Chapter 2 – Living in a Desolate World
When someone dies in the desert, they become like the sand in the desert, and their cloaks become a cloud in the sky. I wonder how many people walk around and step on the dusk left behind by the people who die here.
“They say if you pass away at the top of the world, then you become stardust. Isn’t that an interesting idea?”
My little princess smiles and even lets out a soft giggle. That’s what I want to hear. My daughter isn’t going to let a life ending disease stop her from laughing and smiling.
“Hey, do you see that in the distance? It’s a settlement. Let’s hope we find some good people in there who can help us.”
I’m down to my last coins, but the goal seems to be so close. I’ve been closer to the sunset than I’ve ever been. All we need is one last push. The settlement we’re approaching is full of houses of various sizes ranging from small to large. I don’t blame the fathers for stopping out here to make resting places for wanderers like me. It’s just that I wished they made this place look a little safer for their sake. They did decorate the place with dark blue and light gray colors mixed in with some black.
There are people walking around and making idle talk around the small market. They glance at me as I pass them then whisper among themselves before talking at their normal volume again. I hope they have good things to say. I don’t want to start a fight. The people here seem good, so I also hope that I’m among decent folks who will help me. Browsing around the market, I find bottled water. Small ones of course, and fish. Lots of kinds of fish. These two things are really the only things we eat in the desert. I heard that the top of the world has something called vegetables, bread, wine, and fruit. I’ve never had or seen any of these things before.
“Excuse me,” I ask the vendor, “How much will this all be?”
“Ten coins,” he says in a gruff voice that sounds like its full of sand.
“I only have eight. Will you accept that? I’m trying to keep my sick daughter relatively healthy until we reach the top of the world.”
“I don’t do sympathy discounts, especially in times like this when resources are scarce.”
“Resources are always scarce. How about I pay you what I have then repay you after I drop off my daughter to a doctor who can cure her?”
“I’m truly sorry, but I can’t. I have to take care of my family too. We’re going through tough times as well, and I’m not sure how much longer we can stay here. You can only buy what you can with what you have.”
“Okay, I understand.”
I pay with what I have, take what I bought, and walk away from the vendor. I can go another day or two by only eating scraps. I’ve done it plenty of times.
“Dang it,” the man behind me says before grabbing a few things and running to me with them, “Take these.” He gives me a little more of what I need. “I can’t, as a father, let another father suffer because I want to save me and mine. Take your money back as well.”
“Thank you so much but keep the money. You need it more than I do.”
“Thank you, my friend.”
The sky starts to light up. Oh no.
“Quickly, come inside my house!”
Bolts of fire start falling from the largest star in the sky. This happens from time to time for reasons I don’t know why. Maybe the Heavens are sending fire to cleanse the wicked from the world and remind the faithful of their fate if they choose to turn away. I take cover with my new friend inside his building. While watching from the windows, I see a couple people get hit by the fire bolts. Poor souls. Buildings such as these that hold wholesome families can withstand the bolts being thrown at it. Other buildings aren’t so blessed.
Once it’s over, most of the town is destroyed. I hear moaning and crying in the distance.
“I think we might be the only survivors,” I say.
“Heavens have mercy on the souls they took for judgment,” my friend says, “This place was not a friendly place to be in. We were going to move anyway. Did you say you were headed to the top of the world?”
“I am. That’s the only place I can think of that could have the cure for my daughter.”
“We might as well head there too. Huh?”
We hear a stampede coming our way. It must be the fiends coming to pick what remains.
I tell my friend, “Quickly pick up your things and go!”
“What about you?”
“I can make do. Just get out of here!”
“Okay! I hope to see you at the top of the world or above the stars, my friend.”
“I hope to see you there too.”
My friend grows huge enough to carry his building away while I find a hiding place within the rubble of the destroyed settlement. I dig out some of the rubble out of a building and hide in one of the destroyed rooms. The rubble here should keep me covered while allowing me to see outside. The moaning and crying have turned to into screaming, but that ceases quickly.
“Oh no. Don’t start crying,” I whisper to my daughter.
She hates the suffering of others no matter who is suffering. She’ll cry when she can feel someone dying.
“Here, I’ll sing you something to soothe your soul.
Don’t worry,
About it
It’ll end in a hurry
Because I am committed to you,
Oh no, I think the fiends might’ve found us. I might’ve sung too loudly. I’ll have to fight them.
“Rest here for now, my little princess. Your knight needs to protect you.”
She murmurs a little with a worried expression on her face as I lay her down.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep singing for you.
Nothing will hurt you, little princess,
I won’t let them
I’ll defeat them in an instant
Just you rest and watch”
I loosen my cloak so I can fight. It’s been a while since I last fought, but I must defend my daughter. Once I get out of the rubble, I face down two fiends.
I wave my hand at them and say, “Come on.”
The fiends race towards me with a smile and black liquids running down their mouths. I run towards them and fight them with my bare hands.
“Don’t cry,
I know of your struggles
We’ll fly high
Away from your troubles”
I’m able to beat them by using them against each other. I’m a small target while they’re vicious and only out for the kill. That makes them easy to fake out, so they hit each other. It’s just a manner of breaking their heads and necks from there. A couple more fiends come from the destroyed buildings.
“It doesn’t matter how many will come
I’ll always stick by you
Never surrender no matter the outcome
This is my destiny, I’ll see it through”
Two more down, but I’ve been scratched a couple times during the attack. Oh great, three more show themselves. I can’t give up now. My little princess seems worried.
“Nothing will hurt you, little princess,
I won’t let them
I’ll defeat them in an instant
Just you rest and watch”
Whew! I didn’t think I’d make it through that.
“I’ve defeated them all
What did I tell you?
Your father will never fall
This will always be true
I know the song is more of a poem, but I hope you still liked it.”
My daughter laughs and giggles. I’m not sure if she’s doing that because I won or if she’s laughing at my song. Whatever the case is, I fix my cloak and head away from the destroyed settlement. I probably should’ve bought bandages and healing oil. My wounds are pretty bad right now. My daughter’s presence can heal me a bit, but-Oh, is that?
“Did you think I would abandon a friend like you?” my friend from before says.
“Haha, I guess not.”
“Let me give you a ride to the top of the world. I think I might’ve seen it on the horizon.”
“Let’s go then.”
I go into my friend’s building as he carries us away from the destroyed town.
“Now we’re going to get there faster, little princess.”
My daughter smiles and giggles. Now that’s something that always makes me feel better.
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