Work Text:
Transcription of handwritten letters between anonymous rivals, circa 1800s. Letters were discovered in their original envelopes, which bear a broken wax seal and the stamp of the U.S. postal service. Letters have been ordered chronologically according to postal markings. For speculation on the events and people referenced, see appendix 13.
Dearly Detested,
Moving across the continent has given my ears the first opportunity in many years to be purged of your incessant fanatic musings. In your absence I am finally relearning the sound of birdsong, children’s laughter, etc, etc and find them to be quite intolerable. I am urging my penning hand to resist from begging you to race here at your earliest inconvenience to rescue my ears from these new and obnoxious sounds. I must remind myself that for you to do so would be to subject me to your hideous countenance once more, a sight from which my eyes have yet to fully recover.
I enclose my new address for correspondence.
Ever your enemy,
AJM
Dearest Detester,
The irritations of which you write bring me the greatest satisfaction. Fret not; if you truly miss my fanatic chattering as claimed then rest assured, I shall do my best to impart them in letter form with all the passion and detail they require. I must thank you for the speed at which you sent me your latest address: its arrival came as a great relief, as the days during which I was unable to pester you as you so deserve were some of the most difficult I have experienced to date.
I digress: with regards to our great sport which I know you detest so dearly, I shall describe the developments of our most recent match at length. Firstly, [Pages missing]
I must note that your brother and cousin played most admirably. I confess a deep envy when you mention freedom from my “hideous countenance,” as I cannot say the same. In every moment that I risk forgetting the sheer annoyance that your features provoke, I only have to look across the court to find my reminder in your brother’s glare.
I enclose several pressed flowers from the window box in the hope of aggravating your allergies.
Sincerely yours,
Nothing.
My beloathed Nothing,
I regret to inform you that the pot of ink you used to describe your latest match has gone entirely to waste. No sooner were the relevant pages in my hands when a frightful breeze from a window left carelessly open blew them straight into the fireplace. If it is any consolation, the burst of heat they emitted as they crumbled to cinders was most satisfying indeed.
Your bid to provoke my allergies has similarly gone awry, although I must note that the petals, as I’m sure you are aware, share the exact blue of your eyes, which I find most irritable. While I am loathe as ever to grant you any success in our war of provocation, you must know that the icy blue of your eyes followed me into my dreams where it choked me of every ounce of my self-restraint as it does in person. I kindly request that you refrain from any further appearance in my subconscious wanderings; it is most frustrating to be unable to turn my dreams of skinning you alive into reality with the distance which separates us.
Grudgingly,
Awake at Midnight.
[Attached: newspaper clipping detailing match between California Catamounts and Nebraska Bears. The goalkeeper’s performance is noted as particularly strong.]
My closest nemesis,
The tragedy which befell the most precious pages of my last letter cuts me deeply. Worry not: as I’m sure you remember, Kevin and I share a meticulous memory for our matches, and we will be happy to recount the lost details to you at our next meeting. I’m sure you can barely contain your excitement!
News of your sleeplessness concerns me deeply. Unfortunately, I cannot promise to abstain from further appearances in your dreams, and I would not even if I had the power to do so. I would not deny you your dreams of skinning me alive for the world, not when there is so long to wait before you can do so in person.
With regards to your sleeplessness, I must confess that I find myself in a similar position. The knowledge of your burning animosity, however, helps warm me through the nights in which my bed feels all the colder for the absence of another body to share it with. Were God in our favour I would be at your side in an instant to frustrate you so thoroughly that your only escape would be in unconsciousness. Perhaps, however, His obstinance to my wishes is wise, as if I were at your side I’m sure neither of us would know a restful night. In the meantime, rest assured that while you dream of my provocative gaze, I spend my nights with my head in my hand, such is my frustration at the memory of your existence.
Forever yours,
A dream.
[Attached: a paper crane made from pale blue tissue paper]
My Notorious Nightmare,
It does not surprise me that you facepalm* yourself at the thought of me; the thought of you causes me to touch myself similarly.
There is no need to concern yourself with the details of your match any further: Kevin has sent me his own relation of the events. His distaste for brevity is rivalled only by your own, although I found his frank assessment of your ability mildly entertaining at least. Significantly fewer pages of his letter found their way into the fireplace: a definitive improvement. He notes that you are not eating as well as you should. I would hate to find you in a weakened state during our upcoming encounter – it would make your death at my hands far less satisfying.
If my calculations are correct, this letter should be in your hands in time for your 20th. A year older, and yet no wiser – I remain disappointed yet unsurprised. Should you wish to prove otherwise, I enclose a copy of my apartment key for use at your discretion.
With all the hatred my heart can bear,
Waiting.
*there is a blot of ink obscuring part of the sentence, causing the letter to appear to read “you palm yourself at the thought of me.” This was presumed to be accidental and thus corrected during transcription.
Items discovered alongside letters:
-black and white photograph of two men seated across from each other in matching armchairs in what appears to be a drawing room. Each has a cat in their lap. The man on the left is looking directly at the camera. The man on the right is looking to his companion, and faint scarring can be made out along his cheekbone. He is smiling. The reverse of the photograph reads, AJM, NAJ, King & Sir.
-Matching silver lockets. The photographs inside have faded beyond recognition, but the detailing on the casing indicates years of wear.
- An amateur watercolour sketch of a vase of blue flowers on a windowsill. The paper is yellow and pin-holed, likely from being hung on a wall near a natural light source for an extended period.
- Two wedding bands.