They gathered together, the four of them, after a long day’s worth of traveling. Two of the party is male and the other two female, and each has come from a long way to be there at that spot. The sky is charred amber, as if the sky was falling in flames all around them. The landscape is flat and desolate, expected of the end of everything. No trees, no rocks, no animals, no movement beside that of these four travelers. One could peer into the distance of thousands of miles in every direction. The world has reduced the remnants of a fire that has been burnt out. Like the ashes left from that which was lit on fire, the world was deteriorating slowly, on its way towards nothingness. Just as it had started with an explosion, it all ended with explosions. Now it is left to incinerated powder, no different than a great grandfather in an ancient urn.
The four travelers gather and form a circle. They sit, facing each other, unable to speak because they each speak a different language. The climate is warm and comfortable, and there is not fear of the dark because there is nothing left. There is no fear of the dark because the sky radiates with flame, and will never extinguish so long as the earth still remains. They sit and stare at each other, unworried about food or loneliness. They are not concerned with their futures or their pasts because those details are irrelevant and forgotten, like their names and their identities. They sit together and meditate on the destruction of everything that has been, together.
The first male traveler has black hair and black eyes. He is from what use to be the Far East, and he was on his way to meet a friend that he has not seen in a long period of time. On his way to meet her, he began to visualize her face. He began to anticipate what they would talk about, and how she might have changed. He reminisced on their times together, and what oblique times they enjoyed. He thought of the different experiences and thoughts that he wanted to talk to her about. He got as far as getting off the subway and seeing her standing at their meeting point. He got as far as a smile of recognition, as she turned to him and waved. Then it struck.
The first female traveler comes from West. In fact, she was on her way to Europe. She has recently graduated from university and traveling to Europe to study fine art. Her mind functioned in various colors which swirled and formed the genius brushstrokes of those of the past. Her eyes traced each line and dwelled on each time the artist raised his hand from the painting to rub his wrist, rest, and survey what he has just painted. Her hair is an earthy brown and her eyes a similar green. She thinks about how she stepped off the jet and took a deep breath of the foreign air, as do all visitors upon arrival at a new place. She smiled as she saw the scenery, but then it struck.
The second male is from the Middle East. His hair is tan and his hair black. He was training in the palace of Egypt the crafts of political theory, so that he may one day serve as a man of that country that has a history that extends far into the depths of mankind. He was in the middle of his lessons, and he had great ideas to help the poverty in his country. So great, in fact, that he had written them on a sheet of paper, folded it into a square, and slipped it into his pocket. He was fondling the sheet in his pocket as his teacher spoke of theory. He was waiting patiently for a good time to share his ideas, so that the teacher may pass it onto officials. The teacher was near the end of the lesson, and the second male was pulling the sheet out but then it struck.
The second female is from the Southwest. She looks like the second male, but her eyes are wider and more observant. Her sister, also her closest friend, was getting betrothed and she was picking flowers before the ceremony began. She had picked all the flowers she wanted, and was sitting on a blanket to arrange them. She decided that the lighter colors should frame the darker colors, so that it would appear that the intensity of emotion is within, inside their delicate appearance. She raised each flower to her nose and felt their floral scents seep into her nose and tingle through her body. She had finished arranging the flowers, and was lifting to put one in her hair but then it struck.
At once, the four travelers thought of it. Of how it struck, and how everything that was is now nothing but smoking remains. It fell from the sky, and how it breached the atmosphere and how the clouds quickly dissipated before its impact. It was a quick flash and everything was ash. It was too quick for sound because it was as fast as the light which fills a room. This light filled the earth and scraped its surface of anything. The surface is now completely flat.
Why them? Why are they alive? They looked to each other and knew they were curious of the same question. They were left unscathed. Slowly the thoughts of tomorrow began to flood into their minds.
As evening came, they took turns drawing in the earth with their fingers. They understood where each came from. They could not remember their names or their age. But even though the night came, the sky was as bright as day. They never grew hungry. This worried them, because they were supposed to eat. Their abundance of energy worried them, because they were supposed to sleep.
Days passed, and they remained in that circle. They sat and contemplated their pasts. The man from the Far East, however, could not think of his past any longer. The thoughts were not enough, he wanted to go back and experience more and feel more. When he could no longer keep to himself, when he could not longer keep the anxiety at bay, he rose to his feet then immediately disappeared. He is now in front of his old friend, and she is still smiling.
The others, amazed by the male’s disappearance, began to wonder what happened to him. Again, days passed and they continued to contemplate their pasts. The female from the Southwest became bored with sitting there. She wanted to stand to stretch her legs, and perhaps survey the land for any interesting prospects that may entertain her. She stood then immediately disappeared. She then found herself floating in the sky as a child no more than five years old.
The last two, the second male and the first female, watched the spot where the second female used to be. They were not as amazed as the first time, and expected the same to happen to them sometime.
From the moment he arrived, the second male thought, it appeared that this new place was one of preparation. He intuitively knew that he was destined to move to a different location, though where that was he did not know. He feels an acceptance of what has happened and where he is, and has contemplated his life without any grievances. He smiles and stands, then immediately disappears. He now finds himself amongst the fathers of his country’s past, in a great palace of white marble.
The first female, looking to the emptiness all around her, felt, at first, a sorrow that her companions have left her. But she understands that once she stands, she, too, will disappear. But before doing this, she decides that she will contemplate longer on existence. She sits, and stares into the horizon of eternity. She looks up at the sky and watches the fires of destruction move through the clouds like snakes. She looks all around her and feel infinity surge all around her. There is no wind, there is no change, and there is only the homogenous sensibility of forever the same. She sits, and the earth never changes. She waits for a reason to stand.
The four travelers gather and form a circle. They sit, facing each other, unable to speak because they each speak a different language. The climate is warm and comfortable, and there is not fear of the dark because there is nothing left. There is no fear of the dark because the sky radiates with flame, and will never extinguish so long as the earth still remains. They sit and stare at each other, unworried about food or loneliness. They are not concerned with their futures or their pasts because those details are irrelevant and forgotten, like their names and their identities. They sit together and meditate on the destruction of everything that has been, together.
The first male traveler has black hair and black eyes. He is from what use to be the Far East, and he was on his way to meet a friend that he has not seen in a long period of time. On his way to meet her, he began to visualize her face. He began to anticipate what they would talk about, and how she might have changed. He reminisced on their times together, and what oblique times they enjoyed. He thought of the different experiences and thoughts that he wanted to talk to her about. He got as far as getting off the subway and seeing her standing at their meeting point. He got as far as a smile of recognition, as she turned to him and waved. Then it struck.
The first female traveler comes from West. In fact, she was on her way to Europe. She has recently graduated from university and traveling to Europe to study fine art. Her mind functioned in various colors which swirled and formed the genius brushstrokes of those of the past. Her eyes traced each line and dwelled on each time the artist raised his hand from the painting to rub his wrist, rest, and survey what he has just painted. Her hair is an earthy brown and her eyes a similar green. She thinks about how she stepped off the jet and took a deep breath of the foreign air, as do all visitors upon arrival at a new place. She smiled as she saw the scenery, but then it struck.
The second male is from the Middle East. His hair is tan and his hair black. He was training in the palace of Egypt the crafts of political theory, so that he may one day serve as a man of that country that has a history that extends far into the depths of mankind. He was in the middle of his lessons, and he had great ideas to help the poverty in his country. So great, in fact, that he had written them on a sheet of paper, folded it into a square, and slipped it into his pocket. He was fondling the sheet in his pocket as his teacher spoke of theory. He was waiting patiently for a good time to share his ideas, so that the teacher may pass it onto officials. The teacher was near the end of the lesson, and the second male was pulling the sheet out but then it struck.
The second female is from the Southwest. She looks like the second male, but her eyes are wider and more observant. Her sister, also her closest friend, was getting betrothed and she was picking flowers before the ceremony began. She had picked all the flowers she wanted, and was sitting on a blanket to arrange them. She decided that the lighter colors should frame the darker colors, so that it would appear that the intensity of emotion is within, inside their delicate appearance. She raised each flower to her nose and felt their floral scents seep into her nose and tingle through her body. She had finished arranging the flowers, and was lifting to put one in her hair but then it struck.
At once, the four travelers thought of it. Of how it struck, and how everything that was is now nothing but smoking remains. It fell from the sky, and how it breached the atmosphere and how the clouds quickly dissipated before its impact. It was a quick flash and everything was ash. It was too quick for sound because it was as fast as the light which fills a room. This light filled the earth and scraped its surface of anything. The surface is now completely flat.
Why them? Why are they alive? They looked to each other and knew they were curious of the same question. They were left unscathed. Slowly the thoughts of tomorrow began to flood into their minds.
As evening came, they took turns drawing in the earth with their fingers. They understood where each came from. They could not remember their names or their age. But even though the night came, the sky was as bright as day. They never grew hungry. This worried them, because they were supposed to eat. Their abundance of energy worried them, because they were supposed to sleep.
Days passed, and they remained in that circle. They sat and contemplated their pasts. The man from the Far East, however, could not think of his past any longer. The thoughts were not enough, he wanted to go back and experience more and feel more. When he could no longer keep to himself, when he could not longer keep the anxiety at bay, he rose to his feet then immediately disappeared. He is now in front of his old friend, and she is still smiling.
The others, amazed by the male’s disappearance, began to wonder what happened to him. Again, days passed and they continued to contemplate their pasts. The female from the Southwest became bored with sitting there. She wanted to stand to stretch her legs, and perhaps survey the land for any interesting prospects that may entertain her. She stood then immediately disappeared. She then found herself floating in the sky as a child no more than five years old.
The last two, the second male and the first female, watched the spot where the second female used to be. They were not as amazed as the first time, and expected the same to happen to them sometime.
From the moment he arrived, the second male thought, it appeared that this new place was one of preparation. He intuitively knew that he was destined to move to a different location, though where that was he did not know. He feels an acceptance of what has happened and where he is, and has contemplated his life without any grievances. He smiles and stands, then immediately disappears. He now finds himself amongst the fathers of his country’s past, in a great palace of white marble.
The first female, looking to the emptiness all around her, felt, at first, a sorrow that her companions have left her. But she understands that once she stands, she, too, will disappear. But before doing this, she decides that she will contemplate longer on existence. She sits, and stares into the horizon of eternity. She looks up at the sky and watches the fires of destruction move through the clouds like snakes. She looks all around her and feel infinity surge all around her. There is no wind, there is no change, and there is only the homogenous sensibility of forever the same. She sits, and the earth never changes. She waits for a reason to stand.
