The Survivor
The crackling of the firewood was amplified by echoes bouncing off of the jagged walls in the cave. He sat there, hungry, tired, filthy and alone. Looking outside the gaping entrance of the cave, rain was crashing down, making chatter and echoes. The fire was big but it would get smaller. “This fire can’t die down,” thought the survivor to himself. “Now the wood outside is dampened, what am I going to do?”
The survivor sat with his knees pressed against his bony ribs, his back lacerations were finally beginning to scar and his legs were at last getting the rest they deserved. The fire was doing him well.
After what seemed like hours of brainless droning beside the fire, the survivor noticed an unfamiliar shadow on the wall in front of him. Looking up, he was surprised to see an unusually large rat.
The survivor held his daze on rat. He could see that the rat wasn’t moving. It lay still, probably seeking shelter from the heavy rain outside.
“Little vermin,” said the survivor, forcing his voice. “Come here.”
The rat wouldn’t even move. It rested, frozen in its position.
“Please, Little vermin, I mean you no harm. Come here to me,” pleaded the survivor.
Again, the rat sat, still as stone.
“Little vermin, please come here. I am all alone and lost, I have not spoken to anybody in many months. Trust me, I shall not harm you.” The survivor repositioned himself more upright, lifting his chin and giving the rat a respectable stare. The rat was staring right back into his eyes. “It must have died there,” The survivor thought to himself. Suddenly, the rat tilted its head towards the cave opening and then to the survivor.
“Why should I trust you?” Replied the rat, to the surprise of the survivor. “Why should I trust a man who has been stranded? A man who hasn’t eaten for days?”
“I am lonely,” croaked the survivor. “I have been sleeping in this cave for months and months. Little Vermin, please come to me, you have been the only one to speak to me for weeks.” The survivor’s voice was dry, but now sounding slightly livelier considering his new companion sitting across the room from him. The survivor moved his stare from the rat to the fire, dancing with the shadows all over the cave. The echoes of the raindrops occupied the silence between the conversation.
“I cannot trust a hungry man,” replied the rat.
“I will not eat you,” assured the survivor. He stood on his knees, keeping himself balanced with his arm on the wall of the cave behind him.
“How will you prove it?” Asked the rat. “I can see it in your eyes. The moment I come near, you will throw me in that fire. You will roast me and have me for dinner, I’m sure of it.” The survivor sank back down from his knees back to his familiar sitting position.
“But I cannot prove it,” said the survivor, this time sounding a bit disappointed. “I am a good honest man, but you are just a rat. You would not know about my integrity.” The survivor turned towards the fire. His interest in the rat seemed to be fading. “I suppose a companion is too much to ask for in these conditions.” The rat moved its head. Its eyes were still looking directly at the survivor. Only the fire sat between the two creatures.
“So if I am ‘just a rat,’ why would you chose me to be your companion?” The rat kept stiff. “I am, after all, ‘just a rat.’ Would you not be better off making a fantasy companion? Of a human perhaps?” The survivor turned his face to the rat with a look of confusion.
“Little vermin, I did not mean it that way,” the survivor apologized. “You are a fine looking rat. Larger than all the other rats, smarter than the rest. It would be an honor to be your companion.”
“Your compliments won’t sway me,” snapped the rat. “However trustworthy you may seem, under no circumstances will I risk becoming your meal.” The survivor sat up on his knees again.
“Little vermin, you are far too large for my fire. I am not desperate for nutrition, but I am of my sanity.” The survivor now began to stand. His tone was now starting to sound coy. “I would rather starve with a friend than starve alone.” The survivor was now fully upright. His posture had suffered from countless nights of sleeping on rough, hard cave floors. With his arms outstretched, he called for the rat, “I truly mean you no harm.”
The rat sat and stared at the protruding ribs of the man with his arms spread open. It turned more to face the fire, adjacent to the desperate survivor. “Don’t come any closer,” ordered the rat.
The survivor began to take slow steps towards the large rat. “I will not harm you,” he assured. “I will not do anything.” The survivor continued to step forward. He stopped in front of the rat, now casting a shadow over it as he stood in front of the fire. “I will stay here, and we can talk.” The survivor prepared to take another step when the rat lunged towards him, going straight for his back leg. Having not eaten for days, the survivor easily lost balance from the rat’s attack and fell into the flame sending various charred embers of firewood all across the cave. The survivor lay on his back on one side of the fire, gurgling in pain. He watched the rat sprint from beside him, out of the cave and into the forest, still pouring rain. The survivor stayed laying on the wood, ablaze, letting himself burn.
