They say that some truth reverberates in the backbone of legends. Within the whirlwind of darkness, dense as the suffocating blankets of fog, a luminance ignites sending forth a barely discernable ray of radiance. Many eyes, forced to look yet not to understand, crawl over the mountains of doubt and delve into the seas of disbelieve. Souls, frightened and deceived, have strayed floating in worlds of pure logic. They disregard intuition, the mummers of the hearts that are beaten down until they have not the strength to make the heart move. Darkness, a terrible burden upon itself, lurks in wait for victims of temptation and idiocy. So long as one remembers to carry a lantern, it shies away yet secretly yearns for the warmth and comfort of its long lost love. Its form encircles the glow, begging to be welcomed home once again, yet there cannot be light without the separation or the heartache of the darkness from its being. It is denied passage, and with a bitter heart it lurks, waiting for another companion to share its pain.
Time has come to weave and falter, stumbling and tripping over its own trap. Its crippling force abolishes mountains and withers oceans. Yet it cannot ever reach an end, cursed to a life never ending. It is here where much that once was, it lost.
Death has no face, or so I was told.
Stories had been told, myths had been constructed, and all of them had been discarded. Yet my venture into the thicket had not been hesitant, so caught up in the rational of the world. Strong legs had carried me forward as a mind full of despair had forced me out of the lodging. My visible breath was a constant reminder of the life within the being. So uncared for, so frail. The light in me was weakening, succumbing to the darkness that had called out so sweetly. Yet I wanted nothing other than to live in the light. The stars danced in the navy blue sky, flitting here and there. Though the sea of trees emitted a warning, I did not mind. My right hand was burdened with the weight of thickly lit lantern that threw a hollow light ahead. It guided my path, though held no comfort in its warmth.
As I ventured into the wall of foliage, my feet did not stop until the enveloping sheet of silence had surrounded me. Here, not even the air stirred. The sickle moon cast a longingly weak luminance on the bulky trees, illuminating their forms slightly. My feet bent underneath me as the smooth bark of a tree found my back. I lay my head against the form, breathing deeply and closing my eyes.
The world had changed from what it once was, loving and tender. Now it was occupied with societies that held the pungent stench of indifference. For above all, this world desired power. The hearts of men are easily corrupted. It is because of this, that the world had changed. The venom in their minds burned any notion of sentiment and eradicated any thought to compassion. It would burn.
As these thoughts engulfed my mind, soft footsteps increased in their speed. They glided smoothly with the experience of many millenniums. A soft groan of surprise escaped my mouth as the ground drew away from my body. The lantern that had been set to the side, fell, leaving me to the faint mercy of the stars.
Eyes ablaze with fire gazed back, their electric intensity increasing as they bore into the soul. The pale face was beautifully set, smooth and flawless in every measure. But the anger and pain that were present distorted his mouth into a thin line as his teeth gleamed in the moonlight. His head bent slightly, making the thick black strands on his head fall onto his forehead. His notion stopped at the lack of a scream. The anger in his eyes was replaced by curiosity, one that melted the ice of the ocean in his eyes. I could only stare. The beauty of him was one that I had never seen before, never experienced. Something lurked with the depths of those tossing waves, something he was guarding very well. The arm that was being held down by the cool hardness of his hand, hung limply by my side, making no move of resistance. Though the hand that was free, moved of its own accord.
The inches between our faces were the only space between us. His body was glued to mine, pressing me back against the tree. As my hand found its way up to his face, he flinched as I traced a smooth line under his lower lip. The veil in his eyes was released as the fabric tore. His hard-set jaw relaxed at my touch as a swirling tenderness filed his face. A crooked smile, one that held as much sorrow as it did astonishment, transformed his face.
"You see me."
A voice whispered in my head. It held no trace of a question, simply a statement. Though I knew not what was unraveling me in, I nodded my head slowly to ease his burden. The light and the darkness, had finally met.