Entry to this week’s Friday Fictioners! Image courtesy of Sean Fallon.
“Tis a waste”, Abaddon exclaimed. “So much potential, only to be bottled up and cast into the depths. It rotted him from within.”
“Indeed, avarice turned him foul and his demeanor acidic. A miser he fell with the passage of time, the enemy that could not be preserved.”
“A gilded cage would not staunch such decay. Did he take his wealth to his grave?”
“No, a change of heart transpired by death’s door. He gave his majority to the orphanage.”
“Ah, so he realized but moments late. A saint he would have been. No soul can be caged.”
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Snapshot Vignettes 
Wow. Sounds like something from a victorian novel….. very nicely written.
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Thanks. Didn’t know the language was similar to the Victorian era. Will need to catch up on my reading!
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Beautifully written — Dickensian in tone, it seems to me. (I’m reading Oliver Twist to my daughter right now, so my head goes there immediately).
I love the analogies connecting him to battery acid. Oh, and this line is stunning: “A miser he fell with the passage of time, the enemy that could not be preserved.”
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Appreciated. My initial associations were along the lines of the trappings of a hoarder, whether be money, time, or stuff. Extending this to a person’s soul or spirit seemed natural.
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What an intriguing dialogue. I didn’t expect the ending – but I like it. Tragic that he changed so late, but I like your thought about caging souls. Lots to think about here.
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Thanks. The story made me consider how free the inner lives of different people really are. If safety meant a cage or a self-imposed exile, does it do injustice to the soul?
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At least he had a change of heart, even if it was right at the end. I liked the “voice” you used.
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Better to change late than not at all. I’m reminded of Ebenezer Scrooge. Well done.
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Scrooge indeed. I was partially inspired by the Christmas carol.
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I like the description of how he builds his cage by not letting go of all these posessions until very late. Great voice.
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Yep. One’s possessions may wind up owning you; the image of a gilded cage comes to mind. Hoarding seems symptomatic of such a consumerist mindset.
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