Endgame Pt 2 – Creative Response

By Jeremy Lopez

*Whistle Blows* “Clov!” *Whistle Blows* “CLOV!” Hamm receives no response from his once dedicated servant. Clov had become fed up with all of Hamm’s orders. He irritated Clov, the annoyance of having to always move him around, and take care of him like a baby, all while struggling to even walk straight himself.  Clov had a simple solution to this problem, in which he’d warned Hamm of multiple times. He’d leave. He had warned, and warned, but never quite had the courage to leave someone whom he knew depended on him so heavily. But he gained the courage, and went out into the newly damaged and destroyed world, lonely, independent, and helpless. All he took with him was his coat, and umbrella. How could he ever survive on his own in a world different from any world ever known to mankind? But more importantly, how could Hamm ever survive without the help and guidance of his servant Clov?

After Hamm received no response, he just sat there in his giant wheelchair, debating on whether or not it could possibly be true that Clov really left. He sat and stared blankly for hours and hours. After the accident, Hamm had lost his vision, but it seems that he was beginning to gain his strength back. Each day, little by little Hamm saw a bit more light, and every day, that encouraged him to do more and more. One day he saw enough clearly, that he started crawling out of his chair. He got to the floor, and searched for anything that can possibly get him to easily transport himself around his home. He found two of his old skiing rods from when he was a young man. He then used them, literally just as a skier would. He sat in his chair, and to get around he put the rods on the floor, and moved his way around. He still couldn’t see much, however, his eyesight was still improving daily. Now every time he told a story, he actually got to watch his parents’ reactions. But he still felt something missing. Gaining his eyesight back, gaining his strength back, building a better relationship with his parents, it still didn’t add up to the love he felt for Clov. He’d raised him since a child; he needed him in his old lonely life.

Hamm thought of a master plan. He would go out into the newly found wilderness, and find Clov on his own, and bring him back to live with him. Hamm planned to treat Clov with more respect when he found him, because he had realized how irritating and disrespectful he must have been towards him. His only problem was how could he ever get out of his house with that wheelchair? He asked his parents for help, but they had been awfully quiet lately, so he just ignored the fact. He quickly decided that he’ll build a ramp, that’ll allow him to easily get in and out of his door, which he found the materials easily, and built his ramp with no problem. Then came the moment of truth, Hamm was going to test the ramp for the first time, and leave his home, and see the new world, for the first time since the catastrophe.

When Hamm opened the door, a cold wind pushed him back. The wood creaked as he poked his skiing rods into the ground as he moved up the ramp. When he finally reached the outdoors, he admired the new world. He looked at the new, bitterly cold world, he now unknowingly lived in. He wheeled his chair toward the street and began his search. As Hamm approached the corner, he looked onto his side lawn to see Clov lying breathless with a box of doggy biscuits by his side. When he saw this, he quickly rolled himself back into the house to his parents trash cans. How could he forget, during all of this time? All of this time he spent gaining his own strength back, he forgot to feed his parents the only food left for them to eat? His parents kneeled stiffly in each trashcan. He rolled back out to Clov quickly, and realized, he was the last man anywhere near living. He was the last man who still breathed on this Earth. But that was no more. After realizing he had lost the only people in his life who meant anything to him, he decided to call it quits. Hamm took his ski rods and shoved each of them into his chest. He then forced himself out of his chair, and lied down on the cold ground next to Clov. Hamm grabbed his hand, and kissed it. He told him he’ll see him soon, as his eyes.. slowly.. closed.. shut.

This is a finalist in our Endgame Creative Response Contest. From February 28-March 4, you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize!