Assorted Stories

allegoria

the old man looked at his son, the walls of his bed-chamber closing in around him at his final moments. it was not fear that consumed him, but hope, even though his breaths drew shorter and further apart. his son's words echoed in his ears as he began to see his greatest journey repeat in his mind.

"Do you remember why we are here?"

the world unfolded around him, each wall growing windows turning into floors turning into unfamiliar grounds for exploration. he took the spyglass from his waist, turning it toward the sky. he could see the clouds blossoming into stars into new lands and he reached his hand up to cover their novae and grasp them.

he found himself in a far away place again, this world open to his every whim. the grass unfurled itself in his footsteps, and he heard the echoing song of a maiden.

it was her after all the time and all the years and all the struggles. he had found her once again.

but it wasn't worth the time. he had given up so much of himself, aeons out of eternal years of wanderlust, whole worlds had come and gone in the time since he had begun his search, and he had not been able to witness their apotheosis.

he stifled a sob, because he knew what he wanted most of all. it was crazy, it was unreal. what if once he found her he found that he could never enjoy the world? would that be worth the terrible and awesome price he had paid? would it be worth the future cost?

the dragon crawled from his mind and blocked the stars and the dreams. it lingered over him, and he felt the chill of its shadow washing over him, turning the glass spires that surrounded him into reflections of night.

he had no other choice, he supposed. so long as he did not have her, he would be fighting the horrors of an unwell mind. he did what he had never done before and took up the sword that hung from his belt.

"I have done nothing to wrong you, yet you remain. Today I will take the first step to the end of this sojourning way."

so he took the sword and watched it become a lance of light of energy of hope. he pointed it to the sky, and the dragon turned its head toward him. fire glowed in its belly, then its throat, and it began to bellow.

but he had no fear, only eternity, so he thrust the lance into the sky, watching its course arc to its conclusion. the light cracked the darkness, and the shadows gave way to a new dawn.

he would not leave this world so easily, allow it to be destroyed and force him to wander another aeon to find his love.

the sword returned to his belt, he wandered on, hearing the sound of voices from the clearing ahead. it was the court of the fey, and he knew enough to fear them. they were timeless as he, and he heard their jesting.

"Come, join us. We will drink and sing to the world's end, and beyond."

he looked over them, a pale and motley bunch. their clothes tattered, the food at their table covered with mold and the brown of decay. even so they were unconcerned by their surroundings. they had found happiness in the petty things, and in their mutual abnegation.

"I will not join you. But there is a chance that one of you could join me."

a half-real man stepped forth from the company, gaunt and tall. the passion still burned in his eyes that had left his company's.

"If I go your way, will I meet death?"

"I cannot say for sure. I have gone for so long alone that I know not if the hazards I face are even real."

"Then why will you not join us, and have safety, and be comforted in our midst?"

"Because I have heard the call, and there is nothing that can replace it in my mind."