That Ending Though - Tumblr Posts
Hopefully my middle school self would be happy with this đź’•
Books Read in 2021: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
"I see now that the path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being—one of many ways—and knowing the paths I have followed and the ones left to take will help me understand what I am becoming."
For the longest time, Whumpee was absolutely convinced Caretaker had beautiful red hair.
Every time they pictured Caretaker, that was the first thing that came to mind, even years into their captivity. Faces of other friends gradually faded as time went on, specific memories of Caretaker started to blur at the edges, but even when Whumpee's own name occasionally slipped their tongue after being only addressed with Whumper's nicknames, they never forgot Caretaker's face. Their smile, their laugh, the crinkle in their eyes, their stunning red hair -- it was always a picture perfect comfort for Whumpee to dream of.
So imagine their confusion when one day, either out of a rare bit of kindness to reward Whumpee for good behavior or because Whumper wanted to twist the emotional knife a little deeper, Whumper gifts them a picture of their beloved Caretaker. It's an older picture, naturally, as it had been many months (years, even?) since Whumpee had seen that familiar face but Caretaker looks...different. Off. It's still the same warm smile, the same soft features, but their hair isn't right.
It isn't red. It's blonde.
But that can't be right. Whumpee knows for a fact it's red, they can always see it so crystal clear in their memory when they envision Caretaker. This has to be another psychological trick by Whumper to make them think they've gone crazy, making them think they've forgotten their only source of comfort in captivity, and they won't fall victim to their tactic!
Red hair, are you sure? Whumper asks, almost as surprised as Whumpee for misremembering such an important person in their miserable life. Caretaker never had red hair, not even a box dye, it had always been a light, golden blonde. Oh, Whumpee, you're getting yourself all confused again.
No, Caretaker had red hair, Whumpee insists.
Yes, the last time you saw them, perhaps. The last time they saw Caretaker was however long ago, weeks, months, years, just before Whumper had snatched them away to this new hell. They didn't like remembering that night, frankly they didn't like remember any nights during their captivity, but even less so the night that they had to leave Caretaker's side forever. Even after all this time, with one simple trigger from Whumper, the event came flooding back to Whumpee in an electric rush.
They remembered crying out for Caretaker before the gag was shoved in their mouth, they remember the throb in their shoulders as their arms were yanked behind their back to be bound with zipties at the wrist, and they remember the wind being knocked out of their chest when they were hefted over Whumper's shoulder to be stolen away. They remember the tears that stung their eyes from the dizzying, upside down angle, they remember the disarray Caretaker's once tidy home was now in--
--and they remember Whumper stepping over Caretaker's broken body, glassy eyes staring up and past Whumpee, with a dark pool of blood spreading out from under them, soaking into their blonde strands until the locks were matted red.