“Sitting beside Elisabeth are the twins, Gaab and Gabriel.”Next to the manic girl is a young boy, huddling in a black sweater,on his head a giant pair of glasses resides, the glass made up ofa hundred tiny hexagons. He looks to be around 14-years old. Hesmirks at Azalea with a mischievous smile. Right by his side is anadult man, in the same sweater, however, two hoods are additionallyattached to it. Despite the massive size of the clothing, Azalea couldat first glance see how anorexically thin he is by staring at hisfamished features. He did not meet Azalea’s gaze, instead staringinto his empty plate. At first Azalea thought the twins remark wasmerely a joke considering their clothing, but as she deciphers theirfeatures, she realizes they share overtly many.“And then there’s Luc- no, excuse me my dear, did not notice thecostume change, there’s Lilith.”Opposite of him sat a woman, draped in the most beautiful, blondehair Azalea had ever seen. She is applying make-up, the lipstickviciously painting her plumb lips, and with a delicate finger, sheerases the excess. Once her gaze is ripped from the mirror, shenotices Azalea’s gaze and she winks at her.“Of course, can’t forget our dear Ma-”“It’s Wary now,” the girl interjects.“Wary, right.”The final guest is a young girl, her hair a concoction of the blackestblack and brightest red, matching her garments. Azalea couldsense the adolescence of her, the girl’s attitude conveying as much,as she deliberately avoided Azalea’s gaze, everybody’s gaze for thatmatter. She plays with a suspiciously sharp pick.“And finally, Sarah.”The picture which previously was turned now stood in the emptychair atop what seems like a speaker. The woman in the picture hasradiant, brown hair, braided in breathtaking patterns, tied with apink bow. But what radiance that lacked is in her eyes, no sparkcan be found within them.“As you can surmise, she could not attend. She has…a conditionhowever…”“I’m…here. Hello, whoever is…listening,” it sputters from thespeaking beneath the frame.At first Azalea thought the speakers were of suboptimal quality, thenrealized that the sluggishness is not caused by the transmission,but by the speaker.“Now, let’s feast, for the night will be long, but the fruits we shallreap will be worth the labor,” Adam announces.Awkwardness lingers in the air, as the family starts trading platesand dishes, exchanging bare conversations and empty platitudeswith one another. The more Azalea observed them the less theyappear to be a family, more so six strangers. No one engages withAzalea, except the occasionally pinch by Elisabeth or the kissLilith would blow. Gaab and Gabriel squanders with one another,Wary attempts to burn her meat with a lighter and an occasionalstruggling moan erupts from Sarah’s radio. Finally, Adam claps hishand together:“Now that we’ve all met and feel ready for the challenges to come,it’s finally time to provide our dear Azalea with some answers.”Azalea leans forward in her chair, before realizing the impoliteimplications and retreats back.“We do possess the power which you seek. But, this power is notmerely just for resurrection, quite frankly, it is so much more. Andbefore relinquishing it, we, the family Alighieri must determineif you are worthy of it. How do you prove your worth? Simple.Everyone here has a precious possession, retrieve it from them,and I shall grant you passage to the resting place of the power youdesire. If you want to resign from this trial, you are free to do so atany time. Have I made myself clear?”The entire dinner table turns towards Azalea, a grin plastered oneveryone’s faces. The boiling in her gut occasionally releases asputter of searing pain, but she clenches her teeth, finding comfortin her hopes, for within those rules, is the safety she needed. Anexact description of the power she needs, the power she must find,not merely the resurrection of her hopes.But the resurrection of her mother.“Yes, all is understood. If that is what you demand of me, I will doit, I promise,” she responds, some of her words shaking underneaththe pressure of her counterfeit resolution.“Perfect,” Adam says and with a simple snap, the family disappears.All that is needed, is to retrieve the family’s possessions. She wouldpersuade every single one of them. Suddenly, it all becomes morefeasible, a goal which is obtainable. For what had once been obscuredreams and promises are now real objectives, all which Azalea isdetermined to overcome. Adam walks slowly around the table untilhe has completely closed the space between him and Azalea.“You may attempt to persuade them, but some of the family will notrelinquish their possession with ease. No, perhaps persuasion willnot work at all on them,” he says.Then, he leans in, closing any empty space between his face andAzalea’s ear:“I will not judge your methods of retrieval, what matters to me isyour acquirement of the possessions. Simply put, if you feel it’s theonly way, I will not stop you.Even if you have to kill them.”Continues in November...14
Svar— og —vinnSvar påstudiestartundersøkelsen,vinn billetter tilPalmesus!Alle førsteårsstudenterved UiA får tilsendtstudiestartundersøkelsen påe-post. Hvis du svarer er dumed i trekningen av billetter tilPalmesus og gavekort på kinoog i SiAs kantiner.OCTOBER 2022 UNIKUM NR 8 15
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