Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Space (01/23/06)
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TITLE: Beneath the Skin | Previous Challenge Entry
By Kevin Kaiser
01/27/06 -
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From the base of the mountain to the horizon's curve, a thick carpet of green plains and lush forests sprawled across the earth’s face, pocked by tangles of buildings and roads. An iridescent ribbon of water spilled from the mountains and coiled through the land, before fading beneath groves of swaying trees.
The young man’s eyes squinted, carving deep furrows in his forehead. “I see nothing except the beauty of the kingdoms of men.” He turned to the old man. “Isn’t that what you see too?”
A sigh escaped the old man’s lips as his hand came to rest on the man’s shoulder. “What you see is the skin. Behind it is much more. You shall see in a moment, once the sun has dipped behind us.”
The sun drifted low behind them and a yawning shadow seeped from the canyons and slowly inched toward the plains below.
In the fading light of day, the cities sprang to life with light. Prickles of white dotted the landscape as day was swallowed by dusk. They multiplied until a sea of light twinkled as far as the eye could see.
The older man spoke. “Once, men dwelled in the shadow of the mountain. Some even lived among its valleys and ran along its ridges. With time, they moved farther out, into the corners of the world. Away from the mountain. Away from me.”
“But look, it is peaceful and prosperous. All is well in the land.”
“Prosperous, yes,” he turned to the young man, “peaceful, no. That is why I’ve brought you here. To give you a look into the space between the seen and unseen.” He nodded toward the east. “Look.”
The man looked down from where the mountain’s slope fell away and faded into the earth. “What…what is that?”
Like a bottle of ink spilled on a floor, layers of shadows stretched across the land. Smudges of black that moved together,like soldiers in rank, pulsed across the plain and advanced toward the city. In its wake,the lush grass shriveled into clumps of scarred earth. As the dark wave hit the forests, the dense cover disintegrated, leaving only swaths of charred matchsticks that poked from the ground.
“That,” the old man said, “is the enemy. They long to swallow the lives of men whole, to wipe them from the earth. So, they advance. Sometimes they win; other times those who remember me push them back. As in that city.”
“But, I see nothing but a defenseless patch of life. The shadow is at least twice as wide as it is.”
Just as the words left his lips, a white hot glow erupted in the center of the city with a roar that made the ground quiver. Like a wave of liquid light, it gathered intensity and height as it steamrolled into and through the oncoming shadow. The impact of the light crashing down on the advancing horde splintered the shadow into a million specks. The bellowing of voices and tinny clang of swords filled the air.
The young man turned and looked at the old man. “What is that?"
A smile nudged the old man’s lips. “Those who engage in the fight and those I have sent to help them.”
“We should go down and bleed with them!”
“You say that because you have seen the fight with your eyes.” He paused for a moment, then faced the plains. “You are right. Let us go down and help.”
The young man spun on his heels and stopped stone still when he looked toward the city. The land was still except for the breeze drifting through the forest. The half-light of day faded as a long shadow stretched across the earth, bringing evening with it. The city lights shone like a quilt of diamonds. Peaceful.
“Wh-where did they go? I just saw them! Where is the battle?”
“Right there, of course. Beneath the skin, where it always has been. A mere breath away. Do you not see it?”
“No. No, I don’t.”
“Then let us go down, and I will show you again.”
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