The Abbey of Our Lady of the hill was once a tall erect building
offering sanctuary to many. It had long since been out of use. Without the
funding for repairs, and with the decline in Catholicism, the Abbey had
collapsed on itself often. Despite its current state, there were those
opposed to the move to demolish it. Many protestors rallied together to
save their only local piece of history. Unfortunately, giant co-operations
usually seem to get their way in legal battles, and this case was no
exception. With the owner of the Land offering no support to the historical
fanatics, and the funding of the property developers, all this dispute
caused was legal costs and ill feeling, the locals had no chance. It was
ruled that the Abbey could be demolished at will. The silhouette of the
once sacred building had only hours left to grace the landscape.
The early morning sun was already warming the air. A group of men wearing
over warm blue boiler suits were crowded around the hood of a bright yellow
JCB. Most of them held the obligatory cup of tea in their hand, and most of
them had begun complaining about the heat. By noon most people would be
hiding in shade, while they had the pleasant task of working on a
construction site.
"Okay people let's get it together." The commanding voice came from a surprisingly short individual in the centre of the group. He sprawled a large sheet of paper over the vaguely flat surface. "We all know the drill, 'we've got a schedule to keep to'. But this time I mean it, and it's tight, this aint gonna be no easy ride. So get prepared to work it. The first thing we've gotta do is get rid of this relic," he indicated the large ruin glaring imposingly down at them from the top of the hill. A light breeze brought a slight chill to the air, "so lets get to it!" There was a slight pause as everyone stared up at the cold walls of the old abbey, before jumping into action. Engines roared as demolition vehicles started creeping towards the lichen-covered stone.
The decorative windows, well those left intact any way, were the first to go. Dark shards of painted glass sprayed everywhere. Next came the more sturdy arches covering them. Grey stone, powdering plaster, deteriorating mortar, once glorious paintings, carvings. All was shattered, none was saved. The formidable staring gargoyles that had graced the abbey long before it achieved that status were crumbled into non-existence. A pile of debris now replaced the derelict building.
It was as the shadows were beginning to lengthen that the short man finally called a halt to the days destruction. "Clockin' out time boys." There were a few halfhearted cheers, but none of the workers really had the energy left to celebrate too vigorously. "See ya back here tomorra, bright and early." Some exhausted groans greeted his ears. Chuckling softly the man made his way to the sleek company car that waited for him at the boundary of the construction site. He pulled on a pair of sunglasses to shield his eyes from the red tinged gold glow of the setting sun as he drove home, and the car purred out of sight. He was proud of the days work, things were right on time.
The mound of rubble sat silently on the hill. A gentle wind whispered through the remaining patches of luscious green grass. The glory of the sunset faded into the eerie pale of twilight, which quickly transformed into a night illuminated by the strong silver light of the full moon. It was while a cloud partially obscured the moon that a small pile of stones shifted slightly. In the dimmed light it might have seemed like a trick of the eyes to a passer by, but a deformed creature slowly forced its way through the heavy litter. It shook the sediments off its tough leathery exterior and stretched its pathetically stubby wings, reaching them as far away from its bumpy spine as possible, before folding them tightly at its sides. It was then that it noticed the scene around it, and it stared around bewildered.
"Where did it go?" The poor being thought to itself. In terms of his kind he was still only a young child, and was totally lost in any new situation. "Why didn't the other gargoyles wake me? Why didn't they protect the abbey? Where is my home?" The creature curled its legs under himself and squatted, trembling. A dull ache of emptiness settled in its stomach. It had no place of belonging, nowhere it was bound to, nowhere to protect, and no family to comfort him.
"Family," he thought suddenly, "if I'm still here, they have to be." It began wading through the large lumps of his former home in an attempt to search out his family. "Where are you?" He called softly. "I know you're here. You can come out now." He rummaged through the remains for about twenty minutes. Then his tough hand gripped something cold, something he recognized. "No!" he choked, "not Granite." His long, scaly fingers lifted a gnarled stone arm from the wreckage. "He was the wisest and strongest of us all." He thought sadly. "If he's gone then so are the others." The creature coiled itself around the limb and whimpered to himself. He felt empty, and terribly alone. The small creature stayed in this position until the pearly grey of early morning drifted over the hill.
He sniffled dejectedly. "I s'pose I'd better find somewhere else to stay for the day?" He asked the stone arm forlornly. "Okay then, I will." The creature picked itself up and lumbered towards the small town below him, trailing the arm behind him like a baby blanket. He leapt easily over the high wire fence, looking any thing but graceful, clutching his comforter tightly. Once over the threshold of the site he stopped and looked behind him. He carefully spelled out the words printed in bold red type on a sign posted in front of it. "RedRooves family homes, a major new development." He pronounced slowly. "I get it." He glanced at the arm defeatedly. "We didn't wake up because this land didn't need protecting, it was wanted it this way." He sighed tiredly, and held a long stance staring back at the hill, silently saying sorry to the only home he ever knew. He adapted an old quotation of Granite's to suit the occasion. "Goodbye, Our Lady, who once stood proud atop this hill." He whispered softly, small droplets of quartz leaking from his lower eyelids.
"Okay people let's get it together." The commanding voice came from a surprisingly short individual in the centre of the group. He sprawled a large sheet of paper over the vaguely flat surface. "We all know the drill, 'we've got a schedule to keep to'. But this time I mean it, and it's tight, this aint gonna be no easy ride. So get prepared to work it. The first thing we've gotta do is get rid of this relic," he indicated the large ruin glaring imposingly down at them from the top of the hill. A light breeze brought a slight chill to the air, "so lets get to it!" There was a slight pause as everyone stared up at the cold walls of the old abbey, before jumping into action. Engines roared as demolition vehicles started creeping towards the lichen-covered stone.
The decorative windows, well those left intact any way, were the first to go. Dark shards of painted glass sprayed everywhere. Next came the more sturdy arches covering them. Grey stone, powdering plaster, deteriorating mortar, once glorious paintings, carvings. All was shattered, none was saved. The formidable staring gargoyles that had graced the abbey long before it achieved that status were crumbled into non-existence. A pile of debris now replaced the derelict building.
It was as the shadows were beginning to lengthen that the short man finally called a halt to the days destruction. "Clockin' out time boys." There were a few halfhearted cheers, but none of the workers really had the energy left to celebrate too vigorously. "See ya back here tomorra, bright and early." Some exhausted groans greeted his ears. Chuckling softly the man made his way to the sleek company car that waited for him at the boundary of the construction site. He pulled on a pair of sunglasses to shield his eyes from the red tinged gold glow of the setting sun as he drove home, and the car purred out of sight. He was proud of the days work, things were right on time.
The mound of rubble sat silently on the hill. A gentle wind whispered through the remaining patches of luscious green grass. The glory of the sunset faded into the eerie pale of twilight, which quickly transformed into a night illuminated by the strong silver light of the full moon. It was while a cloud partially obscured the moon that a small pile of stones shifted slightly. In the dimmed light it might have seemed like a trick of the eyes to a passer by, but a deformed creature slowly forced its way through the heavy litter. It shook the sediments off its tough leathery exterior and stretched its pathetically stubby wings, reaching them as far away from its bumpy spine as possible, before folding them tightly at its sides. It was then that it noticed the scene around it, and it stared around bewildered.
"Where did it go?" The poor being thought to itself. In terms of his kind he was still only a young child, and was totally lost in any new situation. "Why didn't the other gargoyles wake me? Why didn't they protect the abbey? Where is my home?" The creature curled its legs under himself and squatted, trembling. A dull ache of emptiness settled in its stomach. It had no place of belonging, nowhere it was bound to, nowhere to protect, and no family to comfort him.
"Family," he thought suddenly, "if I'm still here, they have to be." It began wading through the large lumps of his former home in an attempt to search out his family. "Where are you?" He called softly. "I know you're here. You can come out now." He rummaged through the remains for about twenty minutes. Then his tough hand gripped something cold, something he recognized. "No!" he choked, "not Granite." His long, scaly fingers lifted a gnarled stone arm from the wreckage. "He was the wisest and strongest of us all." He thought sadly. "If he's gone then so are the others." The creature coiled itself around the limb and whimpered to himself. He felt empty, and terribly alone. The small creature stayed in this position until the pearly grey of early morning drifted over the hill.
He sniffled dejectedly. "I s'pose I'd better find somewhere else to stay for the day?" He asked the stone arm forlornly. "Okay then, I will." The creature picked itself up and lumbered towards the small town below him, trailing the arm behind him like a baby blanket. He leapt easily over the high wire fence, looking any thing but graceful, clutching his comforter tightly. Once over the threshold of the site he stopped and looked behind him. He carefully spelled out the words printed in bold red type on a sign posted in front of it. "RedRooves family homes, a major new development." He pronounced slowly. "I get it." He glanced at the arm defeatedly. "We didn't wake up because this land didn't need protecting, it was wanted it this way." He sighed tiredly, and held a long stance staring back at the hill, silently saying sorry to the only home he ever knew. He adapted an old quotation of Granite's to suit the occasion. "Goodbye, Our Lady, who once stood proud atop this hill." He whispered softly, small droplets of quartz leaking from his lower eyelids.