Thursday, October 28, 2010

Ashes of War

“Come, oh ancient warrior once brave and bold,

dust off the gray ashes of war.

Arise to do battle once more,

for Evil has crept in and turned the world cold.”


Upon the high parapet of the black castle wall, a darkly cloaked figure stands looking over the devastation that lays on the fields below.

The broken bodies of thousands of soldiers that had crashed upon the black castle walls, like pounding ocean waves in vain, littering the scorched land in heaps. A cold wind whips over the dead, covering all in the dust and ash of the burnt forests that had surrounded the once lush landscape.

He looks upon the destruction and an evil smile comes to his bearded lips. His black crowned head tilts back as a chuckle spreads into a maleficent laugh that is carried across the battle field on the harsh wind.

Down on the ground, his mocking laugh echos as movement begins underneath the sea of dead. Slowly, an unnoticed hand rises from below and claws itself free. Gripping onto the arms and legs of the fallen, another hand emerges as they begin to pull their owner free.

Climbing out of the pile, seemingly awakened by the evil king's laughter, a lone warrior crawls to his knees and then stands atop the bodies that he had moments ago been buried beneath.

His hair matted and caked with dirt, sweat, and blood, the warrior stands and stares defiantly up at the lonely figure on the castle wall. The wind blows the ashes from his battered armor as his tattered red cloak flutters out beside him.

Catching sight of the small figure standing amongst his fallen enemies, the darkly crowned king cuts his cruel laughter and glares down at the fool that dares to still defy his mighty wrath.

The two stare at one another as the wind whips the flags that decorate the high walls that surround the castle's onyx keep; dark clouds move in to cover the evening skies.

Even though his own armies had been exhausted defeating the many peoples that had come to stand against him, the evil king felt secure in his fortress against this one, lone warrior whom had risen from the ashes. What was one more after all? He began to laugh once again, full with brash arrogance.

The warrior grips the hilt of his sword, sheathed at his waist; the leather creaking under his clenching hand.

“Come, fool!” the evil king calls down to him. “Come and I shall defeat you myself, so that you may join your pathetic comrades!” His teeth in bright contrast to his darkly bearded face as he throws his head back in laughter wildly once more.

Lightning streaks across the dark sky behind the dark-crowned king as his laughter taunts the warrior.

The warrior; cracking his own knowing smile as the black gates of the castle boom open to let him in. Into the lair of his enemy to do battle, one final time.

He smiles and thinks of the vengeance that would now be his. Thunder rumbles in the darkening sky as he begins to stride to the dark castle; to at last set the land free.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Future/Past

I wonder, if you could go back; back in time, and you meet your younger self and tell them everything you have learnt over the years; through lessons life has taught you; would it then cancel them all out?

For, if you had known how to avoid the troubles and tribulations that led you to learning those life lessons, would you know them to impart them, in the future, to your past self?

And if you did not know them and you could not impart them to yourself, then would you not fall prey to those bumps and bruises laying in wait along life's path once again?

Thus learning all those important lessons once more?

And knowing now what you had not known in then, would you go back and tell yourself all over again?

Monday, October 11, 2010

Hill Stones

In a lush, green, and rolling pasture a lone cow watched as it chewed lackadaisically.

The cow had never had much interest in the affairs of humans; besides the force behind the prod of a farm hand, or the hand temperature of the milk maid.

But as it watched, it grew mildly inquisitive.

For struggling mighty, two strapping men lumbered up the opposite slopes of two hills that rolled into one another. Both men pushing massive boulders, larger than themselves, away from each other.

Grunting and sweating, the two made slow progress up the hill sides, making only brief stops to rest against their respective stones.

Almost the entire morning it took them to labour up the hillsides. Usually the cow would have moved along to the fields on the other side of the hill to the west, to spend the rest of the day grazing in the warm afternoon sun. But it had decided to stay, eating and watching these two interesting humans in their odd tasks.

By noonday they had both reached the top of their hills and had steadied the boulders atop the level plateaus. They each slumped and sat against their boulders, huffing and puffing from their exertions.

After a moments rest, the man on the north hill stood and waved to his counterpart on the opposite hilltop, whom stood, waved back, and yelled something in response.

They then went around to the back of the heavy boulders, positioned their broad shoulders against the curve of the rocks, and yelled to each other loudly.

The cow, its cud chewing forgotten for the moment, stood and watched what happened next.

The two men, their arm and leg muscles straining underneath their simple leather hide outfits, pushed the great stones back down the hillsides they had spend the entire morning pushing them up.

Finally sending them off with great pushes, the men both fell to their knees with the force of their efforts, and watched with excited grins as the two boulders bounced and picked up speed as they careened down the hills towards each other.

All three spectators watched with anticipation as the massive round stones rolled ever faster down. Until, with a shattering crash, they smashed into each other in an explosion of stone chips and dust.

Shouting and cheering came from each of the men on the hilltops as they jumped up and danced jigs in celebration of their job well done. While the cow, only cocked its big head to the side inquisitively.

The pile of rubble from the collision lay scattered in small valley at the foot of the hills as the cow looked from the debris to the hooting and hollering men and back again.

Its cud chewing recommenced after sometime and it began to make its way towards the west side pastures. The bell fastened to the leather strap around its thick neck jiggling rhythmically as it sauntered along the cool grass.

the metal clanging pounded in its large head which was throbbing with a headache. A little from the effort of trying to figure out what the purpose of all that had just happened was; but mostly from the annoyance of having stayed to witness it.

How the human race had gotten the upper hand, the cow would never know.