Mothra's Foresight
By: Donny Winter 9/11/2011
Author's Note - In tribute to all those who passed during the terrorist attacks of 9/11 this story is written in honor of their memory.
~*~Infant Island, Micronesia, South Pacific~*~
The cavern was dark. The light by the rising moon over the Pacific defeated the opaque. It's red glow was cast across the far wall, lighting the chasm in a layer of peculiar illumination. A draft stirred through the ancient volcanic cave as two massive appendages stirred dust before aqua-hued beams penetrated the cloud. Amidst the fading dust, two multi-faceted eyes raised toward the granite perforation above at the blood-moon sky.
Mothra Leo rested on her throne in her darkened temple. Two years had passed since her valiant defeat of the 'King of Terror', and it was her time to bask in the fading yet remembered light of her victory. Despite the Earth being safe against large creatures born in the depths of space, the planet's well-being hung by a sliver beneath the demigod hands of humanity.
A nestled fear brewed within the Earth amidst a fog of apathy. Mothra could feel the Earth's apprehension through strengthening and weakening surges of mana. Then again, Mothra could always hear Gaia's thoughts-Earth's spirit existed within her after all.
"I can only protect Humanity from the dangers beyond their control-conquering space-dwellers, vicious sea monsters, forgotten mana-eating demons," Mothra spoke prophetically as the whitening light of the moon rose in the sky, casting its rays against Mothra Leo's body. The celestial beacon bounced off the deity's scales, sending shards of light peaking into the black like thousands of tiny needles. "I cannot protect them from themselves."
Mothra Leo released a deafening cry while fanning the bulk of her 175-meter wingspan. Dust, flower petals and other pebbles were strewn from her altar as her body rose beyond the confines of her island-cavern, an angel ascending toward the sky. Her antennae twitched beneath mountain shadows as she soared over Infant Island. The lushness of her home seemed untouched and innocent unlike the rest of the world. The human dominated planet reeled under industry, population growth and environmental change-Mothra knew it, and foresaw it.
But something far more terrible troubled her. Mothra had foreseen fire, crying eyes, smoke and dead silver birds destroying gray pillars. Flames billowed above a great city and the cries of millions of heart-torn people around the world echoed in Mothra's mind. She felt the foundation of the planet quake in her vision, the very fiber of civilization tarnished by an unlawful act of destruction against the human species-by fellow humans.
"A red moon rose on this night, a sky stained by fire in the east. I can only hope that they will value life more after this experience, and find themselves closer than ever before.." Mothra's voice trailed off as she perched herself on the highest peak of the island, awaiting the painful cries of innocent souls leaving the world.
~*~New York City, NY, U.S.A.; September 11th, 2001 8:40 a.m.~*~
"It will happen any moment now." Moll whispered as a somber wave of sorrow washed across her Elian face.
Moll, Lora and Belvera hovered above the waking city of New York on their steeds: Fairy Mothra and Garugaru. The three avatars of Mothra made the Elias Triangle and were bidden by Mothra to watch her vision come to fruition.
Lora clutched Moll's waist and gazed across the city with concerned eyes as the rising sun reflected from windows on the highest skyscrapers. Her white and blue dress matched the dark blue of her eyes-a logical match for the fairy embodied with the power and understanding of 'love'.
"Do you think Mothra's right? Will it actually happen?" Lora questioned while glancing up at Moll's sovereign expression-reflecting her embodiment of wisdom.
"Has she ever been wrong?"
A more rustic voice muttered, clearly filled with annoyance. Lora turned around and faced her sister Belvera, the avatar embodied with all falling within the jurisdiction of courage. Her purple and black dress ruffled in the wind as her draconic steed Garugaru growled at birds flying above them.
"Well no, but don't you think it's a bit odd that she wants us to witness this vision she had? What she described was awful!"
Moll said nothing, she merely nodded in agreement.
"Not anymore disturbing than the things we've seen over the past what…few million years?" Belvera's words would have slapped Lora in the face if they were physical manifestations.
"You're just saying this because you want to say 'I told ya so,' you've always said that humanity will bring about its own destruction!" Lora raised her voice.
"Yeah, and I am right. We're about to see it."
"Do you have any remorse for about what's going to happen!"
"No not really. It's their problem, not ours."
Moll closed her eyes and shook her head negatively at her quibbling sisters. Conflict wasn't foreign to the trio, but generally they always found a way to resolve their disagreements. It usually involved Moll centering her sisters, though at that moment she could care less.
"Belvera, you are seriously a cold-hearted witch! I can't believe you have no love in your heart for humanity." Lora lowered the tone of her voice, hoping to not annoy Moll-though she was more or less annoying Belvera more. Some days she could not stand that high-pitched whiny squeal of a voice that always had something to complain about. Through she still loved Lora, and her endearing dedication to love.
"I do love humans, just not more than my own sisters. It isn't the same endearing love you have, I shouldn't have to love creatures who kill off their own species." Belvera shifted her position on Garugaru and ordered him to move closer to Fairy Mothra.
Lora could not think of a response, because she did understand the truth in what Belvera was saying. She never understood why people killed each other in meaningless acts of murder.
"Sometimes I cannot fathom how ignorant humans are…" Belvera interjected as she stared at a random location in the city.
"Lora…Belvera…" Moll's voice trailed off, breaking the altercation. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the glint of something metallic in the rays of the rising sun. She raised her hand slowly and pointed at the object-a large jet with the letters 'American Airlines' painted on the side.
"It's flying too low to be a normal airline." Belvera mentioned as the spectacle caught her eye.
"Moll, it is happening isn't it? I can't watch this…I just can't…" Lora whimpered while trying to slink behind her sister's red dress.
"We have to, Lora. Mothra wishes it."
"But why? Why would Mothra want us to see this!"
Lora's voice was defeated by the deafening sound of metal crashing into cement. Red flashes of light glimmered across the fairies' faces as the commercial airline punctured the edifice in a display of explosions and smoke. Shards of melted glass and chunks of half-burned material shot out across the city, showering shrapnel on thousands of screaming citizens scurrying through the streets below.
"It's happening." Moll whispered.
"We have to do something!" Lora bellowed as tears streaked down her cheeks, she felt the pain of fear tearing at her heart. "This isn't right!"
"We can't do anything…it was never meant to be right…" Belvera's face drained of its color as she watched flames wreathing the upper quarter of the North World Trade Center.
Within a matter of minutes, another jet streaked over the other side of the city, eventually striking the South building. A massive explosion sent another plume of smoke into the sky as absolute chaos occurred on the streets below.
"Why couldn't we do anything? Why couldn't Mothra do anything?" Lora wept into her sister's shoulder.
Moll found herself at a loss of words. Nothing could explain the peculiar request Mothra proposed. She knew that it was unwise to interfere with human affairs, but the incident seemed so easy to prevent with not only their help, but Mothra's.
Amidst the smoke filled skies, Lora's sobbing and the melancholy silence of Belvera nearly drove Moll into absolute delusion. So much pain filled the world in that moment, pain that nobody would ever forget.
The rising sun penetrated the billowing clouds of smoke allowing rays to shine in the street directly below. Moll turned her attention toward the street.
" 'Closer than ever before,'" Moll repeated Mothra's words as a small smile formed on her face.
"What?" Belvera muttered as both she and Lora focused on their sister.
"Even in chaos there is courage, wisdom and love." Moll pointed toward the street while reflecting on the power of the Elias Triangle.
A firefighter dashed through falling debris, hoisting an injured woman into his arms. With the speed of a hero, he took her to safety a few streets away from the site.
The three sisters gazed on in surprise. Despite the horror that had taken place, they could see that there was still good in humanity. They understood why they could not interfere with events.
Mothra watched the moon dip into the west as daylight reached the shores of Infant Island for yet another day. Her heart still ached, but she knew all that her Elias perceived during the incident.
A new future came to pass, a vision beyond the fire, destruction and blood spilled in a vain attempt to strike fear into people. A prophecy beyond that of complete annihilation-the rebirth of courage, wisdom and love.
"They find themselves closer than ever before."