Vernon Wright - November ?, 2008 (II)

Never knows best…

 === Credits ===
Produced by Halfwit Podcasts ( https://www.HalfwitPodcasts.com ).
Written by Matt Spaziani ( https://vocal.media/authors/matt-spaziani ).
Vernon Wright is voiced by Jonathan Swenson ( https://www.jgswenson.com ).
Based on the journal role-playing game "The Machine" by Adira & Fen Slattery ( https://adira.itch.io/the-machine ).  

Music and sound effects used with Zapsplat Gold, and Ghosthack Music licenses.    

Transcript

My machine is failing.

Not the Machine. The Machine is perfect. Even out here, in this existence of permanent cold and moisture and hunger, it is a sublime creation that can do no wrong. It does not matter if I’ve heard the Music once or a thousand times. When played properly, it echoes within me and brings light to the black places of my mind.

No, the machine that is failing is me.

The joints ache. The limbs shake. The orifices ooze snot and spit and once I think I saw blood. The food from my old apartment lasted a few days and then the empty spot in its stomach grew into a roaring pit. The work became harder, the cranking became tiresome, and the Music…the Music became lower. Darker. It became something that it was not supposed to be. It did not fill me with light.

My machine is dying.

The rats do not help. They do not forgive. Each day they edge closer and closer to my shelter, to the wood that breaks and the leaves that leak. Each day my body works less and each day more rats come. There are dozens of them now, and I don’t know which one is NIgel. I don’t know which one is my friend. I don’t know. I don’t know.

I am alone.

My body can barely lift the limbs of the Machine, the wood that does not break. It walks with slow, stumbling steps. If it cannot move, it cannot tune the Machine. And if it cannot tune the Machine, then I cannot perfect the Music.

I am thinking of returning to the city, but I no longer know the way. I check my surroundings through fading vision and I see trees, shrubs, plants, trees, mushrooms, branches, snow. The path that I took to get here has long been destroyed by the rain.

I am alone.

And I am afraid.

If I do not eat, my machine will die. And if my machine dies, the Machine will never be complete.

I must eat.

The rats sense something is wrong. There is still daylight, yet I sit in my shelter, writing. They come closer. They have pushed pieces of the Machine towards me, pieces that I have not connected yet. They want me to work. Their eyes are dark and merciless. I could wait until night to leave, but that will do nothing. That will be worse. There are so many of them. There will always be some awake, small sentries to a large purpose.

But my machine is not up for that large purpose. It needs help. It needs food.

After I finish writing this, I will begin the trek back to the city. I don’t know how far I will get, or even if I will be going in the right direction. I will take this journal and one piece of the Machine that the rats have brought near here. I will keep it in my pocket and rub it like the old days. The rats might see it as a sign that I intend to come back. Or they could see it as stealing. I don’t know what they will do. Maybe they’ll attack me two feet out of this shelter, their teeth ripping into my flesh before I’ve reached the edge of the clearing. Maybe they’ll just follow me. Maybe I will need to run.

Maybe…maybe Nigel will break off and come with me. I hope he does.

I am alone.

Off I go.

 "This Machine Belongs to" is a production of Halfwit Podcasts. This episode was written by Matt Spaziani. Vernon Wright is voiced by Jonathan Swenson. Based on the journaling game "The Machine" by Adira and Fen Slattery.

If you'd like to support our endless toil with the machine or listen to our other podcasts, visit HalfwitPodcasts.com, or find specific links in the show notes of each episode. 

Lastly, the most efficient way to build The Machine is by telling friends of its importance in our once meaningless lives. Some day, This Machine could belong to you.