Private one on one thread

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel could not remember how long he had been a slave. After the initial shock of capture and the growing realization that escape was impossible the days began to blend into one another. There were some more filled with pain and humiliation and others filled with deprivation and mind numbing tedium but all of them repeated at some time or other in an endless cycle. He had only the vaguest memories of a time before this, a war between heaven and hell, when he had a warrior fighting demons and not a slave for their amusement.

Sometimes he still dreamed of flying, spreading his wings and soaring in an endless sky of blue, gliding effortlessly between the clouds. Waking from such dreams to find himself again in a cold bare cell was worse than any torture his cruel masters could devise. Even if he found a way to escape, he'd never fly again anywhere but in his dreams. One of the first things the demons did to him was clip his wings. They were useless now.

Compared to that, falling was easy. An angel without hope soon loses faith and purpose too. At first he'd tried to fight it. He tried to stay strong and not let the demons break him. He couldn't ever remember why he bothered now. It only made them come down harder on him until finally he could not longer see why anything he had thought important before mattered. He had no greater purpose than to suffer at the whim of his cruel masters.

He sat as he always did when his masters had no particular purpose for him in a small cell useless wings wrapped around himself to try and keep out the chill of the cold stone. Cassiel had the cell to himself since they dragged away the other occupant, an angel who had been there even longer than him. They'd never spoken, the demons had ripped out that one's tongue long before Cassiel was dragged to the cell as a fresh captive. It had been a few weeks now and Cassiel knew his cell mate wasn't coming back. It was pointless to ask what had happened to him. Perhaps he'd been sold or traded to another demon, or perhaps their entertainments had been too rough and he had died. Cassiel could hear screams somewhere down the hall. It wasn't that unusual. He turned his face to the wall and tried to ignore them. It was just another day in hell.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Of all the things that he didn't think possible, Skylar would have never seen himself as becoming a slave to the demon race. Once a great leader for the angels, Skylar had now been captured and made slave by the demons who thought it was amusing that an angel well known as Skylar would be foolish enough to have gone and gotten himself captured and for what? To protect his fellow angels from his own fate? Funny how all pointless it really seemed now seeing as how those same angels he had tried to save were eventually killed in front of his eyes.

In fact, the blood of his fellow angels still stained Skylar's pure white wings and his demon masters decided that it would be amusing for Skylar to keep the blood on his wings as a constant reminder of what he really was. A failure and nothing more. As he was guided down to where the other slaves were, Skylar couldn't even look into the faces of his fellow angels that were already confined to because he had failed in his mission of bringing the demon race to their knees.

Suddenly, the collar around his neck began to glow and before Skylar knew what was happening, a powerful volt of electricity escaped from the collar and coursed through his body causing the young angel to cry out in a mixture of pain and surprise. Slumping forward then, Skylar was barely aware of one of the demons leading him to his cage grab him by his hair and start dragging him to one of the nearest cages which already seemed to be already occupied.

In the blink of an eye then, one of the demons opened up the cage while his companion threw Skylar into the cage without even a second glance. Slamming the cage door behind the two angels then, the two demons couldn't help but cackle to one another as they started to walk down the rows of cages with the remote control to the electric shock collar around Skylar's neck. Lying on the cold concrete floor, body twitching slightly, Skylar tried to focus on the angel he had been thrown in with and couldn't seem to focus. Blood stained wings laying limply around him, Skylar shuddered slightly as he closed his eyes then and clenched his fists in obvious anger for being so weak. "Damn it!" he muttered more to himself than the angel in the cage with him. Bringing a hand up to the collar then around his neck, Skylar sighed softly when he found that there was no way to remove the collar. Wonderful.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel didn't react when they threw another Angel into the cage. He had known there would be another one sooner or later. He hadn't been looking forward to the company. Loneliness was better than the knowledge they had caught another one. Cassiel didn't want to watch as they broke this new one. He looked fairly strong and proud. It would take a long time but it would be all the worse when it was done.

He turned slowly and looked at the newcomer lying on the floor. His wings were red with blood but Cassiel didn't see any cuts on his back that would leave that much blood behind. It must be the blood of other angels. What horrors had this angel seen before they dumped him here?

Cassiel noticed that the angel still had a shock collar. He must have been shocked recently. He was twitching and as he looked up at Cassiel his eyes didn't seem to focus properly. He watched the angel for a bit as he struggled with the collar. As bad as it was, it was far worse when they removed it. The collar was to give the demon's control long enough for the initial shock of capture. As cruel as they were, the demons seemed to find fresh angels were the most amusing and they'd take more steps to keep new angels well preserved long enough to savor their slow descent.

His last cell mate hadn't been able to warn him, but he could at least try to prepare this one for the horror to come. He found the strength to speak. “They will take it off eventually” Cassiel said. His voice was flat. “when they clip your wings.”

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

As Skylar continued to struggle in removing the annoying collar around his neck; he jumped in slight surprise when he heard his new cell mate speak to him. Looking up at him with piercing gold eyes, Skylar couldn't help but frown a little when he heard what the other angel had said to him. So, they planned on clipping his wings huh? Not if Skylar had any say in the matter. Nobody...was going to clip his wings without a fight.

Forcing his body into a sitting position then, Skylar reached out and grabbed onto the metal bars of the cage as he slowly pulled himself up. "The hell they're going to clip my wings. I'd rather die than allow that to happen." he growled slightly indicating that he wasn't one to be easily bullied.

As he weakly tugged at the bars trying desperately trying to find a weakness in the metal bars, Skylar paused a moment when he felt the collar around his neck tingling a bit and his gaze wandered over to the entrace of the holding area and frowned slightly when he noticed a demon standing over there smirking at him. Noticing the remote control of the collar in the demon's hands, Skylar frowned as he slowly sat down on the floor and shook his head in obvious disgust. "As soon as I get this damn collar off of my neck, I am so breaking out of here." he muttered more to himself than the other angel.

Slowly then, Skylar's gaze wandered over to the other angel in the cell with him and he couldn't help but notice the male's black wings. So, a fallen angel huh? Well that was certainly new. "So...how long have you been a prisoner of these sick creatures?" he asked slightly curious about the angel he was sharing a cell with.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel watched the newcomer struggle against the collar. He had been like that once and it hadn't done him any good. It seemed to be what the demons wanted. They liked to amuse themselves by watching their former enemies struggle and try to fight back. The demons were always stronger, and there were more of them. If an opportunity to escape came to him, it would only be another one of their sick games, with no real chance.

Cassiel didn't bother to argue with him. There was nothing either of them could do to stop what was going to happen. The demons wouldn't let him die no matter how much the newcomer might want to. There was no escape, not even through death. It was only when an angel had been here so long that tormenting them was no longer amusing, when they were so broken they could barely feel, that they were allowed to die.

He remembered the state of his former cell mate. He had seemed to barely even care when the demons dragged him away. There was nothing left but a shell, everything else had been stripped away. Angels did not age, violence was the only way they died but in this place, a soul could die long before the body.

Cassiel was so wrapped up in his gloomy thoughts he didn't realize that the newcomer had stopped speaking to himself about escape and fighting and had asked him a question. How long had he been there? It was a question he was not certain of himself. It seemed so long ago. He spoke softly. “I don't know exactly. Years, decades, centuries?”

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

As he sat there on the cold concrete floor waiting patiently for his cell mate's answer, Skylar couldn't help but shudder slightly when a draft of cold air filled the cage. Wings wrapping instinctively around him, Skylar gazed down at the blood that still stained his wings and a small frown spread across his face. While the demons were certain that the blood would bring him down, Skylar knew that it would only give him a reason to fight as long as he could so that other angels would have to go through what he would be going through and what his cell mate had probably gone through as well.

When the other angel finally spoke, Skylar couldn't help but frown slightly when he heard the other male's answer. So, that was what happened when you were taken by the demons huh? Time would blur together and what felt like centuries were really days. Wonderful. Shaking his head at the thought though, Skylar looked the other angel up and down then deciding that he should probably get to know the other male's name since they would be trapped together for god knows how long.

"By the way...what is your name? My name is Skylar and I used to be second in command of the angels until I was captured." he whispered softly knowing that there were several demons who were not aware of who he truly was which amused Skylar greatly at how stupid the demons could be at times.

Looking over to where the demon was then, Skylar couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in slight amusement when he saw the demon looking at him with desire and lust in his eyes. So, this demon wanted a piece of him huh? Well, the first thing Skylar would do as soon as he got out of the cage was to kill that demon first and make sure that it was a nice slow painful death to let the demon know what it felt like to die.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel looked at his cell mate wearily. He could sense the angel's anger at their situation. He had felt the same once long long ago, with the nameless angel he had found in this cell. This angel's anger made him feel sad. Anger made it harder, so much harder. There really was no other response besides despair but anger was what the demons really wanted. Anger paved the road to a fall.

He had been as angry as this one first, defiant and ready to fight, to kill any demon who tried to touch him. He never could, though he tried on countless occasions but all he ever got for his anger was pain and heartless laughter. Anger was a dangerous thing, it was a weapon that needed a target and when the demons threw it back laughing in his face, Cassiel's anger turned on himself, his failure to stop the demons from capturing him, or to punish them for their countless wicked actions. He turned his anger on his own purpose and therefore on God who let him suffer ceaselessly. That was how he fell and how this angel who stood before him would fall as well.

Looking at him was like looking at his past, while the nameless angel who had shared the cell before hand was his future. Some day, perhaps centuries from, perhaps only decades Cassiel would be as broken as he had been and they could come and drag him away too. This thought made him smile just slightly because though it was no doubt a horrible and painful death, it would be an end.

The new angel spoke. His name was Skylar and he had been a commander in the war, one who was fairly high. He was expecting a response again. “My name is is Cassiel.” It had been so long since he had spoken it, or that it had any meaning to anyone but him. The demons didn't care about their names. 'The war …..I fought in the war once. ” He tried to remember his rank. He had been fairly powerful, amongst the first rank, but he couldn't remember how high exactly. It had ceased to matter long ago. “Is it still going on? Are we still losing?”

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

When Skylar heard the name of his cell mate, his eyes widened in instant recognition. 'Cassiel?' Wasn't the name of the second in command that he had replaced? Surely it couldn't have been. He had been told that the other angel had been killed in combat and that his body had never been recovered. Shaking his head at the thought, Skylar looked over at Cassiel then and gave him a small smile.

"Yeah...I know you did. I replaced you. But of course, I had been told that you killed in battle over five hundred years ago." Gaze once again wandering back to the demon who was now talking to one of his companions and pointing to their cage with a look of amusement on his face. Knowing that it would be pointless to let the demons get to him, Skylar turned his attention back to Cassiel and instantly shook his head when he heard the other male ask him if they were still losing the war. "Actually, we were winning. We're in the middle of the final campaign and that's why I need to get out of here. My men need somebody to lead them and if we were going to win; we need to escape."

Biting his bottom lip as he let his gaze wander over the other angel's body, Skylar couldn't help but give him a pitiful gaze when his attention went once again to the other male's black wings. Some terrible things must have have happened to the other male if he had turned his back on God. The sooner that Skylar got out of here the better and the sooner he got Cassiel out of here the better as well.

Slowly unfolding his wings from around his slender form then, Skylar reached underneath his shirt then and removed what appeared to be a small little sack which contained a loaf of bread and some water. He had a feeling that the demons wouldn't search his body right away seeing as how that would take the fun out of things and Skylar had quickly harbored the sack underneath his shirt and out of sight. Breaking the bread in half then, Skylar offered it to his cell mate with a small smile on his face. "Here, you look absolutely famished."

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Five hundred years? Had it been that long? Thinking about it only brought up painful memories of his arrival here, and he closed his eyes, not wanting to think about them. He listened silently as Skylar spoke. He had been second as well? He hadn't remembered, but when Skylar spoke, he knew it was true. He had lead armies of angels once, fought demons on the front lines and killed so many of them before...

Before he became this broken useless thing. He pulled his wings closer reflexively, wanting to hide his face in shame from his replacement. The Cassiel he spoke of was a different person. He would never fly into battle again, only die in this cage surrounded by demons he should have killed.

But Skylar continued speaking. The war was continuing, and it had been going well. As much as Cassiel wanted to believe him, if the second in command had fallen to the demons, how much longer would the armies of heaven prevail before they were again pushed back. They had been brought so far into hell that even if they escaped this place, they would soon be found by other demons. The battle and any hope of rescue was much too far away to do them any good. He did not want to raise his hopes, only to have them dashed again like they had been so many times before.

Cassiel noticed the demons were watching them closely and speaking to each other. It wouldn't be long before one or both of them was dragged off to serve as entertainment in one of the demon's sick diversions. Cassiel hoped it would be him, if only to spare Skylar a little longer from the humiliations that would become his life.

Cassiel looked back at Skylar. He was holding bread and offering it to Cassiel. Cassiel stared at him for a moment not comprehending. How did he get bread? Why was he giving it away? Cassiel looked back at the demons but they didn't seem to have noticed yet. He put his hand on Skylar's outstretched one, squeezing so Skylar's fingers tightened around the bread, and pushed Skylar's hand back to him. “Thank you, but save it for yourself. You'll need your strength more than me.” He smiled sadly. Hunger was only another form of pain and Cassiel was used to pain.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Skylar found himself blinking in slight surprise when the other male returned his offering of the bread. Didn't Cassiel realize that there was a reason he was giving him the bread? Biting his bottom lip at the thought, Skylar looked down at the bread in his hand before frowning slightly and reaching over and taking one of Cassiel's hands in his and forcing the fingers open even if Cassiel didn't want them to.

"I said...take it. Do whatever you want with it, I really don't care but I am not the kind of person who takes no as an answer." he whispered softly as he wrapped Cassiel's fingers around the bread then before pulling his hand back to start munching on his own bread.

If there was one thing that Skylar was known for it was his stubborness. There was no way that he was going to sit there and eat his bread in front of the angel when it had been god knows when since he had last eaten. Whatever horrors that were to be endured here, Skylar knew that he would have to try and protect Cassiel as much as he could. The other angel had been his hero when he was a younger angel and the only reason that he decided to fight in the first place. Cassiel was a great fighter and warrior, something that Skylar knew was still true even though the Cassiel in front of him had been tarnished by years of torture and hardship.

Taking only a few bites of this bread then, Skylar once again pulled out his small little bag then and stuffed the bread back in there not knowing when or if his next meal was coming. Something told Skylar that the demons would only feed the angels when absoultely necissary so the thought of at least having something to munch on every now and then when food was scarce.

Suddenly, Skylar saw from the corner of his eye the demons slowly starting to approach them and instinctively he moved in front of Cassiel and spreading his wings out to hide the bread in the other male's hands. To the demons, it simply looked like Skylar was protecting his fellow angel...well fallen angel and they looked down at the second in command with a smirk on both of their faces. "So these were the angels finest warriors huh? If you ask me the one in the back looks pretty pathetic if you ask me. Why don't we have some fun with him first." Skylar growled slightly as he kept his protective stance. "Aww what's the matter. Don't think you can handle me?" he asked trying to keep the demons focused on him not wanting them to harm Cassiel as long as he still had fight in him.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



Cassiel stared at the bread in his hands for a moment. He didn't dare eat it. Not yet. This was bread from heaven, not the moldy maggot filled stuff the demons usually gave him. He didn't dare eat it right away. Keep it would give him something to look forward, something to thing about beside the pain. He slowly took it and pulling a small stone from the floor loose, hid it there. He hoped Skylar would see this and do the same with his bag. As Skylar tucked the bag back into his shirt, Cassiel shook his head and whispered. “Don't hide it on yourself. They will find it if you do”

He saw the demons approaching and sagged a bit. It would be too late. The demons would find Skylar's precious supply of food. But Skylar covered him protectively and in that time Cassiel was able to reach down, pull a small stone from the floor loose, and hide the bread there. There was still Skylar's bag. If he kept taunting the demons, they would find it on him and they would lose whatever Skylar still had. He had to find a way to buy Sklyar time to hide it properly in the cell.

But that would be impossible if the demons took Skylar first. He knew he was just trying to protect Cassiel, but protecting him from demons forever would be impossible. It would be better if they could at least keep the food. He braced his hand against Skylar's shoulder as if he was to weak to stand by himself and whispered. “Don't do this. Let them take me. It's nothing that they haven't done before. If you fight too hard, they will only take us both and make you watch.” Cassiel didnt' think he could endure the hummilation of being used to provoke Skylar.

Cassiel let go of Skyar. He let his eyes fill with fear that he didn't really feel and backed away against the cage. He had to make himself a more attractive target than Skyar and demon's liked fear as much as anger.. This seemed to work. The demon smiled. His finger resting on the control for the shock collar, ready to activate it if Skylar made a move to stop the demons from taking Cassiel. He motioned to two other demons who were clearly his underlings. “Bring me the one in the back. Let the other one wait his turn, we'll get to him soon enough.”

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

No sooner had he managed to tuck his bag under his shirt, Skylar found himself frowning slightly when he heard what Cassiel had said. If he wasn't supposed to hide it on himself then where was he supposed to hide it? Out of the corner of his eyes though, Skylar watched as Cassiel lifted up a small stone from the floor and it dawned on him that that's probably what he was going to have to do with his bag. The bag that held not only water but medicine and other things that were used much to often on the field of combat.

As he watched the demons approaching him, Skylar gazed back at Cassiel hoping that he had at least managed to buy the other angel some time to hide his food and once the stone was put back into place; Skylar slowly lowered his wings not wanting to draw attention to either of them. That certainly wouldn't do either of them any good and Skylar wanted to at least do something to protect his hero. Even if Cassiel knew what was in store, Skylar didn't know and that's what worried him greatly.

Growling slightly at the demons then, Skylar went to provoke the demons even more into taking him when he felt the hand on his shoulder. Without turning his head, Skylar looked back at the other angel and frowned slightly obviously not liking the idea at all. "But..." However, before Skylar could finish his sentence a sharp jolt of electricity once again flowed through his body due to the annoying shock collar around his neck. Crying out in pain, Skylar slumped to the floor twitching slightly once again making him feel completely useless as he watched the two demons unlock the cage then to grab Cassiel.

Watching helplessly as the two demons simply stepped over him as if he were trash, Skylar tried desperately to force himself to at least sit up in order to prevent them from taking Cassiel. However, no matter how hard he tried, Skylar could not find the strength to sit up and he couldn't help but glare weakly up at the two demons who were dragging Cassiel out of the cage. Once they had the other angel out of the cage, the leader of the demons began locking up the cage again while his two minions began to drag Cassiel away. "Don't worry boy. We'll make real sure to take care of your friend." he said with a wicked smirk then as he turned around then and started following behind his two underlings and Cassiel with a look of anticipation on his face.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel



It was an hour or more before they returned Cassiel to the cell. He hurt to the very tips of his wings and his body covered with new welts and scratches from their claws. He could barely stand and they dragged him back, flinging him to the cold hard floor of the cell and left. They would return soon enough for Skylar, but they had sent Cassiel back to give Skylar a chance to see what was waiting for him.

Cassiel looked weakly at Skylar. He didn't have the strength to stand but forced his aching wings around his torn clothes and ravaged body. “Please don't touch me. Not yet. Give me a few minutes.” He knew Skyar would probably want to try and help him, but even the softest touch would be an unwelcome reminder of the indignities that had just occurred. He wanted water enough to bath and scrub the stench of demons off his skin, but he was lucky to get enough to drink here. So he merely lay on the floor, letting the cold stone sooth the cuts on his skin.

When he had recovered some what, he pulled himself up, curling into a ball with his wings wrapped around himself. His hand felt for the loose stone and he took out the bread he had hidden there. He took a few small bites and put it back. It was so good. It reminded him of home and hope. It had been worth waiting for. It wasn't even stale yet. He looked at Skylar, resting his head against the bars and smiled weakly. “Thank you. Thinking of that bread made it easier, knowing it was there waiting for me.” He hadn't had the chance to thank him before for the bread. The gift had been too much of a shock.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.

[speedy4ever]

Skylar

Skylar wasn't sure how long he sat there in the cell waiting for Cassiel to return but when he saw the demons dragging the other angel's body with them. Wincing slightly as he saw them carelessly fling Cassiel onto the floor, Skylar sent a wicked glare to one of the demons that actually caused the demon to shudder. So, even demons appeared to have their weaker members. Interesting...

Turning his attention back to Cassiel though when he realized that the other male had been treated absolutely terrible, Skylar frowned and went to reach out and help the other male when he told him to give him a few minutes. Pausing in mid-reach, Skylar simply looked over at Cassiel feeling completely hopeless for not being able to help his idol and he slowly pulled his hand back feeling completely useless. He had been a few inches away when the demons had grabbed Cassiel and all Skylar could do was lay there on the floor twitching like a newborn baby.

Some second in command he turned out to be. Couldn't even protect the one person who inspired him to become the best of the best. Biting his bottom lip at the thought, Skylar watched Cassiel with a look of guilt upon his face. At least the bread he had given him seemed to help at least somewhat. "I'm glad that it could help. I still have another loaf hidden in my bag so you'll have a little bit more then." he said patting the one stone beside him that was loose from where he had hid his bag just like he had seen Cassiel do with the bread. "Is there...anything I can do to help? Those wounds look pretty bad." he muttered softly.

It didn't matter to Skylar what the demons did to him just as long as he could spare Cassiel at least some pain and suffering. Even though he knew he couldn't protect the other angel forever, Skylar would at least try so that he didn't see the man he idolized sink further and further into the depths of dispair. The black wings were an indication of just how far Cassiel had fallen and Skylar was afraid that if the other angel fell anymore there would be no hope of bringing him back to the once proud leader that he used to be.

"Follow me and I'll lead you to freedom...or die trying."

[Nirai Kanai Lanai]

Cassiel


Cassiel smiled weakly. It was nice to have someone concerned, even if there was little to be done. It wasn't Skylar's fault. He had managed to bring them bread and that would last as long as Cassiel could make it. As painful as memories of home were, there was a comfort to them, even if they were a reminder he would never see the place again. He saw the guilt and pain in Skylar's eyes and knew he didn't realize what a great gift the bread was. It was hard to explain how little things like that could mean so much in this place. Even the offer of assistance was a kindness he had not had in some time.

His former cell mate had stopped caring about anything some time ago, not that they had ever been able to speak. His presence had been comforting and he had tried to help him in his own way, but there was little to be done. After a while he had stopped responding to anyone, Cassiel or even the demons. He merely stared vacantly for hours at time as if he was already somewhere else. If Cassiel had been left alone much longer, he might have gone the same way, but Skylar's presence had at least delayed that. He was not alone any more and that helped some how. Cassiel was tempted to sink into himself, and his own despair, but he owed it to Skylar to at least provide company, even if he couldn't stop anything else. Cassiel forced himself to speak again.

“There's not much to be done. Any water they give us here is never very clean. It would only make things worse. But they never hurt us so much that we won't recover. What would be the fun in that?” His words were bitter. He didn't particular want to dwell on the demons and their motives. Sklyar would learn soon enough first hand and there was nothing Cassiel could say to him that would make it any easier.

He thought briefly of asking about home but decided against it. There were probably few that remembered much of him any more and most of the angels he had known had probably died in the war by now, or at least he hoped they had. He couldn't bare to think of them in a similar state to himself. He found himself curious about the war and how it had gone in the past five hundred years. How was it that his own replacement ended up being captured the same as him?

“Tell me about the war. As much as you care to. You said we were winning? “ Cassiel asked.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.