RuneScape Forum Archive | ~~The Priceless~~

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Then I left him in peace. I could trust David to turn up on time, and not to ruin the whole afternoon. As the fateful day drew nearer, my life was full of excitement, still hopeful, feeling more purposeful than ever, and was eager too for the happy ending this seemed to promise. The world has never seemed more beautiful. The Christmas this year promised an ancient love that has been buried beneath the snow, and it was about to emerge again, reminding us why life was worth it in the end. How marvelous. I was to expect at least ten presents including a Playstation and several new games this Christmas, I was to expect an even more elaborate Christmas dinner at my aunt's, and I was even expecting love. God help Kipplin. He had waited years for this day. Thanks to me, his endless wait was no more. Somehow, I knew it would be the most important day of his life.

* * * * *

On that day I sat on a bench before a wall of thick bushes like an eager Cupid, waiting for the final, miraculous redemption of Kipplin. I would come away, that afternoon, as a hero. Fortunately, I was well clothed and was half an hour early. I waited, and waited. Nobody came. At quarter-past five a familiar noise reached my ears – David and Jenna, laughing out loud and cuddling around each other by the waist, were walking in my direction. From afar, it was impossible to distinguish the two, nor could I tell whose hand was on whom. Their laughter echoed in the trees as if they were marking this their territory, asserting their dominance in this place. I was red with anger.

‘Hi there, Jenna, I wasn’t expecting you,’ I greeted coldly.

‘You just turn up to places, don’t you, Jen?’ David shrugged. ‘We managed to bump into each other outside the park. What a coincidence…’

A coincidence indeed!

25-Mar-2010 23:28:27 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:22:29 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Kipplin didn't specify where we were going to meet, but I had to give him a chance, give his investment a chance. I had to look for him, to encourage him – he would fight for David. Where was he anyway? No matter what I told myself that evening, I always ended up with the same conclusion: Jenna shouldn’t have come. I didn't want her to come. There was no plan 'B’ to counter God’s over-arching scheme; there was only improvisation – I had expected this to pull off.

‘You must be cold, David,’ I said. ‘Why didn't you bring a coat?’

‘He looks hot this way,’ Jenna suggested.

‘Nah, why bother?’ David asked. ‘We aren’t gonna be long, are we?’

Then I realised this one thing that I and David had in common, that I had known for a long time and I couldn’t quite name it until now – we both took success for granted. We took love for granted and we took everything for granted.

We knew that in time we would find love of our own. We knew that once love was lost it would be regained quickly, one way or the other. Once we were divorced we would be married again, and find new love in no time at all. We would all have a job, any job, and we would all be grandparents. But all we did was wait. We didn't need to work for things that would eventually resolve on their own accord. Why bother? We were expecting while making no effort to achieve what we desired. We thought we were drifting towards it already.

25-Mar-2010 23:30:13 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:22:37 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I understand it now, 'Do your best, no regret’. Where would I be, sixty years from now, no love, because I was still waiting for it to find me, no job, because I was still waiting for a vacancy leaflet sent to my door, with a raw assumption that no matter what, these would come by eventually, and we’d never know until tomorrow. There would always be a tomorrow, wouldn’t there? There would always be a future and the future was always bright. Life could only get better when you grow up. Kipplin was different; he didn't have this privilege. He couldn’t take love for granted, and he knew that doing his best was his only chance of succeeding.

‘Alright, let’s start moving,’ I suggested. ‘Let’s go.’

‘Please, can we just sit here? I hurt my toe,’ Jenna claimed, preposterously. ‘I can’t walk today.’

It was supposed to be a walk, and now I was stuck. My mind was crying out to Kipplin desperately, urgently calling for him. I needed instructions. Since I had nothing to say, for the next ten minutes David and Jenna were more intimate than ever – now I really felt that I was the third guy on a date. I looked away, sparing my own embarrassment.

25-Mar-2010 23:30:19 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:22:44 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

From time to time Jenna would demand David to buy her some things, like a CD, or request David to visit a certain restaurant in the town centre. David would promise her, but I knew he would forget, in five minutes’ time. In their conversation I felt the tiniest insincerity between them, as if there were no trust or faith. There was no investment, no genuine feelings or passion and it wasn’t the love I knew. They both realised that one day this affair would be over and they would be approached by someone, The One, to replace all that was lost. There was never true commitment or devotion – it was just a casual affair. It was never meant to last. It was fun, and that was all it was: a joke. Neither of them believed they were going to have a future together, and neither believed this was going anywhere. And yet they both allowed this to happen: David and Jenna kissed on the lips – it was the most grotesque scene I have ever experienced in my entire life. They never loved each other. What a crime they committed already, together, against love itself, the very reason why we were here today.

I saw a hope in it for Kipplin though, even when all seemed lost. To me his unmatched determination was worth more, far more, than that meaningless snog on a bench. He has been there, done that, done everything. His love was endless, lasting, and enduring. He would do anything for the love of a man. He had invested, and now it was time for his reward.

25-Mar-2010 23:30:28 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:22:53 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The bushes behind me moved, as though an animal, a rabbit, was discovered by hunting dogs, running for its life. It was then that I realised he was watching everything, from behind that bush, all this time, and finally admitted defeat, his complete and utter defeat, to a happy couple…

Kipplin didn't need to be found. He was here before me, a long time before me, and he has seen enough. He has seen all he needed to see, and he believed his own eyes. It was not what it seemed.

We sat for another hour during which I remained at all times sulkily silent, while Jenna on several occasions inquired her boyfriend, in a soft voice, how much he loved her. I was too angry to speak then. This day turned out to be as ordinary as a day could get. There were no fights, no drama, nothing of interest – even the weather was calm and the wind was mild and my time vanished before my eyes again. It was six when Jenna declared her family desired her presence and made a swift exit. Too late.

Kipplin didn't return that evening, and he was the one who told me that I wouldn’t get anything until I did something. Coward. What a hypocrite. He left the park that day quietly and I could only, at best, speculate why. He realised he had always been fighting a battle that was already lost. He was fighting for a dead dream. It was alien ground he was fighting on, where he could only lose.

The sight of David and Jenna together, kissing, would be the end of him. They were undefeatable, in this world, in this life. The society was on their side, and it was the same society, in the end, that left Kipplin with…nobody.

Kipplin realised that, he was only living in a world where true love had no value. He knew that all he had been, all he had achieved, with pride, all he had invested, was game data that to everyone, meant nothing. It was all meaningless now: the parties, the mansion, and the time he spent. That day, he lost everything.

25-Mar-2010 23:30:33 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:23:03 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

It wasn’t too late, I told myself. Never fear, for nothing was the end of the world. The war was not lost, not yet anyway. Even though Kipplin was unlikely to return, I could always arrange another meeting for them, any time they wanted. We could do this again, another time. One day, Jenna would be out of David’s life for good. They could be together then. Surely Kipplin would wait for that? This surge of hope was far too familiar: it was like every morning, when I caught sight of the bus at the last moment and started to dash for it. I had an urge to continue Kipplin’s battle, to support him where he was losing, and help him, get him back on to his feet, ready to battle the morality of mankind until the end. When David wanted to leave too, I shouted at him.

He was confused by my sudden fury – I accused him of everything he had done to Kipplin, his unspoken love and his golden heart, given willingly and unconditionally, on which he carelessly trampled, and at which he mocked. It pained me because David only knew of this love…today.

I dragged him back to my house and made him look up the name Kipplin on the RuneScape Hiscores. God help Kipplin. I wasn’t going to let his works go to waste unnoticed. I wasn’t going to be satisfied until David knew how much Kipplin had loved him and the price he had paid. I showed him all the party invitations in the forum – Kipplin gave over a hundred million worth of items away in the last month. That ought to impress him. I showed him, on the screen that never lied, everything Kipplin once lived for.

25-Mar-2010 23:31:35 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:23:12 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

There I was, still hoping the Hiscores would do the trick, that somehow, David’s love could be bought, could be won over by devotion, or whatever charm there was behind those numbers and skill levels. There has got to be something there on the screen, that proved the true extent of his love once and for all, though now expressed in crude numbers, and quantified. Or maybe the numbers themselves were simply a hint of his affection, only a shadow of its full glory.

And I waited, then, silently, for a reply…

‘What a noob,’ David muttered, perhaps to himself as he scrolled down the Hiscores, examining each skill closely, frowning at the screen as one would an unpleasant and miserable sight, thoroughly disgusted by it all.

~~End~~

25-Mar-2010 23:31:42 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:23:29 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

FAQ

Q 1) How long did it take you to write this?

A 1) For the previous version, 4 months. Then I spent 14 hours rewriting it just to kick it up a notch, hehe...

Q 2) How old are you?

A 2) 19

Q 3) Is English your first language?

A 3) No, Cantonese is my first language

Q 4) Can I add you?

A 4) Sure.

Q 5) How many writers did you kill in game to become so good at writing?

A 5) On top of my head: Cay, Ruben, Bawa, Dle, Chuk, Level, Xan, Xant, Leela, Sira, Leb, Paccy, Arcot, Final Step, Cicobe, Runicgoblin, Dudely, Lokintr, Wave, Ogre, Lance...A lot!

25-Mar-2010 23:31:47 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:23:36 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~Reader quotes from the previous version~

‘Absolutely masterful!' ~Dreamweaver

'This is the Da Vinci Code of Runescape writing.' ~Giledaled

'Simply amazing. You have written a piece that gave me chills.' ~Geo The Arch

'This is probably one of the deepest stories I've ever read on the RSB,' ~Parakarry267

'That was without doubt the most boring story I have ever read in my entire life,' ~Minifootyguy

'I cried when I finished it. Truly exceptional.' ~Boomer9777

‘WOW.' ~Chuk

‘It sticks out like a sore thumb among the vast sea of Action/Adventure and Noob Story threads that inhabit the Forum.' User Rc101

'Absolutely phenomenal.' ~Wintry Elf

‘Puffters must die. They are wrong,’ ~Lord Tobytwo

‘An absolutely amazing story,' ~Nguy4

'This is terribly sad,’ ~Thranon

‘A wonderful read.' ~Hexor05

‘A very intriguing story. It is a nice get-away from those blood and gore violent stories. This story is definitely one of the better I have read in a long time. While I wouldn't suggest it to young readers, this story is an extremely good story, with vivid imagery, very good dialogue and detail, and beautiful descriptions.’ ~Cicobe

‘That...was...epic. This story is better then ANYTHING I have ever read on the forums, hands-down. This story is unfathomably complex. Every literary mechanism used in its writing is an intricate piece that needs to be there to complete the story. Every sentence, every word, every punctuation mark in this story is in the right place. Am I done? Have I stressed enough how good this story is? No. I have not. This story is reverberating inside my mind, its theme is so deep it has caused an echo in my head and it is this that makes it truly magnificent.’ ~Elementsky21

‘OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!! this story is amazing. I am just beginning a story and it pales pales pales in comparison. This is a downright unvilievable story. I LOVED IT!!!!’ ~I can’t remember who this is

Will this person step forward?

25-Mar-2010 23:33:32 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:23:44 by Englishkid62

Englishkid62

Posts: 9,782 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~Further Reading~

Atonement, by Ian McEwan (2001)

Whether you have seen the film or not, read the book anyway. It's a tragedy of a 13-year-old girl who saw her older sister stripped off her clothes in front of a young man, interprets the situation completely wrong and committed a 'crime' against her own family. For her crime, she spent the rest of her life trying to make amends. A moving, and fascinating book.

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2001)

Originally a Spanish novel. It is story of a young man leading his 10-year-old son, Daniel, into the Cemetery of Forgotten Books one morning in Barcelona, 1945. He discovered ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ by the mysterious writer Julian Carax. Throughout his life Daniel will be approached by strangers who will be interested in his book. Soon the literary curiosity will be turned into a race to solve the mystery of Julian Carax, and to save those he left behind.

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare (1601)

Despite being Shakespeare, Hamlet is in fact a very interesting play - a revenge story of a scholar rather than a traditional action hero. It also explores the philosophy of death and the themes of corruption. Lots of dark humour, irony, hypocrisy and hilarious moments.

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte (1847)

A feminist work. I like how a young girl, whom has been told she is worthless all her life, eventually rises up against the society and custom, to marry with one of richest man in England. A little challenging to read at times, but a very deep novel that promotes equality amongst human beings.

25-Mar-2010 23:33:39 - Last edited on 11-Jan-2014 00:23:54 by Englishkid62

Forums

~~The Priceless~~

The Priceless