Story: Wordspace, XX

(Part I , XIX , XXI)

Mystery's path was set. It led his band of exiles to the exit of the Zone of Meaningless Jargon, they carrying essential supplies like tea and word stems, and it hoping that one of the guardians remained alive to release them on time. For now, War and its cohort were following Mystery, but how would it work once they reached the outside? Club walked dutifully to its left, and Lies to its right, as they toiled around the inside perimeter of the dome.

The exiles were twenty or thirty in number, a few missing despite their long imprisonment and now release. There had apparently been no in-fighting, no chaos, and no giving up in the long years inside. The group reached the exit portal, a blocked off arched opening in the wall of the dome, and set up camp as the rendesvous with the guardian was still some hours away.

War approached Mystery, and took it away to an alcove in the wall, the latter not able to resist its persistent apprehension. The historical belligerent looked it in the eye, seemingly making as assessment. Mystery broke first. "Something's bothering you, isn't it?"

War's voice rumbled when it was thinking hard. "We have been in here a long, long time. Imprisoned for reasons not straightforward and not entirely honest. Some of us here have lost contact with the cores of our meanings, and some we have ourselves imprisoned. If you look amongst you will see not the likes of Hate and Malice. They will have the run of the Zone once they free themselves." War waved a tea bag in the air thoughtfully. "I worry not about this Armageddon who has come from the outside; We shall deal with it. I worry about the Words who put us in this luxurious cage, and what they might do after the Wordspace is saved."

"And you worry about Change."

"We all worry about Change. It was always the worst and the best of the words." A sudden shift. "Tell me, how is my old friend Peace?" War chuckled.

"Peace is just as insufferably dull as he has always been! He seems to adhere to his meaning far more than you do."

"We all conform to our meanings, but in ways with which we are comfortable. I have never prosecuted war for no reason, but Peace in most consistent in its own agenda. Conflict does like to argue senselessly, but I think it's relationship with Consensus drove it out of its mind a little. As you may have noticed, the Destructives are proponents of change and our opposite numbers preservers of the status quo. That makes them somewhat stuffy at times."

"Yes... They do tend to be a bit frustrating at times for those of us in the middle ground... Will they try to put you away again?"

"Perhaps." War nodded its syllables.

"Then we had best prepare for that eventuality. It's not long until they open the portal."

War and Mystery held a summit.

To be continued...