This might be a very fitting song:
The witch Lenra sat up, put on her black hat and slowly walked down the stairs to see who it was. As she opened the door, she was greeted by one of the local workers. He also was the son of the old man Dranesh. Lenra knew that Dranesh was very sick and probably would not survive the next weeks.
"Good evening," the man - Lenra recalled his name was Erdash - said. "I am sorry to interrupt you during your studies ma'am, but my father asked to see you."
Lenra scratched the back of her head. "Can I know what this is about? I'm sorry, but I already told you that there is no way I can help him."
Erdash gave out a heavy sigh. "Yes, I know that this is the case, sadly. My father asked for a wake, and he also asked you to bring some of your curiosities. We hear you've got quite a collection already."
She gave a silent nod. And without further words, she went to her shack. She opened her shack and put some of her obscurities in her pocket. A death watch was nothing anyone took lightly, and this would be the first time doing one for her. Usually, people asked the local priest to do one.
Lenra was worried.
It only took them a few minutes to arrive at their house. Except for a very sick man in the bedroom, the house was empty. Old man Dranesh's wife had died a few years ago and his son had taken care of him ever since. Dranesh has always been a proud man and Lenra liked him. He might have never left the village - not once in his life - but he had grown to be something of a mentor for her.
She took a second to collect herself before entering the room; Erdash waited outside. Then, Lenra took one of the wooden chairs at his bedside and sat down. After a few seconds of silence, Dranesh began talking. "I am glad you came," he said with a very frail voice. "I know I am going to die today. I can," he coughed heavily "feel it."
Lenra nodded quickly. She did not know what to say. She did not want to see him die. She did not want to see anyone die. But she knew the wake was either done by a witch or a priest. And Dranesh was not affiliated with religions in any way.
"You don't have to do this. But I have," again, he had to cough heavily "one last selfish wish. I want to hear what there is outside of this village. Legends. I have not heard stories ever since... I was a young lad. I feel cold, Lenra, and I want to know what I missed. I love my son and I'll never regret the days spent with my wife, but..." He tried to raise his hand, but he was too weak already. "But I don't want to go..."
And that's when Lenra started to tell him the stories she knew, tears in her eyes.
She took the pocket watch she had with her and placed it in Dranesh's hands. "You probably know about sun dials", she began, "but this one does not work with shadows. This here is a "lunar dial". It is said they were once made by an -" Lenra had to stop for a few seconds, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. They had a golden glow, which either had to do with her ancestry or her regular use of powerful magic. " - An ingenious clockmaker who wanted a clock so exact it would stop time itself. Some say that the cogs were made out of "the moon's essence". He was moonsick and decided that the moon with the tides it causes and the effect it has on some people and creatures must be vital for time itself. But only one thing is certain: People who held it on a red, moonlit night had just a peak into history and time itself." Lenra gave out a very quiet, insincere laugh. "Of course this all must sound nonsensical... but I guess this is just how some things work. An ultimate clockwork, bound by a powerful magic..."
"But this, of course isn't the only myth on this world. In the surrounding country, there are six gateways. One in the center, the others building an outside pentagon. The cartographers who mapped them noticed they are perfectly geometric and level. The flawless gateways all have a different look, but they all have a story inscribed on them. And these stories tell of other worlds. One, for example, tells a story of a world where technology reigns. A world in which magic and spells have either been forgotten, or they don't exist there at all. The center one tells of a divine plan to keep demons locked in. Gods or not, demons shouldn't be too much a challenge for the local monster population. The center archway also is said to be a kind of switch - only if the center one is opened, the others can be, too. I guess the intention was that we would be able to ask for help through the other ones." But like I said, there are strong creatures in many areas. Some have special resistances to magic, some are physically impossible to defeat but are weak towards elements like ice, fire or wind."
Lenra noticed that Dranesh had closed his eyes a while ago and he was very still. She would keep telling him of the world through the night, though. Even if he'd fall asleep, she would keep it up. Maybe he would hear her, maybe not, but it would certainly keep her thoughts from going into the wrong direction. She didn't want to cry in here. "Ah yes, a divine plan. Could be. We have seen demons and angels already, as well as a multitude of immortal beings. Some of them single-minded, blood-crazy and others just like you and me. The gift of immortality is a grand thing - sure, some think that the loneliness of outliving everyone would one day be just as deadly for oneself, but that's clearly a matter of opinion. There is someone in the local mountains who can read minds and even manipulate one's subconscious. Born a half-demon, her only ever wish was not being able to read minds. But she was never granted that wish, and now she lives in absolute loneliness. Great power comes as a curse sometimes. Paradise will await us all, as well as our loved ones do. Even if your life was not great..." Lenra wished there would be some kind of proof she could give him, but there wasn't.
"Great myths are right around the corner; you would be surprised. I'll now tell you something I haven't told anyone and I trust your son enough to know that he will keep it to himself if he overhears us. In that one empty house in the village, there lives a ghost. She was forgotten, and with every passing day, she further vanishes. I was able to talk to the poor thing by pure chance. Her wish actually is to leave this world. She wants to know what's beyond, and the more people forget about her, the higher her chance of fading away. All she does now is haunt the place until she has the luck to have her wish fulfilled. Maybe that's why you should not worry, Dranesh. You are a successful man, you have had a good life, you have a loving son and you've had a great wife. This village might be small, but you achieved what you wanted to achieve. And from all the times I talked to you, I knew that can be proud of yourself."
And that way, Lenra kept telling him stories. He fell asleep on that night; Dranesh didn't wake up the next morning. Lenra took care of the final rites before the funeral. She then talked to Dranesh's son and left. She needed some time to think.
That day, Lenra swore to herself that she would never die, no matter what it takes: The winds of time would stop for her.
Last edited by Sold Out on Mon Jun 06, 2011 12:54 pm; edited 1 time in total