Curate, connect, and discover
Whumpee curled up in the corner of their cell, head throbbing. They couldn't even remember the last time they saw whumper, the days blurring into each other. They were so hungry and cold. They just wanted to go home. Their eyes filled with tears and they tried oh so hard not to let them fall. At the worst possible time, they hear whumpers' footsteps outside. The dreadful sound of the key turning and the door opening.
"What do you want?" Whumpee grumbled.
"Grumpy today, are we?"
"Shut up."
Whumper walked over to whumpee and yanked their head up by their hair. Whumpee refused to look at whumper, staring depressingly at the floor, tears threatening to spill.
"Are those finally tears I see?"
Whumpee turned their head away and buried their face in their hands.
"Come on, don't hide from me. It's been forever since I've seen you cry."
Whumper grabbed whumpees chin and turned their face towards them. Still no response. Whumper sighed, "What's wrong, whumpee?"
Whumpee scoffed. Like whumper cared at all. Just trying to screw with their head.
Whumper sat down next to whumpee and they tensed as whumper drew circles on their back. "Really, you can tell me. It's not like you have anyone else."
Whumper was right. They were all whumpee had right now. They couldn't do this anymore. "I- I just wanna go home."
"I know sweetheart, but you know I can't let you do that."
"But why?! It's your fault I'm here in the first place."
"It doesn't make sense right now but I promise it will soon."
"How long will you keep saying that? I don't care. I don't- I-"
"Hey," whumpee looked up at whumper. "It's ok to break sometimes. You've been here so long. It was about time."
"But I'm not broken!"
Whumper smiled sympathetically. "It's fine to just accept it, okay? It'll make this so much easier."
"I won't. I'll never lose myself to you."
Whumper laughed, "That's what they all say. Give it a few weeks, heck, maybe even days if you keep regressing at this rate."
"Maybe I wouldn't be getting worse if you weren't here."
"You say that now, but when I leave you down here for longer, you'll be begging to see me. I'm the only one you have. It's up to you whether you accept that or not."
"Just leave." Whumpee couldn't let whumper get to them.
"You know what? How about you come with me right now and I'll give you a nice warm meal and bed?"
"I said go." A meal and bed was all whumpee could dream of, but they'd never take it from whumper.
"Suit yourself," Whumper got up and headed towards the door, "Don't say I didn't warn you."
As the door slammed shut, whumpee couldn't keep it together anymore. They cried harder than they ever had before, wishing there was another way out of this.