A Declamation Piece: "Sanity on Fire"

 

Heyyy bats! In 2 days I'll be delivering a declamation piece. I was asked to be a contestant (AGAIN), and I couldn't just refuse. I love taking part in anything if I have what it takes to be so. :3

Okaaaayy, I admit, I'm not so sure if this thing I just wrote is really a declamation piece, as I've never tried writing one before, and I'm not quite experienced with declamations. When I tried using a stopwatch as I recited it, the piece runs for 8 to 10 minutes when recited! O.o But anyway, I'm just gonna give it a try.

This piece is heavily inspired by American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and Emilie Autumn. ♥

Sanity on Fire
MINXIE
A Declamation Piece?

I wake up.
It's the same bad dream. A house in flames.. and voices.. shrieks.
It has always been the same bad dream! *laughs*

*gasp*
 

*sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff*
Doctor? *sniff, sniff, sniff* Doctor? Doctor! *sniff, sniff* F-Firemen! I smell the scent of gasoline in my cell! My cell.. My cell is on fire! I smell smoke! Doctor! Firemen! It's blazing in here! HEEEEELP--

Oh.

Hi Doctor. I was just playing around so you can come by and.. let me out.
PLEASE! I'm not mad! I'm not mad! I only want to end my life.. Please! LET ME! Please..

Huh?

The doctor's gone. Maybe I just imagined him again. Oh well.

A crowd? So many people! How -- how did you get here?! Who are you?! Who let you in?! How long have you been watching me here?! *gasp* Oh, I get it now. You've all come here to rescue me! Is that it? I can't just be imagining all of you here, can I?

Please let me out of here! I'm not insane! I'm not fit to be imprisoned in a filthy cell such as this! I'm the daughter of a landlord! I can't be here! Please! Please! Please.. I'm Mr. Kingsleigh's daughter.. Please..

I only have 2 hours 'til the jailer checks the cells.. 2 hours 'til the jailer locks me up permanently.. 2 hours and.. my family burns in the fire.. Oh, they are screaming! They are crying for me! PLEASE! I have to save them! Please..

WHAT? How dare! I did not start the fire! It wasn't me! It wasn't me! It wasn't me.. Why wouldn't anyone believe me? I'm innocent!

Yes, my twin sister and I loved each other more than anything else in the world. Our similarities never bothered us because it was funny how most people didn't know how to tell us apart. It was funny until then.. Until then. SHE DID IT! She did it! She.. She did it! She.. did it. She.. was obsessed with her lover. Unfortunately, mother and father had to arrange a marriage for her. She was to be married to a landlord for financial reasons. Yet.. she was with child. Her lover's. Thus mother and father had to get rid of the child once it's born.

I can still remember the cold little corpse being thrown into the nearby river. OH, IT WAS HORRIBLE!

My sister became quiet for months, and she cried whenever she received presents from her fiance. She told me she heard an infant crying every night and she couldn't sleep. She became distant, lethargic.. At most times, she did not move.

She served us tea one afternoon. She was surprisingly happy then, smiling as she poured the tea to our cups. Her tea was peculiar, though. Too sweet.. too thick.. It made us dizzy..

*faints*
 

I wake up. I'm in my room!

*sniff, sniff, sniff*
*gasp* SMOKE! SMOKE! All around me! The house is on fire!

I run to the door. It's locked! "Mommy! Daddy! Elizabeth!" I turn around and find my window open. I must quickly jump out to ask for help from the neighbors. As I open my mouth to scream for help, I hear my window being shut. I look back. I see my sister through the glass. She is smiling.. victoriously.. peacefully.. readily.. horrifyingly! She begins to burn.. to melt.. Flesh dripping.. darkening.. stripping down.. and slowly eaten by flames.

The house gradually crumbles right in front of my eyes. I could hardly move because of what I just learned.

The neighbors approached, bringing buckets of water. I still could not move. My mind stopped keeping pace with time. All things that moved are speeding past me.. blurry.. surreal. I could hardly hear their running steps.. their consolation.. their accusations. All I could hear is the crackling and hissing fire! The screams of my parents! I'm gradually losing touch with reality.

They brought me to my relatives to be taken care of. BUT I DO NOT WISH TO BE TAKEN CARE OF! The desire to lose this life continues to stain my innocent mind. However, they keep me from doing it.

Rope tied around my neck, one step from this stool and I shall taste the blissfully deadly grip that has the power to take me to another world.

One, two, three! GERONIMO! *closes eyes*
*jumps*
*opens eyes*

It did not.. work! Oh for the love of --
The rope is too long!

"Iracebeth? Can I come in? I have your dinner. Um, I'm coming in now Iracebeth."

*sighs* Maybe next time, Rope.

My aunt is looking at me.
Hi aunt. Meet Rope, a friend.

Of course she screamed, and in an hour, men in white came in the house and took me away.

They imprisoned me in a cell because everyone thought of me as dangerous -- having burned my own family while watching the house break down and such -- and suicidal. They tell me I'm on suicide watch and under treatment!
 

*laughs* HOW STUPID! I'm not mad! Insanity remains to be misunderstood, ladies and gentlemen! I'm not mad. I'm not mad! I'm not mad! I'M NOT MAAAAAD!!! *screams* My mother.. She's screaming! My father needs me! Please! Please! Let me out.. Let me out! They're burning! I have to save them! Please.. I'm not mad.. I'm not mad!

I'M NOT MAAAAAD!!!

*END*

Update:
This declamation piece won second place! ♥ View that post here.
The post contains pictures of me performing it, and me receiving the award. :'3 

Before I end this post, let me share some pictures of Alice in Wonderland and Emilie Autumn! I'm aching to post them here. xD If you want to view the pictures though, click read more. xD

~ ♥ DISCLAIMER: Pictures are all searched from Google. ♥ ~

 

Now I can finally end this post in peace! xD ♥