SG - Suicide Game

by Haidji

  Only one of them had the right card to win the game.

  The tension increased, and the atmosphere was becoming almost violent inside the Stadium. The poker face was now showing the reverse side of the game.

  Like in a poker game, all the others did not think about it. We all think that we can always be the one that wins. Can we? Independent of the rules of the game named life. Independent of our names or dreams. We all can be the one that wins. Only if we believe 100% in it, the problem is.

  Only few persons really believe…100% in something.

  This is something you know only...if you have the strength to keep going.

  When the aching body stops because your mind doesn’t feel it anymore…but you keep playing the game of life.

  In the middle of the smoke of bad thoughts. In the middle of the bystanders of fear, in the middle of the night…a star shines over your dreams.

  Restless and tired, with no break, waiting for the next card that can maybe never come, expecting the next move; so also inside the last step of the game, a departure is possible.

  Luck takes unexpected ways sometimes; to decide who wins or who loses, and the poker face falls like a mask…over the sand on the ground.

  The Hostess recalled the last game day. After the storm, only seven candidates were left. She herself was scared that day. As she saw bodies falling all over the sandy ground, she thought that all candidates had died by reason of the storm.

  Now, in front of the Stadium, fans of Life in a Wire were singing their hits, dancing the new dance. Suicide Freak choreography was the new hit.

  The Hostess entered the platform through the elevator in the middle of the platform, in her Elen Danielle red Femme Fatale dress and Alexander McQueen shoes, and announced:

  ‘After the unexpected storm from yesterday, I want to introduce you to the third and last step of the Game.

  From the 8000 candidates, we now have…Seven.

  Yes, only seven survived the storm.

  Falling with the raindrops of the storm, their souls must have been evaporated into the sky.

  But now I have a Surprise for you.

  You will see now, directly from the Night Stadium, to all Nations in the world.

  For each one of you that has been here in the Stadium, since day one, suffering and celebrating with us.

  And also for each one of you who switched on your TV, computer, or smartphone to follow the Game, and also for those of you who are inside the helicopters over the Stadium.

  For each one of you that came to see and be with us, no matter when or how.

  I will present a live interview, with our new Celebrities. Yes. They will be here today, in all newspapers, in all magazines, with their first, and in some cases also their only and last,

  Live interview.

  If you still have doubts about your preferred candidate.

  If you still don’t know to what side you should turn.

  If you are new here, and want to know more before taking a decision.

  I have now the honor to introduce to you.

  The Ultimate Candidates.

  Now

  From the Night Stadium

  For you

  The Seven.

  The spotlight fell over the seven candidates, standing on the middle of the platform.

  One after one, they will speak to you

  You will hear their voices

  Know their names

  And more about them

  Here they are…

  The Seven…the last step survivors from the Suicide Game

  I introduce you to The Ultimate Candidates!

  The light fell over the seven again, and then went dark, and the spotlight fell over the first candidate from the left.

  ‘Candidate number 0907: Moma.’

  And Moma spoke:

  ‘We all look different, but we all are the same. We are all just human beings trying to make a difference in a world branded by globalization. We want to feel special; special, as we already are by birth special, special and unique; we are all the same under the banner of Life.

  I am Moma, and I am here and you are there. I will jump and you will watch me, but we are together here in the Stadium, as we are together in Life and Death. Maybe I am one that dies, maybe I am the one that stays alive, but no matter what, we are together here and now. And we are all part of this game and responsible for every step of it. We are all equal. I can die, you can live, I can live and you can die one day, but no matter what happens here today, we are all the same, just human beings trying to be special, as we already are.’

  There was applause for Moma.

  The spot light went to the next Candidate.

  ‘Candidate number 1518: Fabio!’ Announced the Hostess.

  Fabio’s words were proud and angry:

  ‘I’ve reached the final stages of this Game. I’ve risked my life, not yours, by entering the Game, only to discover that I entered this game already many years ago. I entered this game the day I was born in my beautiful village; I had no choice to choose, even when I thought I had it.

  Bastards have overrun our society. Their drugs of choice are greed, blasphemy and sloth. Giving up my dream, entering what I thought to be a safe and clear business, I found out that not even water is pure anymore. You buy pure water and trash, plastic, burned oil, comes along even before you drink the first drop of it.

  Indeed, nothing is pure—let alone sacred—anymore. No matter what you do, life seems to be just one long descent into hell. It does not matter anymore whether you are a sinner or a saint.

  I am a cyclist. An artist suffers because he must. But a cyclist suffers because he chooses to. The element of choice allows him to feel pleasure through the suffering, or maybe it is through the overcoming of suffering, that the pleasure comes, because even when a cyclist doesn’t win the race, he wins, because he wins the battle against pain, again and again. For a cyclist, pain is pure and honest. You know the face of your friend and your enemy.

  Pain is the only thing I ever found, that’s really pure.

  But now, due to the society I live in, I am a bike-less cyclist, descending into Hell, holding the wire of my life. Still in a race, with no bike. I am a bike-less cyclist.’

  The Public sighed and breathed deeply for an instant…and then applauded for Fabio.

  The spotlight went on to the next candidate.

  ‘Number 3507…. Outside, he is Mr. AHG; in the game, he allows us to call him Anthony’, announced the Hostess.

  Anthony spoke clearly and calmly:

  ‘I think that you must believe that you will win.

  Because this makes your will.

  Only your own will can do it, your will; and some connections can help you also, of course.

  Practicing the bungee jumping here, I have learned how to fall, but most of all, I have learned how to stand up and celebrate the victory even before the next fall, because of connections.

  Connections are almost all you need to win, even when you’re brilliant like me. You need the right connections. Connections are the wires that keep you alive.’

  After loud applause for Anthony, the spotlight moved to the next Candidate and the Hostess announced:

  ‘Candidate number 4914: Jens Plaato.’

  And Jens spoke:

  ‘I don’t need to introduce myself, everybody knows who I am.

  I feel kind of depressed after jumping. Because I was not the first that died. But I can also be the first to be the last one. Or the first somewhere.

  I get depressed when I am not the first, because I deserve to be the first, like you all deserve to have me on the top of your list.

  We all deserve it. I see. I fix. I solve it. I deserve to win. Because I am me.

  But you already know this. I am I. And you are here, with me, because you love me, and I love you for loving me. I love my image too. This is great. And I can be the first today, and you can be the first to bet on me.

  Be with me. And I will f
eel you being with me here. Supporting my campaign. I see. I fix. I solve it. Thank you.’

  Huge applause, for Jens.

  The spotlight moved to Candidate 4918, Sarah Mondstein. After being announced, Sarah spoke:

  ‘I did not know that I was a princess, living like a bad mistress, until someone told me. And I have won my own Kingdom, in three dates, only to lose the war against myself. And now all I want is to jump and forget about all that, because I can’t live without a nameless man who found the way to my heart and updated all my dreams…’

  Tim was distracted, but as she spoke, he recognized her in her words…it is really her…

  ‘Don’t Jump! Don’t let her Jump!’, he cried. Tim was paralyzed.

  And Sarah finished her words,

  ‘I don’t know where this jump will bring me, but I hope that you are there, where I fall. Because no matter how deep I fall, no precipice can be so deep, like the deepness of the love I feel now, for this man who called me Princess… Will you be there when I fall? Is that were I will find you again?’

  Silence. Some persons in the public had tears in their eyes. Nobody expected a love story.

  The spotlight moved to the next…

  The Hostess announced:

  ‘Candidate number 5151, Bianca White!’

  And she said:

  ‘He lived like a devil and died like a saint.

  Life is paradoxical, but I believe that I could also be the person I am today, if life would have cut me with happiness, instead of pain.

  I would be the same. I didn’t need the pain to grow, or be who I really am inside of me.

  Because life, life cuts you like a precious stone and shows the brilliance of your essence…but maybe we can learn also with joy and happiness, and turn into the same persons, just happier. We don’t need pain to learn.

  We don’t need to suffer to grow. This is all a lie they tell us, so that we can accept all bad things in our lives, thinking that they make us to what we are. That is nonsense, because we are what we are, deep inside, since always, and our shine can also come to the surface, when we grow up with beautiful things, we don’t need to suffer to grow. We can grow also through love and happiness.

  Some days the world is no more or less than just a weird place.

  Today is one of these days.

  Ces’t la vie, Carpe Diem, Veni Vidi Vici, Let’s do it? Alea iacta est!!! …No! It wasn’t, and she laughed, it wasn’t!!! It was I!!!

  Let’s jump into it!!! It’s done! ‘

  The public was speechless. Confused. As would the wrong person be standing on the platform.

  The Hostess then announced the next candidate:

  ‘Candidate number 7195: The Scientist.’

  And The Scientist, a little bit shy, spoke:

  ‘It is not that each one has their own truth, it is more that we see only part of it, and instead of waiting for the rest to appear, we build over optical illusions, and believe that this, Is! Instead of just contemplating the world around us and letting things speak, we answer immediately, before words enter inside our minds or hearts, or even souls. And this makes us believe in lies.

  In the past, the Earth was like a piece of paper, and now planets have elliptical orbits. In the future, we will believe in other things that we cannot imagine now, and recognize the illusions and lies in our actual way of life.

  Can the future be now? Are we prepared for it? I’m afraid we are not.’

  Silence fell over the Stadium. As would the applause be coming from the soul of the crowd, instead of their hands.

  The crowd, after hearing the Seven Candidates’ speeches, bought more betting tickets. The diamond raffles were sold out. They could buy only betting tickets.

  Alessandra did not have much money. But she decided, after hearing one of the candidates, to buy a bet ticket on him, not because she wanted to win, but because she wanted him to live and fulfill his dreams. She thought that maybe, who knows? Buying a bet ticket, for the candidate to survive, was like a sign to say. Don’t let this person die.

  The lights were off for a while, and then over all seven candidates again.

  The counter started and the Hostess spoke:

  ‘Now, there will not be only one jump. They will jump several times. And between their jumps, contests and concerts will be made. They will jump until death or exhaustion, welcome to the third and last step, welcome to,

  SUICIDE GAME

  The new game

  The new mania

  8000 candidates entered the game

  Only one will survive

  Only one can win! We have only 7 candidates left.

  Live from the Night Stadium

  Nothing compares to what you'll see here

  Nothing compares to what you'll watch

  You could hear their voices.

  You know their names.

  See, choose your candidate, bet

  Participate! It is …

  The new and unexpected

  ... Suicide Game!!!!

  Live from the Night Stadium

  Nothing compares to what you'll see here

  Nothing compares to what you'll watch

  You have already chosen your candidate,

  You have Made your bet

  To be part of a

  New and unexpected game

  Now it’s time to let all be in the laps of the gods

  And to hear Life in a Wire, while the Seven Candidates wait for the bell, to jump for their lives.

  And when the bell rings…it is time to jump for your life.

  But before that, we will have another surprise for you…

  Chapter 30

  The Hostess spoke again:

  ‘Welcome to the Third and last Step, welcome to

  SUICIDE GAME

  The new game

  The new mania

  8000 candidates entered the game

  Only one will survive

  Only one can win! We have only 7 candidates left.

  Live from the Night Stadium

  Nothing compares to what you'll see here

  Nothing compares to what you'll watch

  You could hear their voices,

  You know their names.

  See, choose your candidate, bet

  Participate! It is …

  The new and unexpected

  ... Suicide Game

  Live from the stadium of night

  Nothing compares to what you'll see here

  Nothing compares to what you'll watch

  You have already chosen your candidate,

  You have Made your bet.

  To be part of a

  New and unexpected game.

  Now it’s time to let all be in the laps of the gods.

  And hear Life in a Wire while the Seven Candidates wait for the bell, to jump for their lives.’

  And suddenly the counter stopped and the Hostess said:

  ‘But before this happens, we will hear a new song from Life in a Wire.

  Who are with us now…while the Ultimate Candidates wait to jump, here is Life in a Wire, with their new song.

  A Kiss in Heaven.’

  Tim was watching her every move. She was serene, graceful and beautiful on the platform.

  He remembered something he once read, about patterns. Pattern recognition. He had seen it in a blog somewhere. Like Mark Twain once said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.

  But what if the current situation is very different. What if it doesn’t rhyme with anything in the past? Even in this moment, he couldn’t figure out how Sarah fit his rhyme. He had gone to Update to have sex. Now, he was in love with her. He could not remember his rhyme, his pattern. Maybe he never felt real love. Maybe he never had real sex. Why Update? Why Sarah? With her, sex was far more than sex, and love was asexual. He found asexual deep love, having great sex with her.

  He would not let her go. If she died, part of him would die, too. He knew it. Felt it. Tried to explain it away, using his
mind to control his thinking. He couldn’t. Something more powerful than his thoughts. His soul had already made his decision for him.

  Life in a Wire entered the platform, coming out the elevator in the middle of the platform, starting to play the slow opening chords of their new song.

  ‘A Kiss in Heaven’, announced the beautiful Hostess again.

  The lights went out in the Stadium as the group started to sing, surrounded by the last seven candidates. Like statues facing the public. Shadows of the persons they were one day.

  The melody started with the candidates moving like waves, and the models dancing like ballerinas around them.

  The darkness took place of the space and I didn’t notice.

  Turning into black the mirror image, as the day became night.

  Shadows gone from where they were hidden.

  Looking for the sun that was already…gone.

  The moment you arrive somewhere is the moment of Death

  I want you on the Path. Don’t wait at the end.

  The moment you arrive somewhere is the moment of Death

  I want you to be on the way, close to me.

  Another day is gone and I’m still without you.

  With the perfume of your presence inside my hands.

  Inside my bones where you arrived as I tried to wash it out,

  Made me smile, coming from the past into present time.

  The moment you arrive somewhere is the moment of Death

  I want you on the Path. Don’t wait at the end of the street.

  The moment you arrive somewhere is the moment of Death.

  And not even know where the grave is, from my actual dreams.

  Another dark night came hiding the moon.

  And I ask myself why…tomorrow, or yesterday, you didn’t make me yours.

  And painting starts in a kind of foreign country, you sent me the shine.