Amnesis by _db
The human stood before the gods, silently waiting for their judgement. Far above they sat in a semicircular assembly, emanating a soft glow of ethereality. After a moment, the bailiff rose from his seat and swung a club against an enormous bronze gong, signaling the time had come for the verdict. It unfurled a scroll, and its voice boomed.
The court has come to a decision!
The human swallowed, her throat dry.
It is the consensus of the nonad to declare that the defendant, and the kind that she represents, have violated the permissions of existence. They have not merely crossed the threshold, but have far exceeded it. The proper course of action is immediate elimination from existence.
The bailiff paused, allowing the pronouncement to echo across the chamber, gradually growing fainter until it was gone. The human had forgotten to breathe and suddenly inhaled and blinked, the world coming back into focus.
The defendant will be given a final audience, the bailiff resumed. It hit the gong once more.
The human glanced down and furrowed her brow, before raising her eyes to the gods and speaking.
“For what reasons has the court for their decision?” she whispered.
The gods remained motionless, their silver eyes affixed on her position, unblinking. The bailiff turned its head towards the being at the center. It spoke in the same voice.
Your kind is poisonous to the equilibrium of the universe.
The human waited for more, but the being was silent.
“Surely a few bad apples do not spoil the entire batch!” she exclaimed.
An identical voice answered her from the left.
It is far from a few. Regardless, given enough time, every member of the batch will grow rotten. Your mortality limits the opportunity you have to attain that degree of corruption. The decay comes not from without but within. The worm is embedded at the core, from the very beginning.
Another continued from the right.
If one is to eliminate the worm, one must first cut open its host. But the parasite within you is so conjoined that such a surgery is impossible. There is no longer a distinction; you and the parasite are one. No other option is available.
“But there is much good in us! We are not as bad as you think!”
Your naivety is a symptom of a total ignorance of your own nature. The good rises higher than the bad only because it is worth less. You speak of a balance when there is none. The scale has been broken and it is beyond repair.
“Give us another chance, please! We can be better! We will be better!” the human begged.
You will not be, because you cannot be.
“Are children so evil that they deserve to be killed?”
Killing implies an action taken in time, and a memory of your existence possessed by those who remain. We will not kill your kind. We will expunge it from existence. All will return to balance and all will be clean. Like a statue crushed back into clay, there will be no remnants of what you were. You will no longer have happened.
The cosmic immensity of this statement made the human shiver. Suddenly a dreadful thought crept into her mind and she wondered how many times this same situation had happened before.
As if reading her thoughts, one of the gods spoke.
The question is meaningless. Without a reference point, time is empty. There is no again. When something is forgotten, it is not gone. It never was.
She gulped, and pondered the memory of doing so. Already she had forgotten what it sounded like. She fixated on it, as if by sheer will alone she could resuscitate it, but it was lost in the tomb of time, like a wave rejoining the sea.
Time is nothing without a memory of it.
The human squeezed her eyes closed and clenched her jaw. Thoughts raced in her head as she desperately searched for something to say. But there was nothing to be said. The human dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face, mouth agape, moaning.
The court will proceed with the sentence, the bailiff announced, and the god in the center stood and began to speak.
Amnesis is the salvation of the universe.
The other gods rose and began chanting in unison.
Amnesis is the salvation of the universe.
The chamber began to dim and she heard a soft whine that seemed to come from all directions.
Amnesis is the salvation of the universe.
The bailiff struck the gong once more. The whine grew louder, the walls around the human continued to darken. She screamed in an unrestrained eruption of pure terror.
Amnesis is the salvation of the universe.
She was paralyzed in fear, transfixed by the lucidity of her own imminent annihilation. The whine grew to an abominable pitch. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared into the darkness, clutching her soul.
AMNESIS IS THE SALVATION OF THE UNIVERSE.
All at once her fear disappeared and with it the recognition that it had.
The court has come to a decision!
The human swallowed, her throat dry.
It is the consensus of the nonad to declare that the defendant, and the kind that she represents, have violated the permissions of existence. They have not merely crossed the threshold, but have far exceeded it. The proper course of action is immediate elimination from existence.
The bailiff paused, allowing the pronouncement to echo across the chamber, gradually growing fainter until it was gone. The human had forgotten to breathe and suddenly inhaled and blinked, the world coming back into focus.
The defendant will be given a final audience, the bailiff resumed. It hit the gong once more.
The human glanced down and furrowed her brow, before raising her eyes to the gods and speaking.
“For what reasons has the court for their decision?” she whispered.
The gods remained motionless, their silver eyes affixed on her position, unblinking. The bailiff turned its head towards the being at the center. It spoke in the same voice.
Your kind is poisonous to the equilibrium of the universe.
The human waited for more, but the being was silent.
“Surely a few bad apples do not spoil the entire batch!” she exclaimed.
An identical voice answered her from the left.
It is far from a few. Regardless, given enough time, every member of the batch will grow rotten. Your mortality limits the opportunity you have to attain that degree of corruption. The decay comes not from without but within. The worm is embedded at the core, from the very beginning.
Another continued from the right.
If one is to eliminate the worm, one must first cut open its host. But the parasite within you is so conjoined that such a surgery is impossible. There is no longer a distinction; you and the parasite are one. No other option is available.
“But there is much good in us! We are not as bad as you think!”
Your naivety is a symptom of a total ignorance of your own nature. The good rises higher than the bad only because it is worth less. You speak of a balance when there is none. The scale has been broken and it is beyond repair.
“Give us another chance, please! We can be better! We will be better!” the human begged.
You will not be, because you cannot be.
“Are children so evil that they deserve to be killed?”
Killing implies an action taken in time, and a memory of your existence possessed by those who remain. We will not kill your kind. We will expunge it from existence. All will return to balance and all will be clean. Like a statue crushed back into clay, there will be no remnants of what you were. You will no longer have happened.
The cosmic immensity of this statement made the human shiver. Suddenly a dreadful thought crept into her mind and she wondered how many times this same situation had happened before.
As if reading her thoughts, one of the gods spoke.
The question is meaningless. Without a reference point, time is empty. There is no again. When something is forgotten, it is not gone. It never was.
She gulped, and pondered the memory of doing so. Already she had forgotten what it sounded like. She fixated on it, as if by sheer will alone she could resuscitate it, but it was lost in the tomb of time, like a wave rejoining the sea.
Time is nothing without a memory of it.
The human squeezed her eyes closed and clenched her jaw. Thoughts raced in her head as she desperately searched for something to say. But there was nothing to be said. The human dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face, mouth agape, moaning.
The court will proceed with the sentence, the bailiff announced, and the god in the center stood and began to speak.
Amnesis is the salvation of the universe.
The other gods rose and began chanting in unison.
Amnesis is the salvation of the universe.
The chamber began to dim and she heard a soft whine that seemed to come from all directions.
Amnesis is the salvation of the universe.
The bailiff struck the gong once more. The whine grew louder, the walls around the human continued to darken. She screamed in an unrestrained eruption of pure terror.
Amnesis is the salvation of the universe.
She was paralyzed in fear, transfixed by the lucidity of her own imminent annihilation. The whine grew to an abominable pitch. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared into the darkness, clutching her soul.
AMNESIS IS THE SALVATION OF THE UNIVERSE.
All at once her fear disappeared and with it the recognition that it had.
Comments (34)
Reading this at the same time as watching 'Some Like It Hot'. Totally surreal.
Imagining Marilyn Monroe as the accused, complete with quivering lips and hips no longer swaying.
Standing in judgement before 9 gods; all as one on high. They are absolutely neutralised. Left, centre and right; all the same - an unmoving, unthinking arc. Hardened statues with silvery, staring eyes.
Quoting Baden
Great description :fire:
Humanity on trial but already judged and found guilty and unworthy.
Here, we have a solitary female figure; taking the fall for the Fall.
Eve begs...
Quoting Baden
Humans are mortal and it is their own fault. They had their chance and Marilyn blew it.
The inner poison can't be cut out; wormectomy not an option. The bad has overwhelmed any good.
A lack of balance upsets the Universe. Whatever you do, don't upset the Universe.
All must be as One.
No colourful, crying cut-outs catered for. Obey or else...
Quoting Baden
Chilling logic of a kind but not kind. Weighed and found wanting.
It's OK though... cos...no killing involved...only 'expunged from existence'. Phew.
Quoting Baden
Creation of life from clay. Humans animated from the inanimate by what means...a God ?
I need wiki for memory refreshment:
Quoting Wiki: Creation of Life From Clay
The Myth. The original sci-fi story written by men for men.
But we were never meant to be stone, perfectly formed statues - were we...?
Perhaps toys to be played with in an RPG.
The source of this short story ?
A naturally unnatural progression of the human race...without spirit.
Something to think about but scary as hell. Hell.
Hell hath no fury. It can't. It's a concept. As is 'Amnesis'. The wiping of memory and life as we know it.
Our worst nightmare. Thanks for that :naughty:
The gods wish to control the Universe. They have desire. And hate. And fear the humanity of humans.
With Great Power comes Responsibility. What kind of balance exists where resistance is futile ?
The robotic chant increases in frequency and sound until...
Quoting Baden
Easy, no pain. A chilling end.
But some like it hot...
Marilyn is through with love.
Not so Mr. Osgood, the millionaire, who is on fire for 'Daphne' ( Jerry in disguise as a woman)
Wiki again:
''Nobody's perfect''.
And that is how it is. Deal with it. Begone dull gods. Be. Gone.
----
A captivating and stirring tale, even if sci-fi ain't my bag :wink:
The stories we tell...to know we are not alone...
Well done, dear author :sparkle:
Good work. I would read more by this author, despite my taste-driven misgivings.
Quoting Amity
:lol:
Yes. Possibly a bit paternalistic with a hint of misogyny.
Nevertheless, thought-provoking and emotion stirring.
Very well done indeed :sparkle:
I think that might be unfair. At least, I don't think that was intended. I'm not sure.
The conservatism I see is the notion of "the equilibrium of the universe", i.e., the status quo, which appears to be presented uncritically.
I agree. However, it's worth considering the character choice; the ensuing emotions and pleas.
There's a tendency in films and stories to make females the victims.
In Scandi-Noir - it might reflect what is happening in reality. Femicide.
Quoting GlobalCitizen: Femicide
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-is-femicide-everything-you-need-to-know/
Would this story have worked the same if it had been a male at the centre of attention ?
I doubt it.
Is it more thrilling to see a woman suffer ?
Well, of course - a woman can represent humanity but that doesn't mean misogyny can't be present.
Just like Trump can say he's not a racist because he hires a black man/woman.
I don't assume much about an author but you're right.
I admit that some writing feels more female/male.
Even though I know that different perspectives can be written well by either... or more.
I think this genre appeals more to males. I could well be wrong
Does that make me a sexist eejit ? :scream:
Absolutely :grin:
Tempted to do the :razz:
But no, I must remember.
I am an :halo: not a :rage:
What was I saying...where am I...who are you ?
Quoting Baden
Like why not mention she had a butterfly tattoo (or something majestic like a lion) and then she ended up being turned into said creature instead "living her best life". That'd be nice.
This is quite wrong. Amnesis is the salvation of the universe because it is thus freed from the biased, warped web of recorded memory or history (including all traditions and social hierarchies).
I think they only represent balance, if that makes sense.
I concur! :party:
Btw, good allegory for divine judgment and TPF bannings.
Kind of like frances' political policies/religion on not having religion...Think I get it.
The nature of a story is anamnesic. There’s no way around that. There’s also no way to conceive the universe without imposing some kind of structure. At core, conservatism is about fiercely holding on to the story and structure rather than readily letting it go, which is anamnesic.
The God of tits and wine would be condemned by the nonad just as freely as the Gods who are vicious cunts because the nonad doesn’t care about good & evil or pain and pleasure. Only we care.
Quoting Amity
Well. Turns out I do assume quite a bit about an author.
This story lark has been quite the revelation.
Loving it :fire:
Yeah, I don't know why I didn't join in last time.
You and others' increased input has made all the difference.
Perhaps it's just a case of having more time...and seeing the value ?
Dunno.
But thanks anyway to everybody :100:
The need for a trial at all by the gods/mods of balance which carry the great solution of amnesis is completely unnecessary. The nonad gets off from this theatre. They do not forget. They frighten to feel something. This is a sham trial, like an auto-da-fe.
The nonad needs a taste of their own medicine. Shout back: "Amnesis is the salvation of the nonad."
This is a victory on her part, I believe. Conviction to the bitter end. She was fighting to the last moment.
A consolation to the readers.
In our eradication we save the universe?! Almost flattering, in my opinion. A most noble sacrifice...
So are the nonad the ultimate nazi’s of the universe or what?
I had a few of things in mind when writing this piece. One is that logic can be cruel even if it seems irrefutable. The nonad were not supposed to be space Nazis but more like emotionless, amoral beings that seem cruel from the human perspective but are simply doing what they are meant to do (sort of like Lovecraftian deities). I also wanted to explore what it means to be a part of history, what it means if the only thing real is the present moment, and if it is intelligible to say that something happened if there is no record or memory of it happening.
@Amity provided excellent criticism of my story by pointing out elements that could be seen as misogynistic, especially with their comment that it may be more thrilling to see a woman suffer than a man. My conscious intent was to subvert traditional storytelling by having a woman stand as the final representation for humanity (instead of a man), however I may have subconsciously used sexist tropes regardless. Thanks very much @Amity for your perspective, it gave me a lot to think about :up:
Yes, that came through very well:
Quoting Amity
Quoting _db
Ah yes. This has real moment repercussions.
The re-telling of stories as if events hadn't happened or were less horrific than portrayed.
Lies. Fake news. Denial.
The non-telling of history as previously well-documented. The lack of education...knowledge...
The omission of the role of 'lesser' others in science or technology.
We don't have to look far...
Quoting _db
Now I understand! How intriguing is this?
An author's conscious and subconscious in action as they imagine and tell a story.
Logic and reasoning in full awareness combined with attitudes/ instincts of which not fully aware.
This short story competition has helped me examine my own assumptions.
All perspectives from the writers and readers have been so interesting and thought-provoking.
Thanks again :sparkle: