Lucien's Lil Nook

On a small stone sat Jared, a quaint boy from a family he had long forgotten. He sat, resting his head on his hands that rested on his knees. His lanky limbs and thin frame made his appearance spider-like. His bare body illuminated by a warm glow, emanating from to top of his infinite cage. Nothing felt right for Jared, as if the world had grown against him, building a wall he could never cross. Each brick stacked before him was formed by a responsibility he had acquired, a duty he couldn’t escape. Eventually, they stacked so high that Jared wasn’t able to see beyond these four walls. They surrounded him and reached the peaks of his vision. No grout or any adhesive was applied between the stones. Jared watched as they balanced on top of each other so precariously, that a strong wind could topple them.

“Was there any way out?” He wondered out loud.

He weighed his options. First, he could attempt to scale these walls and discard each brick by throwing them off the side. Although, this would likely mean certain death because Jared could not climb and the wall was clearly too unstable. Then, he thought of the mess afterwards; how he’d have to pick up the bricks and clean the mess he had made. As this thought appeared, Hared heard the clatter of more bricks as they piled on top of the walls.

Sighing, he weighed his other option: Jared could punch out a hole in the bricks, removing a pathway for him to climb through. Jared gazed at the walls around him and realized the ideas’ futility. Surely, the wall would collapse and kill him. Another clatter of bricks.

Jared sighed and stood then walked to the wall. It was patterned by many kinds of stone: some old, some fresh, some dark, some light, and even ones crumbling away. Curious, he tapped one of these stones and it fell away, leaving a hole that gazed outside. Jared quickly glanced upwards, but the wall was undisturbed.

Intrigued by this new occurrence, he peeked into the new space. He saw an expanse of green meadow and endless sky, speckled with soft clouds. Counties flowers sprouted between blades of grass, filling the meadow with blues, pinks, whites, reds, and yellows. He stared in awe at the sight and a new resolve bloomed inside his chest. Jared wanted nothing more than to leave his confines and frolic in the endless fauna.

Jared returned to the stone he used to sit. What was he to do? Neither option assuredly promised his freedom—while preserving his life. So, how was he supposed to escape? As he sat, he wondered if there were any other bricks old enough to crumble. He feared what destroying the wall would mean for his safety, but what else was Jared to do?

He paced around the enclosure and spotted seven other bricks within his reach. Most were too high for Jared to touch. It seemed that the crumbling bricks sat next to newer ones. An odd reality as he assumed the bricks had deteriorated due to their age. That must not be the case.

He stopped in front of the closest crumbling brick. Would the rest of the wall fall if he destroyed the bricks? He knew it hadn’t happened the first time, but who’s to say it wouldn’t happen now? Another clatter of bricks.

Frustrated, Jared reached out and dissolved the brick. It disappeared and offered the same gaze into the endless green. And, most importantly, the wall didn’t fall. It didn’t even tremble. Without second thought, fearing more bricks would be added if he did, Jared rushed to the other six and tapped them, crumbling them to dust.

The walls stood when he finished, unwavering. And he sat himself back onto the small center stone. The new holes streamed light in from the outside, illuminating the cage with beams of a peaceful glow. When the work was done, it struck Jared that there was nothing left to do. His one opportunity ended, leaving him back at the start. He gazed into one of the holes and stared, listless, into the fields beyond. His motivations dimmed and the sight that once brought him vigor, twisted into a familiar hopelessness. Another clatter of bricks…

but which lacked with volume, as if less bricks landed on top. Jared gazed upwards at the light in the infinite ceiling in confusion. And as he returned his gaze back to the meadow, he notice the view became opaque. In mere moments, the space coagulated and with a soft pop, another fresh brick appeared in its place.

Wide-eyed, Jared’s eyes darted to another hole and heard the same pop. Another brick that blocked his view to the outside. Jared hopped from his stone and rushed to another hole. But before he got there, another pop filled its place with a fresh brick. Panicked, he pivoted and raced to another spot in desperation. Five other small pops followed in quick succession and Jared watched in horror as the last window of opportunity congealed into a stone brick.