman, "what have you learned?"
"Life is not an illness," Adrian replied.
"And sometimes," Death added while looking at the bloodied gauze and bandages applied to the palm and top of Adrian's right hand, "the disease exists for a reason."

[Nick Shogun]

Very elusive meaning. I will agree with your friends-- I don't understand it. Yet, in a way, I do understand it, only not in a way I can visually of orally comprehend.

Perchance you can tell me what it is supposed to mean?

[Just Damn Evil]

Well, lemme see...

[read above first!!]
>>It was ticking. The clock. Adrian began to stare at it intensely. He remembered that noise.

Well, as the later parts kind of state in a vague little way, the dream he had the night before was very frightening and painful. Here, he's remembering his Alarm Clock.

>>"What is that?" The student in front of Adrian. The drawing. Adrian looked back towards the drawing. That was his dream.

This is kind of simple. Basically, Adrian draws whatever he dreams the night before.

>>This dream was important. It faded away into a massive headache, while Adrian tossed about on the bed screaming knocking an already open container of sleeping pills onto the floor.

The main thing to pay attention to here are the sleeping pills. They're meant to imply that he's attempted suicide.

>>"The dream," Adrian said, "is Death. The picture can't touch me, see? I'm immune."

In other words - when I O.D.ed on sleeping pills to try and kill myself, I had a dream about Death, in which I learned that I cannot die.

>>The drawing was finished with the addition of the heading - "You are blind."

This one phrase functions as the focus of the entire story. You're not really supposed to know what this denotes just yet.

>>It talked to Adrian.

The Demon known as The Eye.

>>"Who are you?" Adrian asked.
"You are blind," it answered.

There it is again.

>>"Who am I?"
"I am the Cure."

Demons have slight problems with pronouns. Or, possibly, this may be to imply that the Demon isn't really a separate entity.

>>Adrian tried to find it, but it was always hiding. Somewhere. Maybe inside his head? He tried to bash it out, but he would always fall asleep.

He wants to find this voice so much that he's willing to knock himself unconscious. The point of this is to show that Adrian is by no definition, sane.

>>"Come to me!" he yelled at it once while in this state.
"I am to come," it replied.

Adrian can't simply call the Demon into reality... he has to summon the Demon.

>>That was Adrian's dream. And when Adrian awoke, he drew the dream - an eye.

And that's how he does it. Remember above? He always draws what's in his dreams.

>>Standing firmly, Adrian said to Eye, "Cure me."

Another theme in this story. It's better explained later on.

>>The picture cannot know him. No, not this picture... the other one. It will not know him. And so Adrian was immune.

Remember? "The picture cannot harm me, see? I'm immune." He's talking about his picture of Death.

>>Adrian examined his hand. There was a burn scar. An Eye. The scar, an Eye, on the palm of his right hand. And then, it blinked. Adrian moved it around, and for the first time, he saw.

The Demon Eye installed itself into his body. Now, he is no longer "blind", not meant in the normal sense, but the Demon's own interpretation... now, Adrian has the power to see the world for what it really is.

>>A business man, dressed in a fine suit smiled at him. "Now," said Death, "you can see."

A slight reiteration. And by the way, the businessman = Death. They're the same entity.

>>And Adrian screamed.

The world is somewhat less beautiful when you can see it for what it really is.

>>He walked at a slow pace away from home.

Foreshadowing. From here on, Adrian goes on a journey which forms the plot of the Romantic Paranorm series.

>>The businessman walked beside him. "So Adarynne," said the businessman, "what have you learned?"
"Life is not an illness," Adrian replied.

Here it is again. Both of the two themes come together at the end for this little moral thing. Adrian wanted to be cured by the Demon Eye of his life, but, as he says now, "Life is not an illness," and for him there is no cure. (by the way, Death calling Adrian "Adarynne" is not something you need to understand. It makes more sense in the later stories)

>>"And sometimes," Death added while looking at the bloodied gauze and bandages applied to the palm and top of Adrian's right hand, "the disease exists for a reason."

Whoo, some more implied stuff. The meaning of the gauze and bandages - Adrian was so terrified by the real world that he stabbed his own hand (where the 3rd Eye was located, remember?). Of course, since he can still see and talk to Death, it didn't really work too well.

[Nick Shogun]

Very dark. Thank you for going back over it for me. I understand much better now.

Are all your stories written in this mannerism? You seem to be someone who is deeply into symbolism. The writing flows, and that's why I couldn't stop reading. Now that you've explained it, it seems so simple.

[Just Damn Evil]

No, not all of my stories are like this. Most of them I never really finish because I, myself, consider them crap. (really. They are.) Even in the continuation of this story, I'm having trouble continuing the style. Aside from this and one English theme I wrote, most of the stuff I do is pretty run-of-the mill.

Edited by: [url=http://pub30.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=justdamnevil>Just]  at: 12/6/02 4:41:55 pm

[Nick Shogun]

Whatever happened to your FREAKING RP, man? You need to get back in the groove.

[pd Rydia]

Interesting piece. To be honest I can't say I like it, not my thing. Decently written, though...and it did make sense, at least to me, even without your explanation.

Have you written many of these things?

<p><div style="text-align:center">

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"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...an F.N.W.C.!"
-- VampireJesterJinx (VA by...Dia! :D!)</div></p>Edited by: pd Rydia&nbsp; at: 6/10/05 17:58