cale and antioco

[note: rough draft]

the night was young, and as it grew, it breathed a heavy fog into the park. all the park’s visitors had retreated for the evening, save for two unacquainted souls whose wearying wanderings had drug them into a deep doze. upon waking from their opposing benches and realizing each other’s presence from their respective grunts and creakings (as the fog was too thick to see through even the six feet that separated them), one cast a greeting into the gray.

“eh, who’s there?”

“name’s cale.” he stretched stiffly. “i seem to have dozed a bit too long. i’ll be going, officer. my apologies.”

“hmph,” the other voice grunted. “i’m no officer. name’s antioco. been dozing across the way.”

“oh.” cale stood and stretched again. “by your voice i could not tell.”

antioco grunted again. “do you know the way out? i can’t see a thing.”

“i can’t see either. but i can feel the path beneath my shoes. maybe we can feel it to the gate.”

antioco only grunted in response. spending the rest of the night asleep on the bench was of greater appeal, but instead he found himself walking alongside his invisible companion. cale walked cautiously but swiftly, relying on the feel of gravel beneath his feet to guide him. the path often turned, and unable to see for the fog, they would find themselves suddenly on plush grass or in a muddy puddle before stepping backwards and side to side until once more they could distinguish where the path was directed. the night grew on with an ever darker fog, and the path continued to weave.

“i should have stayed at the bench,” antioco muttered. “i can’t feel the path anymore.”

“maybe your soles are too thick. just follow me. i believe the gate is nearby.”

“you’ve been saying that for hours. how do you know there even is a gate?”

cale heard antioco’s footsteps stop but still he trod on. “i heard people in the park discussing it.”

“well, they lied.”

“we won’t know if we don’t look.”

cale’s footsteps were growing weaker in antioco’s ears, and with another grunt, he trudged to follow the noise until its audibility confirmed cale’s nearness. “i still say they lied. what will you give me if i’m right? i’ll bet you ten…”

“shh.” cale had stopped moving, but antioco did not stop to listen and moved past cale, only to collide with what appeared to be a solid metal wall. he stumbled back with one hand on his brow and hobbled about as he tried to caress the pain out of his knee with the other.

“why didn’t you tell me there was a wall there?” antioco muttered. “bloody hell. that hurt. you miserable, conniving—“

“shh,” cale repeated, running his hands along the moist metal. “i believe this is the gate.”

antioco paused in his grumblings. “i knew that! now you think i’m an idiot, too, eh? of course this is the gate! now move so i can open it and we can leave this place.”

cale paused in his fingertip searching. “i don’t think we can open it from this side.”

“of course we can! don’t you know how to open a gate? idiot! move.”

cale stepped to the right and continued to feel about the gate, listening to the repeated hammering and clanging as antioco failed again and again to force the gate open.

“antioco, wait.” the pounding continued, more forceful with every tug and blow.

“no. i can do this. i’ll show you. i can make this gate open.”

cale’s fingers came to rest on a small box embedded in the wall next to the gate. he could feel the round call button at its center.

“antioco, I believe we just have to call out. the keeper can open the gate for us from the other side.” his smile was hidden in the fog.

“no,” antioco grunted. “i can do this.”

“i’m not doubting your strength, but i don’t think you can. it doesn’t look like it can open like that.”

still antioco did not relent. “you can’t even see the gate. why should i believe you?”

antioco’s pounding and scraping grew louder. it now sounded as though he was using a fallen tree branch to hammer at the gate. with each blow, his grunting grew heavier, his breath more weary.

cale sighed and pressed the button. no sooner had it indented into its casing, cale heard the slightest noise of a well-oiled hinge opening to his right. feeling his way along the wall, he found the opening where a small door had been, and beyond it, a fogless sunrise. excitement welled within him to run toward it.

“antioco, look! this is the way out! come now, we’re free!”

but antioco never turned from his work trying to open the larger gate. cale called to him more loudly, but still he did not respond. with a sigh, cale turned back toward the open door and, leaving it open behind him, he began to run toward the morning light.

but he could still hear antioco’s pounding against the larger gate, and so he turned back to let him in. yet when he came to the gate, he found he could not open it himself. so he rushed back to where the small door had been, only to find it shut the same way as before.

“antioco! press the call button! i can’t open the gate for you!”

antioco’s only response was a steady beating against the large gate, unrelenting in his effort. and still the gate did not budge.