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Lands of My soul
Contributed by
Archie
on
Tuesday, 6th September 2005 @ 08:10:44 PM in AEST
Topic:
abstract
|
I was shown into a stone room where Archias waited to greet me. I had been on a long journey and after a rest, some food and drink Archais came out into the room where I was.
How shall I begin this story, at the beginning? Shall I tell you of my pernicious deeds wrought in the shroud of chilvary? Shall I tell of demons slain with belicose shards of iron and nations torn asunder by words. We are a curious race we humans and our trappings have taken us on many journeys to lands that angels would tred in trepidation. Many of you could tell tales of horror that would scare even the bravest child, for that is where we have dwelt. Many of us indeed still dwell there where spires of ashen gold shoot up from the earth stabbing through the hearts of men. Journey with me and i shall take you to my lands, but beware you may not like what you see there. At any time if your heart loses courage you may turn back. You are my visitor. Here I am a prisoner to the vices that have captured me. Shall we begin?
I was transported with Archais to a stagnet pond. The stench of death was all around it. As my eyes focussed on the scene I heard singing. It was the most wonderful song i have ever heard. I stepped toward the water where the singing was coming from and I saw a Siren. She was a ugly hag she was holding a young man and cutting him with her long finger nails. At first when she cut him he would cry out in pain and pull away from her. Then she would soothe him and he would embrace her once more. "Why does he not leave her?" I ask. Archais looks at me and smiles "He can leave when ever he wants to but he can not escape the desires for her pleasures and has made himself her concubine" Archais said. Suddenly as I watched the Siren pushed the young man into the water and began to drown him. For a while he struggled but then he stopped. His contorted face which had once shown fear shone with a big smile. "Is he dead" I asked "No he is her prisoner now for he has given up his choice to leave. It will take another to save him now" Archais said. The Siren turned toward me and it was then that I could see she wore no clothes. Archais grabbed my shoulder "Remember you are my guest" He said in a stern voice. I shook her voice from my head "I am ready to leave now and . . ." Archais cut off my next words before I could speak them "You need not apologize it takes a man with an indomitable will to escape the wiles of a Siren" As I watched the scene faded from my view and I remember missing the Siren.
Darkness slowly faded and Archais and I appeared at a river with a path beside it. I had to admit it was a very bueatiful place. Great trees sprang from the ground surrounded by outcroppings of rocks. In the distance were spires of earth and grandios mountains and amongst them was blooming flowers of all hues and colors. I was taken aback until we started walking. It was an arduous climb following the river. There were perpetual paths most leading to dead ends and dangerous cliffs that would come up on an unattentive traveler. These were huge drop offs of hundreds of feet. I grew weary and tired and often complained to Archais about how hard the path was. There were many times that the width of a path between rock faces was only the width of a man turned to his side. If I had carried anything except what could fit in my pocket I would leave it behind. My food was the many berries and fruit that grew on the bueatiful trees and shrubs that lined the rocks and outcroppings. The tall trees provided shade from the hot sun. The water was as clear as glass and quenched my thirst. It was surprisingly cool maybe because it moved so fast. The river was hundreds of feet deep. There were only a few places where I could take a drink from it as my path went above it and below it at times. A fall from one of these hidden drop offs would break a man's neck. After sometime we reached a place where the path split. The path to the right stayed with the river. The path to the left went out into the forest. "This path" Archais said pointing "leads to where we saw the Siren but it also leads to the broken lands"
As he said these words all around me faded to black.
As we faded into our new dwelling place Archais handed me a sword. "I can not guarantee your safety here" As far as the eye could see was scorched cracked land, like earth packed together and burned in a fire, then trampled on by men and beast. The bones and corpses of men lay on the ground. Some of the corpses were splayed out as if to warn me not to come this way. the skulls of men hung on pig poles speared through the top and bottom. I felt the hairs on nape of my neck stand up and breathed a temporarary sigh of relief that we had not run into any one in this place. We traveled for days following the sun seemingly going no where. Then I saw the first sign, on the horizon, a dot that slowly rose out of the dried hard dirt becoming more ominous as we approached it. Growing an growing into a huge dark city. "Keep your vigilance" Archais said I realise that it was the first words he had spoken to me since giving me the sword. We passed through the steel gate and entered the city. The ground could not be tilled so the inhabitants ate the fallen amomg them for food. It was very hard to leep from vomiting at the site. Mingled with the song of morning was the song of the Siren. These had wings so that they could carry off there prey. The great men hunted the small for food. and devoured them raw. It was a heinous sight and my heart was filled with pity. Then a group of them saw us. With rage and fury they surrounded us and for the first time on this journey i would have to fight. We cut through them for they had no swords. We killed a few at first then tens and eventually hundreds before they cleared a path for us. My heart was filled with guilt and I cried out in anguished tormented pain. The people turned on each other and only the most cruel survived or the most cunning. They hewed the dirt with the bones of the dead to build traps for the hunter. I did not sleep the night I stayed there. I watched the preying and open adultery. On the morrow we left back through the steel gate that none but us could walk through. As the scene faded I was glad to leave that place to hopefully never return.
"This is the final place I want to take you" Archais said We appeared in an open valley. This was an amazing sight: fires of burning wheat as far as the eye could see. "Is this hell" I asked "Far from it" Archais said then we walked up to the thresh hold and Archais motioned for me to give him my hand. When I did he put it in the fire. I pulled away "Ow man what are you doing!" I said I looked at my hand and amazingly it was not burned. "You must walk through this field before I can let you go home" Archais sad "I can't" I replied "It is too hard" I continued "You saw that you were not burned and you have trusted me so far why not now. Can you only inflict pain and not endure it" He asked looking at me. I dodged his question "Is there a way around this field?" I asked "No, but even if there was I would not let you take it. Stay here and ponder this and then decide what you will do. My heart was filled with fear because I could be stuck in that field forever. How could I prepare myself for that. Archais was asking for too much this time.I knew it. He brought me all this way to face this field that was the bane of my existence at this moment. I broke down and cried. What if I got lost in there? I would have to go through that pain forever. I could not stop thinking about how he helped me and the field. I did not notice that Archais had come back. "Have you made your decision yet?" I shook my head. "Look around you" Archais said in a soothing voice. Behind me were green fields of alluvia as far as I could see and in every direction and there was something else, the sun had not set since I had been here. "You do not belong here this is my land. Your land is beyond this thresh hold. Are you not hungry? Do you not wish to go home?" I looked at the burning wheat and I looked at Archais "Why can't I just stay here" I asked. In my heart I knew that the only reason I asked that question was because I did not want to walk through that wheat. "I can not let you stay here. You were only meant to be my guest. If you do not walk on your own through this thresh hold then on the morrow I shall drag you through it kicking and screaming!" I looked at him and I glared angily "Why this, why could it not have been water or snow" I asked "It is not of my design and it is not for me to tell you why, only that you must go through it. It will be easier if i do not have to drag you for that will be slow and tedious" He was right about that I thought to myself. I looked at him one last time and I dashed into the fire running. Every sinew of my body felt as if it were on fire. I screamed but it did not help. I ran as straight as i could until I could not run any more then I crawled screaming the light grew brighter and brighter as much as the fire hurt it did not consume me and after what seemed like forever I woke up. My pillow was soaked through with sweat and tears and I wondered how much of what I dreamed was real. What was Archais trying to show me?
Copyright ©
Archie
... [
2005-09-06 20:10:44]
(Date/Time posted on
site)
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Re: Lands of My soul
(User Rating: 1 )
by Jenni_K on
Tuesday, 6th September 2005 @ 08:43:52 PM AEST
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a Message)
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Never apologise for excellence, Archie... This was awesome.... You took me along with you every step of the way and had me mesmerized....
Thank you for sharing this..
Hugs
Jenni |
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Re: Lands of My soul
(User Rating: 1 )
by brew on
Tuesday, 6th September 2005 @ 10:25:43 PM AEST
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yes very long write.............but it written with alot of meaning. Always a pleasure to read a write that is very detailed.! Thanks for posting.
Brew~ |
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Re: Lands of My soul
(User Rating: 1 )
by Eternal_Dreamer on
Wednesday, 7th September 2005 @ 07:49:15 AM AEST
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Never apologize for sheer brillance my friend. A captivating and very well detailed piece of writing. It's always a pleasure to read ur work Archie.
Hugs,
Sue, Dreamer |
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Re: Lands of My soul
(User Rating: 1 )
by Former_Member on
Wednesday, 7th September 2005 @ 08:52:33 AM AEST
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great write arch and sue's right no need 2 apologize u pour your heart out and give your self 2 the pages well done . . .
Ben |
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Re: Lands of My soul
(User Rating: 1 )
by Former_Member on
Sunday, 11th September 2005 @ 10:00:16 AM AEST
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Next chapter please :D
That was an awesome thrill and adventure. Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Tim |
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