Truth and Lies

There is a gate with two guards. One of us only tells the truth, one of us only lies.

We’ve stood here for… gods, I don’t know any more, years? Centuries? We were enchanted to not need food, not need water, not need anything, really.

When the evil wizard first made us, he was proud of his creation, he would show us off, get people to ask us questions about our personal lives and laugh at our answers. Now though, I think he’s forgotten about us. This isn’t even the main gate anymore, I don’t think. At least, it’s been a long time since anyone tried to use it.

I stretch my arms above my head, look around, paying attention to my surroundings for the first time in months. The snow has melted, that’s nice. Wildflowers are making their way in.

I turn to look at my partner. We had both dated the evil wizard, back when he was just Nathanel. Somewhere in the evil wizard’s twisted mind, I’m sure our fates were poetic. He probably saw justice in making us tied to lies and honesty.

I open my mouth and I say to her, “There’s nothing stopping us, you know. We could just walk off.”

She is silent for a few weeks, mulling this over. A bird starts to build its nest nearby, but ultimately decides against it.

“What do you mean? That was definitely part of the enchantment, that we can’t ever leave.”

I respond only a few hours later, urgently. “I mean, it was in there, but that was the weakest part of the enchantment. It’s almost certainly worn off my now. We could just leave, we could lift our pikes off the ground, travel down that road. Find jobs as merchants, I mean, I could at least, I’d be trusted, what with my truth telling.”

She turns and looks at me with concern.

“Miriah, I’m the one who tells the truth. You lie.”

I’m so shocked I take almost a year to retort, “Oh, but of course, you had me confused- because you’re lying about how you’re the one who tells the truth, right, right.”

There is a gate with two guards. One always tells the truth, the other always lies. I wish I remembered which I was.