XX - XQ - XXXX
S. Michaud
Damn that hag! Interrupting my pen just as he began to cooperate. A morning has passed since my first entry, or I assume so; the days tend to blend. What a disgrace my note must be! The paper is surely ashamed; my pen, he weeps, the poor soul. I assume, again. I refuse to read it, not wishing to disgrace myself any further. I hardly remember where I was cut off. But still, I refuse!
Do not question me, stranger! So what if there's no sense in my reason? Shame has no sense! However, there’s more besides my embarrassment. As I might have, perhaps, mentioned on the previous page, I refuse to be confined, to be bound, to be influenced—even by myself! Oh, what is a man without his will? Oh, what is my will worth?
I write “I refuse,” and yet I have no right. As long as I’m chained, I cave and conform like clay. Or else, what reason had I to stop my pen! Damn that hag, a mule of a woman. How simple can one be! Her worn, rigid voice always leaves an itch in my ear. The witch can always tell if I’ve cheeked a pill, then stuffs it down my throat. No matter how I beg and sob, she insists on closing the curtains! Those cursed, black curtains! The window!
I’ve recalled it exactly! The window, the wonderful window! It is the ticket, the key, the pass; the true entrance to true freedom! “A window? You refuse to exit through an available door, but are leaping for joy at a window?” Yes! Exactly! You’ve grown, child! I will ignore your tone; you are but a child. Listen and learn: the window is the only acceptable gate to the outside.
That being said, I must warn you, child: do not fall for the trickery of the door. The door! An accursed thing, really. How horrid; made of wood, engraved with oblongs, adorned with those wicked knobs. How iniquitous indeed! Nothing made with man's intention can be righteous, anyhow. Look at man's poor, mighty door! Man thinks himself so beyond, so enlightened, with his reason and his hands.
Ah, but I am not blind or oblivious! I do not have such bliss. No one with man's reason enters or exits a building through its window, especially if it has a door. If the window was the way, then why do we even have doors? Why isn’t everyone going through the window if it’s the right way? Father, spare me!
Simply because they—like you, stranger—are mere children who do not yet understand. They’re under the illusion that the door leads them outside, but do not know the truth, and do not grasp the full meaning of freedom. The innocence of babes! How pure, how mighty. I dream, I fantasize, I wish my mind could be like that of a child. Enough, before I upset myself! I’m off my path.
Besides the illusion of the door is the convenience of it. The door is easier to go through because of the very handle that should be avoided. The door was designed for the very purpose of going through, after all. By man's hands, no less. The door's familiarity is enough reason on its own! It’d be much too awkward, much too uncomfortable, to maneuver through the tight window. Comfort and convenience! I detest them both, for they are only synonyms for confinement.
My beloved window offers me neither! Oh, bless you! Only a lock with no key; only light and no air. How blest! My window knows my longings and still denies me. How cruel is the door that offers itself to me. My window would do no such thing! It seduces me with its view; it eludes me with its glass. How can it be! My window knows my desires and keeps them from me, and therefore, my desires are fulfilled!
Wait, beloved window; I will be fulfilled! I will take what cannot be mine! I will conquer! For only through conquering can I be fulfilled; such is the nature of my desires. I swear I will! I will conquer the window. I will conquer the outside. I will! Wait for me, window! Watch me, door! Curse you, hag! Wait, I will!
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142,267 Literary Works • 677,106 Reviews
Hello there,human! I'm reviewing using the YWS S'more Method today!
Shalt we commence with the ghastly S’more?
Top Graham Cracker - S. Michaud still wants to go through the window, but she keeps closing the curtains! He is determined, though. He will not give up.
Slightly Burnt Marshmallow - I have no recommendations to make as of right now, but if you would like to edit this, you may.
Chocolate Bar - I like that the narrator still calls us, the reader, children for thinking that he should go through the door lol. Nobody may understand him but he is determined to find true freedom by jumping through the window and thinking lowly of everyone else around him. I like the dedication!
Closing Graham Cracker - Overall, another suspenseful chapter to this story! I have enjoyed reading it and I will be certain to read other chapters to see if he makes do with jumping out the window. Now…
I wish you an amazing day/night! ^v^
Thank you for the review.
yw!
hello ADNG! i don't believe we've really interacted before? i haven't read the first letter, but i definitely will now that i've read this! all that to say, if my critiques are based in ignorance, please excuse them...
anyway, let's get into it!
i loved this!! the person writing really reminded Renfield from Dracula while reading, though they don't seem to share many qualities... i think it's the language, and my assumption that both of them are in some sort of asylum?
and the language! i loved reading this, i love the tone of it! S. Michaud (i'm assuming he's the author) does seem a bit deranged, yes... but he sure knows how to orate! it was a little confusing at times, though i'll write this off as me not having the proper context of the first letter, but incredibly entertaining! the tone did remind of the victorian english in Dracula, but with actual readability.
i don't know a lot about this character but i think his philosophies are intriguing. i couldn't help but compare him to Socrates
i'm also curious about the 'hag' (we sure started of strong...). i'm assuming she's his caretaker in some form, and he describes her very meanly. i wonder how much of it is his own irrational, if i dare, bias against her. hopefully i'll see more of her in the first letter, or in future letters?
i also find it interesting how S. Michaud anthropomorphizes things around him, ranging from pen and paper to windows and doors... though i'll admit the 'door' thing made me a little confused as to his situation. he doesn't want to use the door, because it's convenient, but he technically can? so he's not locked in? so presumably not in some sort of hospital. again, though, this is on me for not reading the first letter. if anything, it just makes me more curious about him!
overall my impression of this was very good. sometimes it confused me but the tone was consistent and fun to read. S. Michaud has tons of flavor as a character and i'm eager to know more about him. great job and thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the review. I’m glad you’re curious about his circumstances. I’ll leave that unanswered for now. There is certainly more to learn about Michaud as the letters continue.
Let’s head straight into the second chapter too :3
Oh I love this description! He’s been telling us how much he hates to write… but I do wonder if through the process of deriding the stranger last chapter, he himself found out about his window exit strategy?It’s almost zen finally really all the stuff that I wanted to read for a while now~
Hmm the beginning has changed to “XQ” now. I wonder if, when you post more chapters and the letters will keep changing, if I could decipher the meaning?
He also sounds way more conciliatory toward the utensil this time around. As if, having slept a day, he’s a bit more partial to the act of writing. Even if he doesn’t yet want to admit it.
Hmmm I guess just the presence of the nurse is enough to make him stop writing. As if he’s embarrassed for the hobby but doesn’t really want to admit that in his own thoughts, trying to rationalize that away.
Black curtains over the windows huh… I wonder if this is just another barrier to what he imagines to be his measure of escape?
I wonder if the patient might be unable to actually turn the handle, either through physical disability or bc he’s forgotten how to do it, and thinks that he might have more luck with the window?
I also quite enjoy how he tries to rationalize his window decision. I really like his perspective and the way you phrase his thoughts.
These are his private thoughts not really meant to be read by anyone (Or maybe they are? But as of writing, this is what he thinks to himself, regardless if there will be an audience or not) so the dripping condescention he has for this hypothetical stranger isn’t really … hm annoying might be too simple a word. It feels fitting. Of course this is how he talks to the strawman he made up in his head. It works very well for the story.
Hm I feel we have reached the point where we are repeating ourselves to the detriment of the pacing. It might be that our narrator cannot let go of this image but you as the author are obligated to navigate around their obsessions to still sound engaging to the reader.
Hmmm this feels like as if we are building and image, an impossible image, of a person in our head. Of a person we’re seeing regularly, notice how they dress, maybe watch how they talk to other people, without ever engaging them ourselves. And so we place them on a mental pedestal, make up all these qualities abt them that reality can never truly measure up to. It feels like our narrator has placed the window on such a pedestal, knowing full-well that it can never be his salvation but at the same actually applauding it for this false promise. Oh I like this twisted view on the situation from someone who wants so desperately to sound smart and as if he has perceived something no one else did.
Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed this read a lot :3
I’m also ready to be told my interpretation is way off and that I’m missing the obvious clues. I love picking apart stories (there is a reason why I enjoy video essays of stories I haven’t even read or seen :3)
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Thank you for the review. I’m delighted by how thoroughly you’ve begun dissecting Michaud and am enjoying your developing theories. I think your criticism of the repetition is fair. It's a useful thing to keep in mind for later letters. More letters are coming soon.
Dissecting stories is part of the fun, isn't it? Oh I am so curious where this all will lead and what insidious thing is keeping our guy from defenestration XD
I do think the repetition is probably necessary to show his mental state but you might want to tweak the wording so that it doesn't sound stale to the reader :3
A Butterfly has landed to review your work! <3
Hello ADNG! A Butterfly has landed to review your work, and I think this second letter actually makes the ideas from the first chapter far more interesting. The first letter introduced the door versus window philosophy, but this one has far more depth with regards to why Michaud refuses anything that is convenient or offered to him.
The Egg
The opening instantly has that chaotic narrator, which I loved how he refuses to even reread his previous entry due to embarrassment, but still continues writing. The contradiction is just him in the first place!
Simple, but it fits his thought perfectly.
The Caterpillar Hatches
The nurse/hag continues to be such an interesting character despite barely appearing directly as she represents the physical confinement, but Michaud's reactions show that there is a more complex situation at hand. He hates her control, but she seems to genuinely be caring for him.
And then the curtains come in.
Growing & Molting
The moment he remembers the window was my favourite transition in the chapter.
I love how dramatically he talks about such a mundane object, like it almost religious to him.
Spinning the Chrysalis
The door argument gets even funnier as Michaud creates an entire philosophy of why people use doors.
His reasoning is circular with everyone using the door because of how convenient it is, but as it is convenient it becomes the symbol of conformity. Meanwhile, the window is uncomfortable and inconvenient - therefore, to him, more authentic. It makes the satire work really well as he takes a somewhat simple desire for freedom and takes it to almost ridiculous lengths.
The Transformation
The part I found of particular interest was how he began to talk about how comfort itself is a confinement.
It is the strongest philosophical idea from this chapter for me, and is something that is worth consideration. If you always choose the most convenient option aren't you just accepting a preprepared one?
Michaud's answer is obviously extreme, but I think it has a certain amount of fun with reading.
Wings Taking Shape
The window begins to take on the role of a character, and I loved the way he describes it as both understanding his desires but denying him.
It is very much in Michaud's nature as he doesn't want something because of the availability. In fact, the availability almost makes him doubt it.
Breaking Free
And then the escalation into:
That made me laugh a bit at how he goes from the philosophical to the dramatic so quickly but also sets up the next chapter as being important as now he has a goal of reaching the outside on his own terms.
First Flight
I also like how much we learn about Michaud through the contradictions. He wants freedom, but refuses the straightforward way to it. He hates confinement, but his own principles is a form of another confinement with him wanting to follow his will, but questioning if it is truly his will in the first place.
It makes him far more interesting than an imprisoned man in the room.
Favorite Nectar
Definitely the window itself, as the fact that Michaud practically worships the object that is locked away and unreachable is a great way to continue from the first letter.
The first chapter asked what freedom is, but this one is asking a similar but slightly different question is asking what if the thing that is supposed to give you freedom is just another form of confinement?
And I can be sure that that window will cause some very interesting problems.
Lovely second letter! <3
Thank you for the review. I’m very glad you enjoyed this letter, and especially glad that Michaud’s philosophy came through as intended. I delighted in developing the ideas from the first letter here, so it’s wonderful to see them picked apart and appreciated so thoroughly.
This honestly in one way reminded me of myself. Hahha! I sometimes speak this way.. especially online while ranting which made me blush with embarrassment and a sheepish smile. The drama in it! Oh the beautiful drama! Coming alive!
I WANT EM POINTS
I was very hooked from the start in this stranger's ramble. The window! The window! It sounds so silly yet also sounds so smart.
However I can agree on comfort and convenience after all we do indeed have too much of that in this sad world, oh well!
I greatly enjoyed this piece (mostly because it wasn't a poem and I can't understand those) for how creative and fun it was! I loved the trail of thoughts as the character begins to remember what he speaking about from yesterday, quite fun! I can only praise this! You have a very distinctive writing voice, keep it up!
(I'm afraid to call this a review as I feel I would be lying.. did I review it really? I didn't make a very good review... did I? Should it even count as a review? Oh but I want my dear, beautiful, greed-inducing points! But alas my imposter syndrome)
Spoiler
Did I accidently not make it a review? Oops
My ego is about to burst. Thank you for the praise. I can certainly see how you relate to Michaud’s voice from this review alone, though I have read your other posts as well. I’m glad the melodrama and rambling came through as intended. If you enjoyed this letter, I encourage you to read S. Michaud’s first letter as well. There shall be more soon.
And references to the ego? We might be more similar than first thought.
Funny enough I ended up talking this way because of a character I created of who I would say was not quite as paranoid as yours which is writing here but he did love to sound commanding and to him commanding was drama, drama always makes the world turn their head and listen no matter how silly the command is! But then again he was very arrogant and rather oblivious to certain things despite seeing himself as oh so smart
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