Was I dead? It was so dark. I saw nothing. I was
surrounded by an impenetrable and seemingly endless darkness.
The feeling of solid ground beneath my hands awoke my
senses. My head ached; the feeling of solid ground was the only thing I could be certain of. It was just so very dark. It was faint but I swore there was a light up ahead. I hoped my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. The more I began to regain my senses the more I was certain that it was a light I had seen. Feeling through the darkness I managed to stand and headed for the only thing I could see, the light. “Ow!” I cursed to the darkness.
I had stubbed my toe on something. I bent to the floor and felt around. It was…something, or someone. I felt a face and a hand. The light was right next to me, it was coming from a person. “Who’s there?” there was no answer. I didn’t need an answer for I knew who it was. “Liz, Liz, wake up, are you alright?” I knew it was Liz. I could feel her tiny face in my hands. The light I had seen had come from her hand; it was a glow-in-the-dark ring. “Adam, Carmen,” my calls echoing into the darkness. “Is anyone there?”
“Emma is that you? Where are you? I can’t see a thing.” It was Adam. I couldn’t tell if he was near or far. His voice surrounded me. Startled, I toppled backward off my knees.
Liz’s ring had grown brighter and brighter. Like a pulse, the glow illuminated the darkness engulfing us. I could just make out Liz’s silhouette.
She groaned, “Where am I?” she said, slowly sitting up.
From the glow of Liz’s ring Adam was able to find his way to us.
“You two alright; where is Carmen?” he asked.
“We’re fine, I think,” I responded. He helped us to our feet. With Liz leading the way we began to try and figure our way out of this darkness. It was so cold. Through the dim light we were able to distinguish a wall ahead of us. “Looks like this place has an end after all,” I stated, placing my palm against the cool stone. I ran my fingers across its bumpy surface when I felt empty air. “Liz over here!” It was a doorway. We hesitated; trying to read each others’ expressions in the semi darkness.
“Robert Collier once said, “Playing it safe is probably the most unsafe thing in the world. You cannot stand still. You must go forward,” recited Adam.
“So, let’s find out what lies ahead shall we?” We pressed on into the unknown. Moving forward was just as much of a risk as it would have been to have gone back. And, we still needed to find Carmen.
The doorway was the entrance of a tunnel that seemed utterly endless. It felt as if we had been down here for hours, days even. Time ceased to exist, it was merely a concept. There was a light up ahead. A few feet in front of us lights danced across the stone walls. It was the glimmering flames of a torch.
I reached for the torch. At least with this we would have more light. But who lit the torch? I questioned. This place was so strange, so surreal. I must be dreaming. With torch in hand we proceeded forward.
“Ahhhhh!” Liz shrieked, tumbling backwards in shock. We turned, frantic and questioning. Her face had gone paler than usual. Silently she pointed to the wall beside us.
There was a face in the rocks. It was a boy. He stepped out of the wall and appeared before us in a silvery silhouette. Adam and I stepped back in unison with shock plastered across our faces.
“You shouldn’t be here,” it spoke.
“Wha… what are you?” I managed to spit out.
“My name is Gonzo. Please don’t be frightened. I am an apparition, a spirit. You must come with me; quickly, you should not be here.”
He was tall, broad shouldered and long hair. He appeared to be completely solid and yet if you looked hard enough you could see right through him. His eyes were what got me. They were not the least bit ghostly. His eyes were a bright turquoise that felt like they could pierce right through me.
“So you’re a ghost?” questioned Liz, standing back up.
“Oh, please I hate the term ghost, it sounds so… Casper.” He replied.
“Casper?” Adam mouthed at me. I shrugged.
“Hurry, follow me, if they catch you…” He cut off.
“Gonzo, can you tell us where we are?” questioned Liz. We followed him down the tunnel. “Do you know where our other friend is? Why should we not be here?” I placed my hand on his shoulder, trying to turn him so that he would face me. My hand went right through him. His silvery shoulder turned into nothing but cold icy air. I sucked in my breath, giving a little shiver. He turned to me, piercing me with his gaze.
“There is not a name for this forsaken place, as for your friend, I fear she may be in danger. We must hurry.” The darkness of the tunnel began to diminish as we stepped into a large, bright, round room. The room was filled to the brim with people.
“Who are all these people?” asked Liz.
“These are not people, they are gods,” answered Gonzo.
“Don’t worry they cannot see you.” Adam gave him a questioning look.
He explained. “A long time ago, when the Earth was still young, high above the heavens amongst the stars lay planet Orion, the planet of the gods, known to humans today as Jupiter. Across the known galaxies Orion was the central source of power and a conjugation for every god or goddess that ever existed in history. So it was only fitting that the planet be named after the greatest of them all. A warrior so powerful he ruled over all others, Orion the Fierce. He was powerful but more than that he was wise and just. Unfortunately, he was killed in a prodigious battle against a greedy, vindictive, power hungry god not fit to take the thrown. However, winning this battle did not come without a price. The three stars that make up Orion’s belt are all that remain of Orion the Fierce. Orion’s three sons Bishamon, Chokaro, and Fukurokuju equally took their rightful place as heir.
The three sons took the throne as Earth raged into chaos. In order to save the planet from complete annihilation the matter was brought to the three kings of the gods. So in the central city and main hall of Orion, or Jupiter’s capital the three brothers Bishamon, Chokaro, and Fukurokuju had called a meeting in order to discuss Earth’s current and growing problem. This is a recording of sorts, gesturing toward the room, a glimmer of the past,” explained Gonzo.
“What is this supposed to be a recording of?” probed Adam.
“Probably the most important event in history,” answered Gonzo.
The three brothers oversaw the crowd at the top of three winding staircases. The oldest, the one named Bishamon stood in the middle. He was short of stature but his presence commanded attention. He wore what appeared to be decorative armor reminiscent of what would be seen on a medieval knight.
Everything seemed so surreal. I felt invisible. Gonzo was right, they could not see us.
“What are we going to do?” murmured the crowd.
“Now, now calm down!” his great booming voice full of
power and reassurance rumbled through the crowd like thunder during a storm.
A world war had spread across the land creating a blood bath so great Earth was nearly on the brink of extinction. There was a great uprising among the demon tribes creating an imbalance in power. The demons began exploring past the boundaries of their realm and soon got greedy, deciding they would conquer all the known realms, no longer living in hiding.
“We have devised a plan,” continued Bishamon Fukurokuju jerked his head in surprise at his brother. What plan was Bishamon talking about and why had he not bothered to share this information earlier? “We will restore the balance of the two worlds,” finished Bishamon. The three brothers left to meet in Bishamon’s room.
“Come, you must see,” ordered Gonzo. So up we went, ascending the three intricately carved staircases.
I paused staring at the scroll work on the rail, “These are beautiful.”
“It is a record of war carved into the stone,” informed Gonzo, his expression seeming to harden. Fukurokuju paced the room fuming with suppressed rage. “How dare you not confer with us first! What makes you think you have the right!” he spat.
“Now Fukuro don’t go get your panties in a bunch,”
Bishamon condescended. Fukurokuju was not only the youngest but the tallest. He was lean with long legs. He had brown hair like his brothers and deep set eyes.
“I have heard Bishamon’s plan and it sounds like a secure solution,” stated Chokaro.
“You knew? You left me in the dark!” cried Fukurokuju in outrage.
Chokaro had long hair braided down his back and was adorned in a beautifully decorated silk robe. Chokaro was the level headed brother. Quick as a flash Fukurokuju lunged at Bishamon, white with anger he leapt across the room.
Bishamon’s smug expression disappeared. He grabbed Fukurokuju by the throat and slammed him into the floor. “I suggest you settle down Fukuro,” Bishamon snarled. Just then a tap sounded at the door. The brothers looked at one another in unison. With a sigh, Fukurokuju stepped forth to open the door.
Before him, stood a short old man, holding a bowl of breaded shrimp. It was a servant god who went by the name of Hikaro. Hikaro was different than other servant gods. His curiosity usually got the better of him and he was stronger; much more powerful than the average servant god. With a whimsical smile Hikaro held the bowl out to Fukurokuju who proceeded to take the bowl and slammed the door behind him using his foot. With amazing speed and accuracy Hikaro set a marble onto the floor; flicking it into the space between the door 97 and the doorway creating a crack. It was the perfect size for eavesdropping. Before setting the bowl onto the table Fukurokuju grabbed a handful of the breaded shrimp. So what is this plan?” He questioned through mouthfuls.
“We will handle this quickly and quietly,” said Chokaro.
“We are all familiar with the citizens spell correct?” continued Bishamon.
“Of course but what does that have to do with saving Earth?” coughed Fukurokuju. A citizens spell was used to create servant gods. “By tweaking the spell we can create warriors in our image to send to Earth’s aid,” explained Bishamon.
“What is this?” demanded Adam.
“Shush,” hissed Gonzo, “just listen.” Gonzo’s brow furrowed in concentration and confusion. “Something is not right,” he said.
Without thinking Liz advanced towards him as if to shove him into the wall. She went right through him, crumpling to the floor. An icy chill seeping through her entire body, “Tell us what’s going on,” she shivered.
“Patience, just listen,” he replied. “That servant god is not supposed to be here.”
“I suggest we each resign to our own quarters to contemplate the constructions of these replications of our embodiment,” proposed Bishamon. “Is that alright with you Fukuro?”
“Yes,” he answered. So the brothers left to be alone with their thoughts.
Walking into Fukurokuju’s bedroom was like seeing Earth for the first time. It took my breath away. It was a forest, full of creatures I’ve never even imagined and blanketed by stars. I’ve always loved the stars. They made me feel small and insignificant, but they are beautiful and full of wonder.
“Shekira,” Fukurokuju called out. From the dense forest unearthed a large white stag. “Hey girl, where have you been?”
he patted her. “Any ideas?” he said throwing himself into a hammock of vines.