Featured in 2021 Spring Issue of Rambunctious
Deity's Conversation Charlie Miller, '22 Do you see him? Who? Him, the child, walking around the small school. The kid who’s getting pushed around? The weakling? The weakling, as you refer to him, is much stronger than you think. Just as though he is pushed around, he deals with much worse than us. They deal with more than us? He’s a child. We have to look over this weakling while he gets pushed around? It’s ludicrous. You call this ludicrous yet you aren’t requesting to leave. You chose to guard this child just as I did. Punishment. What? This is a punishment. The last one took a gun up the roof of their mouth. I didn’t do a good job. Well, then, if this is punishment, I feel offended. You’re working with me, the last person you ended up with you failed to protect. Perhaps this is training then. Training? For protecting idiots? Humans are failures, they wreck the world. They do indeed wreck the world, but it isn’t our problem. This is a simple job we’re required to do. Why, even? A human is an animal, a dog would be more interesting to protect. I prefer cats, honestly. Ah, one of those angels. A simple conundrum we could work out in the meantime. For now, maybe we make this weakling fight back? His books are on the floor and he’s in tears while the dominant walk away with pride. They’re weaklings too. They can’t be. They take no hits, no damage. For being an angel, you aren’t so wise. I don’t see that being the measure of strength. They get it from hurting another. Just as monkeys and wolves fight for territory and mates. Humans are complex. They aren’t a simple animal as you call them. They’re worse, then. Monsters. They kill the world they inhabit like a virus. Indeed. They are a virus. But they also have minds, they don’t always inhibit. Take, for example, the kind girl who picked up our child on the floor. She didn’t care that he was knocked down. No, she takes pity. A pathetic feeling anyway. Not helpful, just a feeling reserved for when a less powerful animal falls in combat. Well, pity can be powerful. The pity for animals with wet eyes glancing up on a small TV screen. The pity for those who as you call “less dominant,” those with no homes. They create organizations, they adopt those animals, they donate. They have pathetic pity and give it to random idiots. No class whatsoever. So clearly this is punishment. Not because you failed the man with the muzzle on his mouth. But because you put the muzzle there. How? The child hears when you talk to him. You whispered those hopeless opinions to him. He wrenched the gun up his mouth, And was shot in the head. You idiot. I didn’t hurt that man at all. He couldn’t handle those thoughts. Sure, we’re the voice in their heads, their “Guardian Angels.” But that’s not how life works. It was his choice. What if you didn’t agree with him? Honestly, a little “You can do this” goes a long way. You fed him the wrong food, and he choked. So what about this kid? He hears our arguments? We’re a massive conflict in his head. Indeed, we are. That’s why we need to not jeopardize this. This kid could change the world. He’s just like everyone else. Nothing special. He’s gonna go through school, go to college, Get an office job, retire, die. Stupid idea, my friend. He could be one of very few. He could make music everyone likes. He could save animals. He could talk someone out of suicide. He could cause the start of a revolution for rights. He could be anyone he wants to. Sounds like Disney. Childish. There’s a reason “special” is a word that means “exclusive.” He couldn’t do more if he tried. But he could.