Shadow in the Sunlight

A breath of ozone filled the nostrils of a once human maiden, now an angel floating among the clouds. She was so high up, that stretching out her hands would allow her to touch the stars.

She couldn’t resist the temptation to grab one of the twinkling balls of gas, housing it in hand and looking at it with mesmerized eyes.

What a dream she lived, seeing one so close. And more awaited her sight, furthering her yearn to stare at every last one of them.

Dozens, hundreds, thousands…counting them for hours couldn’t tire her out. The endless night she was living here felt so clear, causing her to forget her previous life.

What did she do before traveling the edges of the sky? It didn’t matter anymore. It wasn’t important if her mind let it go so easily.

A bed of clouds floated under her, allowing her to travel even further into space. Only so far went the First Heaven of the air, now she was in the midst of the Second Heaven, among the orbs of light she so happily stared at in the night.

If she kept going, would she see the pearly gates of the Third Heaven? Nobody had ever been so deep into the universe before. How far did this infinite expanse of twinkling objects extend?

Science would tell her that the universe had its edge, expanding only so fast, so far at any given time. Beyond that perhaps awaited a primordial wall that no light has ever traveled past. But her imagination was far more creative.

Past reality, far away from the sight of the most powerful telescopes, were physics defying worlds, even foreign to what magic has made. Worlds crafted in new shapes, squares and blocks, rings, even some flat as paper, but wide as an ocean. The ring world perhaps caught her deepest focus, like a planet sized engagment ring. Watching the very land arc up into the sky, only to circle back behind her was a mystical delight. An endless cycle of everlasting beauty.

But why stop there? This endless universe could be even more of what she wanted it to be.

Animals began to appear, along with plants sprouting up to feed them. There were no predators. Animals lived in harmony, eating the produce that the trees provided. She even took to taking a share of the fruits as well.

I little pink lamb wrestled itself to her side, fluffy and cute. She happily let it sit and enjoy her company.

Food and animals were pleasant, but what about entertainment?

In the wind played a song like the echo of chimes. A soothing melody that kept her and all the other creatures at peace.

In contrast, silent fireworks shot up from deep underground, quietly exploding in the sky and painting it many different colors of light.

For all the wonder here, one thing was missing. One thing she wanted more than anything…and that was a cure for her loneliness.

Where was everyone? No other human souls dwelled with her. Did she have friends in her past life? Family? A lover?

She tried to imagine them, hardly even able to picture a silhouette of a small one…what was her name? What did she look like?

White hair...blue eyes?

She tried and tried, but no one fully came forth.

“What is it you seek?” A deep voice called from the clouds. “Do you not have all you wished for?”

She remained silent, too embarrassed to answer.

“Please, tell me how I can put to rest your troubles.”

She felt motivated to answer now.

“This has been fun, but I feel lonely. Am I…am I supposed to have friends?”

Having even another person to travel with would make it all the more enjoyable to wander the universe. So many experiences waited for her, but she’d like to share them with others. Perhaps a boy? She was at the adolescent age where men were starting to look handsome and spry.

“You need not these things,” the voice claimed. “You are a queen.”

Purple cloth draped over her, a scepter filled her hand, and a crown topped her head. Stars twinkled all over the objects that clothed her.

The scepter had a solid gold snake slithering up the rod, holding an apple in its mouth, which formed the top of the regal tool.

“What good is a queen with no subjects?” she asked.

But the voice replied, “You’re subjects are the whole universe. It bows to your needs.”

“Then let the universe give me friends.”

“No,” the voice said.

It was then that she knew that his words were not true. If all things were subject to her, why can’t she make people to be with?

“You cannot make humans…but something else…” the voice trailed off.

A book fell down from above, landing on the dirt like a meteor.

She went to collect it, not afraid to sample the pages within.

But this book was blank and had no author.

“It is, and always was yours. Whatever you write in here shall be born to the world.”

She could just barely recall the name she went by in a previous life…Yamin, was it? Or perhaps, something else.

Something more ancient…

Something more nefarious...

What was it? She couldn’t remember.

She had no pen to write with, but the pages of this book slit a cut across her finger. Blood dripped out, supplementing ink.

As her finger danced across the page, she froze with fright. What had possessed her to so quickly take to this pagan form of scribing?

It was then that the ring world she had been living on crumbled in on itself. All the animals disappeared and the plants withered away. Water turned red as blood, and what remained of the plants set ablaze.

A throne was before her, tall, and on its seat was one man. Blond hair, blue eyes and a smile.

He pat a seat next to him, requesting she come and sit. She did so.

“Now you are not alone. I’m here with you.” His alluring blue eyes nearly gazed into her soul. “As long as you are my queen, you shall not be lonely.”

Was this her husband? His features were familiar, in more ways than one. She had a natural gravitation to him, her heart tempted by his charm.

Her guard feel, and the blue eyed man requested she continue writing in her book.

Whatever she drew came to life, but it all was merely a silhouette of the things she wanted. Mere shadows of greater things. Nothing like her previous work.

She refused to keep creating such things. They were empty of light, which made them nothing better than a shadows in the sunlight.

“Are your children not pleasing to you?” The blue eyed man asked.

“They’re disgusting,” She argued. “Nothing like real people.”

He sighed, resting his chin on a fist.

“How long until you will be ready, my bride? I grow tired of waiting…”

He snapped his fingers…then Yamin awoke from her dream.