If anyone knows me knows that I am a HUGE Lovecraft fan. Well, this is something that kind of out of the Lovecraft universe. But, it not so blatant. Well I edited it and had one of my best friends do some editing and proofreading. Thanks Ms. T for your help. I will be writing more soon, been having a few more ideas to throw out. Maybe have something out of the Cthulhu Mythos to get your minds wandering and sleep with your eyes open. Watch out for the Monster Under Your Bed....
And without further adieu and poo-poo, turn off your lights and read some good stuff.
The
Universal Goddess
I have
traveled this desert for days, leaving my past behind. My present and my future
is this endless sea of sand with death stalking me in all its myriad
forms. Traveling eastward, I have no
definite destination; yet I know I must go east. My clothes are in tatters, the merciless sun
punishing me for my ill-preparedness on this journey. The pack I carry has very
little in terms of provisions: a canteen with enough water for one swallow, at
best two if I am very careful; a flashlight, that has seen better days; and a
rolled up scroll made of ancient looking dark paper.
The scroll
was given to me by a man wearing a brown robe and white turban. This, what I
could only assume was a holy man, thrusts this scroll into my chest as I
stepped out onto the street from the local tavern. Without saying a word, he continued to run
as if the devil himself was giving chase.
I wanted to run after him, but something made me stand in place. I looked down at the eerie scroll. It seems to call to me, beckoning me to open it. I try to throw it away into a nearby fire pit
where some people are cooking. I want to
be done with it. Yet, I cannot do it.
Curiosity or something else more primal urges or yet, commands me to open it.
Compelled, I open it, slowly. I look at the contents of the scroll. The words
are in a language that I cannot begin to understand. As my eyes loom over the
writing, I can almost “hear” the words being burned into my head. The pain is
intense, making me close my eyes. But,
as quickly as the pain came, it subsides. As I opened my eyes, I saw what was
written on the scroll...
To the east, travel
to the black pyramids before the first night of the full moon. Witness the
great birth. Witness her coming and become one with her.
I steal a
horse from a man too drunk to remember what happened and head out, towards the
impending sunrise. The first few days, I
see nothing but endless sands and the occasional birds flying overhead. My
horse died after the third day so I settled on foot, leaving it for the vultures
to feast on. But I keep going; tearing strips of my clothes to cover my face
and skin that was not burned raw from the sun’s abuse yet. At night, I sleep when I can, but only for a
few hours then I can no longer resist, I have to continue on.
I cannot
stop, for the full moon is a few more days.
The words still filling my head over and over to the point of losing my
sanity, and yet it feels comforting.
The day
before the full moon, I reach a large sand dune. Exhaustion was claiming me. I
push on; forcing me to traverses the sand that could easily swallow me to my
death any moment. Every step is a step
closer to my goal. As I reached the top
of the dune, I feel a sharp pain threw in my head. I almost stumble back down
to one knee, yet I manage to maintain my balance. As fast as the pain came, it
then left me. I looked at the sky. The sun is starting its slow descent into
the western horizon, bringing an end to the day. As I watch the sun disappear, I see the
shadows of a building.
The
pyramid, my goal; it is in sight.
With a
sudden burst of energy, I move quickly down the dune. It does not take long for me to make it past
the dunes and see a long road. It looks as if it leads to the pyramid. Needing
no further encouragement, I run towards the pyramid. As the sun sets behind the
pyramid it casts a long shadow as I get closer to the base. When I reach the pyramid, I am taken aback in
the size of the structure. It is the largest building I have ever seen. How could
something this massive be hidden from the eyes of the world? It would take
hours to walk around its perimeter. I walk around, looking for some way to
enter the pyramid. But, there does not seem to be a way in. Just then, another pain hits my head. The pain
is too much, like sharp needles piercing my brain. I feel something running down my nose. I
place my left hand on it and wipe it off. It’s…blood. I tear off a swatch of
fabric from what is left of my shirt to staunch the blood.
I place my
hand on the smooth black stones of the pyramid to maintain my balance. Just as
my bloody hand touches the stone, a massive crack begins to form. The crack
widens enough to allow me to passage into the dark abyss of the pyramid. As soon as I pass the threshold, the crack
closes as quickly as it had formed.
I find
myself in a lit chamber. The chamber is
circular with only one exit. The room itself is empty except for a few
overturned shelves and several skeletons. It stank of age and neglect. I reach
for my service revolver and grab a torch from the fall wall and make my way to
the exit. Outside the chamber, is a long corridor; with a rope bridge midway. I
walk towards it and I can hear the echoes of my footsteps. Each step I take,
sounding like a thunderous herald of my arrival, with a few rats taking cover
from the potential danger. I look down at my watch, the sun has already gone
down and the moon will be rising soon. I hurry my pace towards the bridge. As I
reach the bridge, I see that it is worn with age. Most of the boards have
rotted away and the ropes look like they could break at any moment. I doubt
that it could hold my weight. And, if it did, it would not hold it for very
long. I look down at the other side and it is nothing but pure blackness. A
chasm that looks never ending. If I were to fall, I do not think I would ever
reach the bottom in my lifetime. I then look up and what I see is astounding. A
clear darken sky with stars and celestial bodies that look like nothing that
would be seen from Earth. Orbs of light forming into a spiral then explode into
shards that rain towards me, yet disintegrate shortly after.
With
careful steps, I place my left foot on the bridge. The wood begins to creak,
but it holds some of my weight. I put my gun back into its holster and hold on
to the rope of the bridge for support. I place one foot in front of the other,
ignoring those pieces of wood that look like they would disintegrate if a
feather should fall on it. Moving
forward, and then from nowhere, a gust wind sweeps across the bridge, causing
it to sway to and fro. I try not to panic, yet it is taking all my reserve of
courage to do so. I hear a crack as I take another step and see that one of the
boards is about to give way. I ease my foot off it and attempt to step to the
next board. However, there is no next board. Empty blackness is all I see
before me. I begin to think if I try to use the ropes and shimmy across would
it hold my weight long enough or would it break and I would fall to my doom.
I put my
hand on the rope that looks the sturdiest, holding my torch in the other. I
start to move across. It seems to hold and I make good progress. Whether it was good fortune or Providence, I
make it to the other side of the bridge and reach solid ground. Sweat pouring
from my face and my breathing is becoming more labored. I take a look at my new
surroundings. There is a raised dais that looks like it was made of solid
marble. Symbols and words that I cannot begin to comprehend were etched into
the dais itself. Statues of humans and others otherworldly dominated everywhere.
Some of the statues sent a sense of fear and terror through my psyche. I cast
my eyes away towards the top of the dais and see a soft, blue glow. I feel so
compelled to walk towards it. My body moves of its own accord toward the glow.
Step by step I move up the dais to the light. As I approach closer, the
intensity of the light becomes apparent.
I reach the top of the dais and I see statues
of robed figures kneeling in a semi-circle. Above the statues is the glowing
blue orb. It is no larger than a human head and floating above the statues. I
walk slowly towards it but an invisible force stops me from taking another
step.
“No!” A voice from nowhere says to me. And suddenly
the statues that were surrounding the orb moved to face me and they all say no
in unison. But, I want to continue to
the light. Something inside my mind is urging me to do so. Yet, I hear the
words: no…no…no…. being said from the statues.
I reach for my gun and point it at the nearest statue. It stood
unmoving, yet kept speaking the same word to me over and over. Instantly, I
fired. The bullet bounced off the
marble, causing no damage. I fired again to the same result. Seeing that it was
futile, I lowered my weapon and made no resistance to move onward.
Moments
passed, I looked at my watch and saw that evening has come in full. I look up
to see the celestial bodies moving toward some prearranged destination; along
with the moon, bright and full, moving towards the center. I reach into my pack
and pull out the scroll that started all of this. When I open the scroll, the
statues move back to their original positions and allow me to pass. I walk,
tentatively to the center of the circle, just above the glowing orb. The scroll
begins to feel warm in my hands, as if it was becoming incarnated by some
unknown fire. I do not open the scroll for I am afraid of what may happen. My hands begin to tremble and I am thinking
about turning around and leaving. But, I have come too far now that I cannot go
back. I turn around and see that the dais is now… rising.
I am now in
total panic. What is going on here? How is this thing floating and where is it
going? This and millions of other questions form in my head. I hold onto the
scroll like it is my life preserver. And, maybe in some way it is. I still do
not open it, and the scroll itself is getting warmer by the second. I dare not
drop it even when my hands are starting to blister from the heat of the scroll.
I cannot take the pain anymore and I drop the scroll. Or I assumed that I did.
As I let it fall, the scroll unrolls itself and floats in midair. I stare at it in shock, the scroll was blank.
Nothing was there except empty space.
Suddenly, words start to form on the scroll, written in red ink. Looking
closer at it I realize that it is not ink, but blood. It is my blood being used
to write on the scroll. The words are in a language that I could not read, yet
my lips begin to speak whatever was on the scroll. Then suddenly, the statues
were repeating what I was saying, softly then louder.
The scroll
moves towards the center of the dais and I slowly follow behind it. This time,
there is no resistance. I walk to the
center of the room and the statues seem to close around me, still chanting the
same words that were written on the scroll. Every syllable I utter, I feel as
if a part of me is slipping away. Yet, every time I speak those words, the orb
before me grows brighter and brighter.
I look up
at the night sky; the moon has reached apex and the chanting from the statues
ceased at once. I also stopped chanting. The scroll burns to ashes in front of
me and I fall to one knee. I look at the orb and it rises into the sky and I
see it growing in size. Soon it is almost the size of me.
The orb
begins to crack along the middle and as
it does, I can hear the sounds of screams from uncounted voices come from
within it. The noise is almost unbearable.
I cover my ears to try to muffle the screams but it is no use. It is now
in my mind, screams upon screams. I feel like I will go deaf from the onslaught
of sounds. But mercifully, when I feel like I cannot withstand the pain anymore
the screams end.
I look up
to where the orb is, but there is no orb. In its place there was a…person; a
woman. But I cannot say it’s a woman. Something beyond even such mundane
description, her eyes were like suns, bright and radiant. Her hair was the
spirals of galaxies. She looked as if she was made from the universe, for the
universe. I instantly became enraptured with this creature. I was in love.
Total unashamed love.
A voice
spoke into my mind and I knew it had to be this being before me.
I have been here
before your planet was even formed amongst the dust and gas of this universe. I
was ancient before the spark that made reality was even conceived. I stood
waiting before even The Word was uttered. Even as I come into being, I only
stay for the briefest of moments. But,
when I am here, the universe shakes with my presence. My birth screams have decimated galaxies. My
last one was the reasons your dinosaurs were wiped out. My cries destroyed
civilizations that your world has never heard of. My name has been spoken
throughout the eons, loudly and quietly. I am the destruction to some,
salvation to others.
But for you, I am
something else. Something more. As you will be to me. Throughout time, I always
need someone to share my experiences. For the few moments of my existence, a
whole span of ages to your understanding, I need one to be witness. You can be
the latest of my companions. As these statues have been. You will be one of
them but as a price of that, you will see the universe in all of its glory. For
the briefest moments, you will see the secrets of time and reality. You are
given a great honor and a great gift.
Join me…
Before I
can even respond, she is standing before me.
She embraces me. I try to move, but her strength was astounding.
Be with me. She
speaks in my mind.
I cannot
resist anymore. I accept my fate and accede.
I feel a
strange force entering my body. I see and feel the goddess within me, showing
me her life, her existence, her destiny. It is too much. I know the human mind
cannot contain all of this knowledge without losing one’s sanity. I see those
who came before me trying to learn just a fraction of what she knows and then
die from the attempt. I see the beings that existed before time. Their names,
unspeakable to the human tongue. I see a sleeping god, under the oceans waiting
for the one to awaken him. I see a being whose very name can destroy the
universe encased in crystal that is slowly cracking and ready to shatter. In
the center of the universe, the eldest of the gods awaits oblivion. More I see,
the more I lose my sense of self. I see a book, being carried by a man dressed
in…
It is too
much for me. I scream but no sound comes out. I see my life flash before me. My
life, one of a soldier; killing those that I did not know for a man who did not
care. I see my days in primary school. I see my days smoking my first
cigarette. I see myself being born. I
see every moment of my life as it is being siphoned away. I see the truth of
what I was to be, of what I am to become. I see that the man who gave me the
scroll, a man who keeps the great book, the dreaded Necronomicon. I know what
is contained in those pages, for she has shared it with me. But, I will not
remember it all. I see the past, present and future.
The last
image I see is of her, of the goddess, my love. She reaches out, arms extended
ready to receive my embrace. I am not afraid, for I know now that this was
meant for me. I feel my body becoming formless. I cannot say her name but I
will say she is mine. But, I cannot claim her as my own. For none can do such a
thing. She will only remain for a few million years and return to where she
came, only to be reborn and the cycle starts anew. But, for what moments I have
of my life as this mortal shell, it will be worth it. I don’t know what will
become of me. I don’t know where the next journey will take, yet I honestly do
not care. I have been given a gift that few have ever known, and even fewer can
imagine. But, I do have enough of myself left to say these last few words
before I am encased in this stone tomb that will serve as my home for eternity.
R’ahet azuhet smate
tu. Caze tomapte sueaja. R’ahet shiua coopeq.
She came
into being from nothing. But knowing she is destined to become everything. For
she is the child of the universe.
She is not
a child but a goddess. A universal goddess. And I love her.
SAW
