Well, I’ve read this whole thing from start to finish. Shame no one has commented because, rambling and discursive as it is, it’s actually quite well written and not a bad read – though probably not ideal for the Ficly format (most readers tend to get bored quite quickly with serial posts by the same author – you’d probably be better off publishing elsewhere if you intend to write at length like this).
That aside, it’s a pleasant enough read and I rather like stoic philosophical musings peppered throughout. Your main plot of escape from the ivory tower is too bluntly allegorical to be taken seriously, but the sense of the chase is well maintained throughout and drives the thing along reasonably well. The flashback to the lake is a nicely written, impressionistic vignette – perhaps the most successful part of the story, in fact.
Too fuzzy and freeform to be considered a story in the conventional sense, but a worthy SOC narrative on its own terms.
JonB