THE CITY OF BURDEN
AND OF THE BURDENED
ASK THE KEEPER ABOUT HERSELF.
“Please,
You’ve done so much for me,
Who are you?”
The mask stares back at you
Expectant silence hangs
“I am of Burden
I studied at the Medical Faculty.”
“But, what is your name?”
Your Keeper hesitates
“You know the rules.”
And with that
The slat closes
And you are alone
More alone than before
Bitter pointlessness
And nagging doubt
It’s getting hard to breathe
The sun is setting out your window
From your bed you watch it passing
You try to focus on its dimming light
To remind yourself that you’re alive
That this is not a dream
That things will get better
Suddenly the slat opens
Eyes appear
Her voice rings out with vitality of purpose
“Kishta.”
And then she is gone again
Silence fills the chamber
You’ve never known a Kishta before
At this moment
It seems the sweetest name you’ve ever heard
And it echoes through your chamber