In a ghostly realm where shadows are formidable, and arguing influences of light and dark constantly dance, a beam of brilliance pierced through the ever-present cloud cover and hit the granite ground, which sizzled at the intense touch. The ghoulish patches of cropped grass wilted and burned. Nearby things of black and gray fled, yelping and howling as they galloped, dug, slithered and flew away from the harshness. One wrapped herself in darkness and joined the protective shadow of a nearby outcropping. Gray farseers atop the nearby hills emplaced tinted lenses on their orbs and analyzed this new phenomenon. They witnessed a man striding down the beam, perambulating toward the surface. The stranger was light of everything -clothes, skin, hair, eyes. An alabaster masterpiece. He even glowed slightly, though whether the light was from the man or the beam on which he strode was a matter of debate among the seers. Whichever the case, he was blinding to gaze at.
A sudden eclipse occurred as a large, blind, flying Thing encountered the beam of light and both were extinguished. The man fell the remaining distance to the surface, a tumbling star, as the realm returned to its natural level of twilight.
He pulsed on the ground, looking to all who saw as if he were an immense lightning bug, a beacon winking away in search of a mate. To all who could not see his light, his presence was warm and intriguing. Small points of light floated on a current of air in his direction.
He heard scuttling noises in the dark as he groaned and tried to sit up.
Silvery threads shot out from the surrounding landscape. A pair of large black spiders came into view from inky pools of shadow and crisscrossed hunting webs over his prone form, seeking to wrap him up in their stickiness.
The light stranger struggled to burn the webbing but could not keep up with the threads. He was soon tied up on the hard ground. The nightmarish spiders advanced, their mandibles making audible clacking noises.
Another piece of darkness, about the size of a person, broke away from the blackest shadows of a nearby outcropping of rock. It was a woman, dressed in draping fabrics of gray. She clicked and clacked, drawing the attention of the spiders. She threw up her arms and spread wide her cloak, which expanded to a great size and rippled with lights and darks like the ground under a leafy tree that shakes in the gusts of a hot summer day.
The spiders clicked and clacked. Then they turned and scurried away in search of easier prey.
The dark stranger dropped her cloak and approached the light being from the sky.
He had almost freed himself from the tangle of spiderwebs. His clothes however, were much grayer now with their substance. And his right leg was noticeably dimmer than the rest of him. And when he finally stood, it was easy to see the leg was indeed injured from the fall. He stood awkwardly, looking at her as he tried to remove the remaining webbing. He seemed unafraid, even with everything that had happened.
She held her hand in front of her face. “Dim yourself, sir. There are many here who feed on brilliance, as you almost found out first-hand.”
He concentrated and looked down at his outstretched hands. His light waned. He returned her look. “Who are you?”
“I am called Chia. Chia Ross-curo.”
“I am Epifanio. I have come to learn the secrets of darkness.”
She glanced around at the landscape, feeling many eyes upon the pair of them. She shook her head. He was still too bright.
“I cannot hide you, even within my umbra. You emanate much. Follow me, maybe we can hide in yonder shelter.” She pointed to the left.
He saw nothing and said as much.
“Your light blinds you.”
“The Light is my life! I cannot lower it any further. To do so would be to risk my death!”
“To not is to risk both our lives.” She raised an arm and covered him with a portion of her expansive cloak.
He was astonished at the clarity with which he now saw their surroundings. It was as if everything were outlined in a halo or glow. Their destination was obvious now: a small stone structure at the shore of an inkjet lake. He tried to look closer but the image shook and blurred in and out of focus.
He uncovered himself from the cloak. “Why adumbrate when you can elucidate?” He waved his hand and a blast of light flooded shot forth and illuminated the entire valley.
“NO!” she screamed.
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Another response to the Two Word Tuesday over at Our Write Side. Adumbrate was the word. It means to foreshadow. I ran with it. Hope you enjoy it. This is my wheelhouse right here, the sort of stuff I really like to write. Sort of like Jack of Shadows from Roger Zelazny.
Picture for today:
Maybe a future scene in the story?
Picture for today:
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