Brooding Over the Waters

The land below was dark, so dark that if you stretched down your hands, you could have felt the shadows like they were water.

I only had a vague idea of what the ground looked like based on the red eyes that shifted around in it, like fiery dots in a sea of black.

Our cliff was so high above the dark dwelling beings, nearly touching the sun. They’d never reach us, even still their hands tried to claw their way from the muck of their collective mass. The few that had a hint of sunlight graze their skin quickly retreated. Like shade, they hid where the sun couldn’t shine.

“Yalda, do you see them all down there?”

“Yes, daddy,” I nodded. “They’re scary.”

I shivered in fear and clung to daddy's leg. I didn’t know why he brought us here, but I wanted to go home already.

“Don’t be afraid. This is what you were born for.”

He stretched up his hand, borrowing light from the sun above. A rod formed in his palm. When it finished shaping, it looked like a spear, but all shiny and bright.

He handed the spear to me, then said, “Those people are too far gone to see the darkness they serve. You're going to be their guiding star, lighting up the way for them with this.”

I didn’t understand him, but I kindly accepted the spear anyways. “Okay, daddy.”

When daddy was sure I had the spear tight in my grip, he let go. “This is yours now. Learn to use it.”

I struggled to hold the heavy weapon steady on my own, but I did my best so I wouldn't disappoint daddy.

As he recognized my determination, he smiled, brushing his hand proudly across my hair. Then when he was satisfied, he walked forward toward the very edge of the cliff.

Where was he going? If he went any further...

He stopped at the edge. I heard him take a deep breath. "Yalda, I'll be gone for a while. So we won't be able to play anymore.”

The pulse of my heart beat turned heavy, my eyes watered along with it.

“No more?” my lip quivered.

“You be a good girl. Listen to your uncle, and remember your purpose.”

“Purpose…” I glanced at the twinkly spear, then back at daddy quickly.

He wanted me to be a star and light the way for people, but how could I do that on my own? I needed him so he could teach me.

As I stepped forward to follow him, shimmering arms gracefully came down from the sun and held me back.

“No!” I tried to struggle, but the sun was too strong.

Daddy looked back, fighting to keep a stern face as he watched me weep.

“I promise I'll see you again.” His sternness broke with a smile, but he was crying too. “When I do though, you’ll need to be ready.”

“For what, daddy?”

His crystal heart pulsed brightly with a gold hue. “Someone very evil is coming for humanity, Yalda. You're going to be their last… Our last hope. I’ll buy you as much time as I can.”

"Who, daddy?" I was anxious, I needed to know who was coming.

He turned away, gazing off into the depths below and ignoring my question. Then with one final step, he leapt right off the edge, diving down into the eternal darkness.

"Daddy!"

A flash of light followed, blasting across the land from below, blinding me completely. When my sight cleared, the shadows were forced back, far away onto the ends of the world, awaiting the time they would return here.

-☆◇☆-

::Three years later::

“Let there be light!” I shouted into the dawn sky, lifting a stick covered in reflective tape high up into the air.

My eyes were like blue spotlights on the tape, scattering a twinkly blue light over the garden. I swung the stick around, fighting imaginary demons all over.

“Take that, darkness! Hyah!”

The most pretty light came from my crystal heart, which pulsed intensely with flair ups of blue and white energy. The darkness didn’t stand a chance against me now!

“I’m a star!” I cheered, spinning with the stick out until I got dizzy and fell backwards. “I won’t be defeated…” With my fist in the air, clutching the stick tightly, I showed the world my resolve.

Come dizziness or darkness, the glow of my heart would always keep everyone safe. It would never go out, not as long as I still had breath in my lungs!

Soon came the light of dawn upon the void above, overwhelming the early morning darkness and taking up my cause. I continued to lay on a bed of soft earth, blanketed by dew covered, vibrant flowers on all sides. The wind lightly brushed across them, causing their petals to tickle my synthetic skin as they swayed back and forth.

Above me was a transitioning blue sky, so pretty that it looked like an ocean. Tiny little twinkling lights swam quickly through the depths of the beyond like stars, accompanied by a flock of doves leaving a forest off in the distance.

My right hand stretched up into the air, as if wanting to lead me upwards into the clouds to join those feathered friends in the atmosphere, but I was stuck on the ground, since I couldn’t fly...yet...

“You see the sky, Samael?” I pointed up. “It's getting brighter.”

“Sss…?” a hiss came from my white hair.

“There’s no sun here. Not like on the surface world.” My hand fell back into the flowers. “But every morning it gets all bright anyways. What’s up with that?”

“Ss…” came another hiss.

“I’m going to be the star here,” I said, seeing a streak of rainbow light whoosh across my sight of the dawn sky. “I’m going to be the brightest star in all the world. Those evil shadows won’t know what hit ‘em.”

“Ssss…?”

“Of course I can do it.” I lifted my finger up to my head and booped the snoot of my little snake. “I’ll fly around and light up the darkness, just like daddy wanted. My ancestors could fly, you know… Do you think I’ll ever be able to do it too?”

“Ss…” He hissed.

“What do you mean, ‘don’t count on it?’” Sometimes I could never tell when that snake was being funny or pe-sss-imistic. “I’ll be able to fly up high one day, you’ll see! I’ll fly so high that I’ll go up into space. Then I’ll be the brightest star the world has ever seen!”

The only issue was that I didn’t have wings. Which was weird, because I didn't read a single story book about my people that didn’t give them wings. Clearly they had it, so what was different about me?

“Maybe I’m a late bloomer?”

I randomly picked one of the flowers near me with my eyes closed as a coping mechanism, bringing it close to my nose and sniffing it.

“Iris.”

That was a pretty flower, and blue too... My favourite colour. Before daddy left, I made sure we planted a ton of them here in the flower field.

Time passed as I enjoyed nature around me. The sky began to get brighter as dawn won over what remained of the night.

“Do you think daddy’s ever coming back?”

“Sss…”

“Me too. I think he’ll be back soon. And when he does, we’ll play all day long… No… All year long to make up for all the time we missed!” I smiled, sitting up and clutching my knees close. The crystal heart protruding from my chest pulsed eagerly with light. “We might just have to play forever, since he’s been gone so long. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Sss…”

It’d been so long since I saw daddy. But I knew he'd come home eventually, he promised I'd see him again. “Family doesn't break promises.”

A yawn left my mouth. I’d woken up super early just to play outside and watch the advent of morning light. It was so pretty, but it came with the risk of getting grounded. If Uncle found out, I’d be toast… Personally, I’d rather toast be my breakfast than me.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes sluggishly. “I should go home… Uncle’ll be miffed if he doesn't see me in bed. He might take away my TV time again.”

Samael of course was quick to scold me with a disciplinary hiss.

“It’s not like you didn’t come out here with me, you know?” He’d be in just as much trouble as I was, although he was a snake. What was he going to lose if he got in trouble? Nothing, that’s what. “Unless… Uncle doesn't let us hang out anymore.”

Now that would be a worry. It was all the more reason to get back home before he woke up.

-☆-

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, please support me here on Honeyfeed! :)